first meal in DL

[princess lovers mom]

this will be our first trip to DLR - arriving on 12/26 - flight gets in Burbank at 1119am....leaving from NYC so may be holiday delays - I know the arrival time may not be accurate...anyway allowing an hour or so to get to hotel I am going to assume that we will be IN the parks by 3pm.....which will still be 6pm internal clock time! so I am sure everyone will want to eat soon....

should we make a PS somewhere or just plan counter service the first day so we can wander around and not feel like we need to "get somewhere"....

where would you eat your first ever DL meal???

 

[vpalmer]

We had a similar arrival time into Burbank in June and we ate an early dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. With the time change, we were ready for dinner by 5:30!

 

[QueenDoOver]

I agree that you all will likely need to eat. If I had to guess, the importance of your first Disneyland meal will be outweighed by the importance of all the awesome "rides", at least for kids, once their need for food has been met.

That being said, if you can stand to delay your first Disneyland meal, I would be inclined to grab something on the way to the park, so you are able to just enjoy being there, or I would plan on grabbing counter service fairly soon upon arrival and miss the dinner rush, so you can be doing attractions while everyone else waits in line.

If you think you will want to sit down and get waited on, I would recommend Cafe Orleans as (subject to weather) you will be able to sit outside and enjoy the decorations and people watch.

You can take a look at the menus on allears.com

Good Luck!
Tracey

 

[princess lovers mom]

We had a similar arrival time into Burbank in June and we ate an early dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. With the time change, we were ready for dinner by 5:30!

what time did you get in to the park - did you go there first and then back to Goofy's...we are staying at GC so will be able to hop right in I hope!

 

[QueenDoOver]

Goofy's Kitchen is at DLH, so you are going to be backtracking a fair amount. Who wants to go sit in a buffet when you first get to Disneyland though??

If you are staying at GC, then you might want to swing into White Water Snacks and grab something there, on your way in.

Are you going to go into DCA through the Grand, or you might want to consider walking out to DTD, and through the esplanade and directly into Disneyland, if you want the full effect. (That's what I would do)

So many options! Isn't it great!

 

[princess lovers mom]

that sounds like a good plan - White Water - maybe grab something and take up to room to eat while we freshen up then hit the park....

Yes I too feel like we need to enter to DL first and do the traditional Main Street!

the parks are bound to be quite busy I know so the eating at the hotel quickly sounds like a better option that finding a counter service ! - thanks

 

[ter-moo]

The parks will be busy...

You may even need to prepare yourselves for not being able to get in at that time. Sometimes during the days around Christmas, the parks reach capacity and they stop letting people in.

If that's the case, you could plan to have a meal at one of the Disney hotels or in Downtown Disney and just wander around in those areas for the afternoon.

 

[princess lovers mom]

thanks for the warning - I am aware of that possibility and am trying to keep that thought at the very BACK of my mind!

will they know when we check in if the parks are closed or do we need to go to the gate to find out? that would be a bummer - walking up all excited and being told no....

 

[jimreuter]

Please make reservations for table service restaurants that week. It is insanely busy, and we may be completely booked several days ahead (Blue Bayou for sure, maybe others as well), but the regular lunch and dinner hours may be booked far ahead.