Adults Only

[TakeMeToNeverland]

After taking our children to Disneyland for their birthdays, I was able to talk my hubby into annual passes. We have plans to take them back for the Halloween Party, the Christmas holiday and again on their birthdays. But this summer, we have decided to go away for a couple of nights and experience the park sans kids. I am seeking advice in a few areas:

• I was wondering if any of the Disney pros have some insight into the crowds/events around July 22nd? Seems that that hotels are packed or the rates are extremely high. Wondering if I'm missing something.
• How is the entertainment in Downtown Disney on weeknights in the summer? Any good happy hours in the area?
• With all of the Disney tips for taking on the parks with kids...any must do's for adults only?

TIA!!

 

[figment_jii]

I don't honestly know how big of an event it is (the promoters say that there will be 20,000 attendees), but VidCon 2015 is happening at the Anaheim Convention Center from July 23 to 25. That might explain why hotel room pricing is on the high side and availability is low.

 

[TakeMeToNeverland]

hmmm....maybe that's what it is. In that case, it won't do any good to adjust my dates towards the weekend.

 

[JJZMgailey]

I'm not certain of Downtown Disney happy hours and such, but I have a feeling that since Disneyland's Diamond Anniversary actually falls on July 17th, that could be why you're seeing those high rates and full Resorts. I think people come for a week or so and even though some of the festivities for the 60th have already begun, I suspect the actual week of the anniversary is a busy one. Have fun!

 

[TakeMeToNeverland]

Didn't think about the actual anniversary. Thank you for pointing that out.

 

[jammyjam25]

There was a recent thread about various happy hours and places to enjoy an adult beverage in/around Disneyland/Downtown Disney/the Disney hotels that you may find helpful!

http://www.disboards.com/threads/happy-hour-the-original-magic-hour.3414200/

 

[TakeMeToNeverland]

Ohhh....good one! Thank you!

 

[4Siamese]

A romantic dinner at Napa Rose...worked well for my wife and I

 

[TakeMeToNeverland]

Good to know! I was thinking of doing the Blue Bayou dinner to secure good seats for Fantasmic. It's not necessarily something we would do with the kids because of their food preferences. I am most certainly open to any and all experiences that are more geared for the adults!

 

[Aspoonfullofsugar]

My husband and I like to walk over to the Disneyland Hotel and have drinks at Trader Sams. It's fun inside but sometimes we like to sit outside and enjoy the live Hawaiian music. It's very relaxing.

 

[TakeMeToNeverland]

I have heard about Trader Sams. I didn't realize it was in the DH. I just found this article and am thinking some of these are worth seeking out:

http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disneyland-bar-crawl-guide/

 

[TakeMeToNeverland]

I absolutely LOVE experiencing DL with the littles and seeing the magic through their eyes. But, I am super excited to have an extended date night with my hubby and being able to experience the grown up side of DL

 

[SD33]

After taking our children to Disneyland for their birthdays, I was able to talk my hubby into annual passes. We have plans to take them back for the Halloween Party, the Christmas holiday and again on their birthdays. But this summer, we have decided to go away for a couple of nights and experience the park sans kids. I am seeking advice in a few areas:

• I was wondering if any of the Disney pros have some insight into the crowds/events around July 22nd? Seems that that hotels are packed or the rates are extremely high. Wondering if I'm missing something.
• How is the entertainment in Downtown Disney on weeknights in the summer? Any good happy hours in the area?
• With all of the Disney tips for taking on the parks with kids...any must do's for adults only?

TIA!!

Since I started the Happy Hour thread as well as the recent Top 10 thread, I'll just do a quick top 5 here in the hopes of combining them. DW and I have never done Disneyland with kids as we do not have kids yet (but hope to soon) so doing Disney the adult way is all we know.

1. Visit the Carthay Circle for either a romantic dinner or a drink in the lounge. The cocktails are crafted with care and the ambiance is amazing.
2. Tortilla Jo's has a great happy hour in Downtown Disney if you like endless variations on the Margarita.
3. Napa Rose is still one of the best meals we've ever eaten. Very romantic too, as others have said. You'll want to make reservations in advance.
4. Get to the park early, pack in E-ticket rides, retire to the hotel in the afternoon with your spouse for a...uh...nap...yeah, a nap...and a swim ;-) then go back in the evening for happy hour and stay up late at night, experiencing low line attractions and being the kids you can't be when you are caring for your own.
5. Trader Sam's doesn't have a happy hour but they have fantastic tiki drinks (split an Uh Oa, pictured below) and often feature live Hawaiian music in the evenings. It's the closest you can get to Hawaii without actually boarding a flight.

 

[TakeMeToNeverland]

Perfect SD33! My thoughts exactly! Takes me back to our pre-kid days.

 

[bumbershoot]

How is the entertainment in Downtown Disney on weeknights in the summer?

There is entertainment listed, I believe, on the calendar.

I was wondering if any of the Disney pros have some insight into the crowds/events around July 22nd? Seems that that hotels are packed or the rates are extremely high. Wondering if I'm missing something.

Others have covered it.

My husband and I like to walk over to the Disneyland Hotel and have drinks at Trader Sams. It's fun inside but sometimes we like to sit outside and enjoy the live Hawaiian music. It's very relaxing.

Nice.

I'm planning a stop there on this trip, but since I'm the only drinker I don't get to get anything fun and spendy (with a built in souvenir) like the Uh Oa. The Hippopota Mai-Tai and it's souvenir glass, however, are MINE.

 

[Kyjin]

You may want to take a peek at the House of Blues schedule while you're there if you'd like some nighttime entertainment outside the parks. I'll be at House of Blues July 23rd for a concert myself. (Though no Disneyland for me that day; pass is blocked.)