leaving DL for a meal in DTD

[Deb]

Is that a reasonable thing to do? How much time out of our day would we be "losing"?

 

[tink89]

We do that all the time. If were to be going only one day which ahs not been the case before then i would probably not leave the parks. But with more than one day there is enough time to go eat at any of the restaurants at DTD or in the hotels. I would say you would "lose" about 1-2 hours depending where you go.

 

[l4dyj8]

1-2 hrs is a good assessment as mentioned above. Depends on the restaurant and location.
Tortilla Jo’s/Jazz Kitchen are at the end vs La Brea/Naples. Allow time

We do this all the time but it’s usually because I’m planning a hotel break. However, Labor Day weekend we had 5:30 reservations mid-DTD and there was a delay at Star Tours. (It was a short line/15 min wait then whatever mishap occurred) I never walked so fast through Main Street. So, factor all that in.

For the record it took me 5-7 minutes to walk like a madwoman. 10-15 at a normal pace through crowds

 

[ktlm]

I guessing you are a WDW person? First trip to DLR?

Outside of the time you spend eating or waiting, it isn't going to take much more time than a sit down meal in the park. Unlike WDW where leaving and going anywhere outside of the park is a pain and a time investment, DLR is basically like one big area. Once you have gone through security, you have access to DTD, DL, and CA without having to go through security again. DL and CA are separated by a plaza with about the length of a football field between them-- hopping takes 5 minutes (unless during current times you go right when hopping starts for the day). DTD is right on the side of the Plaza--- to get to the DTD area it is not more than the walk from some of the closer bus stops to the park gate at WDW. It is kind of like a T--- DTD is the base and from the base you would branch off left for DL and right for CA. One of our favorite things about DLR is everything is right there together and it takes very little time to get anywhere.

Pretty much any restaurant at DTD isn't going to be more than a 10 or 15 minute walk from the front of the parks, if that. We stay at the Disneyland Hotel, and it usually takes us 10 minutes to walk from the front of the parks back to the hotel, and that walk is down the main path from one end of DTD to the other. So, maybe 30 minutes more than eating at a table service somewhere inside the parks. But, for example if you were back by Small World at DL and walking to Lamplight in CA ---- or back at Pixar Pier at CA and then going to Blue Bayou or Cafe Orleans at DL, it probably wouldn't be much of a time difference than walking from the front of a park to a DTD restaurant. We don't leave often because we think the CS in the parks is much better than WDW so if we don't have a TS ADR we just get CS, but if there is something you want to try in DTD, I would say do it.

By WDW terms, I would say think of it as walking from EPCOT to Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club resort for a meal. The walk from DL to DLH is about the same as walking from the EPCOT International Gateway to Yacht Club.

 

[Deb]

I guessing you are a WDW person? First trip to DLR?

Outside of the time you spend eating or waiting, it isn't going to take much more time than a sit down meal in the park. Unlike WDW where leaving and going anywhere outside of the park is a pain, DLR is basically like one big area. Once you have gone through security, you have access to DTD, DL, and CA without having to go through security again. DL and CA are separated by a plaza with about the length of a football field between them-- hopping takes 5 minutes (unless during current times you go right when hopping starts for the day). DTD is right on the side of the Plaza--- to get to the DTD area it is not more than the walk from some of the closer bus stops to the park gate at WDW. It is kind of like a T--- DTD is the base and from the base you would branch off left for DL and right for CA. One of our favorite things about DLR is everything is right there together and it takes very little time to get anywhere.

Pretty much any restaurant at DTD isn't going to be more than a 10 or 15 minute walk from the front of the parks, if that. We stay at the Disneyland Hotel, and it usually takes us 10 minutes to walk from the front of the parks back to the hotel, and that walk is down the main path from one end of DTD to the other. So, maybe 30 minutes more than eating at a table service somewhere inside the parks. But, for example if you were back by Small World at DL and walking to Lamplight in CA ---- or back at Pixar Pier at CA and then going to Blue Bayou or Cafe Orleans at DL, it probably wouldn't be much of a time difference than walking from the front of a park to a DTD restaurant. We don't leave often because we think the CS in the parks is much better than WDW so if we don't have a TS ADR we just get CS, but if there is something you want to try in DTD, I would say do it.

By WDW terms, I would say think of it as walking from EPCOT to Beaches and Cream for a meal. The walk from DL to DLH is about the same as walking from the EPCOT International Gateway to Yacht Club.

yes, first time to DLR. Thank you for the detailed answer.

Care to recommend some of your favorite CS places? We haven't really even looked at them yet but won't be doing more than one TS per day.

 

[Pluto468]

Walking into DTD isn't going to take you long at all. We like some of the restaurants at Grand Californian, like Craftsman Grill.

You can also take the Monorail to Downtown Disney to access restaurants. That leaves from Tomorrowland and drops you off at the end closest to Disneyland hotel if you wanted to go to Trader Sam's. You could walk to any of the other Downtown Disney restaurants from the Monorail stop, and you can take it back into the park if you want. We use the monorail if we're in the back of the park and want to go to DTD, instead of walking through the park and leaving via main Street. The time is probably pretty similar, but it gets you off your feet sooner and personally I'm always looking for reasons to ride the Monorail

 

[ktlm]

yes, first time to DLR. Thank you for the detailed answer.

Care to recommend some of your favorite CS places? We haven't really even looked at them yet but won't be doing more than one TS per day.

allears has all the menus just like they do for WDW, so that can be a good place to browse and see what appeals to you.

DD is a vegetarian so sometimes that limits where we go. At CA she likes the 5 cheese Ravioli at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. I like their pasta options too. As a Marvel fan, she also likes the Shwarma cart. Flo's used to be a favorite before she decided she was vegetarian. We've had some pretty good food at Cocina Cucamonga. Lots of people will tell you the Red Corn Dog cart at DL, but we think the corn dog castle at CA is a lot better than that.

At DL, we like Docking Bay 7 at Galaxy's Edge. I am normally not real big on plant based, but I was surprised at how good their meatballs were- I will actually order those myself next time. Rancho del Zocalo is usually decent. French Market or Royal Veranda can be good, and Mickey Head Beignets from the mint julep bar are a must. A lot of people will tell you the Plaza Inn has great fried chicken, but we weren't that impressed- it was a one and done for us.

Those are just ones off the top of my head. I'm sure there are others I am missing. It seems like DLR has a whole lot of CS packed in-I'm sure because there are so many locals. At WDW, I would go crazy if you told me I had to eat only CS my whole trip. At DLR, I think I would be fine with it, although most days we do book one TS.