Going to DL 9/15-9/20/2024

[Dznefreek]

So my wife has graciously agreed to go to DL with me for the 35th anniversary of our first date.
For the record she is not a theme park person.

A couple of ?'s:
Best way to do DL. I am thinking of doing the left side of the park one day and the right side another day. Planning 1 day at DCA.
What is the weather like this time of year?
LL Multi-pass, will I need it?
Planning on just buying LLSP for Radiator Springs (that is really the only ride I am excited about in DCA).
Anyone been to GHC Bar or the restaurant inside GCH?
For you veterans of DL/DCA where do you like to eat?
Any good DTD restaurants?

 

[irlandaise]

Have you been to Disneyland before? The folks in this forum are likely to make different suggestions depending on your answer.

 

[LKing]

Happy anniversary!

You are a DIS Veteran so I assume you've been to WDW more than once. Are you familiar with the former LLMP system at WDW? Where are you staying and what type of food do you and your wife like to eat?

Personally, I wouldn't split the park in half. They aren't that big and everything is closer to each other than at WDW. LLMP will help and, according to those who visit both parts regularly, it helps a lot more at Disneyland than it does at WDW.

Radiator Springs has a great single rider line. If you don't mind splitting up and don't want to wait in a long line, opt for single rider.

September and October are our warm months. Our Fall season doesn't start until closer to November. It can get cooler at night, but it is usually comfortable.

I eat at Hearthstone Lounge quite a bit. I don't drink so can't tell you much about the bar side of things. I've also eaten at Craftsman Bar & Grill quite a bit. It is the outdoor bar and restaurant next to the pool. Many people like the bar at Trader Sams (Disneyland Hotel), but reservations go quickly.

For food, it really depends on your tastes, your price point and what you are looking for (sit down vs quick serve). I am regularly at the Disneyland Resort, but haven't been to WDW in close to 15 years. According to those who visit both parks, Disneyland's quick serve is significantly better than it is at WDW.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

It will be Halloween time by then so it will be more crowded then now, you can wait until the day of to buy Genie Plus

I would not go to one half only, I'd use the app and hit the rides you want with low waits. I would for sure rope drop and DCA is a great park but also if you have a Genie Plus pass you can do most rides in the park in half a day but if WOC is running, I would not miss WOC, Fantasmic or the fireworks.

Also if you do end up buying genie Plus it comes with Photo pass and Id get buttoms from a store saying you are celebrating your anniversary and get some really nice photos taken around the park when you see CM's taking photos

 

[Dznefreek]

Have you been to Disneyland before? The folks in this forum are likely to make different suggestions depending on your answer.

No I have not.

 

[Dznefreek]

Happy anniversary!

You are a DIS Veteran so I assume you've been to WDW more than once. Are you familiar with the former LLMP system at WDW? Where are you staying and what type of food do you and your wife like to eat?

Personally, I wouldn't split the park in half. They aren't that big and everything is closer to each other than at WDW. LLMP will help and, according to those who visit both parts regularly, it helps a lot more at Disneyland than it does at WDW.

Radiator Springs has a great single rider line. If you don't mind splitting up and don't want to wait in a long line, opt for single rider.

September and October are our warm months. Our Fall season doesn't start until closer to November. It can get cooler at night, but it is usually comfortable.

I eat at Hearthstone Lounge quite a bit. I don't drink so can't tell you much about the bar side of things. I've also eaten at Craftsman Bar & Grill quite a bit. It is the outdoor bar and restaurant next to the pool. Many people like the bar at Trader Sams (Disneyland Hotel), but reservations go quickly.

For food, it really depends on your tastes, your price point and what you are looking for (sit down vs quick serve). I am regularly at the Disneyland Resort, but haven't been to WDW in close to 15 years. According to those who visit both parks, Disneyland's quick serve is significantly better than it is at WDW.

Price is not a problem.
We are adventurous eaters.
Sit down preferably.
We are staying off-site.
We have been to Trader Sam's in the Polynesian several times.
I have always heard DL food is superior to WDW. I have been so many times over 40 years I stopped eating in the parks.

 

[LKing]

There are a couple of unique restaurants in DTD. Paseo & Centrico are the same owner. Centrico is an outdoor restaurant with a big bar in the middle. Paseo is upstairs and is indoors with a small amount of dining on an outdoor patio. I prefer the Paseo menu over Centrico, but many people really enjoy Centrico.

Din Tai Fung is a new restaurant in DTD. Reservations are a must since it is new for DTD and many people want to try it.

The nicest restaurant at the Disneyland Resort is Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Hotel. They have a chef's counter option which could be fun for your anniversary. There is a thread devoted to chef's counter reservations and how to call to book them. How to Book Napa Rose Chef's Counter.

A close second to Napa Rose is Carthay Circle in DCA.

