Disneyland Help for an avid Disney World fan

[krisbars]

Okay, I'm on foreign terrain here. I feel like an alien. Just the fact that you can't make a dining reservation until 60 days before you leave?! No Magic Bands! It's all so confusing. This will be my first ever Disney vacation without children. I have been to DW many times and on a Disney Cruise. My husband and I are going to celebrate our anniversary, and I'm interested in getting information on the most romantic restaurant to eat. I'm also curious about how to make the most of your stay. Are four nights enough? There's no meal plan, are meal vouchers the only alternative? Any tips and ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I'm also a WDW vet and I'm preplanning to go out to the West coast this time, but precisely for the reasons you mention! I mean, we made our FPsocalledPlus only a week a head of time, and they were all good, and then a major storm system blew in and half our family said No Way to EP in the rain, so we had to cancel them all and move them to the following week after our cruise. So fat lotta go it did to book them in advance! I miss the old FP way, and no tiers, and I'm fed up with the so called crowd management of WDW (which is really WDW creating a feeding frenzy of A&E and TSMM 60 days out where people stay up til midnight to book rides for a trip months away.) I'm over it!

The more I read on here about DLR, the more happy I become. Almost all our favorites (minus World Showcase which we have done for a 2013 and 2014) are out there, plus new stuff! I am hearing that hopping park to park takes mere minutes, that all the hotels are right at your door and so is DTD, that DLR has almost the same amount of rides and attractions but in 2 parks instead of 4 (less hopping travel time), and includes some new shows (like World of Color and even a Rapunzel show!) and more Pixar attractions of course including Cars Land.

When are you planning to make your trip?

We have done 3 Land & Sea trips to WDW since 2013 (two last year, one this year) and this year changed for me. Both times last year, we could hop all 4 parks on a Saturday and ride multiples of what we wanted. This year, we couldn't hardly fit anything into a single base day that we wanted! So I've come to the conclusion that it's no longer feasible to combine a Disney Cruise with Parks because it divides up the resources and we don't have enough time at the parks anymore. Shame! I LOVE my Disney Cruises (still do!) with a few magical days at the parks, but our park days were definitely missing some magic this time!

 

[LuvGoofy6]

We went to Disneyland for the first time last summer. Two of four in my family now prefer Disneyland. Both parks are wonderful in their own right. You asked about places to eat. The vouchers are like money and we chose not to use them. I believe that if you don't use them by the end of your trip then you are just out~someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about that. So, we opted to just use cash so we weren't out money if we had vouchers left. I'm not sure of the most romantic place to eat but a favorite place for many is the Blue Bayou Cafe which is located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and is in New Orleans Square. We didn't eat there because it didn't sound good to the little kids in our group. My family enjoyed the French Market in New Orleans Square. My favorite was the Paradise Garden Grill on the Paradise Pier Boardwalk. They had kebabs with several choices of meat and then options for sides. The grilled steak kebab with Chimichurri, rice pilaf, cucumber salad and pita bread were delicious!. Four days should be plenty. We were there 5 days at the park and then another day to travel to a beach. Enjoy your stay and happy anniversary!

 

[94bruin]

In case you haven't seen this:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

It's Hydroguy's DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

 

[krisbars]

I'm also a WDW vet and I'm preplanning to go out to the West coast this time, but precisely for the reasons you mention! I mean, we made our FPsocalledPlus only a week a head of time, and they were all good, and then a major storm system blew in and half our family said No Way to EP in the rain, so we had to cancel them all and move them to the following week after our cruise. So fat lotta go it did to book them in advance! I miss the old FP way, and no tiers, and I'm fed up with the so called crowd management of WDW (which is really WDW creating a feeding frenzy of A&E and TSMM 60 days out where people stay up til midnight to book rides for a trip months away.) I'm over it! The more I read on here about DLR, the more happy I become. Almost all our favorites (minus World Showcase which we have done for a 2013 and 2014) are out there, plus new stuff! I am hearing that hopping park to park takes mere minutes, that all the hotels are right at your door and so is DTD, that DLR has almost the same amount of rides and attractions but in 2 parks instead of 4 (less hopping travel time), and includes some new shows (like World of Color and even a Rapunzel show!) and more Pixar attractions of course including Cars Land. When are you planning to make your trip? We have done 3 Land & Sea trips to WDW since 2013 (two last year, one this year) and this year changed for me. Both times last year, we could hop all 4 parks on a Saturday and ride multiples of what we wanted. This year, we couldn't hardly fit anything into a single base day that we wanted! So I've come to the conclusion that it's no longer feasible to combine a Disney Cruise with Parks because it divides up the resources and we don't have enough time at the parks anymore. Shame! I LOVE my Disney Cruises (still do!) with a few magical days at the parks, but our park days were definitely missing some magic this time!

