JUST BOOKED MY FIRST DISNEYLAND RESORT VACATION!!! And some Dining questions...

[Jupiter&Wolfe]

First of all, I just had to shout it I got so excited...

I made a thread before I booked asking if I should go with Good Neighbor or Onsite.... I went through a whole thread of suggestions and decided that onsite was the way to go, especially considering this may be the only time our financial situation allows it.

So we're staying at DLH from September 9th to the 13th, and we'll also be attending the D23 Expo. Yep, we're packing a lot into these 4 days! I can't WAIT.


Anyway, I'm planning on making 2 Dining Reservations today. I'm hoping to snag a character meal and a really nice meal. Now cut an ol' WDW vet some slack...but is getting an ADR in DLR as big of a deal as getting one at WDW? In other words, how hard will it be for me to get a reservation in September for a place like Goofy's Kitchen?

Also, what's a really nice restaurant we could try out? I want to prove to my mother that it's not all carnival food at Disney.

Thanks in advance!

 

[vettegirl]

I would recommend the Blue Bayou. The atmosphere is so neat and the food IMO was excellent. Try to get a table by the water. BB is my favorite Disney restaurant out of all the Disney parks I have been to. As far as the priority seating I would call at the either 30 or 60 day mark, whichever it is I can't remember that way you will get the time you want. As walk ups are turned away a lot of times or you have to wait forever. Have fun!

 

[21yankees]

You can make your priority seating at 60 days out, from other posts that time frame will be a bit busy so I'd call at the 60 day point. I have been to the Blue Bayou a couple of times and it is nice and the food is good but a bit pricey to me. I have heard wonderful things about Napa Rose.

steph

 

[DangerMouse]

For a character meal, you will hear most recommend Goofy's Kitchen, and you won't have any problem getting a PS there in September if you book on or near the 60 day window. Personally, I had a horrible experience there and won't be going back. Storyteller's Cafe is my CB of choice. I prefer the less rowdy ambiance and being allowed to order off the menu.

I also recommend Napa Rose for a fine dining experience.

 

[Sherry E]

Goofy's Kitchen is my favorite (great variety of food; great quality - yummy! LOVE that fruit and bacon and Mickey-shaped cobbler!!), and while it is highly recommended you make a PS, it is not imperative. Keep in mind that if you don't make a PS, you MAY have to wait a while to be seated, but that's what we used to do at Goofy's way before there ever were any PS's or before we knew about them, so it is manageable. But if you can make one, better to be safe than sorry. And the same thing would go for the other character meals, too, if you decide against Goofy's. Storytellers always seems to have available seating of some kind, so you may not have to wait too long if you go there without a PS. You can get in without a PS, or you can even make last minute PSs - lots of people do.

Blue Bayou is the one restaurant in DLR where it is required that you have a PS (although I have heard some random reports here and there lately of occasional walk-ups being seated). That might be the 'nice restaurant' you want, because the atmosphere is so great. Napa Rose in the GCH would be nice, but I don't think it can compare with the BB in terms of ambience.

Also, on a lower price level, don't discount table service places like Carnation Cafe in DL or Wine Country Trattoria in DCA, not to mention the restaurants in the hotels (Steakhouse 55, Storytellers and PCH Grill as non-character meals, etc.) or in Downtown Disney (Catal, Naples, Rainforest Cafe, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, etc.) They are all definitely a step up from "carnival food." I think you would really have a good time at either CC or WCT, in particular - they are better than counter service food, but not quite as wallet-draining as BB or NR.

 

[Dramamama]

Goofy's Kitchen is wonderful, but if you want a grown-up meal without characters and dancing children, try Hook's Point. It is pricey, but the food is outstanding and grown-up. I don't recommend Blue Bayou. The atmosphere is wonderful but the food is so-so.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Another option is Cafe Orleans, it has fabulous food (our new favorite). Napa Rose, Hook's Pointe, Steakhouse 55 are all good places too, but on the high end for cost...so it depends on how much you want to spend on a meal. We liked the Blue Bayou, but have heard bad reviews as well. Getting a waterside table isn't always easy, you can request it but no guarantee you'll get it.
We've also heard great things about Wine Country Trattoria but have never been ourselves.
We feel that there are wonderful options for dining while at Disneyland. We also enjoy the restaurants in DTD.
Have a great trip!!

 

[Sherry E]

Goofy's Kitchen is wonderful, but if you want a grown-up meal without characters and dancing children, try Hook's Point. It is pricey, but the food is outstanding and grown-up. I don't recommend Blue Bayou. The atmosphere is wonderful but the food is so-so.

