they are 1 and 3, the 3 year old will turn 4 while we are there! My question is we are staying at the Hyatt House, and I have made reservations for 2 character breakfasts. One is at 9am at PCH Grill, it says at Paradise Pier Hotel. We will be going to California adventure that day. Do we enter the park first and then go to the character breakfast or go to the hotel and park (or is it walking distance from where we are staying?). Is PCH Grill in Disney California Adventure Park or even close to it?
Another morning(my grandsons birthday) I made reservations at the Disneyland Hotel for Goofy's Kitchen Breakfast at Disneyland Hotel. That day we will be spending at the Disneyland Park. Do we enter the park or go directly to Disneyland Hotel and then enter the park....and is it walking distance from Hyatt House?
I'm feeling overwhelmed because I don't know where anything is in proximity to where we are staying and if the character breakfast are close to the parks we are going each day. I hope it all goes smoothly with the two little ones, I'm worried about my husband & I running around wasting time when I want it to be magical!
Thanks!
PPH = Paradise Pier Hotel
I'm attaching a screenshot I took out of Google Maps to show what we're talking about here. Bear with me while I explain...
I'm assuming that you mean the Hyatt House that's at Harbor Blvd & Katella Ave. Let's say that you go to the Surf's Up breakfast at PPH. If you're walking, you walk to the left (follow the blue line) all the way down Katella Ave until you get to Disneyland Dr. Then you go up Disneyland Drive until you get to that first building that I've circled. That is the Paradise Pier Hotel.
The other blue circle that's farther up Disneyland Dr is the Disneyland Hotel (DLH). If you go to Goofy's Kitchen first thing for breakfast before you hit the parks, you have to walk all the way to DLH. Then to get to the main entrance to either DLH or DCA (the big blue "X" listed under Disneyland Resort), you follow the blue line that stretches to the right from the DLH. THAT blue line goes through DTD (Downtown Disney).
It's a pretty far walk for a 1 or 3 yr old. You'll need a stroller. If not a double stroller, then a stroller that has a standing plate sort of thing on it, designed for a toddler/preschooler older sibling to stand on and ride along. Otherwise, your grandchildren will run out of gas. It's this big distance that is why a lot of folks are recommending to switch to the Plaza Inn for breakfast inside the parks.
If you do the character breakfast at PPH, in order to get to either DL or DCA, you have to walk up the rest of Disneyland Dr and go through Downtown Disney. You can't cut through the Grand Californian Hotel anymore as of a few weeks ago (shortly before Christmas 2016).
If my kids were 1 and 3 and we were taking them to DL and it involved a birthday celebration and we wanted to do 2 character meals, here's what I'd do:
- Do 1 of the hotel-based character meals on a day that we are NOT going to the parks at all. I would go to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner on the evening that we arrived. OR I would go to Goofy's Kitchen or Surf's Up on the morning we were going to check out of our hotel and leave Anaheim.
- Skip EITHER Goofy's Kitchen or Surf's up and replace it with Minnie's breakfast at the Plaza Inn. Do this on your DL day. Get to the DL main gate for "rope drop," which means getting your grandchildren to the security screening tents about 30 min before regular park opening (assuming that you're not using a Magic Morning entry). Eat a light breakfast at the hotel before you head to DL for the day. Go on rides for a couple of hours. Then have a late breakfast at the Plaza Inn...like 9:30 or 9:45 am reservation. So if regular park opening is at 8am, then your grandchildren get almost 2 hours of ride & attraction fun and JUST about when they are starting to get worn out and cranky, then you all get to SIT DOWN for an hour and have 7 CHARACTERS COME TO YOUR TABLE!! I've done this myself and I cannot tell you how great it is. It's going to save you so much back & forth walking time.
- Another option for the Surf's Up breakfast or Goofy's Kitchen is to do that on your DCA day, but go to DCA **FIRST** at rope drop. Again...eat a light breakfast at your hotel. Pack snacks in your park bag for the grandchildren since little ones tend to get hungry & cranky at random moments. Don't do the character breakfast first thing. Go on rides at DCA for 2-3 hours. Then leave DCA and go to the Disneyland Hotel for a "brunch" at Goofy's Kitchen. Basically at lunch time. So if your grandchildren usually eat lunch at 11:30 am, schedule the Goofy's Kitchen reservation for around that time and leave DCA at 11am. If you have park hopper tickets, hop over to DL and get on the monorail in Tomorrowland and use the monorail to go to Downtown Disney instead of walking the whole way. Then do the reverse on your way back when the Goofy's Kitchen meal is done.
Another great way to meet Goofy without having to wait very long is to be at Disneyland at the entrance to Toon Town an hour after regular park opening. If regular park opening is 8am ,then Toon Town opens its gates at 9am. Be at Toon Town at 9am. Goofy usually comes to the gate to open Toon Town. Follow Goofy and his handler to wherever they decide that Goofy will do his meet & greet and take pictures with Goofy there without having to wait a million years in line. And 20 min in line seems like an ETERNITY to a 1 yr old and 3 yr old! OR skip Goofy first thing at Toon Town and walk straight to Mickey's house and meet Mickey first and THEN meet Goofy on the street in Toon Town. So within probably 10 min, you'll get 2 meet and greets and your grandchildren will be overjoyed and thrilled beyond your imagination.