Your response is interesting to me for a few reasons. I do think doing a disney cruise in combination with DW is so intense. I did a DCL cruise just last month from Port Canaveral (signed up for Fish Extender gifts), and then we stayed a week in DW. It was a LOT of planning, and it was nonstop. My husband and I now need a trip together alone. Being in a ship cabin with my DH, DD (11) and DS (5) was intense. From what I gather, DL is way more relaxed. My friend was saying she rarely makes dining reservations!! I did read some DL fans complaining about crowds, but I just read another blog where DL shut down early in January due to low crowds from rain. Rain never stopped anyone in DW (granted it is usually warm rain). My husband and I are celebrating our 6th anniversary in January, so that is when we plan to go. I'm interested in seeing the differences, but I'm kind of nervous. We are from the Seattle area, so it is weird we've been to DW so many times and never DL.

 

[krisbars]

We went to Disneyland for the first time last summer. Two of four in my family now prefer Disneyland. Both parks are wonderful in their own right. You asked about places to eat. The vouchers are like money and we chose not to use them. I believe that if you don't use them by the end of your trip then you are just out~someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about that. So, we opted to just use cash so we weren't out money if we had vouchers left. I'm not sure of the most romantic place to eat but a favorite place for many is the Blue Bayou Cafe which is located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and is in New Orleans Square. We didn't eat there because it didn't sound good to the little kids in our group. My family enjoyed the French Market in New Orleans Square. My favorite was the Paradise Garden Grill on the Paradise Pier Boardwalk. They had kebabs with several choices of meat and then options for sides. The grilled steak kebab with Chimichurri, rice pilaf, cucumber salad and pita bread were delicious!. Four days should be plenty. We were there 5 days at the park and then another day to travel to a beach. Enjoy your stay and happy anniversary!

You are now a DL fan over DW?! Well, I definitely need to find out why. I keep hearing about the Blue Bayou Cafe. I saw pictures of it online, and from one angle it reminded me of the inside of Mexico in Epcot! Maybe I'm confused...haha. I really appreciate the dining recommendations.

 

[Drusilla99]

Blue bayou is a very neat environment, yes, kinda like Mexico in Epcot. A favorite of mine is steakhouse 55 at the dl hotel. VERY nice, pricey, & full bar, which you won't find in dl.

 

[krisbars]

Blue bayou is a very neat environment, yes, kinda like Mexico in Epcot. A favorite of mine is steakhouse 55 at the dl hotel. VERY nice, pricey, & full bar, which you won't find in dl.

Do you think Steakhouse 55 will be a good place to celebrate our anniversary? I will research it.

 

[SplashMo]

That or you may enjoy the Napa Rose Chefs Table.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

OP, as far as the cruises go, we have enough going on without FE, and I do think that an adults only cruise would be fun and relaxing, but like you say, its proximity. You cruise out of PC and say, while we are there let's hit the parks! 10 days later, you feel like the dead! Lol

TwinkieSis is in Seattle, too. I'm curious if you have gotten airfare yet. When we flew to SEA last labor day, our connection coming back was LAX, so I figure direct flights must be pretty easy for her? Its another reason we are looking into west coast this time. But we are looking after Nov of next year, so I can't price out any thing yet for airfare or hotel.

Does anyone know if Grand Californian has any nice romantic restaurants for OP? Is it like CAs version of Grand Floridian?

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

For a good anniversary dinner you can't go wrong with Steakhouse 55, Napa Rose, or Carthay Circle Restaurant at California Adventure. Personally, I would recommend the chef's table at Napa Rose for a special dinner.

