Help Me With Meals

[nbeaumont]

We are going to Disneyland for the first time at the beginning of April. We will drive up from San Diego on April 1st and stay at the Grand Californian for three nights. Then drive down to San Diego to fly out on an afternoon flight on the 4th. I have a 5yo and a 7yo.

These are the only criteria I have:
On the morning of the 4th I am planning on doing a character breakfast at the Storyteller Cafe.
I would like to eat at the Napa Rose one night.
April 2nd is my older boys birthday. He is turning 8. We would like to do something special for him (last year we had a dessert party at Epcot).
We are going to get the SoCal City Pass so we will have three day park hoppers which we plan to use on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd with the idea of going to Disneyland on the 1st and 2nd and then doing CA on the 3rd.

Any ideas? I was thinking that breakfasts could be as easy as a Jamba Juice on the way to the parks and perhaps the lunches would be best as counter service? Are there any dinner locations that you would highly recommend? Anything where you can see fireworks while you eat? I got a guide book but it's not very informative on the meals. It's more on how to cram all the rides in. So I'm looking for any and all suggestions. I want to make my ressies since we are just under 60 days out.

 

[DizNee Luver]

My suggestion on the Character Meal is to skip the Storytellers one & go to Goofy's Kitchen. This is by far the best character meal, full of characters, interactions, dancing & a huge buffet that will cover everyone's tastes. You can even let them know its a birthday & order a birthday bucket with little prizes inside with a personal cake on the top. We did this for our kids & they absolutely lit up, when it was brought out to them & "Jasmine" sang happy birthday to them!! (I don't remember the cost exactly, but it was around $25ish)
In the park, good places our family enjoyed for good food was Hungry Bear Restaurant overlooking the Rivers of America.....great burgers & don't forget the funnel cake!! At DCA, we can't get enough of Taste Pilot's Grill. Delicious & affordable.
Those are just a few of our favorites. I have more suggestions & possibly menus on more if interested.

 

[Hound 109]

We are going to Disneyland for the first time at the beginning of April. We will drive up from San Diego on April 1st and stay at the Grand Californian for three nights. Then drive down to San Diego to fly out on an afternoon flight on the 4th. I have a 5yo and a 7yo.

These are the only criteria I have:
On the morning of the 4th I am planning on doing a character breakfast at the Storyteller Cafe.
I would like to eat at the Napa Rose one night.
April 2nd is my older boys birthday. He is turning 8. We would like to do something special for him (last year we had a dessert party at Epcot).
We are going to get the SoCal City Pass so we will have three day park hoppers which we plan to use on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd with the idea of going to Disneyland on the 1st and 2nd and then doing CA on the 3rd.

Any ideas? I was thinking that breakfasts could be as easy as a Jamba Juice on the way to the parks and perhaps the lunches would be best as counter service? Are there any dinner locations that you would highly recommend? Anything where you can see fireworks while you eat? I got a guide book but it's not very informative on the meals. It's more on how to cram all the rides in. So I'm looking for any and all suggestions. I want to make my ressies since we are just under 60 days out.

nbeaumont, welcome to the DLR board.

Regarding grab n go breakfasts....whitewater snacks in your GCH is an option. Also there are a couple of restaurants in DTD that have grab n go counters & also a bakery or two. (You'll walk thru DTD on your 5 min. stroll from the GCH to the front gates.) Splitting room service meals for breakfast may be an option as well (it worked for me & DS9).

I'll let others comment on great dining spots in DTD & DL....for a nice outdoor meal on a pretty day, i recommend the Tratoria in DCA (probably a 4-5 min. walk from your hotel room). I like to eat late afternoon prior to heading to DL for the evening. (or a late brunch after touring the uncrowded early morning.)

Since you're a WDW vet, you should review this primer from Hydroguy:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599


And you're mentioning doing DL on this day & DCA on that day.....imo, wrong strategy .....especially if staying at the GCH. You should consider park hopping each day:

- DL at opening or MM opening (which you qualify for each day offered because you're staying at the GCH).
- Tour & collect FP for 2-4 hours.
- Hop to DCA. Tour & collect FP for 2-4 hours.
- Into the side entrance of the GCH for your rest / nap / swim break.
- Back to DCA or DL for the late afternoon / evening with 5-8 FPs in your pocket.
- Rinse & repeat each day. Here's a thread that describes Park Hopping at DL:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1491961


& here are the rest of Hydroguy's tip threads. I think most of these you'll find helpful:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483


I'd consider adding a day to your park hoppers so you can enjoy DL on your last morning as well (if you have 3+ hours to enjoy DL that last day)....or not.


