Mom2Belle&PeterPan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2003
- Messages
- 1,107
DL and DCA Favorites Family of Mom2Belle&PeterPan, ca-disney-dad
Hello all! We promised that we would write down our native California favorites! DL/DCA is much smaller than WDW. Keep that in mind and you will not be disappointed! Though smaller, our Disney parks have their own special magic and charm!
DL:
1. Fantasyland If you have children or have that inner child Disney love, stop by and see each of these rides. Same as WDW, do these early in the day if they are your priority, Dumbo should be first due to load time.
2. Toontown is great for the kids, and fun to do a quick walk through for adults. Save this for last unless you have little ones in our humble opinion.
3. Rollercoaster/Fast Ride favorites:
· Matterhorn!!! Still our favorite after all these years! Go there first! If you stay onsite at the DL Hotel, take the Monorail to Tomorrowland and go straight to the Matterhorn. Ride both sides, the left side is our favorite.)
· Splash Mountain Long lines too, do this early or during eating times.
· Big Thunder Mountain Railroad not one of our favorites, but loved by many. We do not ride it any more since the accidents too many times broken for our liking.
· Space Mountain cannot wait for this to re-open!!!
· Indiana Jones Adventure (The second ride we head to after the Matterhorn when Space Mountain is closed.)
4. Other favorites:
· Pirates of the Carribean
· Haunted Mansion
· Winnie the Pooh ride
· Its a Small World (look at the outside of ours awesome!)
· Fantasmic (not to be missed at DL!)
· Tom Sawyers Island (a nice break and fun for the kids love the rope walk - closes at dusk)
· The Walt Disney Story Featuring "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln"
· The Jungle Ride (my speech-language pathology assistant drives one of the boats if your driver is a brunette female, ask her is she is Paula who works with Barbara)
· DL Railroad (just to sit a bit and see the park)
· Star Tours
· Snow White Show (with kids, if you like singing, and/or if you have the big Disney magic in your heart. Snow White is not my favorite of the stories, but I really enjoy this show. Dh liked it once.)
. Autopia - for young and old alike, hopefully their que lines will be fixed by next August...very unorganized last times we visited due to Tomorrowland construction.
Our Favorite Eats at DL:
(DL/DCA restaurants for the most part are a step-below those at WDW, but still enjoyable all the same).
1. Plaza Inn (buffet, enjoy their character breakfast)
2. Rancho Del Zocalo (we eat here most times! Mexican food and barbeque. Easy to share a meal between two adults if both are not huge eaters. Kids love the kids meals here.)
3. The Blue Bayou an all time favorite. Make your PS in advance. Ask to sit by the water. Its fun to chide with the Pirates of the Carribean riders; we always pretend to throw some food to them, lol!
4. Cafe Orleans preferred (French Market Restaurant OK too) tasty buffet with southern style food.
5. Redd Rockett's Pizza Port believe it or not, we have not eaten here, but have heard from friends that the pizza is good.
Arlene, you will definitely be able to see the parks and most everything in 3 days. Id opt for park hopper passes. August and September are our hottest times of the year, but usually it is dry heat in August. It will probably be busier than normal with the 50th Anniversary. We do recommend taking a mid-day break to rest and swim. And, if for some reason you are ready to keep going, do so.
Read on laughingplace.com about hours and fastpass. DL will probably be open until 11:00 p.m. or 12 midnight. DCA closes first usually after 10 p.m. in the summer.
Weve had problems with mosquitoes and West Nile virus this year, so be prepared to wear some kind of mosquito repellant at night. Avon has a great one for kids and adults alike.
Well write soon about DCA and DTD next weekend or so!
Oh BTW, those of you staying at HoJos: I read that they sell DL tickets to their guests, Id e-mail them for the details. Also, next to this hotel is Mimis Café. This is a nice place for any meal, dh and I love their cobb salad at the one by our home he gets the bleu cheese dressing tossed and I get it with the nonfat french dressing tossed with dressing on the side and we love their buttermilk muffins too!
Thats it for now! Time write my daily notation goals and objectives for my students for tomorrow!
Cheers! Perhaps we can meet some of you and yours for ice-cream or some rides while you are here in CA.