 

[HollyL]

I have been trying to convince one of my co-workers that he needs to check out Disneyland this year instead of doing his usual WDW visit this year. I have been to both (having grown up in California, I have been to the DLR at least 30 times, and even though WDW is probably a tad closer to us (we live in Houston) than DLR, I still prefer DLR). In my opinion, with younger children, I think DLR is much more convenient and a lot easier to navigate because you only have the 2 parks that are literally across from each other, so hopping is easy. There are also many hotels to choose from that are within walking distance, or a couple minutes away by shuttle, so afternoon breaks are very easy. You pretty much have everything that WDW has, but condensed into 2 parks rather than 4 spread out places (no Epcot or Animal Kingdom, but I'm okay with that). DLR also has Carsland, and in general, I think the rides are just better, after my first trip to MK at WDW, many of the rides left me feeling a little let down, especially Pirates.

Now with that being said, I think if somebody wants to spend an entire week, WDW might be the better choice. DLR is better if you have 2-4 days to spend at the parks. The longest I have ever spent at DLR is 3 days.

I definitely want to go out and spend a week at WDW when the kids are older and we will all get more out of the trip. Right now they are 3 and 6, so when they are 7 and 10, I think we'll give WDW a try, but until then, we'll stick with DLR.

 

[daannzzz]

Do you think Steakhouse 55 will be a good place to celebrate our anniversary? I will research it.

We love Steakhouse 55. It is quiet (usually) and very nice but not so nice that you feel out of place without evening attire. I usually wear cords and a Polo shirt. It is a Disney restaurant without being over the top Disney.
The food and service are excellent.

Other "romantic" places to eat would be Napa Rose at the Grand Californian and the main room at Carthay Circle Theater.

And the Blue Bayou.

 

[~Tinkerella]

We are headed to Disneyland for our first visit in September. Booked an off-site hotel in walking distance. We've been to WDW many time have had so many people say we would be disappointed with Disneyland but we are looking forward to a different experience and seeing where it all began!!!

 

[HydroGuy]

We are headed to Disneyland for our first visit in September. Booked an off-site hotel in walking distance. We've been to WDW many time have had so many people say we would be disappointed with Disneyland but we are looking forward to a different experience and seeing where it all began!!!

I wish I could find these people! If I did I would bet money that one or more of the following is true:

1. They have never actually been to DLR

2. They went to DL 30-40 years ago on a day trip and are comparing that to WDW today

3. They went to DLR more recently and expected it to be exactly like WDW and it wasn't. They defined a good Disney trip based on the resort experience as opposed to being based on the Disney magic. As a result, they got frustrated by DLR and failed to properly experience all of the unique and frankly better aspects of DLR. Because they expected DLR to be just like WDW they failed to properly research DLR and thus made a whole series of common mistakes that WDW vets make at DLR. They set themselves up for failure. They went in expecting to be disappointed and created a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In addition to DLR and WDW, I have been to Tokyo Disney and Disneyland Paris. All four of those resorts have special things about them and none are exactly like any of the others. All have Disney magic.

The best Disney theme park? Easy. It is Disneyland in California. The best Disney Resort? Easy. It is WDW. The best Disney second gate? Easy. It is Tokyo DisneySea. The best castle? Easy. That is in DL Paris.

The keys to successfully experiencing a Disney resort other than your home resort is to go with an open mind and do your research.

 

[GatorChris]

With 7 trips to WDW in the last 12 years, I know the feeling. We were in the same boat when we went to DL last Novemeber. Plus, I hadn't stumbled onto this site. I found another board, but it's not nearly as responsive or extensive as this place.

Skip the vouchers for sure. It's nothing like the DDP. That's one thing I missed: going to eat and not worrying about what I order. I miss free Dining!!!

Blue Bayou would definitely be the most romantic place, set on the rivers of Pirates. Especially with no kids - that will make it really nice. For other places to eat, try Hungry Bear. It's a counter service, but it sits on the Rivers of America overlooking Tom Sawyer Island. Very peaceful. Also, getting a clam chowder bread bowl and just sitting on the "wharf" at DCA is the kind of relaxed setting that me and my wife really like.

There's a lot of stuff crammed into the two parks that WDW has, but there's a lot of stuff missing too. Basically all of AK is non-existent which is a real shame. And of course, no World Showcase or SSE or Living Seas. I really miss those. But attractions wise, DL definitely has you covered. 4 nights is a pretty good stay. I'm the kinda guy who like 2 days per park so we can re-do our favs.

 

[GatorChris]

We are headed to Disneyland for our first visit in September. Booked an off-site hotel in walking distance. We've been to WDW many time have had so many people say we would be disappointed with Disneyland but we are looking forward to a different experience and seeing where it all began!!!

