First trip to DISNEYLAND

[BELLE16127]

We fly to LA next Friday and will be going to DL for the VERY FIRST TIME!!!!! Hvae been to WDW tons of times we will be in the parks on Saturday for sure and maybe Friiday (depending on how the flight and time frame work out) What are things I absolutley cannot miss doing, eating, seeing.......We get on the Wonder on Sunday for the Mexican Riviera Cruise and FIRST TIME SEEING the PACIFIC OCEAN also so lots of firsts Atlantic tons of times and will be out 7th cruise so EXCITED!!!

 

[mouseymommy]

There is a sticky that has info for WDW veterans going to DL. It's highly recommended! Have a great time at DL and on your cruise. I would love to go on a Disney cruise!

 

[HydroGuy]

There is a sticky that has info for WDW veterans going to DL. It's highly recommended! Have a great time at DL and on your cruise. I would love to go on a Disney cruise!

See "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We fly to LA next Friday and will be going to DL for the VERY FIRST TIME!!!!! Hvae been to WDW tons of times we will be in the parks on Saturday for sure and maybe Friiday...

Will your dates be Friday, 11/02, and Saturday, 11/03? If so, be aware that the Christmas Parade television taping will be taking place on the Saturday, so parts of Main Street and the castle area will be blocked off for filming. Those areas also can get very crowded for the taping, since people want to see the celebrities. Look at a DL map to find out what you really want to see/do, and how to get there bypassing the castle. I haven't heard about any taping in DCA.

If your dates will be Friday, 11/09, and Saturday, 11/10, then most, if not all, of the holiday decorations should be up by then. The holiday parade and fireworks should start that weekend, even though the official Holiday Time at DL starts on Monday, 11/12.

Either way, make sure to check the DL website calendar for hours, refurbs/closures, and any special announcements before your visit.

 

[DisneytheKid]

Have a great time!!!

 

[mouseymommy]

I just wrote about all our favorite places to eat, and then accidentally deleted it!! So now I will just make a list of our favorites!

Disneyland:

Big Thunder Ranch BBQ
Plaza Inn for chicken. I heard the inside was decorated by Lillian Disney!
Harbor Galley for potatoes.
Cafe Orleans for Pomme Frites.
Hungry Bear for fried green tomato sandwich and onion rings.

DCA:

Flo's Cafe
Pacific Wharf Cafe for Bread Bowl Soups
Taste Pilots for the Blue Cheese Burger
White Water Snacks for Nachos. SO GOOD!!. Located in the Grand, but is easy to get to right across from Grizzly River Run. Practically in the park.

And obviously Dole Whips and Corn Dogs are great! ....This is from DS5

 

[AceDodger]

Hope you have a great time! We usually rent a car at LAX from Fox. They usually have the best price. You take a bus from the main terminal and Fox is about a 10 minute ride. Right next to the airport you can drive to Randy's Donuts and pick up some breakfast and you can also hit In-N-Out Burger right around the corner. Where are you staying? We stayed at the Marriott I think right across the street from DL. Try to get a reservation at the Blue Bayou. Eat the Monte Cristo there. DL Haunted Mansion is great right now because it is redecorated Tim Burton style. I will post more later.

 

[BELLE16127]

Thanks for the input. I will look at the postings about WDW regulars visiting DL. Our dates are Nov 9 and 10 so excited that we may get to see Christmas Decorations as well. Today Oct 31 is my last day at work then it's cleaning the house and finishing up packing.... Any other hints tips are greatly appreciated........

 

[DorkyDisneyMom]

Don't forget to ride Pirates! You'll love it!

 

[Meech Loves Mickey]

Congrats and have a wonderful trip!

I see you are from Grove City, that's not too far from me. We live just north of Pittsburgh too!

 

[FINNZUP]

I too will be in DL that weekend for our first DL trip. DH speaking at a conference and I am tagging along (kiddies staying home!)! Have a great cruise! We sailed twice on the Disney Dream.. it was INCREDIBLE!. ENJOY.... : )))
DL here we come!

 

[momrek06]

Oh OP, you will LOVE LOVE LOVE our DISNEYLAND!!!!

It is my MAGICAL place!!!

Get that packing done, the house cleaned and get to DISNEYLAND!!!

One thing I would suggest, IF you have the movie CARS … please watch it before coming here … YOU WILL THINK YOU ARE IN THE MOVIE THE MINUTE YOU WALK INTO RADIATOR SPRINGS RTE 66!!!!!!!

