some suggestions please

[pixiewings71]

Hello All,
My first thread at the disboard! LOL I've replied but never started one. Anyway, we are headed down to DL in 1 month...yup, from today! YAY!!!! The travelers are me 36, DBF 31, DD 11, DD7. I'm looking for some things that you suggest we must see and do while we are there. We know what rides we want to do, I'm hoping for show and dining ideas. I've booked a breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen (we did Lilo and Stitch last year) and I've booked the required Princess lunch and a late lunch at Blue Bayou. What else do you suggest? I've got some gift cards for Rain Forest Cafe so we will be dining there once I'm sure. We did Medival Times last year so we are planning to do the Pirate Adventure this year.
I'm just wondering what else you experts might suggest.

We will be there July 14th-21st, staying at the Tropicanan, which we picked for it's proximity to the crosswalk to DL! LOL

What else do you suggest we do in the area on our off days? We have 4 day park hoppers and we are planning on going during the week. We are also planning on stopping at Magic Mountain on way there or on our way home, we are driving from the Bay Area up north.

Thanks for any ideas and if you have any questions ask away!
Kerri

 

[Judy from Boise]

I am going to suggest you read a few of our sub-boards, we have one that covers other CA theme parks, and one that covers So Cal in general.......

 

[kjhgarden]

When we went last Oct. my kids loved the beach!

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

I don't know if it's your first trip or not, so forgive me

My cannot, absolutely won't miss without a thought:
Fantasmic! (if it's showing when you are there)
The fireworks (and Tinker Bell)

Some other favorites:
Billy Hill and the Hill Billies in Frontierland
A meal at Blue Bayou (always have had a great experience there)
Check out the corndog cart on Main Street. Their corndogs are the bomb!

 

[Hound 109]

- Aladdin Show

- Dole Whip Float w/ 2 straws (when it's hot)

- Jedi Training (at least for the 7 y/o)

- the new Pirate's Lair

That's a start.

 

[princesskim]

If your girls are into the princesses , make sure you get to see the princesses in DL at their show in the Fantasyland Theater (Disney Princess Fantasy Faire) its right across from Small World's Exit.
This is an section from Disney's website about it:
Activities at the royal gathering include:
Disney Princess Storytelling — Join a Disney Princess for a special story where Guests are invited to help tell the tales.
Royal Coronation Ceremony — Learn what it takes to be a true princess or knight with a regal celebration.
Royal Dance — After taking the Royal Oath, Guests are invited to take part in a lively group dance.
Royal Arrivals — Three Disney Princesses make their grand entrance and greet their Guests.
And many more royal celebrations.

 

[pixiewings71]

This is our second trip, we were also there last April but Pirates was closed and abviously Nemo wasn't up yet. LOL So, we thought that since our girls are the "right ages" we would go again this year.

I've read the other boards and they don't have much info, I thought someone local to So Cal would have more info/suggestions for me. We are planning a beach trip, we love the beach. The beaches in So Cal are so different from the beaches up here in Nor Cal that I'm sure where to take them. LOL I've heard about Newport and Huntington Beach but I'm not sure which would be better. I'll do some more searches to see what I can find out about them.

We will never skip Fantasmic, the Fireworks, Billy Hill (LOVE that show!) and I've already booked a meal at Blue Bayou. I had NO idea about the corndog cart...my girls LOVE corndogs, I'll be sure we all get one! Thanks!!

We haven't seen the Aladdin show yet, we have put that on our list of must-do! We were bummed that we missed it last year. Dole Whips are the best! We will definitely have at least one! LOL I heard that the Tiki Room was different...is that true? Is it worth seeing again? The Jedi Training sounded neat.....any good strategies on getting the best seats? And where exactly is it?? We will definitely do the Pirates Lair, we are sooooooo excited to check that out!! We like TSI but it was time for a change. And my girls love the Princesses, they will be really excited about the Fantasyland Theater show!

I know more about DL because I've been there previously (no kids, just me and my ex) and CA wasn't around then. Does anyone have a suggestion for watching the ELP. I LOVED that and didn't know it was back!!!! What's the best place? Should we get AS for a restaurant in CA so we can watch there? Last year we did only a half day at CA, we did Soarin' (awesome ride), Monsters Inc (waited for an hour in line and weren't that impressed with it), and I guess that's it.....oh ya, we did the Caterpillar ride in the Bug's World area LOL, and my youngest DD (she was 6 at the time) rode ToT....I'm afraid of heights but they keep telling me it was the BEST ride.....what do you think, will it freak me out or will I be OK? LOL Anything else we should be sure to do in CA?

Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it!!

 

[princesskim]

For ToT, im terrified of heights too... so everytime i go on it i get SOOO nervous, but yet i still go on I think its scary while your on it but it seems SO much fun once your off, if that makes any sense
For ELP, you can get special seats (that are fairly expensive) but you get a bit of food with it. I dont know the exact details but im sure a ton of people on here can be much more helpful than me