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What else should we do?
- Thread starter k.hunter30
- Start date
Ooo! Tell me more!
We're thinking about doing dinner at Napa Rose on either Oct.12 or 13. Will I need to make a reservation for a party of four on that Sunday or Monday? We're planning on making those our two days in the parks, which, by doing this dinner, will cut out on park time, but... hopefully we'll still have enough time to do the things we want to do.
Just made reservations! :sohappy:
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Aquarium of the Pacific is a classic big city aquarium in Long Beach. It's about 30 minutes from Disneyland as long as you don't try to drive during rush hour. It's in downtown Long Beach on the harbor. http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/planyourvisit/
Nearby in the same harbor is the Queen Mary, which can be fun for kids and adults. http://www.queenmary.com/
Nearby in the same harbor is the Queen Mary, which can be fun for kids and adults. http://www.queenmary.com/
Tigggrl
Well-Known Member
Thanks for posting those links!
I have been kinda short on time lately. Queen MAry is amazing....
I have been kinda short on time lately. Queen MAry is amazing....
Okay... what about nightlife?
We're staying with my dad's cousin, so I'm sure, as a group, we won't have anything planned at night (other than on the days we're in DL/DCA/San Diego). DH and I might want to go out and do something.
The only thing is... we had no plans of going into the heart of LA or visiting Hollywood or anything like that. Would those be our only options? We don't drink alcohol, so we're not set on having to go to bars or clubs or anything like that. Though we're open to doing so just for the entertainment value.
I know it's a pretty broad question... but any input would be appreciated. You guys have been AWESOME and so helpful already!
We're staying with my dad's cousin, so I'm sure, as a group, we won't have anything planned at night (other than on the days we're in DL/DCA/San Diego). DH and I might want to go out and do something.
The only thing is... we had no plans of going into the heart of LA or visiting Hollywood or anything like that. Would those be our only options? We don't drink alcohol, so we're not set on having to go to bars or clubs or anything like that. Though we're open to doing so just for the entertainment value.
I know it's a pretty broad question... but any input would be appreciated. You guys have been AWESOME and so helpful already!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Are you asking for nightlife in OC and San Diego then?
I don't encourage going into LA at night. Not because it's not safe; on the contrary, it's actually a safe big city to be in when you are in the affluent/commercial areas. But it can be a bit daunting for non-locals to navigate, especially at night.
So are you looking for nightlife things in Orange County, San Diego, Disneyland Resort area?
I don't encourage going into LA at night. Not because it's not safe; on the contrary, it's actually a safe big city to be in when you are in the affluent/commercial areas. But it can be a bit daunting for non-locals to navigate, especially at night.
So are you looking for nightlife things in Orange County, San Diego, Disneyland Resort area?
TP2000
Well-Known Member
It obviously can't compare to the multi-day Adventures by Disney backstage tour, but the Disneyland Guided Tours department has a wonderful tour called "Walk In Walt's Footsteps". The tour is several hours long, and the guide takes you to all the places Walt designed, created, inspired, etc. at Disneyland. The tour guides really know their stuff, and they answer any and all questions throughout the tour.
When I did it a few years ago they showed you an original 1963 Tiki bird from the Tiki Room, explaining how Walt thought of and created the animatronic industry, and then ushered you in to see the show. We rode in Walt's private presidential car on the Disneyland Railroad, the Lilly Belle. You wear a headset that the guide speaks into via wireless microphone, and the tour has clips of Walt talking about different buildings or lands he built and designed inside Disneyland. Etc., etc.
It really is Disneyland History Level 301, and beginners or Disneyland novices shouldn't try to use it as their introduction tour to Disneyland. You need to have a good grounding in Walt's background and the basic history of Disneyland to get the most out of it. (Most folks here qualify, by the way). For folks who visit WDW more often, it would be best to do the tour after they've already spent a first day at Disneyland getting accustomed to the layout and different feel for the park versus Magic Kingdom.
