If your flight lands at LGB airport at 10:15am.....

[Misskitty3]

We are on a 7:30am flight out of Seatac and we get into LGB at 10:15am. We will get a rental car at the airport then head towards Hojo's, check in and then "walk with purpose" towards DL!!! We will also need to exchange our ticket confirmations for real tickets. I would also like to get DS's birthday button (and birthday gift card) before moving on to the rest of the park first thing that day.

DS will be 6 and DD will be 3 and I am thinking it might be good to stop for a quick lunch on the way to DL. Like a drive thru place or I could always take the kids to McDonalds next door to Hojo's while DH checks in to the hotel.

My dilemna is that I really don't want to "waste" a meal outside of the park when we could be eating at one of DL's restaurants. I also want to prevent hunger meltdowns.....

What would you do?

Option #1: Drive thru fast food after leaving airport
Option #2: McDonalds next to Hojo's. Could get food quickly for kids and not "waste" time eating at the park when we could be going on the rides
Option #3: Bring plenty of snacks on the flight and then wait until inside the gates of paradise, I mean, Disneyland and head for Rancho (it is a tradition of ours).

 

[DisneyJenn18]

hmm, I would say option 1, it's about a 20 min drive so you would have plenty of time to eat and head straight into the park!

 

[Peace.love.mickey]

Are you checking luggage??

I would do #1 and then just snack through the park...that is my fav

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

Wow, I think, we will be on the same flight, but a month earlier.
So far my thoughts are to stop at a drive through on the way to Hojo.
We will be leaving our house about 4:30AM in order to pickup father in law, to make seatac around 5:30 to check in for our flight (7:40)
I know I will have lots of snacks packed for the kids (just turned 4 and almost 6), so it may depend on how much and when they eat on the flight.
I know once we get to Hojo, I will be just as excited to check in (hopefully be able to get into our room) and head to the parks and will have no interest in sitting at McDs.
I think waiting until we get into the parks will be a bad idea in that once in the parks we will have no desire to stop for food.
So my in a nut shell, we will plan to stop on the way from the airport

 

[Misskitty3]

Are you checking luggage??

I would do #1 and then just snack through the park...that is my fav

Yes, we will be checking luggage.

 

[avalon451]

You could just head for HoJo, check in and leave your luggage, etc. then walk down toward the gates and hit McDonald's on the way, eat as you're walking and waiting in line to get your tickets at the ticket booths. Cheaper than eating in the parks and the kids are fueled and ready for fun. Then you can hit Rancho for dinner later on. I dunno, whatever works!

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm sure my family would do option 3.

 

[jakoky]

Hi there, we are going in may also and our plane lands at 10:15 out of seatac ...We are flying in on a saturday and not starting the parks til monday (we have 10 days in anheim) but if we were going in on the first day we would do either 2 or 3...once there, if u are going into the parks, you and the kids are gonna "just wanna get there"...but if u do mcdonalds, grab it to go and the kids can eat while waiting in line for tickets and entry...have a great trip, what are your dates you are there?
shar

 

[Misskitty3]

Hi there, we are going in may also and our plane lands at 10:15 out of seatac ...We are flying in on a saturday and not starting the parks til monday (we have 10 days in anheim) but if we were going in on the first day we would do either 2 or 3...once there, if u are going into the parks, you and the kids are gonna "just wanna get there"...but if u do mcdonalds, grab it to go and the kids can eat while waiting in line for tickets and entry...have a great trip, what are your dates you are there?
shar

We are flying down on the 9th and coming home on the 14th.

 

[caligirl stuck in va]

Our flight arrived in LGB at approx 10:15 a.m. We retreived our luggage, picked up our rental car and stopped at the Jack in the Box down the street from the airport. Of course, there are no JIB in Virginia (or anywhere near VA) so even JIB is a treat for us. We also did not go into the parks on arrival Saturday as we were waiting for family to arrive from Northern California. Now that I know about extending 5 day tickets to 6 day and 7 day tickets and how CHEAP it is, I am very tempted to do so for our next trip. I am torn between waiting for the rest of the family and going inside the parks for my own little fix! Usually just touring DTD and World of Disney (love, love, love that store!!) and the resort hotels will fill our extra non-park day.

If you choose to wait until inside the parks for food, be sure that you do snack enough that morning. The excitement will hold up the hunger pangs for a while but, I know from experience that both of my DD's will meltdown when the hunger hits!!

 

[prncssmel]

I'm sure my family would do option 3.

I agree. If you always do Rancho, then continue the tradition. Just have lots of snacks available beforehand.

Our flight arrived in LGB at approx 10:15 a.m. We retreived our luggage, picked up our rental car and stopped at the Jack in the Box down the street from the airport. Of course, there are no JIB in Virginia (or anywhere near VA) so even JIB is a treat for us.

Funny, this is never what I want to do (I want to get right into DL), but it is what we end up doing. DH LOVES JIB, and they don't have them near us. So we eat there a lot while in Cali.

 

[mechurchlady]

You have the stress of the flight and travel then have to get to the hotel and check in. It is better to stop and a restaurant like Denny's or getting fast food first. You are lucky to be on the same time zone.

The family is full and happy so you arrive and if there is a delay in traffic or getting into your room you will not have the grumbly tumbly. Nap time and unpacking and settling in so that when you get back to the room everything will be in order and you can immediately shower and sleep.

Hit the parks and get some Mickey ice cream or popcorn. Have dinner at the Rancho, Blue Bayou, or Taste Pilot Grille. You can take the monorail over to DTD and eat at Rainforest, ESPN Zone or do Goofy's Kitchen for example.

I have celiac and for me I eat one meal a day and snack around the clock. It is not the same as a nice lunch with a full tummy to fuel your running around the park. Sunday my sugars went low because I did not eat enough. The worst thiing is to have a grumbly tumbly as you get low sugars and cranky and then do the zombie crawl through the parks instead of being fueled up and raring to attack the parks.

 

[the donut]

I'd probably do option 1. In n out Burger with grilled onions and chiles, well done fries. 'nuff said.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Option 1 or 2 and save yourself some money and time.

 

[SeansMom]

lol, this is beginning to look like a poll! We're flying portland to lgb and plan on option 1. I figure we'll be up EARLY and probably be ready to eat when we land. Then we can hit the parks with a full tummy. If I had small kids I would be even more determined to do option 1. Nothing worse than a hungry, cranky child. And my kids were always cranky when hungry (wonder where they get that from ! )

 

[Stacerita]

Id do option one.