2 Q's: Driving & Dining

[CSAColl]

Short background:
We're heading to DL for my husband and DD(2) first trip! We're looking at September 23-29th at the Best Western Raffles ($523 for 6 nights in a suite)

Question 1: We're driving from Victoria BC (Across the border from Seattle, roughly equivalent of Vancouver) and hoping to make it to Medford/Yreka the first night, and to Shandon/Paso Robles (due to family) the second night. Is that doable?

Question 2: Does Disneyland ever do the free dining plan? If not, when is it usually done at WDW? We're going to be dropping around 3 grand for this trip so if there is free dining at WDW it's cheaper to fly there then drive to DL.

Thanks!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

They did free dining once last year. It's not typically something recommended because it doesn't actually save you any money when you pay for it, but obviously can be a value if its free.


WDW: They just announced free dining for mid Aug to late Sept for Disney Visa holders. I think a public offering will be announced soon. At least that's usually how it happens.

 

[squirrel]

Short background:
We're heading to DL for my husband and DD(2) first trip! We're looking at September 23-29th at the Best Western Raffles ($523 for 6 nights in a suite)

Question 1: We're driving from Victoria BC (Across the border from Seattle, roughly equivalent of Vancouver) and hoping to make it to Medford/Yreka the first night, and to Shandon/Paso Robles (due to family) the second night. Is that doable?

Question 2: Does Disneyland ever do the free dining plan? If not, when is it usually done at WDW? We're going to be dropping around 3 grand for this trip so if there is free dining at WDW it's cheaper to fly there then drive to DL.

Thanks!

I can help with question #2

Disneyland does not do free dining. They have few TS places.

WDW will be releasing the dates soon. They are usually the last week or two of Aug-the end of Sept. I believe someone has posted the dates that are Free Dining for Disney Visa card members (Aug.26-Sept. 29th) I think were the dates. I saw they will start allowing booking on March 5th.

Did you check to see how much parking is at the Best Western? It seems a lot of the hotels charge for parking.

If you decide on WDW, check out Alaska Airlines from Seattle. They have direct flights to Orlando. I got their CC last year as they offer a $99 companion flight each year. I added in the cost of the annual fee $75 and it ended up costing about $600 for my niece and I to fly to WDW.

 

[awdsmama]

I live near Salem, Oregon along the I5 corridor and have family in both Seattle and Bellingham. From Salem it's a 4hr (non-rush hour) drive to Seattle. About another 90min-2hr to Bellingham depending on construction.

Heading south, it's about a 3.5hr drive from Salem to MEdford

Those times are all w/out stops

 

[sonnyjane]

Question 1: We're driving from Victoria BC (Across the border from Seattle, roughly equivalent of Vancouver) and hoping to make it to Medford/Yreka the first night, and to Shandon/Paso Robles (due to family) the second night. Is that doable?

That's definitely possible. My husband and I moved from the San Juan's to San Diego a few years ago and we stopped overnight in Yreka, completing the drive to San Diego the next day. It's a lot of driving, but completely possible. Just keep in mind that Shandon/Paso Robles is still about 3.5 hours from Disneyland.

Question 2: Does Disneyland ever do the free dining plan? If not, when is it usually done at WDW? We're going to be dropping around 3 grand for this trip so if there is free dining at WDW it's cheaper to fly there then drive to DL.

Well, I hate to steer someone away from Disneyland, but no, they do not do free dining. In fact, Disneyland doesn't even have a dining plan like WDW does at all. Disneyland has something called a "dining plan", but it saves no money and is more of a hassle than anything. There was a special pin code, an experiment if you will, that was offered last year or the year before where guests booking on-site packages were offered free meal vouchers, but it has not been repeated and was for a very limited time
available to a very limited number of special guests, so I wouldn't count on it being offered again.

 

[CSAColl]

Awesome replies. Thank you for responding so quickly!

Best Western does normally have a parking fee, but waived it because of our club status.

We know Shandon is another 3 hours north. My parents live there so we're stopping to see them overnight and go to Church, then driving down for the 6 nights in Anaheim.