I believe the tour prices is still 59 dollars, and it included a box lunch. Just found the link on the official website.... http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...ours/detail?name=WalkInWaltsFootstepsTourPage
Yes, I suppose.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Okay, nightlife in Orange County....
Within walking distance of Disneyland there is Ralph Brennan's in Downtown Disney which has live jazz most nights. You can go for dinner, or just coffee and desert and listen to the bands in the dining room or on the patio.
You could also go to the cocktail lounge at the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Hotel and order the cheese plate and some non-alcoholic drinks. The cheese platter is always full of unique and rare cheeses from around the world, and the little presentation the server does about it is interesting. On weekends they'll have a little jazz trio or something playing in the lounge. You can go and have an espresso drink and desert off the Napa Rose menu there in the lounge if you want also. http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/hotels/dining/detail?name=NapaRoseDiningPage
There is also GardenWalk, a new mall about two blocks from Disneyland. It has several good restaurants. But it also has a really posh movie theater called Cinema Fusion Anaheim with a cocktail lounge called the SkyLobby that also offers deserts and fancy coffees just off the lobby (with giant windows with a view towards Disneyland). They show not only new movies you'll find at any multiplex, but they also have an IMAX theater and they show a rotating selection of classic movies from the mid 20th century. It's a bit fancier than your usual mall movieplex, and they really do a nice job with it. http://cinemafusionanaheim.com/
Also at GardenWalk, downstairs from Cinema Fusion, is the 300 bowling alley. Now, just go with me on this one. It's a bowling alley, but it's done up very nice and it's really a Date Nite type of place. It's very mod, very swanky, and they offer a decent menu of food and deserts that can be brought right to your lane. I went there with friends and we had a blast. The waitress waits right by our lane all night, getting us refills and deserts and whatever we needed. They have giant video screens on the end of the lanes playing music videos, and the place is lit up like a sleek disco. Somehow, it works. I'm not much of a bowler, but we had a lot of fun. Smoking indoors is illegal in California, so you also don't have that usual bowling alley smell. It's not cheap, but if you go after 9:00pm on weeknights they have specials for 15 dollars per person for three hours of unlimted bolwing including shoes. http://3hundred.com/home.asp?loc=300anaheim
Within driving distance of Disneyland? Gosh, where do you start?! Orange County, California is a collection of middle to upper class suburbs with about 3.5 Million people. If it were it's own city out in the Midwest, it would be a major upscale market in its own right. But since it is just a part of the sprawling Southern California megalopolis of 20 Million people, it gets kind of hard to define exactly. Needless to say, there are plenty of fabulous restaurants and things to do in OC, all within 30 minutes drive of Disneyland.
A fun place for dinner out is the Hotel Montage in Laguna, about 30 minutes from Disneyland. Their top flight restaurant is called Studio, and it is perched on a cliff in a custom bungalow building above the crashing waves. http://www.studiolagunabeach.com/ But their mid-range restaurant is called The Loft, and while it is less expensive than Studio it still offers very fine service and very fine gourmet California cuisine above the cliff looking down at the ocean and the hotel grounds. I always have a great dinner at The Loft. And it's fun just to pull up to the Montage and let them valet the car and stroll into the joint. http://www.montagelagunabeach.com/index.html
I mean really, there's a million and one great restaurants in Orange County. Where does one start?
Here's a fun OC Date Nite thing to do.... drive down to Newport Beach and take the ferry across to Balboa Island. About 25 minutes from Disneyland. Stroll the beach, get an ice cream, watch the waves in the moonlight. http://balboaislandferry.com/
Hmm... what else for OC nightlife? October is too late for a Grunion Run.... There's art museums and a really beautiful new Pacific Symphony hall at the OC Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, about 15 minutes south of Disneyland. Maybe something of interest is there during your visit? http://www.ocpac.org/home/default.aspx
Did any of that help?
Within walking distance of Disneyland there is Ralph Brennan's in Downtown Disney which has live jazz most nights. You can go for dinner, or just coffee and desert and listen to the bands in the dining room or on the patio.
