need help with WDW/DL conversion

[rcyannacci]

I have a feeling that I might be asking questions here that have been asked a thousand times, so please bear with me. Disclaimer out of the way, I have an opportunity to see Disneyland for the first time because of a wedding in July. Admittedly, I am a WDW vacationer (blame it on the folks for hooking me at an early age) and have never given DL much thought (or California, being an east coast gal) So please help me with piece together some WDW/DL conversion charts.

My husband and I love to hit at least one of the sit-down restaurants a day- which are the cool ones for DL and Calif. Adventure? Is it better to hit one at Downtown Disney? (Our favorites at WDW are Flying Fish Cafe, San Angel Inn, and Rose and Crown pub- husband is fond of beer, and I'm not far behind)

At WDW we stay within the resort, but it that really necessary here? Which are the preferable nearby hotels?

We would only have two days, a Fri and Sat in mid-July- are we crazy?

I am a grad. student with less than a life, so the idea of getting hit any of the Disney parks is really keeping me going. Thanks for any suggestions you might have!

 

[TheLionKing]

I think most people would agree that the "cool" as in nice place for a sit down meal in Disneyland is the Blue Bayou resturant. The River Belle Terrace is noce as well.

There are lots of nice resturants in Downtown Disney including Brennans, ESPN Zone, Arriba Arriba and Rainforest Cafe. The House of Blues is there and others that I a m missing.

In California Adventure there has been mixed revies on the ABC Soap Opera place. A group of us went to Avalon Cove for a character meal and it was fun. The Napa Rose in the Grand Californian was ranked the best new resturant in Zagat's for the Orange County area.

I stay at hotels across the street from the resort all the time. But, staying at the Disneyland Hotel is very nice.

Summer is busy, but I would rather be in So California in July that WDW weather wise.

 

[daannzzz]

There are only two full service sit down restaurants at Disneyland. The Blue Bayou that sits along the edge of the river of the Pirates of the Carribean ( Like in the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot) and the Carnation Cafe which is a cute but very small out door sidewalk cafe in an alcove on Main St. The food at Blue Bayou is good enough but more upscale. They have sandwiches and stew and such at the Cafe.
I have only eaten at the Avalon Cove Carachter meal at DCA and I enjoyed the food and ambiance. I would love to try the winery on my next trip.
Friends have raved about Ralph Brennan's Jazz kitchen at Downtown Disney but I have yet to eat at any of the places there.
Hook's Point at the Disneyland Hotel is very, very good. Storyteller Cafe at the Grand Californian was great when we had lunch.
If it is not a hardship, the Grand Californian is a great hotel and more convenient than any of the WDW hotels. The Disneyland hotel is fun and has nicely remodeled rooms.
I have mostly stayed at the motels on Harbor Blvd next to the parks. It is really convenient and much less money. The Candy Cane Inn and Howard Johnson Plaza are my favorites. The Park Place Inn, Tropicana, Park Inn international, Park Vue, BW Anaheim Inn, Carousel Inn and Desert Inn and suites are extrememly convenient to the crosswalk over to the parks.

 

[Judy from Boise]

as to the rest of your question......yes it is busy in the summer...and yes it is even busier on weekends in the summer......but you still can have a great time. There will be long hours, so plan to be first in line when the park opens, dash to either Indy or Space mountain and ride in the stand by lines, then try and get fastpasses ( sometimes they are not available this early ).
Of course stay late too, as the crowds will always start to dwindle from the end of the parade onwards. In the middle when it is really busy think:
Tiki room
Pirates
Railroad
Mr Lincoln
Sleeping beauty walk thru

one good thing about DL is that the park is compact, so when you use a lot of fastpasses, the back tracking doesen't wear you out as much as say MK in WDW.

 

[azlaura]

I think you will like DL! It is more compact and some of the rides are better! You need to make sure you do Indy( not at MK) and the pirates(much better than MK). There are also differences in Splash and Space Mnt., and make sure to ride the Matterhorn(another that MK doesn't have)!
If you are only going for two nights....try to stay at one of the resorts it will save you some time and they are nice. Not as many choices as WDW but it helps with the mood!
The food in comparison to WDW is limited but you can find some good places to eat...I think the other posted hit on that. Just remember like MK, Disneyland doesn't have any beer!(My husband likes beer too and he enjoyed himself at the ESPN Sportsbar)
I hope you have a great time...it will be crowded and hot so be prepared and maybe take a afternoon break and hit the pools or shopping at Downtown Disney!
Laura

 

[rcyannacci]

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice. We will definitely check out the Blue Bayou, and a restaurant at Downtown Disney. We've hit WDW in August, so we will at least be familiar with the heat and patience with crowds. Is the monorail to DD fast- is it worth it to take off for lunch and return later? Again, thanks for the replies

 

[teri]

Everything is so close... if you happen to be near the monorail station, take the monorail, if you are closer to the front gate, just walk. Coming and going is not a big deal.

One restaurant at Disneyland that seems to have been missed is Rancho del Zocalo. It is a counter-service restaurant with barbeque and Mexican food, and a beautiful outdoor covered seating area. New, and nice.

We have eaten twice at Ralph Brennan's now, once at the take out which was affordable and yummy, and once for the last DIS Meet upstairs in the fine dining section. Very nice, indeed.

 

[MysticDDA]

For a nice meal, I would suggest Napa Rose at the GC. It is similar to Artist Point at WL. Great atmosphere and food! For in the parks, another vote for Blue Bayou. It's been my favorite place to eat at DL since I was a teenager. (and that's a long time! lol)

 

[doombuggy]

About the monorail:

While I haven't been since 1999 (planning to go in May of this year, though), I really enjoyed taking the monorail. It goes thru DL like the one does down at Epcot. Also, you will notice that the monorail is different than the one in WDW. The windows open and they are smaller.

Have a great trip!