New to Disneyland :)

[kateandy08096]

Good Morning all!

Im planning a surprise trip for my daughter and I to head out to DL and do other CA attractions March 31 to April 9th 2016.
I have a ton of questions about DL as we always go to WDW.

Now I know they are probally nothing alike as I can tell from planning however I wanted to know some info on characters.

Where can we find ariel and stitch?
I wanted to do ariels grotto for lunch or dinner. Is there a difference? Also looking at trip advisor I seen people post pictures of a button from ariels grotto. We collect them so do we have to ask for one or is it automatically given.
Where can we find stitch for pictures?
Now meal planning. I hate the fact there is no DDP however love the fact I dont feel rushed to have to check in somewhere at a certain time but how do you go about making reservations and what breakfast would be the best?

Hotels- I have high hopes on staying at DGC DVC villa but if cant does the other 2 resorts offer DVC villas? Does any of the hotels offer any magic for birthdays or special occasions?

If we stayed at for say Disneyland Hotel can we use the enterance at GC?
I plan on also buying the la go card for the other attractions we would want to see. Is it worth it?

Thanks all!!!! I hope I didnt forget anything

 

[Girimama33]

Good Morning all!

Im planning a surprise trip for my daughter and I to head out to DL and do other CA attractions March 31 to April 9th 2016.
I have a ton of questions about DL as we always go to WDW.

Now I know they are probally nothing alike as I can tell from planning however I wanted to know some info on characters.

Where can we find ariel and stitch?
I wanted to do ariels grotto for lunch or dinner. Is there a difference? Also looking at trip advisor I seen people post pictures of a button from ariels grotto. We collect them so do we have to ask for one or is it automatically given.
Where can we find stitch for pictures?
Now meal planning. I hate the fact there is no DDP however love the fact I dont feel rushed to have to check in somewhere at a certain time but how do you go about making reservations and what breakfast would be the best?

Hotels- I have high hopes on staying at DGC DVC villa but if cant does the other 2 resorts offer DVC villas? Does any of the hotels offer any magic for birthdays or special occasions?

If we stayed at for say Disneyland Hotel can we use the enterance at GC?
I plan on also buying the la go card for the other attractions we would want to see. Is it worth it?

Thanks all!!!! I hope I didnt forget anything

You can typically find Ariel at Ariel's Grotto during breakfast and lunch (dinner is not a character meal). The Ariel's Grotto buttons are given to you when you attend the character meal. You can also see her in the Royal Hall in Fantasyland at times (the princess rotate there).
I have only seen Stitch at the Surf's Up character breakfast and at the Disney Visa member M&G. I have not seen him roaming around the park.
As far as breakfast goes, I like Plaza Inn (Minnie's Character breakfast) and Surf's Up. QS...Tomorrowland Terrace and River Belle Terrace. In DCA we like Flo's V8 café.
Only the GCH has DVC Villas.
You can purchase an In Room Celebration or have a cake delivered to a TS restaurant you have a reservation at.
When the park opens, only GCH guests can use the dedicated DCA entrance...after the park opens, anyone can use it. If you are staying at DLH...it is better to use the main entrance anyway.
I do not know anything about the LA Go Card. I have used them On Oahu in Hawaii, and found it to be a good value there.

 

[figment_jii]

I have a ton of questions about DL as we always go to WDW.

I highly recommend taking a look at HydroGuy's DLR Guide for WDW Vets to help you get a sense of the similarities and differences between the two resorts.

Where can we find ariel and stitch?

As Girimama33 mentioned, your best bets are at Ariel's Grotto (breakfast and lunch) for Ariel and Surf's Up at PCH Grill (breakfast) for Stitch. Ariel does often appear at Princess Fantasy Faire in DL and sometimes you may find her near the park entrance. She's also featured in both Soundsational and Paint the Night. I've only seen Stitch at the Visa Meet & Greet in DCA.

I wanted to do ariels grotto for lunch or dinner. Is there a difference? Also looking at trip advisor I seen people post pictures of a button from ariels grotto. We collect them so do we have to ask for one or is it automatically given.

I believe they are normally given to guests when the server brings the bill at breakfast and lunch (i.e., when it's a character meal). I don't know if they have when it's a non-character meal (I know that Storyteller's only hands out the buttons during breakfast when it's a character meal).

Where can we find stitch for pictures?

As mentioned, he seems to be at the Visa meet & greet on a fairly regular basis (he rotates with another character), so you'll need to be able to access that.

Now meal planning. I hate the fact there is no DDP however love the fact I dont feel rushed to have to check in somewhere at a certain time but how do you go about making reservations and what breakfast would be the best?

Dining reservations can be made up to 60-day in advance online or over the phone. In most cases you don't need to make the reservation right at the 60-day mark. That being said, if you know you want to eat somewhere specific at a specific time, I would make a reservation. You can often make prime dining reservations with less than a week to go, but I have been at restaurants when they were turning walk-ups away (throughout the year).
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/#/reservations-accepted/

If we stayed at for say Disneyland Hotel can we use the enterance at GC?

Yes, you can, but depending on the lines and where you are planning on going in DCA, it might be faster to go to the main entrance.

 

[KellaCat]

Breakfast - we had a nice breakfast at Carnation Café. Mickey waffles for the kids (and me!) and a good eggs, bacon and potato breakfast for DH. We made reservations online at around the 60 day mark just because I knew I wanted that particular day at a certain time (It was a MM day, and my DD's birthday so I was pretty particular)

 

[kateandy08096]

Thank you all!!! My daughter has her senior trip to disney world but she has decided not to go since we have been a bazillion times. She THINKS we are going to go on a cruise instead BUT Im surprising her with a mom and daughter trip to DL. Im sooo excited I cant wait