What extra activities to book?

[Hawkeye83]

hi, we are travelling from Australia in September to DL (4adults & 2 children who are 7yr n 5yr). I was just wondering what extra things are worth paying for / doing in DL and HOW to book them. Eg character restaurants, firework parades? We are travelling a long way so we figure go big or go home! Thanks!

 

[mummabear]

Hi

We come over from NZ, we have 3 kids who are now 3, 5&7 but have alternated DSL and WDW for the last 10 years.
We have done all 5 character meals at DLR, our favorite is Minnies breakfast in the park then Ariels Grotto.
We always get photopass plus (although it seems the packages have changed since last trip)
Girls do BBB each trip, and Pirates Leauge at WDW/if its at DL during our trip.
We have done the F! Dessert party and plan to do the WOC one this trip.
For us adults we love Blue Bayou and Trader Sams (note no kids after 8pm to TS)

If you are there late enough in the month you may catch the first MHP, a great experience for those of us on this side of the world where Trick or treating is still small time.

At DTD the girls loved Build a bear, Ridemakers and Rainforest Cafe.

Our kids love autograph books, we go through about 3-5 per kid per trip (the ones with the photo slots)

Do you know you can get 10 day tickets from Flight Centre for about $10 more than a normal 5 day ticket?

 

[Hawkeye83]

Yup we got the 10day pass so excited they offer it in Australia!
I've been collecting small Disney books to stick the autographs / photos in each one when they have character photos.
Did you prebook your character meals?
Thanks for advice on the photopass! Will need to look into that
Did you ever prebook for the frozen show?

 

[mummabear]

Yes I always prebook, I am a bit of a planner that way. At WDW you make bookings at 180+10 so waiting for 60 days just kills me lol
I havent prebooked the Frozen show, last trip it was still Aladdin. Havent seen it in full as lovely as that would be as the youngest would sit still so I have seen about 1/2 of Aladdin.
I am considering the Frozen dining package but it doesnt sound like it would save a lot of time and mid week Sept I dont expect it to be so full that I can't get a seat.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Fireworks and parades do not need to be booked for general viewing. There are dining packages for parade viewing (right now for MSEP, no announcement yet for what will be available in Sept.), but not for fireworks. WOC has dining packages and a dessert party (only the dessert party has actual seats). F! should be back by Sept., but there has been no announcement yet whether the VIP seating package will be back. Keep an eye out for that closer to your dates. You can make your dining reservations (called Priority Seating reservations at DLR) 60 days in advance either online through the DLR website or by phone. Character meal reservations should be available online, too. You can find menus at allears.net to see what interests you and what restaurants (in the parks, hotels, and in DtD) will be the best fit for your family. What are your trip dates? MHP usually starts the last week of Sept., if you will be in the parks then. Halloween Time should start sometime around Sept. 15th, so DL will be decorated for the holiday. If you are there in early Sept., HM will probably be down for the installation of the HMH overlay. SM will only be down for a few days to install SMGG right before Halloween Time starts, but your little ones may not be interested in that anyway.

 

[VandVsmama]

When Fantasmic! returns (and it will probably return when they re-open Rivers of America this summer), I expect that Fast Passes for Fantasmic! will be at a premium. So it would be totally worth it to get 1 of the Blue Bayou or Riverbelle Terrace dining packages that they'll probably sell, which in the past, came with a FP that got you into an area where you could sit down on the ground. The Blue Bayou dining package for Fantasmic! came with a pad to sit down on.

 

[azdisneylover]

If you are going to DL the last week of September, I would suggest a Halloween Party.

 

[Winnowill]

The Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour is pretty nifty. I really enjoyed mine and intend to do it again.

 

[Abbey1]

We LOVED the WOC dessert party! And with Fantasmic! returning, we'll definitely be booking a dining package (hopefully at Blue Bayou again if they still have it). We always do a character breakfast too. And definitely do a Halloween party if they have one during your trip!

 

[AladdinRapunzelTink]

Anna & Elsa's Boutique has to be booked in advance, but it is well worth it if your little princess (or prince) is interested. Its very similar to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but a better value imo.

 

[georgiesmum]

I'm also from Australia (Vic). G'day We're going to Disneyland in May and have been a few times already. For tours outside Disneyland have a look at The Anaheim Tour Company. We have a tour booked through them, they look good and have great reviews. For extra information about Disneyland, obviously this site is brilliant, but also check out the Facebook page of DLR Prep School. She has a lot of blogs about parades, shows, dinning etc. How are you planning to get from LAX to Anaheim? If you haven't got that planned yet, have a look at GoLansky.com. I've used them twice and will be using them again this trip, they meet you at the airport and take you directly to your hotel, and they provide car seats. Have a great trip