6 questions, 1 minute, can make you an expert advisor

[smithdaddy]

a few quick questions for those of you are in-the-know...
1) is there a coupon or some other device (like if you stay at a good neighbor hotel, etc) that allows guests at the disneyland complex to visit both parks on the same day?
2) which is the most crowded day at the disneyland park?
3) is blue bayou a good place to eat lunch? and can you recommend a dinner location? moderate pricing would be best, but one splurge on either lunch or dinner is okay.
4) if viewing the Believe fireworks, does this cut down on your opportunity to get good seating for Fantasmic?
5) ever stayed at the anaheim sheraton? and what was your experience there?
6) if you had to choose ONE thing not to miss at disneyland, what would it be?
thanks for your help in planning our trip.

 

[my3kids]

Any multi day ticket(Parkhopper, Passport Plus) allows visits to both parks on the same day.

I though Blue Bayou was pricey, even for lunch(my opinion). Although what a neat location if eating on the patio area! We ate dinner at Ariels(fixed price at lunch and dinner, I believe) The Rainforest Cafe was good as was the ESPN Zone(although the bathroom was one of the dirtiest we came across in a month on the road) I think Saturday is the busiest day.

The one thing I wouldn't miss(other than staying onsite) would be Soaring Over California.....it is just such a different kind of ride than I've seen anywhere else.

 

[dis4me]

I second Soaring over California. Definately a must see.
I was told by the staff at our hotel that Mon and Tues were the busiest DL days because a lot of camps visit then. Ididn't notice bigger crowds those days but wiht multifast passes we realy never waited more than 10 minutes.
We stayed at Residennce Inn and had free breakfast every day. We also tried to eat one meal cheaply- Pizza ordered in or sandwiches. The hotel had a full kitchen so we made the kids chicken nuggets for a few meals.
We liked Ariel and Goofy's kitchen for character interaction. The food was good but they were both pretty expensive. Worth it if you are into characters. Seeing my one year old hug the characters was priceless.I didin't eat at Blue Bayou but it looked great and smeeled good from the Pirates ride. I am sorry we missed that.
Have a great trip

 

[daannzzz]

The Blue Bayou is good for lunch, though crowded. It is more expensive with a bit more fancy menu at dinner. The only other full service place to eat inside Disneyland is the Carnation Cafe on Main St. I like the Plaza Inn. The atmosphere is great and the food is good. It is one of those places where you grab a tray and go to different stations to pick out what you want.
At DCA Ariels is a good place to eat lunch or dinner. I have heard that Taste Pilots grill has great food but have yet to try it. It is a counter service place.
They do not have a one day park hopper. They do have a 2 day park hopper but it is not often advertised.
There is mostly one showinf of Fantasmic now so it will depend on what time it shows. If you want to see Beleive There's Magic in the Stars from Main St and then head over to Fantasmic you may not get a good spot or in some cases even near to a just okay spot. You can get a good spot early (position yourself so you are in front of the stage on Tom Sawyer Island) and then you can see the fireworks from your spot while waiting for Fantasmic.
The Sheraton Anaheim is a fine place. It is located behind Disneyland and not a particularly good place to walk to the parks from. You can walk over to the parking sturcture and catch the tram or use the Anaheim Resort Shuttles. The hotel is layed out with some courtyards and log hallways and is a bit disorienting. My room was very large, comfortable though bland, with a nice view of the rose garden courtyard. Some of the rooms are near to the freeway so ask to have a courtyard room.
I think I would not want to miss Pirates of the Caribbean. Even though there are newer rides and shows , I just love this attraction.

 

[smithdaddy]

good responses. others?

 

[SimbaSue]

Sheraton Anaheim this past May was nice, quiet and spacious. As the previous poster mentioned, the room was very large, though not particularly impressive. I also had a garden view. They do run a shuttle, I believe it was every 30 minutes while I was there, but I never used it. I enjoy walking, so I did, even against the advice of the front desk. There is a nice walkway, but very few people use it, I guess because it is maybe a mile or so to the front gates. I would check out the Hilton if I went back and did not stay in one of the Disney properties. It seems to have a much closer location for a similar rate.
The must see attraction IMHO is the Aladdin show. Have fun!Sus

 

[Elly]

1) is there a coupon or some other device (like if you stay at a good neighbor hotel, etc) that allows guests at the disneyland complex to visit both parks on the same day?

Yes, get a "hopper" pass. These are only multi-day tickets. Currently the best value appears to be the Passport Plus available through either Disney Travel or AAA. It not only allows you to "hop" from park to park, but you also get multiple fastpasses, one meal, and $10 at ESPN zone per ticket. The AAA version offers free parking.

2) which is the most crowded day at the disneyland park?

I have always heard Saturday is the most crowded. I would be curious what is the least crowded day...anyone know?

