April trip--Dining questions!

[Angel Ariel]

I just got off the phone with Disneyland Dining,and have made 2 reservations...but I have some questions

Our trip is towards the end of April--so post spring breaks

We gte in on a Thursday, around 2pm at LAX. Our Napa Rose reservation is for 6pm. I'm assuming DL will only be open til 8, since that's what it was last year? No park hours posted yet. Assuming that's the case..we think that's enough time to eat and get back to DL if there are fireworks happening that night? (or just to go hang out over there some more if not).

We're also hoping that's enough time for us to get from LAX to the hotel, check in--we're staying at the Tropicana--and get to DL for a ride or two before our reservation.

We have a Friday reservation for Lunch at Blue Bayou--it's a 12:10 reservation. Will it be fairly easy to get a waterside table at that point? I think for this trip we're willing to wait (we don't have people with us that day like last time)...but an idea of how long to wait, or how early to check in would be awesome.

Oh..and as a side note--we're not sure how we're getting to DL from LAX. WE don't really need a rental car, unless it ends up being cheaper or on par with other transportation options. Any recommendations?

Any thoughts would be awesome thanks!

 

[Brady's Mom]

You will most likely hit some traffic coming from LAX - even at 3 ish in the afternoon. You could take the Disneyland Express Bus (DLE) from LAX or a Super Shuttle (SS). You could also take some kind of towncar service or rent a car. If you don't need a car and don't like to drive in LA area traffic - I would DLE or SS.

Can you make your Blue Bayou ressie any earlier? I know if you want waterside you will probably miss the first round of available tables at 12:10 and might have to wait 30-40 minutes. You could also try checking in before 12 pm and see if that gets you waterside.

Hope you have a great trip.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Can you make your Blue Bayou ressie any earlier? I know if you want waterside you will probably miss the first round of available tables at 12:10 and might have to wait 30-40 minutes. You could also try checking in before 12 pm and see if that gets you waterside.

Hope you have a great trip.

We were thinking of checking in around 11:30? Would that vbe OK, or should we just make the reservation for earlier?

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Try for the 11:30 at Blue Bayou, that way if you show up early say 11:15 and ask for water side you will probably get it.

 

[Donaldswife]

We booked the first seating at BB at 11:30 and I plan to check @11:15 and request a waterside table. We did that a few years ago and were seated right at the water. When they open at 11:30 we noticed they started seating by the waterside and worked their way to the back of the restuarant to fill it up. If you are there at 12:10 you probably will not be near the water unless you want to wait until the 11:30 people are done and paid, so it probably would not be until about 12:30 or 1:00.

As for transportation, we are renting a car April 17-20 from Alamo and got it on their webiste for only @ $75. It would have been about $65 for the shuttle, so we decided to pay a few extra dollars for the flexibility a rental car provides. My husband grew up in So Cal, and we have visited relatives out there several times so we are not afraid of LA traffic.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I'm assuming DL will only be open til 8, since that's what it was last year? No park hours posted yet. Assuming that's the case..we think that's enough time to eat and get back to DL if there are fireworks happening that night? (or just to go hang out over there some more if not).

Fireworks don't normally show on a Thursday in the "off season". Especially with a 8 pm closing, I wouldn't expect fireworks that night. I've never eaten at Napa Rose, but it sounds like you'll have some time to hang out in DL after dinner, plus remember Main St will be open for an additional hour.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Yeah, I wasn't really expecting fireworks to happen that night, but was thinking more of a just in case....we'll definitely want to go back into the parks if we can! I really wish DL would post hours more in advance

We did go ahead and change our Blue Bayou reservation to 11:30, and we'll plan on getting there around 11:10-11:15...thanks for the advice on that!

 

[Heidiette]

Hi! I don't have answers for you and I see you are much more knowledgeable about DL than we are, but I had to comment because I think we'll be there at the same time. We're going April 22 - 27th.

Heidi

 

[Flitterific]

We gte in on a Thursday, around 2pm at LAX. Our Napa Rose reservation is for 6pm. I'm assuming DL will only be open til 8, since that's what it was last year? No park hours posted yet. Assuming that's the case..we think that's enough time to eat and get back to DL if there are fireworks happening that night? (or just to go hang out over there some more if not).

I can help you with the Napa Rose question as I have dined there a few times. It usually takes us an hour and a half to two hours to dine there as they spend a lot of time preparing the food and making sure that everything is perfect. Napa Rose is definitely an experience to enjoy and savor, rather than rushing through it to fill your tummy. So if the park indeed closes at 8pm, I am not sure if you will have enough time to go back to the park to see the fireworks...but the experience at Napa Rose will be worth it!

 

[Angel Ariel]

We've been to Napa Rose once before, and we don't plan to rush through dinner I'm just hoping we have a chance to get into the park before it closes. We both love being in the park as it empties out.

Last time we went, we planned to be at the back of the park when it closed (it's a small world) so that we could take our time getting to the front. We have some amazing pictures from doing that, and we'd definitely like to continue the tradition