When we go to WDW, we stay 9 or 10 nights and have 8 or 9 days in the park. That's a vacation. Disneyland is a much shorter vacation a there's just two parks and no water parks and only 3 hotels. WDW is that escape because it lasts so long. But DL is a great place to visit as well. Just dont' expect it to be as "grand" as WDW. It just can't compete on that kind of scale.

 

[krisbars]

With 7 trips to WDW in the last 12 years, I know the feeling. We were in the same boat when we went to DL last Novemeber. Plus, I hadn't stumbled onto this site. I found another board, but it's not nearly as responsive or extensive as this place. Skip the vouchers for sure. It's nothing like the DDP. That's one thing I missed: going to eat and not worrying about what I order. I miss free Dining!!! Blue Bayou would definitely be the most romantic place, set on the rivers of Pirates. Especially with no kids - that will make it really nice. For other places to eat, try Hungry Bear. It's a counter service, but it sits on the Rivers of America overlooking Tom Sawyer Island. Very peaceful. Also, getting a clam chowder bread bowl and just sitting on the "wharf" at DCA is the kind of relaxed setting that me and my wife really like. There's a lot of stuff crammed into the two parks that WDW has, but there's a lot of stuff missing too. Basically all of AK is non-existent which is a real shame. And of course, no World Showcase or SSE or Living Seas. I really miss those. But attractions wise, DL definitely has you covered. 4 nights is a pretty good stay. I'm the kinda guy who like 2 days per park so we can re-do our favs.

Well, I really appreciate your input. Am I going to be sad I'm not in DW? The only reason I doubt I'll feel like that is because we won't have kids. Since we live in Seattle, my husband is not comfortable with the distance between Florida and Washington if something happened. He was willing to go to California, because he says we can drive back if there is an emergency of some sort in our hometown. I have always wanted to experience DW just once without kids. This is the closest I'm getting.

 

[krisbars]

OP, as far as the cruises go, we have enough going on without FE, and I do think that an adults only cruise would be fun and relaxing, but like you say, its proximity. You cruise out of PC and say, while we are there let's hit the parks! 10 days later, you feel like the dead! Lol TwinkieSis is in Seattle, too. I'm curious if you have gotten airfare yet. When we flew to SEA last labor day, our connection coming back was LAX, so I figure direct flights must be pretty easy for her? Its another reason we are looking into west coast this time. But we are looking after Nov of next year, so I can't price out any thing yet for airfare or hotel. Does anyone know if Grand Californian has any nice romantic restaurants for OP? Is it like CAs version of Grand Floridian?

No lie on the FE gifts. That was so intense...all of that planning and THEN DW! Oh man...I'm tired just thinking about it. Where are you flying from? You are going to Seattle? I have a seller I work with to rent DVC points, and he said that the Grand Californian hotel is the hardest to get a reservation at...moreso than even Aulani. It is very nice. I'm thinking the larger quantity of people that go to DW makes things get run down quicker. Doing renovations there is way more challenging. I think that is why people who are DL fans complain about conditions at DW. DL is smaller, and it just seems more relaxed overall. I personally feel a resistance towards DL, because I am a die-hard DW fan, but I'm staying open-minded. I think my biggest excitement is the history and seeing first-hand Classic Walt. I am also excited about certain rides and attractions that are not available at DW. We shall see!

 

[HydroGuy]

Well, I really appreciate your input. Am I going to be sad I'm not in DW? The only reason I doubt I'll feel like that is because we won't have kids. Since we live in Seattle, my husband is not comfortable with the distance between Florida and Washington if something happened. He was willing to go to California, because he says we can drive back if there is an emergency of some sort in our hometown. I have always wanted to experience DW just once without kids. This is the closest I'm getting.

You may experience what I call the first time "boomerang effect". You are concerned you will miss things from WDW. And guess what? You do.

As part of that you experience DLR and do not think much of it. Then on your next trip to WDW you find yourself missing things from DLR. That surprises you. And you are then on your way to becoming a bi-coastal Disney fan!

Now when I am at DLR I miss RnR, EE, Philharmagic, Off-Kilter, FOTLK, Beaches & Cream and a bunch of other things. I can't ever be truly satisfied at DLR or WDW now!