please critique my tentative itinerary

[Sargeant Tibbs]

Someone suggested over in the wdw forums that people might consider a trip to Disneyland instead, and I have really taken it to heart in the last 24hrs.

This would actually be a shorter and more expensive vacation for me than wdw because my parents live in Orlando. However, mom and dad are on board with a trip to DL, and being cast members at wdw, they also get in free at DL and get a nice discount on the resorts. We can transfer their comp tickets (not maingates) for use at DL so my fiancee and I don't have to pay for tickets, but still, the cost of hotel, food, and getting there will be expensive.

I went to grad school in LA and mom and dad did visit me several times so theres no need to go touring Hollywood (lol I lived in Hollywood for a time, so glamorous ) or Las Vegas. But, my fiancee has never been out west except for Las Vegas, so we'll probably head down to San Diego for a night and maybe over to the Calico ghost town one night (I've been there and always loved it). I was really busy and strapped for cash when I lived in LA so I was only able to visit DL once, and never did get a chance to check out California Adventure.

So, long story short, this is the plan:

Not sure how we're travelling; driving or by air, but we arrive either way, probably next February, and check into the hotel. We're used to hitting WDW hard, and since this is a short tour with no little ones there's no need for down time.

Day One: Disneyland
Lunch: Thunder Mountain BBQ
Dinner: undecided QS

Day Two: California Adventure
Breakfast: storytellers character bfast (this restaurant looks gorgeous and I love the idea of meeting some rarely seen characters)
Lunch: late afternoon at Carthay Circle (is it worth it? Opinions please!)
Probably no need for dinner, just snacks


Day Three: DTD
No meals picked out yet. Suggestions welcome!

Day Four: Disneyland
Lunch: Blue Bayou (this is an absolute must for my mother and me. We've always wanted to eat here.)
Dinner: undecided QS

So how does this tentative itinerary sound?

More questions:

How far in advance should I book restaurants? Same as WDW? Is the World of Color dining package worth it? Is one day enough for California Adventure or would we be better off spending a second day there and leaving early to check out DTD in the evening?

All suggestions for QS dinner and breakfast are greatly appreciated.

Whew! That was a lot. I probably should have broken this up into several threads. I'm just really excited about this trip. If you read this far, thank you.

 

[kitayama]

Walt Disney World is great, but I love Disneyland!
Carthay Circle isn't that expensive for lunch, so I like your idea of having lunch there.
I have personally gotten reservations for those places the morning of, but I wouldn't suggest that for someone on vacation. Reservations are not as crazy here as they are in Florida, so as long as you make your reservations a little early, you shouldn't have any problems. Since you seem to know what you want, you might as well make your reservations as soon as you can because you can always cancel or change them.
As far as quick service meals, I always just go with the flow. I look for something close when I am hungry. Some people have strong feelings about what and where to eat, but I don't. I have pretty much eaten everywhere and would not call any meal that I have eaten great. Perfectly adequate to mildly good is a much better description of the food.

Oh, and in Downtown Disney, my favorite place to eat is Tortilla Joes.

 

[rwhistler92]

I would do Big Thunder BBQ for dinner (better menu).
You can make reservations 60 days in advance.

 

[rentayenta]

I would add the Plaza Inn in Disneyland as one of your CS meals. Try the fried chicken; you won't be sorry. In DTD, I'd try the UVA bar and their lamb burger. I am assuming you eat meat so if not, just ignore. LOL! For breakfast QS we love the River Belle Terrace in Disneyland. Sitting along the Rivers of America cannot be beat.

We love Storyteller's for breakfast! Great choice.

 

[Canuck16]

I wouldn't spend a full day at DTD. It's not as big as the one at WDW.

Go try Trader Sam's at the DLH and try one of their specialty drinks.

I would suggest dinner at BTMRR BBQ as they have more options for food.

Have a blast.....DLR/DCA are awesome!!

 

[YukonMommy]

I would also chime in for Big Thunder Ranch BBQ for supper!
ALso I would just go with 4 day Park Hoppers as DTD is not going to take you a whole day. Their may only be 2 parks but they have close to the same amount of rides as in WDW.

Have a Magical time!

 

[SMD]

Are these the CM passes that can be used in WDW, DLR or DLP? If so, they're hoppers, you might as well do both parks on some of your days. Check out the lounge menus at Carthay and Alfresco and the bar menu at Cove. Those might work for meals. No ADRs, but they are sit down.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

I'm another who would say don't spend a whole day on DTD. If you love shopping, you might be able to pull half a day out of it, but it's not that big. But, if it's warm enough maybe you could enjoy the hotel pool or something and just relax. My favorite restaurant there is the Rainforest Cafe. If you haven't been to one, it has really fun theming while you eat. Very entertaining for kids.

Also, it's not as necessary to plan every minute and every meal like most people do for WDW. Disneyland is much more laid back in my opinion. Reservations are available 60 days before your trip. This would be important for Blue Bayou, but the others you'd probably do okay getting even if you waited until 30 days out, especially in February (with the exception of the 3-day weekend which will be very packed).

Have a great time!