Blue Bayou is considered the nicest restaurant in Disneyland. It is located within the Pirates of the Carribean ride and has great ambiance. The food is higher end, but it can be a bit hit or miss with respect to quality. I've always had good food there, but it hasn't always been supurb. If you are planning on watching Fantasmic and want to do a dining package, Blue Bayou is one of the three restaurants offering a Fantasmic dining package ($89). The other two are River Belle Terrace ($55) and Rancho del Zocalo (quick serve) ($35).

Many people rave about Lamplight Lounge in DCA. It is okay in my books, but not anything I would rave about. Again, I don't drink, so people may be referring to more of the cocktail scene.

Wine Country Trattoria in DCA has good tasting food. It isn't at the level of Napa Rose or Carthay Circle, but it a nice meal. I wish it had better ambiance. They offer a prix fixe World of Color dining package at Wine Country Trattoria.

For shows, Disneyland does not have Fantasmic seating like WDW. The show is on the Rivers of America and dining packages seats are on the ground within roped off reserved areas. There is an entire thread about Fantasmic seating. If you are interested, I can share links or go into more details.

World of Color (DCA) has a couple of dining packages - Wine Country Trattoria and Storytellers (in GCH). Both of those give you a standing view of WOC. They also offer a WOC dessert party which allows you to have seats to watch the show. There is a thread about seats for the WOC dessert party.

The two parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) are extremely close to each other. To walk from one entrance to the other is shorter than walking down Main Street to the castle. Because of that, most visitors enjoy the convenience of adding Park Hoppers to their ticket.

 

[LKing]

I'm a picture person. There is an old thread with food pictures that recently got revived. If you want to see food pics from different restaurants, you might check it out. Food pics

For quick serve, I like DCA's San Fransokyo. The birria tacos at Cocina Cucamonga are great, as is the kaarage inspired chicken sandwich at Lucky Fortune Cookery. I've had the curry bread bowls at Aunt Cass' cafe three times. Twice I really enjoyed it. Once it had way too much salt. In retrospect, I should have taken it back. Going along with the theme, San Fransokyo dining area is very crowded.

If you don't want to deal with crowds, Paradise Garden Grill is a hidden gem in DCA. There is plenty of seating, often musical entertainment and their specialty foods (for different festivals) are usually quite good. Their regular food is fine, but not as good as the specialty foods.

Many people like Cozy Cones and Flos V8 in Carsland. I don't care for either. Other very popular items that I personally don't care for are corn dogs and churros. Apparently both are much better at DLR than WDW.

On the Disneyland side, for quick serve, we like Tiana's Palace and the Plaza Inn. Bengal BBQ is also very popular.

For beignets, I very much prefer the ones made by Beignets Express (next to the Jazz Kitchen) in DTD over the ones in the park.

 

[abracabubble]

By half the park, do you mean, do disneyland one day and DcA the other? That's what we always do. I think there is more than enough to do at each park, especially if you want to enjoy the entertainment and atmosphere. I also don't want to pay the extra for hopper.
In Disneyland, since it's your anniversary, you can do Blue Bayou, or Cafe Orleans. ( you have the option to order a celebration cake when you make the reservations). It's nice for an anniversary. At DCA, you could can do Lamp light lounge. The ambiance is worth it alone.
In DTD, Din Ti Fung just opened. You can make reservations on yelp, or walk up and make reservations. ( It's about 2 hrs from walk up). Naples Ristorante e Bar would be a nice dinner in DTD as well.

​

 

[LKing]

Best way to do DL. I am thinking of doing the left side of the park one day and the right side another day. Planning 1 day at DCA.

I interpreted this as 1 day at DCA and then dividing DL into half - Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Toontown on one day and Frontierland, Adventureland, NOS, and SWGE on the other. Maybe I am wrong.

 

[StarlitNight05]

As usual, @LKing did not disappoint with their awesome advice. You are a gem on this board!

I will add that for Hearthstone at GCH, they have moved to more of a reservation based system vs a casual drop in. The last few times we have visited, there has been a standby line to get seated, which didn't appeal to us after standing in lines for attractions! Not sure if we just happened upon busy times, but just wanted to note that it's not as casual as it used to be in being able to stroll up to the bar for a quick drink.

I haven't tried the Craftsman Bar yet. To clarify potential confusion, yes it's the same name as the quick service (Craftsman Grill vs Craftsman Bar), but it's the sit down pool side dining. I guess I have some pent up anger toward this place, since I don't love the location as a GCH guest. I have never been a big pool person, but it really deters me from wanting to swim when I am part of the ambiance/viewing for dining guests. But I digress...

I hope you have a fabulous trip. Oh and brace yourself for the size of our castle! That's always a shock for WDW vets.