3) is blue bayou a good place to eat lunch?

The Blue Bayou is a great place to eat lunch, very peaceful and cool on a hot day! Make a reservation through Disney Dining.

and can you recommend a dinner location? moderate pricing would be best, but one splurge on either lunch or dinner is okay.

I also like the Plaza Inn for dinner. It is not very expensive and you do serve yourself, but the interior is like a sit down restaurant or there is a nice outdoor dining area.

4) if viewing the Believe fireworks, does this cut down on your opportunity to get good seating for Fantasmic?

I personally would not attempt to do both these things on one night (too much pushing and squishing with the crowds). To see Believe, get a spot in Main Street down toward the Castle. The show is wonderful from there without the crush in front of the Castle. On another night, you can either stake out a "perfect" spot for Fantasmic a couple hours ahead (like 2-3) for the first show, or lurk as nearby as possible toward the end of the first show and scoot in for the second show. Ask a CM where you can stand without being "exited" with the first crowd. The deluxe option is to buy priority seating either on the ground level or in the balcony ($47 per person for the seat and dessert).

5) ever stayed at the anaheim sheraton? and what was your experience there?

Nope, sorry, never stayed there.

6) if you had to choose ONE thing not to miss at disneyland, what would it be?

The Matterhorn since they don't have that elsewhere and it is a classic.

thanks for your help in planning our trip.

You're welcome!

 

[smithdaddy]

i have seen the disneyland version of fantasmic. i was excited to go see the show at wdw, but the wdw show does not match the awe of the disneyland production. i mean how can you not be impressed with the pirates fighting portion, no? though i have see the dl version, my wife and daughter have not (they have seen the wdw one). my question then is this - we can only visit the disneyland complex one day, which will likely be spent at the original park, so, if you had to choose between the believe fireworks and fantasmic, which one would you recommend?

thanks to everyone's help thus far. we leave in 4 days!

 

[daannzzz]

Originally posted by smithdaddy
so, if you had to choose between the believe fireworks and fantasmic, which one would you recommend?

thanks to everyone's help thus far. we leave in 4 days!

Noooo. Don't make us make a decision like that!!!!
I love Beleive There's Magic in the Stars. It is an awesome production but it is a mix of fireworks and music with the castle as a backdrop. You can see fireworks shows with music many places.
You can not see Mickey Mouse in Fantasmic anywhere else so I would pick that.

 

[smithdaddy]

okay, a delay due to my mom's sudden admission into the hospital for a pace maker has created the need to postpone our trip. but the good news is that we can still go to the LA area, only later. thank you all in helping me to decide what to do on that saturday we intended to go. at this point we are unsure if we will do something more "LA" (hollywood sightseeing), or continue with my original plan to visit the disneyland property. i vote for disneyland, fantasmic, and blue biyou for lunch. reservations for anaheim sheraton are still intact at this point. again, thank you all for of your help.

 

[dsnylndmom]

When are you going? Because Fantasmic! is due to shut down after Labor Day, so that may be a factor.

Also, I just got back yesterday and Fantasmic! is showing at 9:00pm and at 10:30pm daily and three shows on the weekend.

If you want to splurge then I would suggest getting the Balcony seats for Fantasmic! for the early show and then watch the fireworks from there.

I have to agree with the others I like Plaza Inn also, wonderful food and good prices and I also love Ariel's Grotto. If you really want to do Blue Bayou then do it for lunch, it's cheaper and it will be a good break during the heat of the day.

Have fun!

 

[Elly]

If I had only one day for DL I would either get balcony fantasmic seating (first show) where I could see all of Fantasmic without wasting precious time staking out a spot and also catch at least part of the fireworks show from the balcony. The fireworks are best seen from Main Street however. If balcony seating is not in your budget (it's not in mine!), I would skip Fantasmic because it just takes too much time out of the day to get a seat. I would do the Fireworks because you can get a great view from Main Street if you get there only 15 minutes or so ahead.

 

[BusyMomof3]

We just returned from DL. We were able to see Fantasmic twice while we were there. On Tues. we had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen, then got into the park in time for the 8:00 parade (even found a prime spot near the train station about 10 min. before parade time). As soon as the parade was over we rode the train to New Orleans Square. We got there in time to see Believe. When it was over, we were able to get very good seats for the 10:30 Fantasmic. On Fri. we were at DCA. We watched the Electric Parade (at 8:45) near the entrance, then walked quickly to DL and rode the train to New Orleans Square. Again, we were able to watch Believe and then find a good seat for the 10:30 Fantasmic. We were amazed that we were able to do this, as the parks were very crowded. Also, I have to agree with what others have said about the Believe fireworks. You get a pretty good view from New Orleans Square, but they are best seen from Main St.


Also, we had lunch at Blue Bayou and thought it was somewhat overpriced, but very good. It's worth it for the atmosphere.