Newport Beach.....etc.

[Rivergallery]

Hi
I haven't posted much, but have some questions.
Dates we are going Dec 19-23rd
The first day we (I, my father, sister, niece age 7 and son age 3) fly in we plan to go to Newport Beach and would like to have dinner at Ruby's on Balboa pier (should we make reservations? if so how soon?) What else should we do there if the weather is poor?
We are flying into LAX about 8:12am.And renting a car.
We will also need to pick up groceries (not sure the best store, I would like one that has natural foods or an organic section if possible), and want to go to the Disney Character Warehouse Outlet Store (not sure if it would be better to go to this before Newport beach or not it opens at 10am that day.. I am thinking we might want to go there twice.. once before we visit and once after.. How big is it etc?).

Then Check in is 3pm at the Tropicana.

Then head to DTD for Build a Bear and have Dinner at the Rainforest Cafe (I plan to make reservations for this one but how far in advance should I make them?.)
What else would be a good thing to do?
I am not sure what the kiddos would like I know my niece would like Lucy Lu's but not sure it will take much time...
Any other ideas?

Oh also I have a Disney Visa and plan to use it to pay for everything. But not sure if everywhere accepts credit cards...

 

[iceskatejen]

Ruby's is just a burger place/coffee shop (albeit a good one--love their fries), so no ressies needed or accepted.

Most S CA markets do have an organic section, but you might want to look for a Trader Joes or a Henrys. There's a store in Newort Beach called Mothers that is mostly organic. Trader Joes has a website, www.traderjoes.com and that should have a list of store locations. I'm sure the others do too, but I don't shop at them regularly because they're not convenient to where I live.

As for the Dinsey Visa, the only places I know that don't take credit cards are the popcorn/churro/pretzle/turkey leg carts. For those you'll need cash.