Okay, so Disneyland doesn't offer free dining. I am wondering if the price difference between Lunch and Dinner is very much? Would it be a better use of our money to eat lunch (sandwiches and snacks) at the hotel when our DD goes down for her nap, and eat dinner at the park; or eat lunch there and just snack for dinner?

We're typically one-big-meal-a-day folks so I doubt we're going to be up for eating out 3 meals a day. We're also hitting up a costco and loading up on snacks, treats, fruits & soda for the hotel and for our diaper bag/backpack.

Any other hints for travelling/DLing with a 2/3 year old would be most appreciated!

 

[sonnyjane]

Here are the menus, with prices, for all of the restaurants, both sit-down and counter service, at the parks. I think you'll find it quite useful for planning

http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/menus.htm

 

[Geemo]

We drove from I-5 exit 282 in Oregon with our grandkids when they were 9 and 12. We found having a laptop that played DVD's to be a handy thing to pack along. Most important were headphones for them to use when they watched their movies. This way we could talk or listen to music and not have to compete with the movie volume.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Price wise it won't make much difference if you eat lunch or dinner in the park. Only a few places have separate lunch/dinner menus.

 

[squirrel]

Don't forget that there are lots of cheeper options outside the park.

IHOP had free kids meals when an adult entree is purchased from 4pm-?

 

[CSAColl]

Yeah, we plan to eat out but we're only getting 3 day parkhoppers for 7 days in Anaheim, so we do want to eat in park for a couple meals.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

First, why are people giving information about WDW free dining? The question is obviously about DLR.

Second, what ferry are you taking from Victoria: (Black Ball Port Angeles ferry, WSF to Anacortes or BC Ferry to Tsawassen)? This will make a big difference in terms of driving time/distance. Personally, I'd suggest taking the Black Ball ferry to Port Angeles for several reasons:

* You take care of all your border crossing stuff either before or after you get on the boat (don't remember which end up the trip you hit US border control). No matter which, it will still be a quicker border crossing then driving across at Peace Arch.

* Typically, the WSF gets you into Anacortes middle of the afternoon and from there it's at least nine hours of driving (considering you have to get through Seattle & Olympia)

* Starting your driving in Port Angeles gives you the shortest driving distance (granted 120 miles of Highway 101 is not interstate, so it's not as fast, but it is less distance and you skip Seattle and Olympia traffic). It'll still be a good 8 1/2 or 9 hours of driving to get to Medford, but if you're able to catch a morning ferry, it would be do-able. Depending on when you hit Portland, you might catch some congestion, but nowhere near as bad as Seattle rush hour.

Hope this helps. Good luck and I completely agree with the suggestions about keeping your kid busy in the back seat...it will be a long day.

 

[sonnyjane]

Question 2: Does Disneyland ever do the free dining plan? If not, when is it usually done at WDW? We're going to be dropping around 3 grand for this trip so if there is free dining at WDW it's cheaper to fly there then drive to DL.

Thanks!

First, why are people giving information about WDW free dining? The question is obviously about DLR.

The OP specifically asked when free dining is offered at WDW, just answering the question written in the OP...

 

[SeattleRedBear]

Apologies. In my haste, I completely misread the original message.

 

[CSAColl]

Yeah, we're definitely taking the Coho. It gets me to a Jack in the Box the quickest LOL. I miss living in the states when it comes to good fast food.

We are hitting the last week of the super early ferry, so we will be in PoAn by 8. We're hoping to make several short stops but power through once she falls asleep for a nap. If we can make it to Medford/Yreka by about 8 we'll be happy.

I've thought of another question: Do we need to make hotel reservations for the end of September in Medford/Yreka? My husband thinks we should just drive as far as we can get and then stop, I think he wants to make it to Redding the first day. Is there any chance we'll find an open (nice/clean) hotel if we don't reserve?

 

[Brady's Mom]

This is how we usually work food - because we found we feel better and enjoy our trips more.