Have a great time planning a visit to Walt's Park.

 

[pixiewings71]

I would stay at Storytellers and skip Goofy's Kitchen. We had a negative time there, not very many characters and just ok food. We were disappointed in our GK experience. I'd stop at WWS for breakfasts before going to the parks on your other days, they have good breakfasts with large portions!

Don't rule out park hopping, with your tickets you can do both parks every day and they are so close to each other that it's worth it. They are about 100 yards apart, and GCH has a private (in the morning anyway) entrance to DCA, so we would go to WWS for breakfast and then head into DCA, then we'd head over to DL.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I would stay at Storytellers and skip Goofy's Kitchen. We had a negative time there, not very many characters and just ok food.

That's a bummer, we've always had such wonderful experiences there. We've never had less than 9 characters, who all stopped at our table. They interacted with everyone in our party, which was lots of fun. The food was always very good...... maybe hit on a really bad day.

The only character meal food we've not liked was the Plaza Inn. Food was gross, cold & rubbery but the characters were plenty & the kids had a blast.

 

[nbeaumont]

Thanks for all the replies so far! I marking all the suggestions in my guidebook.

And just to clarify, we are open to park hopping. In fact, I'm sure that we will do it since my kids are not into the rides as much yet (we don't have to do the big ones like Space or Splash Mountain, or even Dumbo for that matter). This is exactly why I'm confused as to what to make dining reservations for. I'm thinking that the character breakfast (thanks for the tips) and Napa Rose might be it and that we should wing the rest with counter service (and thank you again for some excellent suggestions!).

Can you see the fireworks from the Napa Rose? If so, what time should I book for?

Off to read the longer tips links.

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

How about lunch at Blue Byou. My kids love the idea of eatting "at night" in the middle of the day.

Also, take a look on the disneyland site for info on (sorry dont know the exact name) Woodys Birthday Roundup BBQ. I dont know that there is too much specific info out there yet, but from what I have gathered it will be a celebration type place.

I have also read about a decorate your own cake/cupcake deal. Maybe at Plaza Inn?

Sorry I d ont have a lot of specifics, but maybe I helped a little in providing a direction for you to look.

 

[pixiewings71]

That's a bummer, we've always had such wonderful experiences there. We've never had less than 9 characters, who all stopped at our table. They interacted with everyone in our party, which was lots of fun. The food was always very good...... maybe hit on a really bad day.

The only character meal food we've not liked was the Plaza Inn. Food was gross, cold & rubbery but the characters were plenty & the kids had a blast.

And we've had the exact opposite at Minnie & Friends, great food and great characters. When we went to GK we saw 3 or 4 character, actually I shouldn't say that. We saw a lot of characters but only 3 or 4 came to our table, and it was the same 3 or 4 over and over again. Snow White was cool, she remembered seeing us the day before and she talked to my Princesses for a while, Chip was cool, he came over and played with us at the table but the rest we just saw in passing. Most of them were on their way out for a short break. So for us, the only character meal we haven't like is GK. But we haven't done Storytellers yet so I don't know about that one.

Thanks for all the replies so far! I marking all the suggestions in my guidebook.

And just to clarify, we are open to park hopping. In fact, I'm sure that we will do it since my kids are not into the rides as much yet (we don't have to do the big ones like Space or Splash Mountain, or even Dumbo for that matter). This is exactly why I'm confused as to what to make dining reservations for. I'm thinking that the character breakfast (thanks for the tips) and Napa Rose might be it and that we should wing the rest with counter service (and thank you again for some excellent suggestions!).

Can you see the fireworks from the Napa Rose? If so, what time should I book for?

Off to read the longer tips links.

We like BB, I don't think you'd be able to see fireworks from NR but I don't know, we've never eaten there it's a bit too pricey for us....and it takes a loooong time.....
Other than BB maybe your kids would like to go to Rainforest Cafe? My girls love it there.

 

[Hound 109]

Thanks for all the replies so far! I marking all the suggestions in my guidebook.

And just to clarify, we are open to park hopping. In fact, I'm sure that we will do it since my kids are not into the rides as much yet (we don't have to do the big ones like Space or Splash Mountain, or even Dumbo for that matter). This is exactly why I'm confused as to what to make dining reservations for. I'm thinking that the character breakfast (thanks for the tips) and Napa Rose might be it and that we should wing the rest with counter service (and thank you again for some excellent suggestions!).

Can you see the fireworks from the Napa Rose? If so, what time should I book for?

Off to read the longer tips links.