Have a great week!
Barbara & Brian
Hello all! We promised that we would write down our native California favorites! DL/DCA is much smaller than WDW. Keep that in mind and you will not be disappointed! Though smaller, our Disney parks have their own special magic and charm!
DL:
1. Fantasyland If you have children or have that inner child Disney love, stop by and see each of these rides. Same as WDW, do these early in the day if they are your priority, Dumbo should be first due to load time.
2. Toontown is great for the kids, and fun to do a quick walk through for adults. Save this for last unless you have little ones in our humble opinion.
3. Rollercoaster/Fast Ride favorites:
· Matterhorn!!! Still our favorite after all these years! Go there first! If you stay onsite at the DL Hotel, take the Monorail to Tomorrowland and go straight to the Matterhorn. Ride both sides, the left side is our favorite.)
· Splash Mountain Long lines too, do this early or during eating times.
· Big Thunder Mountain Railroad not one of our favorites, but loved by many. We do not ride it any more since the accidents too many times broken for our liking.
· Space Mountain cannot wait for this to re-open!!!
· Indiana Jones Adventure (The second ride we head to after the Matterhorn when Space Mountain is closed.)
4. Other favorites:
· Pirates of the Carribean
· Haunted Mansion
· Winnie the Pooh ride
· Its a Small World (look at the outside of ours awesome!)
· Fantasmic (not to be missed at DL!)
· Tom Sawyers Island (a nice break and fun for the kids love the rope walk - closes at dusk)
· The Walt Disney Story Featuring "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln"
· The Jungle Ride (my speech-language pathology assistant drives one of the boats if your driver is a brunette female, ask her is she is Paula who works with Barbara)
· DL Railroad (just to sit a bit and see the park)
· Star Tours
· Snow White Show (with kids, if you like singing, and/or if you have the big Disney magic in your heart. Snow White is not my favorite of the stories, but I really enjoy this show. Dh liked it once.)
. Autopia - for young and old alike, hopefully their que lines will be fixed by next August...very unorganized last times we visited due to Tomorrowland construction.
Our Favorite Eats at DL:
(DL/DCA restaurants for the most part are a step-below those at WDW, but still enjoyable all the same).
1. Plaza Inn (buffet, enjoy their character breakfast)
2. Rancho Del Zocalo (we eat here most times! Mexican food and barbeque. Easy to share a meal between two adults if both are not huge eaters. Kids love the kids meals here.)
3. The Blue Bayou an all time favorite. Make your PS in advance. Ask to sit by the water. Its fun to chide with the Pirates of the Carribean riders; we always pretend to throw some food to them, lol!
4. Cafe Orleans preferred (French Market Restaurant OK too) tasty buffet with southern style food.
5. Redd Rockett's Pizza Port believe it or not, we have not eaten here, but have heard from friends that the pizza is good.
Arlene, you will definitely be able to see the parks and most everything in 3 days. Id opt for park hopper passes. August and September are our hottest times of the year, but usually it is dry heat in August. It will probably be busier than normal with the 50th Anniversary. We do recommend taking a mid-day break to rest and swim. And, if for some reason you are ready to keep going, do so.
Read on laughingplace.com about hours and fastpass. DL will probably be open until 11:00 p.m. or 12 midnight. DCA closes first usually after 10 p.m. in the summer.
Weve had problems with mosquitoes and West Nile virus this year, so be prepared to wear some kind of mosquito repellant at night. Avon has a great one for kids and adults alike.
Well write soon about DCA and DTD next weekend or so!
Oh BTW, those of you staying at HoJos: I read that they sell DL tickets to their guests, Id e-mail them for the details. Also, next to this hotel is Mimis Café. This is a nice place for any meal, dh and I love their cobb salad at the one by our home he gets the bleu cheese dressing tossed and I get it with the nonfat french dressing tossed with dressing on the side and we love their buttermilk muffins too!
Thats it for now! Time write my daily notation goals and objectives for my students for tomorrow!
Cheers! Perhaps we can meet some of you and yours for ice-cream or some rides while you are here in CA.
Have a great week!
Barbara & Brian