 

[DisneylandDeeDee]

Have a magical time! You will love DL as it is very intimate....a surprise around every corner. I second the Cafe Orleans recommendation.....the Monte Cristo Sandwiches are great as well as the pomme frites. We also LOVE the Little Red Wagon at the end of Main Street for delicious hand-dipped corn dogs. Yum!

 

[KEmum]

Things to do:
Definitely ride the Indiana Jones ride since it will be brand new for you!
Take some time to find the little hidden gems of Disneyland - the magic lamp in the bazaar at Andventureland or the brass apple and witch peeking out of the window at Snow White's Scary Adventure. The singing wishing well by the Castle. There are so many fun, hidden nuggets!
You MUST see World of Color. When we go, we'll be buying the 'Glow with the Show' ears.

To eat:
I second the Plaza Inn recommendation! The chicken is so good and make sure to get a piece of their chocolate 'magic' cake, it is amazing!
The Pacific Wharf Cafe's bread bowls and soups are also very, very good.
I would do the Blue Bayou for ambience, I didn't enjoy the food all that much personally. However, you are eating INSIDE the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and that is really, really neat.

I haven't been to the newly renovated DCA park. But take some time to walk around Cars Land, I've only heard great things about FLO's V8 Cafe.

 

[BELLE16127]

I am SOOOOO looking forward to Cars Land..I have been on the Disneyland Site allready looking at video and so on. I downloaded an app to my Iphone for disneyland with maps times and I am not sure what else it tells me it will give me more info when I am actually there....lol guess I am still too far away in Pennsylvania to do all the fun stuff. Thanks again for all the info and suggestions

 

[Mousequake]

Things to do:
Definitely ride the Indiana Jones ride since it will be brand new for you!

Unfortunately, Indy is closed for the next several months for a refurb.

 

[HollyL]

Have fun! I have been to both WDW and the original in California (oh, and Paris too). I much prefer the Disneyland Resort in California.

WDW is so spaced out, and it's all so overwhelming, and to see everything, you have to stay longer and visit all of the different parks.

I love that at DLR, everything is right there between the two parks that sit across from each other. I think the rides at DLR and DCA are much better than the ones at WDW, especially Pirates of the Caribbean. You don't have to take a boat to the Magic Kingdom either.

We live in Houston, so geographically, we are pretty much the same distance away, but until the kids are older (they are only 4 and 18 months) we will continue to go to DLR.

 

[BELLE16127]

Is Pirates ride at DL different than at WDW?????

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Is Pirates ride at DL different than at WDW?????

Yes! Its way better at DL!

 

[momrek06]

Is Pirates ride at DL different than at WDW?????

Its AWESOME!!! Much longer!!! TWO DROPS!!! You actually go by the BLUE BAYOU in your 'boat'!!!

Pirates of the Caribbean
Avast ye land lubbers! Set forth on a swashbuckling voyage on Pirates of the Caribbean and be transported back to the days when pirates and privateers wrought havoc on the high seas. Discover a pirate's curse, the plundering of a Caribbean village and the elusive exploits of Captain Jack Sparrow!

The Bayou Bateau
As nighttime bruises the waters of the balmy bayou, enter the grand French manor and board a "bateau" that floats past the beautiful Blue Bayou Restaurant. Fireflies light the way as you pass an old shack, whose whiskered owner snores on the porch. Listen to the gentle banjo strains of "Old Suzanna" as you sail deeper into the caverns…

Dead Man's Grotto
Beware the warnings uttered by the pirate's skull as you drift beneath the raging waterfall

Dead men tell no tales!
But tales there be aplenty in this cursed place. Drift into the Dead Man's Grotto, where the skeletons of past pirates litter the glittering troves of ill-gotten treasures. Many of these buccaneers met a brutal fate, forever silenced by the blade to keep the location of the booty a secret. The dead are scattered throughout the remains of a haunted ship whose crew drank themselves to death or who died in various states of repose. All the while, the harpsichord accompanies the rousing strains of the famous pirate chantey. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

Pillaging the Village
Sail straight into the pirate ship battle with the Spanish for a Caribbean town. A volley of cannon balls blasts through the air, crashing into the waters as Captain Barbossa calls for the surrender of both the Spanish crew and Captain Jack Sparrow. The waters carry you deeper into the caverns where pirates behave most abominably! It's all in the life of a pirate, I tell ye!

Captain Jack Sparrow
Catch sight of beloved Captain Jack, as he drunkenly dodges his pursuers throughout the adventure. He's in pursuit of the treasure map and key that unlocks the secret location of the riches protected by the pirate curse. Will he elude capture and carry off a precious chest of pilfered treasure?
If ye be brave or fool enough to face a pirate's curse, proceed...