I don't think Napa Rose has a view of the fireworks (and to all....does it have a view of anything in DCA??). It's a beautiful restaurant in the hotel you're staying in.

A buffet character bfast is a great idea after touring for a couple of hours (especially after MM)....as is the Carnation Cafe on Main St.

(note: you can take the Monorail from INSIDE the park to the DLH for Bfast at Goofys fwiw)

We like to have a "big sit down meal" once a day (either at 10:30-11amish or 4:30-5:30pmish) and then counter serve the rest of the meals & snacks. Allowing us to feast at the times when the parks are more crowded & tour when they are less crowded.

With a 5 y/o & a 7 y/o, MM or any early morning is a great time to enjoy Walt's park's wonderful Fantasyland attractions before the crowds come (& also ToonTown & the left side of the park) whether you intend to ride the bigger rides like SM, Splash etc or not.

And FPs picked up early for Buzz, Autopia, BTMRR come in very handy in the evening (even if you're going to skip larger rides like Indy, SM & Splash....but those kids might surprise you with what they want to ride. )

Are they into the Stars Wars?....if so, they might want to try Jedi Academy...a trip highlight for most kids that age.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1478699

Have fun.

 

[nunzia]

We recently ate at all three Character breakfasts, three days in a row as part of our Backstage Magic ABD. Sorytellers was the most fun (thanks to the hilarious 'park ranger') but I really like Minnies better for the classic character interaction and lay out of buffet area.

 

[Vala]

We've done all character meals with the exception of Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch in November. It was an all adults group, but a friend of mine is coming to DLR with her daughter in fall and had asked me to report back, so I was definitely trying to look "through a kid's eyes" there.

The only one I would count as a negative experience was Minnie's Breakfast at the Plaza Inn as it had been mentioned prior. Food was just par, character interaction lousy and this was the only meal where we were missed by characters despite me informing CMs about it.

With Storyteller's the OP has picked the meal I would have personally ranked at 2 of my list. The food was good and we had lots of great character interaction there.

The thing I would be a bit concerned about is that younger kids may not know the characters if they only know the "classic" Disney stuff. We saw Kenai, Koda, Terk, Chip & Dale and Meeko. There was a group of young adults sitting close to us who mistook Terk for Baloo.

Goofy's has a more 'classic' selection of characters, and you also see some face characters there. Storyteller's is animal characters only.

OP: Depending on your kids' preferences I personally think you can't be wrong with either one, but you know your kids best.

 

[ballarinamom]

Our favorite breakfast was Lilo and Stitch. Not too crowded, the buffet selction was awesome and DH who does not like buffet can order a la carte and that part is much cheaper than Storytellers. DD loved the Hula lessons! We always do Minnies as more of a brunch. We go at 10:15 on a MM day. We have a muffin to get us going in line and then ride everything in FL then head to Minnie's. The food is fine but the character interaction is somewhat disorganized. Some characters are outside while others are inside and they don't always switch. We missed Peter and Wendy as they never came inside as the CM said they would. Then they left.

We love Goofy's for dinner. We take the monorail to DTD and then the short walk over. The prime rib is out of this world and the other selections are great.

Storytellers is our least favorite. There are very few characters. The eggs benedict from the menu is amazing but the buffet version not so much.

We also LOVE the BB. We always try to hit it twice. We'll do one day when it opens to try to get the water view. Then we try to get the last seating 3:00 to save a little money with the lunch prices. It is really cool to get that night experience during the day. Kind of like Sci Fi Drive inn at WDW. The food is really good.

You may also want to try the Golden Horseshoe for lunch. Billy Hill has such a funny show. You have to line up about 20 minutes before the show to get a good table. When they open the door someone needs to get the table while another gets in line for the food.

If you haven't already, check out allears.net for the full menus and prices.

We have a Rainforest in my town so that isn't too big of a deal for DD. But if your kids have never been, that would be a great Bday meal. And you can take the monorail one of the ways or both to save time.

Ditto on the Jedi Training. You may want DS to have something to show it's his birthday to help him get picked. DD was dressed in her Princess Amadala costume. I know some Dis members have small signs sbout the force to help get picked

Have a great trip!

 

[avalon451]

As far as BB: most of my family liked it the first time, except DD5, who thought it was "too dark and creepy in there" (but I know that's not a common complaint I've heard here). The food was ok. It is quite expensive, but what you're paying for is the ambiance.

DD13 and I did lunch there on our last day, and we loved it and had a great experience. You make a PS for 11:30, which is the first lunch seating, and show up at 11:15 to check in. Request waterside seating. This will all but guarantee you a table right next to the water; if you try this any time later in the day, even showing up early for your PS, you are likely to have to wait longer for your table (sometimes much much longer).

 

[nancy drew]

We are WDW vets, went to DLR for the first time (as a family) last year.

We did all of the character meals except Storytellers. I think the best in terms of money spent/character interaction/time away from the rides was Minnie's. We did the last breakfast seating (so it was really lunch for us). We don't really do a big breakfast at home, so doing one on vacation is silly. We did Lilo and Stitch, and while my DD LOVED seeing both Lilo and Stitch and the food was good and the whole atmosphere was great, it just took away from our park time. We did Goofy's for dinner and I HATED it. The characters skipped our table, and the food was mediocre. My kids were eyeing the cupcakes on the dessert table the whole time, and when we tried them they were dry and disgusting. The whole thing where Goofy takes a dishpan full of "dishes" and drops them and the kids pick them up and play... if we hadn't been sitting right next to it we never would have known about it. No announcements or anything. And our server totally ignored us.

We went to Blue Bayou, and both kids were D.O.N.E. I think that was just an off day for us, but both kids were hot and bothered, and I wanted to leave. But the food was SO GOOD and I love the atmosphere there. Oddly enough, when we were just looking at photos recently my DD (who had a total meltdown there) said "I want to go there again! That's where I want to eat lunch!!!!!!! Can we go there again mama???????" And my son agreed, which shocked me because he had his one and only trip tantrum in that restaurant . So I guess they got something out of it .

Now, this year I am on an extreme budget, so I plan on bringing breakfast foods and snacks with us in our luggage. We don't do big breakfasts at home, and we sleep late at home, so no reason to change that on vacation. I spent SO MUCH money on character meals and photos because that's what I was used to at WDW (love the dining plan) but it really did a number on my finances at DLR. So anyway, YMMV, but that is our experiences. After reading the posts here I think we need to do Storytellers, as DD loves Brother Bear and Tarzan .

Hmmmmm, I guess that is another important factor. Think about which characters you all would like to see, and if there are any "must see" folks who are likely to appear at character meals, choose those. Last year DD was really into Lilo and Stitch, so we went to that breakfast. She also loved the princesses, so we did Ariel's Grotto.

BTW, you can purchase character meal vouchers ahead of time though getawaytoday. It will save a little $ and it means you pay ahead of time, which might be helpful (it is to us!!!!!). You still need to make reservations, but the meal is paid for in advance when you purchase the vouchers.

 

[nancy drew]

Oh, and for your son's birthday, if he likes Pirates, go to Blue Bayou for his birthday. That's perfect, really.

Also, park hopping is SO MUCH easier at DL than it is at WDW. Imagine a street in your area. Big or small, doesn't really matter. Imagine yourself at MK, and the only other theme park is across that street. That's how close you are at DLR. Seriously, you can go back and forth as easily as you would cross the street. Park hopping is amazingly easy.

And, you didn't ask, but go see all of the rides that are unique to DLR. Go on Nemo subs, Alice in Wonderland, Casey Jones, Storybook village, Mr. Toad, Monsters Inc, Small World (different!!!!!), Indy (!!!!!!!! Cannot wait til my kids want to ride this one and) Matterhorn (ditto to Indy!!!). Seriously, these rides are amazing. And they are part of the experience. Pirates is different, too. Oh, and if you avoid Dumbo at WDW (like we do, 45 minutes in line = no thanks!!!!!) then you can and will be able to ride Dumbo at DLR. We waited maybe 15 minutes.

 

[nancy drew]

Um, Ok one last thing. At Pooh's Corner, near the Pooh ride and Splash Mountain, they have a thing called Tigger Tails. Get one. Seriously. They have nothing like this at WDW.

 

[DWFan4Life]

Wow, lots of information coming here. I'll better list it on my guidebook to help me on our next trip. Thanks.

Have a nice day everyone.

 

[nbeaumont]

Wow! Thanks for all the good recommendations and tips.

I like the sound of BB but am a little nervous about the "dark and creepy" factor. My kids think that Rain Forest is "dark and creepy" so you can use that for comparison.

Making a note about the Tigger Tail (sounds good).

And thanks for the link to the jedi training tips. Neither of my kids has any interest in Star Wars so I don't know if that will be a big draw for them. But I will keep it in mind.

Good to know that Napa Rose has no "view" to aim for so we can go at any time.

We also do one big meal per a day and then just do snacks or counter service the rest of the day. So it looks like I will book one character meal, one Napa Rose visit and perhaps a seating at BB.