You could also go to the cocktail lounge at the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Hotel and order the cheese plate and some non-alcoholic drinks. The cheese platter is always full of unique and rare cheeses from around the world, and the little presentation the server does about it is interesting. On weekends they'll have a little jazz trio or something playing in the lounge. You can go and have an espresso drink and desert off the Napa Rose menu there in the lounge if you want also. http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/hotels/dining/detail?name=NapaRoseDiningPage
There is also GardenWalk, a new mall about two blocks from Disneyland. It has several good restaurants. But it also has a really posh movie theater called Cinema Fusion Anaheim with a cocktail lounge called the SkyLobby that also offers deserts and fancy coffees just off the lobby (with giant windows with a view towards Disneyland). They show not only new movies you'll find at any multiplex, but they also have an IMAX theater and they show a rotating selection of classic movies from the mid 20th century. It's a bit fancier than your usual mall movieplex, and they really do a nice job with it. http://cinemafusionanaheim.com/
Also at GardenWalk, downstairs from Cinema Fusion, is the 300 bowling alley. Now, just go with me on this one. It's a bowling alley, but it's done up very nice and it's really a Date Nite type of place. It's very mod, very swanky, and they offer a decent menu of food and deserts that can be brought right to your lane. I went there with friends and we had a blast. The waitress waits right by our lane all night, getting us refills and deserts and whatever we needed. They have giant video screens on the end of the lanes playing music videos, and the place is lit up like a sleek disco. Somehow, it works. I'm not much of a bowler, but we had a lot of fun. Smoking indoors is illegal in California, so you also don't have that usual bowling alley smell. It's not cheap, but if you go after 9:00pm on weeknights they have specials for 15 dollars per person for three hours of unlimted bolwing including shoes. http://3hundred.com/home.asp?loc=300anaheim
Within driving distance of Disneyland? Gosh, where do you start?! Orange County, California is a collection of middle to upper class suburbs with about 3.5 Million people. If it were it's own city out in the Midwest, it would be a major upscale market in its own right. But since it is just a part of the sprawling Southern California megalopolis of 20 Million people, it gets kind of hard to define exactly. Needless to say, there are plenty of fabulous restaurants and things to do in OC, all within 30 minutes drive of Disneyland.
A fun place for dinner out is the Hotel Montage in Laguna, about 30 minutes from Disneyland. Their top flight restaurant is called Studio, and it is perched on a cliff in a custom bungalow building above the crashing waves. http://www.studiolagunabeach.com/ But their mid-range restaurant is called The Loft, and while it is less expensive than Studio it still offers very fine service and very fine gourmet California cuisine above the cliff looking down at the ocean and the hotel grounds. I always have a great dinner at The Loft. And it's fun just to pull up to the Montage and let them valet the car and stroll into the joint. http://www.montagelagunabeach.com/index.html
I mean really, there's a million and one great restaurants in Orange County. Where does one start?
Here's a fun OC Date Nite thing to do.... drive down to Newport Beach and take the ferry across to Balboa Island. About 25 minutes from Disneyland. Stroll the beach, get an ice cream, watch the waves in the moonlight. http://balboaislandferry.com/
Hmm... what else for OC nightlife? October is too late for a Grunion Run.... There's art museums and a really beautiful new Pacific Symphony hall at the OC Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, about 15 minutes south of Disneyland. Maybe something of interest is there during your visit? http://www.ocpac.org/home/default.aspx
Did any of that help?
Oh wow! Thank you so much for all that information TP! It definitely helped! I can't wait to get out there now.
Thanks to you all! You've been very helpful!
:wave:
Thanks to you all! You've been very helpful!
:wave:
Mr.EPCOT
Active Member
24 HOURS TO GO!!! :sohappy:
DH and I were talking last night... we may spend three days at DL and DCA instead of just 2 and take it a little easier when we're there. We have 7 full days in California...
DH and I were talking last night... we may spend three days at DL and DCA instead of just 2 and take it a little easier when we're there. We have 7 full days in California...
Rufus T Firefly
Well-Known Member
A wise decision. :animwink: