WDW Trip is over, now to plan DL. Feeling completely lost!!

[Dug720]

I am a WDW girl all the way. I can plan a trip there with my eyes closed.

But in July, I am jumping out of my wheelhouse and going to DL for 2 nights - but with a red-eye back to NYC I really have 3 days in the parks. Technically this is my second trip, but my first was while walls were everywhere because Carsland was still being built, Main Street was partly under construction, etc. and I was there for the half marathon and being shepherded. H 2 people who had been there before - plus we had a lot of non-park stuff. So I feel like this is a “first and a half” trip.

I’m a solo adult and am staying at Best Western Park Place booked through the DL site, and have hoppers. I’ve heard about MaxPass but am not sure exactly how it works. I get it is very different to FP+ - but how?

The trip is a birthday trip, so I want to plan a couple of special meals, and I want a character meal - friends have said good things about Storytellers...thoughts? A place or two for a nice meal? I’m gluten-free, so that does limit me somewhat (like no Monte Cristo - though I have seen some reports that if you let them know ahead of time they can do it).

Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks!!

 

[bcinohio]

I'm like you, a WDW girl all the way. DH and I are taking out second trip to DL in April. We did a few days there 2 years ago but he got sick and we missed a lot. Hope to see more this time around. One thing that I found nice is that the hotels are within walking distance to the parks, unlike WDW. Also the parks are very close together and makes hopping easy. I haven't used the Max Pass but we are getting it this trip. From what I have read it you can make the FP on your phone instead of having to walk to the machines. You can not prebook them like WDW but makes it easier to do instead of having to walk around getting the Fp. Also if you have hopping once you enter one park you can also look for FP at the other park you are not in. That would help with the big attraction rides. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[keywis25]

If you want an in park special meal I recommend Carthy's Circle but if you want an out of park special meal I suggest Steak House 55. For a character meal do Surf's up at the PCH grill the character interaction there is great.

As already stated everything is within walking distance so you don't need to worry about transportation to any of your onsite plans and that hotel you have booked is a very easy walk so you can go back to your room easily.

Maxpass is just a digital fastpass but you can only reserve times once you have activated your ticket for the day.

I would say a major difference between Disneyland and WDW is Disneyland does not take such intensive planning and you can do more spur of the moment things there.

 

[JKalai]

Maxpass is 100% worth it if you want to ride a lot of rides and maximize your time at the parks (especially since you have a hopper). The regular fastpasses and Maxpass both have different allotments, so the availability is much better.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

I am a WDW girl all the way. I can plan a trip there with my eyes closed.

But in July, I am jumping out of my wheelhouse and going to DL for 2 nights - but with a red-eye back to NYC I really have 3 days in the parks. Technically this is my second trip, but my first was while walls were everywhere because Carsland was still being built, Main Street was partly under construction, etc. and I was there for the half marathon and being shepherded. H 2 people who had been there before - plus we had a lot of non-park stuff. So I feel like this is a “first and a half” trip.

I’m a solo adult and am staying at Best Western Park Place booked through the DL site, and have hoppers. I’ve heard about MaxPass but am not sure exactly how it works. I get it is very different to FP+ - but how?

The trip is a birthday trip, so I want to plan a couple of special meals, and I want a character meal - friends have said good things about Storytellers...thoughts? A place or two for a nice meal? I’m gluten-free, so that does limit me somewhat (like no Monte Cristo - though I have seen some reports that if you let them know ahead of time they can do it).

Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks!!

I would be the EXACT opposite! LOL. Ok, so here are my suggestions....

Solo is AWESOME! Max Pass is super easy, especially if you have the Disney App (which I believe you need for it). What we did was, as soon as we were through the turnstiles, I purchased MaxPass on the App (helps if your credit card is linked to your account and you know your CVV code on the back of your CC). This way, you can immediately make your first Fast Pass option before you even get through the tunnel! The next MP you can get is within an hour and a half, OR as soon as your current Fast Pass is done. The App will tell you when you're to go to the ride, and when you can make your next choice.

Special meals - I can vouch for Carthay Circle in DCA and that's probably my favourite spot for a special meal. I will be trying Napa Rose in the Grand Californian in October for my birthday meal, but honestly, you can't really go wrong anywhere, IMO. Character meals - if you like lots of characters, I'd suggest Breakfast at Plaza Inn with Minnie. We enjoyed Storytellers, but you're only going to get 5 characters or so. The food is really good though. As for a nice meal - I enjoy Carnation Café and Café New Orleans.

You're going to have a lot of fun!

 

[Dug720]

I would be the EXACT opposite! LOL. Ok, so here are my suggestions....

Solo is AWESOME! Max Pass is super easy, especially if you have the Disney App (which I believe you need for it). What we did was, as soon as we were through the turnstiles, I purchased MaxPass on the App (helps if your credit card is linked to your account and you know your CVV code on the back of your CC). This way, you can immediately make your first Fast Pass option before you even get through the tunnel! The next MP you can get is within an hour and a half, OR as soon as your current Fast Pass is done. The App will tell you when you're to go to the ride, and when you can make your next choice.

Special meals - I can vouch for Carthay Circle in DCA and that's probably my favourite spot for a special meal. I will be trying Napa Rose in the Grand Californian in October for my birthday meal, but honestly, you can't really go wrong anywhere, IMO. Character meals - if you like lots of characters, I'd suggest Breakfast at Plaza Inn with Minnie. We enjoyed Storytellers, but you're only going to get 5 characters or so. The food is really good though. As for a nice meal - I enjoy Carnation Café and Café New Orleans.

You're going to have a lot of fun!

Thank you!!

 

[GatorChris]

DL may have the word Disney in it, but it's definitely different than WDW. My guess is that you'll feel it right away when you walk from Best Western into the parks. It's not like staying on Disney property at WDW, knowing you're surrounded by 47 square miles of magic. It takes some getting used to. But you'll definitely like how everything is so close and they cram a lot of rides into just two parks.

As for MaxPass, do it. If it's just you, that's a cheap $10/day. You can use your phone to book a FP as soon as your window opens. It's a lot better than running to the machines. If you're a big family, though, it's not worth it as those charges add up.

As for a special meal, I don't consider Storytellers to be special. I was pretty disappointed when we went there. If you want a character meal, Goofy's Kitchen is a lot like Chef Mickey's, only without Mickey and Fab 5. They have Goof, Minnie, Pluto, and Chip&Dale. Mickey's Surf's Up Breakfast as Paradise Pier is great with Mickey and some fun characters. But it's only breakfast, so thats the bummer.

As for GF, my wife has Celiac Disease, so we work with it all the time at DL. In fact, it's one of the main reasons we keep vacationing with Disney because they offer so much GF options. At any of the Counter Services, just ask for an allergy menu. They're very good at keeping everything clean. My wife's never been glutened at Disneyland. Her favorite meal, and mine too, is at Ralph Brennen's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. They have a BBQ Shrimp and Grits that's GF and it is awesome! You certainly won't regret it. Go there for lunch...it's never crowded and the menu is cheaper.

Hope you have lots of fun!

 

[Dug720]

DL may have the word Disney in it, but it's definitely different than WDW. My guess is that you'll feel it right away when you walk from Best Western into the parks. It's not like staying on Disney property at WDW, knowing you're surrounded by 47 square miles of magic. It takes some getting used to. But you'll definitely like how everything is so close and they cram a lot of rides into just two parks.

As for MaxPass, do it. If it's just you, that's a cheap $10/day. You can use your phone to book a FP as soon as your window opens. It's a lot better than running to the machines. If you're a big family, though, it's not worth it as those charges add up.

As for a special meal, I don't consider Storytellers to be special. I was pretty disappointed when we went there. If you want a character meal, Goofy's Kitchen is a lot like Chef Mickey's, only without Mickey and Fab 5. They have Goof, Minnie, Pluto, and Chip&Dale. Mickey's Surf's Up Breakfast as Paradise Pier is great with Mickey and some fun characters. But it's only breakfast, so thats the bummer.

As for GF, my wife has Celiac Disease, so we work with it all the time at DL. In fact, it's one of the main reasons we keep vacationing with Disney because they offer so much GF options. At any of the Counter Services, just ask for an allergy menu. They're very good at keeping everything clean. My wife's never been glutened at Disneyland. Her favorite meal, and mine too, is at Ralph Brennen's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. They have a BBQ Shrimp and Grits that's GF and it is awesome! You certainly won't regret it. Go there for lunch...it's never crowded and the menu is cheaper.

Hope you have lots of fun!

Thank you!

Oh I meant a character meal AND a special meal - two separate things.

Thank you for the gluten-free experience. I have had zero issues at WDW or on DCL, but in researching I have read mixed reviews of DL, so it's good to hear that they do a good job.

 

[goooof1]

For the character meal, if you want lots of characters....go with Plaza Inn (inside DL). Routinely there are upwards of 10-12 + characters and the restaurant itself is beautiful. The character meal there is breakfast...lunch and dinner there is CS. Love Storyteller's in GCH....very different atmosphere...more laid back and the characters are the "woodland" variety....routinely about 5 (Kenai, Koda, Meeko, Pluto, Chip and Dale).
As far as a special meal...go for Blue Bayou in DL......great atmosphere and "iconic". Some folks do not like the food but many find that it is good and a special restaurant....at lunch they serve the monte cristo, so look into getting it gluten-free.

 

[Dug720]

For the character meal, if you want lots of characters....go with Plaza Inn (inside DL). Routinely there are upwards of 10-12 + characters and the restaurant itself is beautiful. The character meal there is breakfast...lunch and dinner there is CS. Love Storyteller's in GCH....very different atmosphere...more laid back and the characters are the "woodland" variety....routinely about 5 (Kenai, Koda, Meeko, Pluto, Chip and Dale).
As far as a special meal...go for Blue Bayou in DL......great atmosphere and "iconic". Some folks do not like the food but many find that it is good and a special restaurant....at lunch they serve the monte cristo, so look into getting it gluten-free.

Thank you! My TA likes Blue Bayou as well, and she hasn't steered me wrong yet, so that's definitely high up on the list.

 

[Ryan120420]

 

[disneylover102]

I can’t answer your other questions, but I can answer about Maxpass/FP+. You probably understand that with FP+ 30 or 60 days before your visit, for each day you can get FP+ for 3 rides. There is no booking FP before the day of at DL. There’s two options on how to use Fastpass: Paper Fastpass and Maxpass. With paper Fastpass, you go to the Fastpass kiosk for the ride you want to get a Fastpass for (most are right next to the ride but Radiator Springs Racers Fastpasses are by Its Tough to Be A Bug) and you stick your park ticket in the machine (you have to have entered a park for this to work by the way). It will give you a paper reminder on when to return and when you return, you will scan your park ticket at the FP line. The next time you can get a Fastpass depends. If the start of the return time is more than 2 hours away, you can get another Fastpass in 2 hours (unless it’s for the ride you already have a FP for. For example, if you got a Soarin’ FP at 1:00 and the return time was 4:00-5:00, you could get a new Fastpass for any ride but Soarin’ at 3:00, and you could get another one for Soarin’ at 4:00). If the start of the return time is between 30 minutes and 2 hours away, you wait until the start of the return time to get another Fastpass for one ride. If the return time is less than 30 minutes away, you have to wait 30 minutes to get a new Fastpass unless you use the Fastpass before 30 minutes have passed, then you can get a new one right away. Maxpass is very similar but it does cost money- $10 per person per day. Similar to Disney World, you can reserve FP on your phone. You can get a new FP every 90 minutes this way (not 2 hours like with the regular system) and everything else is basically the same as regular Fastpass.