 

[Dznefreek]

I interpreted this as 1 day at DCA and then dividing DL into half - Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Toontown on one day and Frontierland, Adventureland, NOS, and SWGE on the other. Maybe I am wrong.

Correct. . . .

 

[Pluto468]

I'd do the whole park, because it really isn't that big. Then you can do what you want based on wait times etc.

Do you mean the Craftsman Bar? That's a nice spot and they have great food. You'll need a reservation for that, but there's also the Craftsman Grill, which wouldn't require an ADR. GCH also has Napa Rose, Storyteller's and Hearthstone Lounge.

Good idea to get a ILL for Radiator Springs.

I love to eat at Jolly Holiday Cafe, Red Rose tavern, Plaza Inn, Goofy's (DLH), Craftsman Grill (GCH) at Disneyland. Al the restaurans are great. Blue Bayou for something special.

At DCA my favorites are Lucky Fortune Cookery and Pym's.

 

[goooof1]

I would strongly consider park hoppers. We treat DL and DCA as one big park. They are very close together (a plaza ~100 yards separates the entrances). Hoppers allow for flexibility which is so very nice!
Blue Bayou is fun (and good) ......ask for a waterside table. They may tell you it is a long wait, but usually it's not that long.
Lots of tasty counter service places...... browse the Disneyland website for dining and the menus are available. Jolly Holiday is good for snacks and sandwiches, etc. Plaza Inn fried chicken is very popular (and tasty, and shareable!) Paradise Garden Grill in DCA is good when they have the Mediterranean skewer platters (don't know if they still have them, though.)
Dole Whip, churros, cream cheese filled pretzels.......fresh fruit carts......lots of good stuff....!!!
( ~~~~this is making me hungry, must stop !!)

 

[twodogs]

Because you are going during Halloween season, know that it is basically the busiest time of the year. We always go during this time because we love Halloween and my kids have a long weekend during October. In any case, since price is no problem, I would definitely get PHs and pre-buy G+ with your tickets (to avoid a possible price increase before your trip and to avoid a possible sell-out of G+ day-of purchases, which did happen last year during Halloween time). I would plan the ILL$ for RSR (and ROTR if that is a ride you want to ride; essentially identical to the WDW ride though) since you have limited time. Yes G+ and ILL$ have been renamed but I have not learned those abbreviations yet! In any case, for your trip, I think they are a wise choice.

We love Hearthstone Lounge bar seating or tables at GCH. But it is basically reservations for the tables, and walk up for the bar. Some ‘regulars” tend to be at the bar holding seats for others that sometimes don’t appear, so the bar seating can be competitive at times. Cocktails were pretty darn good, as were the food items that we ordered. It’s a good place to get away from the hustle and bustle.

 

[LKing]

Yes G+ and ILL$ have been renamed but I have not learned those abbreviations yet!

Think of it this way... Genie + allows you to go on multiple rides. It is now called Lightning Lane MULTI Pass.
ILL$ allows you to go on the single ride that you are paying for. It is now called Lightning Lane SINGLE Pass. At the Disneyland Resort, there are only two LLSP rides - RSR and ROTR

 

[Dznefreek]

I already have my tix. Deal was $83.00 a day Mon. - Thurs.
Booked Hearthstone. Going to try and book Din Tai Fung.
RSR LLSP I think is a must.
My wife is not really a Star Wars fan and I have ridden ROTR multiple times in DHS.

 

[LKing]

Going to try and book Din Tai Fung.

Din Tai Fung takes reservations via Yelp. I haven't seen it on the Disneyland app yet.

 

[cocofan]

I already have my tix. Deal was $83.00 a day Mon. - Thurs.
Booked Hearthstone and Storytellers. Going to try and book Din Tai Fung.
RSR LLSP I think is a must.
My wife is not really a Star Wars fan and I have ridden ROTR multiple times in DHS.

When did you book Storyteller's? I tried to book them for September but there is no availability after the 2nd. I didn't think they'd opened them yet for the rest of the month.

 

[Dznefreek]

My ride preferences I am planning on using LLMP.
No Storytellers, I misspoke sorry!

HM	DL	1
Indiana Jones	DL	2
Pirates	DL	3
BTMRR	DL	4
Matterhorn	DL	5
Roger Rabbit	DL	6
MMRR	DL	7
Rise	DL	8
Casey Jr. Train	DL	9
SM	DL	10
Story Book Boats	DL	11
Mr. Toads	DL	12
Alice	DL	13
Pinnochio	DL	14
Subs	DL	15
JC	DL	16
Buzz	DL	17
Star Tours	DL	18
Small World	DL	19

RSR	DCA	1
Incredi-coaster	DCA	2
Mermaid	DCA	3
TSMM	DCA	4
Web Slingers	DCA	5
Monsters Inc.	DCA	6