First trip. Any advice?

[misskrystal]

Hi

I'm going to DLP for the very first time in November. Yay!

It's a special trip for my Dad's 50th birthday (today) and I want everything to be perfect.

Can anyone give me any advice on what to do, where to eat and anything else that could make this trip really special?

Thanks everyone.

 

[P AND B THOMPSON]

Hi Krystal, glad to hear about your trip, say happy birthday to your dad from me. Myself and my family went to DLP last October and last November and it was fantastic . We are going again in November. We are not too fussy about where we eat but we do like the food at New York Style Sandwiches in the Disney Village. They do lovely fish and chips and some great sandwiches. They are quite reasonable aswell. I hope this is of help to you. What dates are you going in November?

 

[nemmie]

Hi, We recently went to DLP in October and the resturants we thought were the best were Planet Hollywood and Cafe Mickey. Annette's Diner was dreadful but the time before (May 2004) it was wonderful so maybe we just got a bad meal? I think you are going to be there when the xmas decs are up, if so you'll have a special time anyway but i'm biased, xmas time at DLP is my favourite. Have a great time.

 

[misskrystal]

Hi

We go on the 20th of November for 4 days.

Has anyone tried the Parkside Diner? It sounds quite good.

I think we'll risk Annette's Diner. It looks too cool to miss.

 

[P AND B THOMPSON]

Hi again Krystal its Beverley here. We go on the 21st of November and come back on the 25th November and we are stopping in the Newport Bay Club Hotel. I will be amongst the whole lot of other people getting into the disney spirit wearing some ridiculous mickey ears or hat.

 

[misskrystal]

I'll be the one wearing 37 layers of clothing (I'm not good with very cold weather) and I'll be accompanied by the very tall gentleman in lots of Disney souveniers (it's his birthday present and I'm making him wear them!).

Can't wait to go. Hope you all have a great trip.

 

[Rascal1003]

Hi All,
We are almost regulars to DLP with (I think) 5 trips under our belts now.
We live quite close to the Channel Tunnel, so fairly easy and convenient to get our regular dose of Vitamin Disney !

As for advice, here's a little of what we have learned so far.......

Best Restaurant - Cafe Mickey. Superb menu and great entertainment from the characters as you dine.
Best Value Restaurant - You could argue this one for a while, but I have to opt for Planet Hollywood. There is a buffet, all you can eat style restaurant, but I don't think this is great value as it is about £25 a head.

The Disney Village is quite good fun by night, but don't expect Downtown Disney as per Orlando. It is quite small and mainly full of places ready to take your money from you (shops and restaurants).

All hotels are within easy walking distance to the village (and consequently the parks which are adjascent), simply follow the tow-path along the man made canal. The New York and Sequoia Lodge are the closest but the Sante Fe and Cheyenne are only 10 minutes on foot.

There is no massive benefit to choosing the higher graded hotels, so save your money and stay in the Cheyenne or Sante Fe. The accomodation standard doesn't vary all that much.

The main Magic Kingdom park is extremely similar to that in Orlando, so not a lot more to say, other than Space Mountain here is awesome ! Much better than the aging ride in Florida.

The Disney Studios is good, but not all that big. You can pretty much get all the way round in less than a day, which is great for park hopping.

Be cautious of the dodgy vendors that loiter around outside the train station at night. (between the park entrance and village entrance). They will try and sell you all kinds of crap (photos, portraits, flashy pens, Eiffel Tower ashtrays...all that tourist tat !). Just ignore them and walk on.

Paris is a bit further away from DLP than you might think. Allow at least an hour to get there by train from the DLP resort. If you have the time it is worth it as Paris is a beautiful city.

Any questions, please feel free to PM me, as I cant think of anything else at the moment.

Regards,
Russ.

 

[jax100]

we're just back, and while there we ate at Cafe Mickeys. We pre booked a table for a meal at 6.15pm and arrived marginally early. In the 6-7pm slot we were visited by mickey, minnie, goofy, genie from aladin, tigger, balou, pinnochio dad, captain hook, and king from robin hood.

In the 7-8pm slot we got genie, tigger, balou, captain hook and goofy. during this slot there was a birthday when all the characters and servers stood round the table and sang happy birthday, spending time at the table. after that about 10-15mins later a member of staff shouted its party time lets get up and party. The characters encouraged the diners to join in and dance around the restaurant.

This for me was the ideal place to be. And if he's a disney fanatic then for the characters alone it is an excellent place to be. The characters go round the restaurant and try to see everyone, and you can go to them too.

Just my suggestion but if it was my 50th that's where id be.

 

[Bexx]

misskrystal - we've eaten at the Parkside Diner, and I can recommend it for a standard meal, though not if you want to do something a bit different. Here is the menu from the DLP Foodguide

 

[misskrystal]

Thanks for all you advice.

Can anyone tell me how meal vouchers work? I don't want to spend an absolute fortune on food, but I would like to go to some nice restaurants.

Also, is there anything special I can do for his birthday. Nothing too embarrassing, though, he can be a little shy.

I have booked a surprise character breakfast for him, which will be really cool. It's my first one, too.

 

[DisneyRGB]

Hi misskrystal

You can go to City Hall in Main Street USA and ask for a birthday badge - apparently cast members make a real fuss of people wearing these (I assume they do this for adults not just kids!!) Don't know if he'd find that embarrassing?

For restaurants I love Rainforest Cafe, Annette's is definitely worth a visit and also La Grange (top floor of Billy Bob's in the Village) is all you can eat Tex Mex buffet - yum!