 

[Dug720]

I can’t answer your other questions, but I can answer about Maxpass/FP+. You probably understand that with FP+ 30 or 60 days before your visit, for each day you can get FP+ for 3 rides. There is no booking FP before the day of at DL. There’s two options on how to use Fastpass: Paper Fastpass and Maxpass. With paper Fastpass, you go to the Fastpass kiosk for the ride you want to get a Fastpass for (most are right next to the ride but Radiator Springs Racers Fastpasses are by Its Tough to Be A Bug) and you stick your park ticket in the machine (you have to have entered a park for this to work by the way). It will give you a paper reminder on when to return and when you return, you will scan your park ticket at the FP line. The next time you can get a Fastpass depends. If the start of the return time is more than 2 hours away, you can get another Fastpass in 2 hours (unless it’s for the ride you already have a FP for. For example, if you got a Soarin’ FP at 1:00 and the return time was 4:00-5:00, you could get a new Fastpass for any ride but Soarin’ at 3:00, and you could get another one for Soarin’ at 4:00). If the start of the return time is between 30 minutes and 2 hours away, you wait until the start of the return time to get another Fastpass for one ride. If the return time is less than 30 minutes away, you have to wait 30 minutes to get a new Fastpass unless you use the Fastpass before 30 minutes have passed, then you can get a new one right away. Maxpass is very similar but it does cost money- $10 per person per day. Similar to Disney World, you can reserve FP on your phone. You can get a new FP every 90 minutes this way (not 2 hours like with the regular system) and everything else is basically the same as regular Fastpass.

Thank you!

 

[Dug720]

Thanks. Not a huge fan of videos for learning, but I appreciate the effort.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

This thread should give you lots of helpful information: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

 

[Dug720]

This thread should give you lots of helpful information: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

Thank you!

 

[Dug720]

DL may have the word Disney in it, but it's definitely different than WDW. My guess is that you'll feel it right away when you walk from Best Western into the parks. It's not like staying on Disney property at WDW, knowing you're surrounded by 47 square miles of magic. It takes some getting used to. But you'll definitely like how everything is so close and they cram a lot of rides into just two parks.

As for MaxPass, do it. If it's just you, that's a cheap $10/day. You can use your phone to book a FP as soon as your window opens. It's a lot better than running to the machines. If you're a big family, though, it's not worth it as those charges add up.

As for a special meal, I don't consider Storytellers to be special. I was pretty disappointed when we went there. If you want a character meal, Goofy's Kitchen is a lot like Chef Mickey's, only without Mickey and Fab 5. They have Goof, Minnie, Pluto, and Chip&Dale. Mickey's Surf's Up Breakfast as Paradise Pier is great with Mickey and some fun characters. But it's only breakfast, so thats the bummer.

As for GF, my wife has Celiac Disease, so we work with it all the time at DL. In fact, it's one of the main reasons we keep vacationing with Disney because they offer so much GF options. At any of the Counter Services, just ask for an allergy menu. They're very good at keeping everything clean. My wife's never been glutened at Disneyland. Her favorite meal, and mine too, is at Ralph Brennen's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. They have a BBQ Shrimp and Grits that's GF and it is awesome! You certainly won't regret it. Go there for lunch...it's never crowded and the menu is cheaper.

Hope you have lots of fun!

Quick question about the Jazz Kitchen... Do you know if they can do gluten-free beignets? Not a deal-breaker. Just curious.

Seriously pondering brunch there on the Sunday of my trip.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

This thread was started several years ago, but the last pages are recent. There might be some helpful info in there for you: Gluten Free Dining at the Disneyland Resort: A Superthread. Always try to double check on restaurant info when you can, since suppliers and menus can change before your trip dates. So it's always good to make sure that something really is GF when you order.

 

[GatorChris]

Quick question about the Jazz Kitchen... Do you know if they can do gluten-free beignets? Not a deal-breaker. Just curious.

Seriously pondering brunch there on the Sunday of my trip.

Unfortunately they don't. My wife really wishes they did. So me and the kids scarf them down while she covers her eyes.

 

[Dug720]

Unfortunately they don't. My wife really wishes they did. So me and the kids scarf them down while she covers her eyes.

That's too bad!! Like I said, not a deal breaker, but knowing they can be done (and are at POFQ in WDW) kind of makes you sad when they aren't.