Advice on shows/parades/etc dessert parties/dining packages

[ninafeliz]

You might look through this thread. @DLRExpert has been good about updating the first few posts in the thread.

Thread 'Rope Drop Strategy for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure with Lightning Lane MultiPass and SinglePass - 2025 Update'

Dec 13, 2021

UPDATED 9/6/25 for Disneyland
This covers both a Early Entry (EE) and Non-EE plan.

The HUB (Rope Drop Area)
AL= Adventureland
GF= Galaxy's Edge and Frontierland
FL= Fantasyland
FTL= Fantasyland and Tomorrowland
EE= Early Entry path


Park Entrance for Early Entry
THERE IS NO EE entrance
MAKE SURE that if you are attending EE that you show up to the main entrances early. They are allowing both EE Disney hotel guests and Normal guests into the park at the same time. If you arrive late you are going to be far back in line. Ruining your 30 minutes of EE...

• DLRExpert
• Replies: 474
• Forum: Disneyland (California)

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Thank you again, this looks like it will be very helpful and might be just what I need. I'll have to read through it soon.

 

[ninafeliz]

Personally, I think the food at Cafe Orleans is better than River Belle Terrace. They are both the same price ($64). RDZ is the most affordable option ($39). It is cafeteria style counter service rather than table service. Many people choose this option for just the reason you mentioned - you need to eat anyway, so you might as well get a package.

Cafe Orleans sits in the middle with River Belle on one side and Rancho del Zocalo on the other. Dining package guests are asked to join the queue near Harbour Galley (red star on map below) at 8 pm. In reality, guest are guided down to the sitting area at 7:45 pm. You select your own seats - first come, first served. If you want to sit closer to the center or closer to the waterfront, I would be in line by 7:30pm. Bring a jacket, a blanket to sit on, and grab some snacks or desserts to enjoy after you are seated.

View attachment 1018959

This is great information! I would have preferred Cafe Orleans by far, but that wasn't even an option for the day we chose. I couldn't tell if it was just sold out, so nothing even shows on the reservation site, or if it is only offered on certain days. I then chose RZ because I thought the menu looked a little better, but I think I would prefer true table service so now I'm undecided again. I'll have to look into RZ and RBT a little more. Neither were restaurants I really wanted to eat at, unfortunately, but I want the reserved seating so one of them will do.

I'm assuming there is no huge benefit to the location for one restaurant over another? Specifically RZ vs RBT, since those are what are available on our day?

 

[ninafeliz]

DTM is Dance The Magic, It's where a million little girls and their dance moms invade the park and perform in the parade. I got caught in it last December and NEVER AGAIN!

I usually come first week of December but last year because Thanksgiving was so late, we came second week, which wasn't all that bad until Saturday, which was the Dance day. That said, Sunday seemed pretty normal again.

Ugh ugh ugh - sounds like a nightmare to me lol. I wanted to go the weekend before but that didn't work for my husband's call schedule, so here we are. I wonder if, based on that info, I should make that day our primary DCA day and the other two days DL days. That would mean never using an EE day, so I'm not sure and will probably just leave it alone and hop if we have to or just deal with it.

 

[ninafeliz]

I highly recommend booking your LL's as soon as you are able. This way you start your 2 hour timer. You'll be able to book more lightening lanes throughout the day this way.

I highly recommend booking LL's as soon as you enter the parks. This will start your 2 hour timer and allow you to book more lightening lanes throughout the day. Once you book your LL, you can continue to modify it and push the time back, if you do not want to use it right away. I agree, that you don't typically need to use LL's for the first couple of hours. Once your 2 hour timer is up (or once you scan into your LL) you can book your next one. Rinse and repeat all day long. Be aware, that on really busy days, LL's can sell out early, especially for popular rides like Guardians, Indiana Jones and Space Mountain. If you don't start looking for LL's until noon you could end up being very disappointed. Also, the modify feature is great and can help you get a better time for your LL.
I also highly recommend you start 2 of your days at DL, and one day at DCA. On your 2nd DL day, you can book your LL's for DCA as long as their return time is after 11am. Then when you hop you can have some LL's lined up for DCA.

The Star Wars projection show is really amazing, I definitely recommend seeing it. I personally, am less impressed with watching the fireworks from Galaxy's Edge. It's good and I enjoy it, but I prefer it from other locations. However, I am not a huge Star Wars fan. And, I come to the parks often enough that I can watch from various locations.

I am currently planning a trip to WDW and am equally confused about all of the different options, tips and tricks! It's a lot to figure out!

Enjoy and have a great trip!

Let me see if I understand correctly. I can get a LL as soon as we enter the park and it opens, and if the first available is for early I can wait until the window opens and change the time to whatever later time is up then, and repeat as needed if we want it later again? But we never get to choose the actual window, just whatever time is booking then. Does that change our 2 hour window for getting a second LL, or if we get the first one at 8:00 we can always get the next one at 10:00 even if we in the mean time alter the return time for the one we got at 8:00? (I do know that if we use one we can then get another, I'm just talking about if we are trying to get them for later).

I'll have to google to find out which LLs are recommended to get first based on popularity and when they sell out - I know those lists exist for WDW out there so they must for DL and DCA also.

I currently have the docking bay sever food and cargo Nighttime gathering booked, which I think gives desserts and preferred fireworks viewing from GE, I wonder if you also have viewing for the projection show?

I threw my reservations together last minute, because I unfortunately didn't start booking early enough, so I'm flying by the seat of my pants with help from all of you

 

[ninafeliz]

Regarding which package as it pertains to which seating is better, having sat in the center section and the left section, the center section is better but not to the point that I personally would spend significantly more money on it than I would the other section, especially if I preferred the food at the other restaurant. Although maybe if it's only two of you, it's not a big deal to spend the extra. View is more straight on, but there is really no problem with the view from the RDZ section other than it's a little off center. If you get there early enough, you can just go all the way to the divider between RDZ and center and sit right next to those people.

By the way, @ninafeliz, I saw in an earlier post that you said your first park day was the 12th but you also said elsewhere that you booked WOC Dessert Party for the 11th. Maybe things changed between the two posts, but you know you can't see WOC on the 11th if you don't have park tickets that day, right? You can make a reservation, but you won't be able to get in.

I missed some replies, I see you answered a question I asked later right here! The middle section isn't available our night, so we are in one of the other two no matter what. I would love to eat at Cafe Orleans but it's not available our day,

If I typed the 11th anywhere it was a mistake, our WOC dessert party is for the 12th. But thanks for pointing it out just in case I had messed that up.

 

[irlandaise]

This is an awesome list- thank you! I sort of knew most of those, but to have them put together in list form is wonderful. There are so many though - I didn't realize how many more attractions DL must have compared to the MK.

Yes, I think a lot of WDW veterans are surprised by that! Disneyland Park is small, but it's crammed with rides.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

Yes, I think a lot of WDW veterans are surprised by that! Disneyland Park is small, but it's crammed with rides.

No other theme park uses space as well as Disneyland done...its a masterwork of design