 

[SMD]

I think they're planning a DTD day because they're using comp tickets which are single day, not multi-day hoppers. So it's not as simple as adding a day, they have to use the tickets that they have.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I think they're planning a DTD day because they're using comp tickets which are single day, not multi-day hoppers. So it's not as simple as adding a day, they have to use the tickets that they have.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they are only single day tickets. We've never been the park hopping type so it's possible they are and we've just never taken advantage of it. I will have to check with the folks and if they are we might consider hopping. If DTD isn't worth a whole day we'll probably just spend a couple of hours there one morning and then head to a park.

Thanks for the responses so far! Overwhelming vote for dinner at Big Thunder BBQ so that's what we'll do.

It's an odd feeling to know that DL is so relaxed. Planning for WDW is like organizing D Day.

Another question: Is the Fantasmic fp package with a grab and go meal from Aladdin's Oasis worth it?

 

[nycdisneygal]

We got comp tickets once and they were one day park hoppers.

 

[DisneyDreamer1229]

Another question: Is the Fantasmic fp package with a grab and go meal from Aladdin's Oasis worth it?

From what I have read in other threads, the FP you get with the Aladdin's Oasis package is the same FP everyone can get from the machines.

 

[Blue32]

If you do some shopping in DTD, do it in the afternoon when crowds are higher in the parks. Spend your mornings in the park when the crowds are lowest. As far as the Aladdin F! package, most would say it's kind a waste of money. You get a subpar meal and the FP you get you could get for free from the FP machine. Most people on the boards have been pretty happy with the F! dining package at the Blue Bayou and River Belle Terrace. It's a bit pricier for these but most agree that the food is good and the seating areas are the best.

If you do eat in DTD, Earl of Sandwich is great and inexpensive. We also really like the pizza at Naples.

Also, if you do add a park day, I would spend it in DL instead of DCA. Most of DCA can be done in a day but there is way more to see and do in DL park for most people.

 

[Chiomaca]

Ditto what Blue32 said - we usually do a park in the morning, DTD for lunch and then chill at the hotel for a few hours, then back to a park for the evening. DTD isn't a full day or even a half day thing unless you're intent on hitting all the shops and seeing a movie.

Carthay Circle is great, but Napa Rose at GCH is right up there on my list. At DTD, Uva bar is a good lunch spot depending on the temps that day, Catal is inside if it's too cool for outdoor dining. Naples is good family fare, and the Jazz Kitchen has some nice food if you're not looking for real cajun food.

You can do CA Adventure in a day, just remember that you need to do RSR either first thing in the morning or in the single rider line if you don't have a fast pass. TSMM is another long line, but everything else is pretty easy to get to or to get a Fast Pass.

 

[letsgoreds]

I actually preferred DTD at DL to WDW (WDW vet). I would use that off day as a AM - Beach, PM - DTD day. There are a lot of awesome beaches around 30 min drive away. We had our dog with us President's Week, so went to Cresent Bay Beach in Laguna (leashed dogs OK off season), and really enjoyed the sea lions and the tide pools, and it was warm enough to swim! Then late lunch and back to the hotel to clean up, relax and then off to DTD for late afternoon/evening. I will second Trader Sams (at DL hotel). We chose to sit outside in the evening and enjoyed the live music, awesome weather, and tiki torches.

I would guess that your comp tickets will be hoppers, so take that into consideration (always are at WDW). It takes 5 minutes! Even with the discounts at the DLR hotels, you will find better deals off site. If you have the money, stay onsite, but if you are on a budget, there are soooo many options that are much, less expensive (even without CM discounts).

We did the BB dinner/F! package, and it was worth it. Check-in early, and ask for a water table. That was really cool. I preferred F! at DL, might be because of the front row/center cushioned spot.

Also, if you are a dole whip fan, enter the queue for Tiki Room, and buy from that side of the stand (line waaay shorter). You are also allowed to bring the sweet treats into the Tiki Room show and enjoy it there.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

I will go against the grain and say that I prefer Big Thunder Ranch BBQ for lunch, for a couple of reasons. Dinner only adds some sausage and corn on the cob. I don't like sausage, so the extra $3-5 a person is not worth it to me for some corn on the cob. Also, if I eat a light breakfast and then eat here for lunch, I am full for the rest of the day! If I go for dinner then I end up having to each a lunch earlier in the day.

I agree with others that DTD will certainly not take a full day, and probably not even half a day. I would say that you could do it in the evening after you leave the park one night. I believe it stays open at least one hour after park closing (the hours are listed along with the parks on the Disney website calendar, you could see what the norm is for this time of year). Maybe I'm just too used to big outdoor shopping malls since there are a couple near me, but I never found DTD to be that interesting.

I also think that you probably won't need longer than one day in DCA. It has some great atmosphere and some key attractions, but it's not nearly as time consuming as DL.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

If you do eat in DTD, Earl of Sandwich is great and inexpensive.

Ah, we have one at DTD (guess I should start calling it Disney Springs now?) at WDW and it's one of our must do's every trip. We might just have to see how good it is over on the west coast.

Thanks for all the great advice from everyone. There's quite a bit of knowledge and experience contained here in this little thread. I talked with mom and we decided on February 2017 since we're all going to my sister's next Christmas (we all live in different states). It seems so far away but it'll be here before I know it.

I keep thinking about the words Disney and Lowkey being used together, and I'm increasingly liking this concept.