Last-minute Tinker Bell planning help needed!

[AmyAnne]

I thought I was not going, but now I am, and I have never been to DL before! Have booked the hotel and flights but am a little panicked about all the rest that is not planned.

In particular, I would immensely appreciate advice about two things: transportation and meals.

How do you all get from the airport (SNA/John Wayne) to DL? My daughter and I will be arriving separately (me on Thursday and her on Friday). A brief internet search has left me thinking there are no good shuttle options, but that cabs are very expensive. Advice about this?

Also, what about dining reservations? Or recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[kim3339]

Shuttles are the easiest and the cheapest. Super shuttle and the Disneyland Express are the 2 that people use. I use Super Shuttle are they are really easy and no more than $10 each way. There's a coupon code for them ~ UYR59 and you'll get a discount. There's a coupon for the DL Express, but don't know that one. But of you goggle Anaheim coupons and then on the site that comes up click on the transportation section and there'll be a coupon.

For food, aside from the parks, DTD has a ton of options. Naples which is Italian, Tortilla Joe's - Mexican, Ralph Brennan's- New Orleans/Cajun/Creole, House of Blues, ESPN Zone, Rain Forest Cafe and UVA Bar/Catal restaurant. There's also La Brea bakery which has sandwiches and really good bread. The hotels have great restaurants as well - DL Hotel has Goofy's Steakhouse which is really good. The Grand Californian has Napa Rose which is really fancy and Storytellers which is American and characters sometimes wander. On Harbor across from the resort there is Mimi's Cafe, Denny's and Tony Roma's. Also off Harbor on Disney Way across more the parks is a center called Garden Walk. They have restaurants that are more chain-ish like Bubba Gump's and the Cheesecake Factory.

I would recommend reservations if you're going to eat at Naples b/c it's race weekend and runners will be carbing up so the lines will get long.

Once you get to the resort, everything is really easy to get to, b/c it all surrounds the resort so no need for a car you can walk everywhere. The parks and DTD are all connected and kind of for a "T" with the parks being the top and DTD the bottom.

Hope that helps!

 

[Goofierunner]

Shuttles are super easy. We arrived at SNA with no knowledge of how they worked. We walked towards the vans/busses and the dude standing outside the shuttle stand asked us which hotel. When we told him, he pointed to one van or the other. Easy, squeezy. Once at the hotel, the concierge told me to make a reservation to get back to the airport. I think both to and from the airport was Supershuttle.

There are plenty of food options available also. Depending on where you are staying the hotel may have an early breakfast option for you on raceday. Also DL is surrounded hotels and restaurants at all different price points. The area is very walkable and you can go cheaper like iHop or Subway or go higher and hit something like Bubba Gump. Within the parks we've gone to Pacific Wharf at California Adventure and enjoyed the casual dining.

http://allears.net/dlr/tp/dca/pw.htm