Just for the record - my friends and I are grown-ups (over 40) and we have no kids and we love Goofy's (well, I love character meals in general, but Goofy's has the wide variety of options at the buffet!). We have no interest in Napa Rose, and the Blue Bayou is okay only once in a great while, but I agree with you that the food is so-so at BB. So you can, indeed, be grown-up and childless and totally enjoy character meals and not necessarily see it as a meal for kids or anything. I just see character meals as meals, for kids, grown-ups, kids at heart or otherwise.

As for Hook's Pointe, I had heard not-so-great things about it. In fact, it is rarely recommended here on the DIS. What kinds of things do they have on the menu? What did you order? Steakhouse 55 is the one place in the DLH that a lot of people recommend, but I hear very little about Hook's Pointe.

 

[Jupiter&Wolfe]

Thanks for the responses.


I'm definitely going for Goofy's Kitchen. Everyone I talk to who has been to DLR recommends it, and you guys are all just reinforcing it (except you, DangerMouse. Sorry you had a bad experience. Though I certainly hope your experience was the exception and not the rule). We have no kids in our group but we're still excited for a character meal...we love characters!


After hearing the first couple of suggestions we considered Blue Bayou, but then we heard about Napa Rose and are interested in that. How expensive are we talkin' with that though?

Does Cafe Orleans have similar food to Blue Bayou? Would any others recommend that?

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks for the responses.


I'm definitely going for Goofy's Kitchen. Everyone I talk to who has been to DLR recommends it, and you guys are all just reinforcing it (except you, DangerMouse. Sorry you had a bad experience. Though I certainly hope your experience was the exception and not the rule). We have no kids in our group but we're still excited for a character meal...we love characters!


After hearing the first couple of suggestions we considered Blue Bayou, but then we heard about Napa Rose and are interested in that. How expensive are we talkin' with that though?

Does Cafe Orleans have similar food to Blue Bayou? Would any others recommend that?

I LOVE me some Goofy's Kitchen - I think you will love it too! I was getting worried for a bit because some recent visitors to Goofy's had been saying the experience was not good, and I thought that I was going to have to go and have a chat with the staff at Goofy's and remind them that I champion their restaurant tirelessly and they had better shape up lmao:), but fortunately a new crop of people have been eating there in the last few weeks and saying that they had an awesome time! (Whew! That's a relief!)

As for Napa Rose, Yellow Mickey Ponchos (one of our DIS-ers and Podcast correspondents) is the expert on Napa Rose. She can tell you what to order, where to sit, who to speak to, the best time to go, the prices, etc.

I have never eaten at Cafe Orleans but it seems like many folks like it. I hear mostly good things.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

You shouldn't have trouble getting a PS reservation anywhere if you book 60 days out. We have been to Goofy's and Minnies in the park several times and much prefer Minnie's. IMO better food, MUCH better character interaction - really just a better experience.

We have given Goofy's several tries and I really don't think we will be back. It's just not worth it for us.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Cafe Orleans has the same style of food as the Blue Bayou.....including the yummy Monte Cristo Sandwich & gumbo. If you go make sure you try the Pomme Fritas (garlic fries) & beignets......delicious!!!

 

[silence]

You shouldn't have trouble getting a PS reservation anywhere if you book 60 days out. We have been to Goofy's and Minnies in the park several times and much prefer Minnie's. IMO better food, MUCH better character interaction - really just a better experience.

We have given Goofy's several tries and I really don't think we will be back. It's just not worth it for us.

Here is another vote for Minnie's. Our favorite character meal, best overall experience.

1) Minnie's
2) Lilo & Stitch
3) Ariel's
4) Goofy's

We have not done Storyteller's. Had ressie's last trip and didn't set the alarm! We have done all the rest multiple times.

 

[splash5]

We ate at Napa Rose the last time we went to Disneyland- in April. Meals are about $20 and up. You order everything separate (soup, salad, etc.)We ate at the chefs table and did the chef's menu so it was a bit more - dinner for 3 (was about 5 courses) and 2 glasses of wine each for my DH and me was about $400.00 This was a one time extravagance, but I can't say that I regret spending that much because the food was amazing. Check the menu out on allears.net and I think it gives you prices.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I'd do BB. The ambiance can't be matched..IMO

 

[Hester]

Without question, you MUST dine at Napa Rose.

Widely accepted as one of the best dining experiences period - in California (not Disney).

Trust me.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Throwing in another option here - Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel. I found the food to be excellent and service superb.

 

[Princessinheart]

If you are looking for stuff to eat in park, I would try Rancho del Zocalo, at DL. It is right around Big Thunder Mountain. It has really wonderful mexican food. Another place that I would try, is Taste Pilot's and Pizza Ooo Mow Mow, in DCA.

Taste Pilot's is really wonderful build your own burgers, and Pizza Ooo Mow Mow is pizza and pastas.

Hope that helped!