First Time Disneyland-er

[yesyoumae]

Hi everyone! So in August I will be making my first trek to Disneyland, having been to Disney World several times. However, for the first time on ANY Disney trip: I will be having my husband in tow! He's usually always deployed/on a mission/uninterested in the wonderful land of Magic and Mouse. This time he's doing the whole "Happy Wife, Happy Life" motto, and I think since we will be traveling and gone for my birthday he wants to accompany me.

Down in Florida I know the lay of the land, most of the go to restaurants, and some of the things that I could throw at him in order to keep him entertained while I'm geeking out in a pair of mouse ears trying to find a mickey bar ice cream or a pretzel.

What are some of the best restaurants on property (or close by) that we could do while we are there? We will be staying at the Tropicana and we plan to have a rental car so a little distance won't be too bad.

Thank you all for your help in advance. And if anyone has any sort of "MUST KNOW DISNEYLAND ADVICE" please let me know! I'm a little overwhelmed with it all, extremely excited, and just don't want to miss anything.

 

[figment_jii]

So you didn't get to do the Star Wars Half Marathon last year? That's too bad, but hopefully you'll be able to make this trip.

As a WDW Vet I highly recommending taking a look at HydroGuy's A DLR Guide for WDW Vets. It'll help give you a sense of the similarities and differences between the two resorts.

You can make dining reservations online or by phone. Reservations open up 60-days in advance, but unlike WDW, they aren't really that hard to get. You can often get prime dining reservations only a few weeks out. If you do go online or call right on the 60-day mark and something is showing as unavailable, it's more likely that they haven't yet loaded that location/date into the system (opposed to already being fully booked). Please note there is no 180+10 feature for DLR, so each day comes available one day at a time. The DLR online system rolls somewhere after midnight and the phones open after 7:00 am. To see some of the food offerings at DLR, check out the Disneyland Dining Review with Photos thread.

The operating calendar is generally published about 45-days/6-weeks in advance (one day at a time, generally). The entertainment and detailed information is often not added until closer to the actual date (usually around the 30-day or so mark). DLR doesn't always announce refurbishments very far in advance, so things may show up (or disappear) at the last minute. Depending on when you go in August, Haunted Mansion may be closed to have the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay installed (it usually closes in late-August).

DLR still uses the legacy-FP system at this point (no MagicBands either). They don't have MDE, but they do have an official Disneyland App that provides wait times, FP return times, character schedules, etc. I highly recommend downloading it before going to DLR.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Traveled recently.

We had the blue bayou dinner this time. We switched from parade menu to not last minute. It was an excellent meal. I don't like spinach -they subbed the other veggies no prob.

Im not a fan of cafe Orleans although some are. The menus at Napa Rose & carthay circle are NMS.

The Minnie & friends plaza inn breakfast food was ok. Good omelet. We were starving & had too many character interactions. Haha. Not many choices of food.

Did not love carnation cafe this time.

Love counter service at Boardwalk pizza & pasta & French market.

Not impressed with award wieners this trip. Hated Cocina cucamonga.

Loved the dark side drink in DL tomorrow land. Can't remember restaurant. Darth Vader dessert not great. Chewy cheesecake dessert ok.

 

[ADLFAN]

Yay! Congratulations! Happy wife, happy life, indeed!

As far as local attractions, I'm afraid I don't have any advice. Maybe find a hotel with an awesome pool, I believe the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian both do drink service for their pool areas.

The fancy restaurants in the resort include Blue Bayou (in the Pirates of the Carribean ride, super fun atmosphere and I loved the food!), Carthay Circle and Napa Rose in DCA, and Steakhouse 55 in the Disneyland Hotel (delicious breakfast, I would love to try it for dinner, too!). There is also Wine Country Trattoria in DCA, and while I've never been, I know others enjoy it and have even caught the Pixar Play Parade with their meal!

Start with the awesome thrill rides! Tower of Terror and California Screamin in DCA, Hyperspace Mountain (make this your first Fastpass in DL, they're going fast!), Indiana Jones, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Star Tours and the Matterhorn in DL. I bet he'll be a Disney addict by the end of those ones! Maybe get him a bit of DL history with a guide book left strategically around the house, or a biography about Walt Disney if you think he'd pick it up. I know I have a bigger appreciation of the park after reading some history!

Then you can switch up for the historical rides that are less thrilling but still tons of fun, Mr. Toad and the rest of the Fantasyland dark rides, the Carousel, Casey Jr. Circus Train, etc.

My best tips:

Get there early, and if you want to flee in the hot busy afternoon, you will have already accomplished a lot in the less crowded a.m.

Stay hydrated! Even if it means you spend far too much on water bottles! Any counter service restaurant will give you a glass of ice water, and you can pour them directly into an overpriced DL spray fan for sweet relief!

Find a few solid choices for lunch / dinner so you have a plan for at least a few meals. I thought we wasted tons of time trying to go around and read menus, but the app has made that a lot easier!

Try to catch the Fireworks early in your trip, because they are sometimes cancelled due to wind at higher elevations and it would suck to wait til one night at the end of the trip and miss them!

Have fun and take a million pictures!

 

[Angrose]

I'm assuming this is an adults-only trip, so I would highly suggest the Cove Bar in DCA and Trader Sam's at DLH. Cove Bar has TO.DIE.FOR. lobster nachos and amazing cocktails, while overlooking the bay and Paradise Pier. Trader Sam's is just an awesome, relaxing and fun environment for fantastic cocktails and yummy munchies. Sitting inside the bar is great, but the place is very small, so if you can't get a table then sitting on the terrace is nice or down by the fireplace they have comfy couches. They often have live music on the terrace in the evenings as well.
Have fun!!