We eat breakfast in the hotel room - breakfast sandwiches, cereal, yogurt, bagels/cream cheese, fruit. This helps keep the kids busy while we're getting ready to go.

We eat lunch - packed with sandwiches, chips, fruit/vegies, chips, whatever that we bring into DLR in our soft-sided cooler. We like the healthier choices and we rarely get anyone with an upset stomach from too much heavy food.

We eat dinner - usually in the park somewhere. We usually budget around $15 ish per person (except for our 2 youngest) and plan accordingly. We've been to Blue Bayou and weren't super impressed, and haven't been that thrilled about character meals, so this works for us. We mix it up with some TS and CS. We do like the BBQ Round-up in DL and will budget more money for this, but we choose lunch (usually) and then we're not hungry for a looooonnnggg time.

Good luck with your decision - that's a VERY long drive.

Since you're going to be in Anaheim for 7 days have you considered adding a couple more days to your passes to enjoy the early morning time at DLR and then do some other things later in the day?? Early morning in the summer is so nice. We love to be there from 8 am to noon when the crowds are lower.

 

[sonnyjane]

I've thought of another question: Do we need to make hotel reservations for the end of September in Medford/Yreka? My husband thinks we should just drive as far as we can get and then stop, I think he wants to make it to Redding the first day. Is there any chance we'll find an open (nice/clean) hotel if we don't reserve?

My husband would drive the whole thing without stopping if I wasn't with him. He never likes to make reservations in advance because he can always go "just a few more miles" lol. We were fine stopping in Yreka without ressies. What you can always do is once you're on the road and know you'd like to stop in the next hour or so, then you can get on the phone and start calling places to make sure they have a room so you don't waste time getting out of the car if they don't.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

Exactly what I was thinking when I read OP's response. Good idea to identify some potential places to stay along the way and then call when the driver (or the passengers ;-) are ready to call it a night.

Have never taken a road trip with a small child (nap age) but since you've got an early morning start, making Medford by 8 seems reasonable.

I agree with one of the other suggestions to add a day or two to your park passes. Gets much cheaper per day after 3 days and might provide an additional MM opportunity (unless your child is a late sleeper, they're going to be up anyway, might as well take advantage of shorter lines). Just a thought.

 

[CSAColl]

Good points.
I'll make a list of a couple hotels in each town and when we get on the road we'll make a decision.

We are getting the Military 3 day passes for $99, and I don't think we can upgrade those to extra days?

Also, we are NOT morning people. DD sleeps in till 10ish most mornings and has a healthy nap and down by 11 at night. We're totally night owls and I doubt it will change with the exhaustion of DL. MM would be more torture than restful. In addition we are going to JPL for a tour and want to spend a day at the beach. I think 4 days would be our max for DL on this trip, but only if we can upgrade the Military passes at a not outrageous cost.

 

[CSAColl]

This is how we usually work food - because we found we feel better and enjoy our trips more.

We eat breakfast in the hotel room - breakfast sandwiches, cereal, yogurt, bagels/cream cheese, fruit. This helps keep the kids busy while we're getting ready to go.

We eat lunch - packed with sandwiches, chips, fruit/vegies, chips, whatever that we bring into DLR in our soft-sided cooler. We like the healthier choices and we rarely get anyone with an upset stomach from too much heavy food.

We eat dinner - usually in the park somewhere. We usually budget around $15 ish per person (except for our 2 youngest) and plan accordingly. We've been to Blue Bayou and weren't super impressed, and haven't been that thrilled about character meals, so this works for us. We mix it up with some TS and CS. We do like the BBQ Round-up in DL and will budget more money for this, but we choose lunch (usually) and then we're not hungry for a looooonnnggg time.

Excellent info. Thank you so much. We're typically big lunch eaters and then we can have a good nap and rest in the early afternoon and just snack through the day, but the rides have me flustered. We'd basically be eating the same thing (snacks and sandwiches) for either lunch or dinner, so we could always just make them for lunch and save them for dinner if we choose to eat lunch in park.