What should we do on the night we arrive?

[AZpharmacist]

We will get to the Anaheim area around 3 or 4 on Sept 7th. We plan on checking into the hotel at that time. I have 3 day park hoppers and plan on entering the parks starting on the 8th. The only way I would do 4 day park hoppers is if paint the night parade isn't happening on the weekdays. Otherwise, I'm okay with missing Fantasmic.

My plan was to walk through DH and GCH (I've never been inside either). I want to scope out where to stay for my daughter's 3rd bday next summer. We will also walk through DTD.

Where do you think we should eat dinner (2 adults and a 2 year old...she does fine at any sort of restaurant)? What are must see things in the resorts or DTD? Can we watch fireworks at GCH?

 

[GatorChris]

Taking a tour of the hotels will be a fun use of time. Downtown Disney is great if you're ready to spend some cash. Build-a-Bear would be a big hit for your little one. I'm not sure that DD will have a big band playing anywhere on Monday - Labor Day may bring in something really good, but who knows - , but there will be some musicians playing some mood music along the way. Might be a good time to sit and enjoy some music.

For food, she might like Rainforest Cafe's environment. Lot's of "animals" and a waterfall. You'll be able to see fireworks from the area between parks.

 

[22Tink]

We usually head to DTD on our first day if we aren't going into the parks. We wander through World of Disney and it kind of jump starts our Disney mood!! I agree with the pp, Rainforest Cafe is a neat place to eat. We usually go there once per trip.

 

[Girimama33]

After the 7th, I would imagine the parks will begin closing at 8pm, so it is iffy if PTN will be showing that week.
You may want to consider Rainforest Café...but any of the DTD restaurants would work. My DD always loves a trip to Build a Bear on our arrival day. The Lego Store is a favorite of hers as well.
I can't imagine you will have a good view from the fireworks if you are at the GCH. You are better off viewing them from DTD.

 

[GoBears 1980]

What hotel are you staying in?

There are not a lot of "must sees" at the DL Resort in DTD or the hotels, they are just nice to see.

Any restaurant in DTD or the hotels would be fine, except maybe Rainforest Cafe, which can scare very young kids.

You do know you are coming in on Labor Day right? I assume you also know there will be no fireworks Sept 8, 9 & 10 and no Fantasmic, maybe no Paint the Night (but we haven't seen the Sept 2015 Calendar yet). Labor Day really ends the summer schedule.

 

[AZpharmacist]

Yes, we know we are coming in on Labor Day and that there will be no Fantasmic during the week. If the schedule comes out and there's no PtN during the week, we will hit the parks on Monday evening as well

 

[jammyjam25]

A character dinner at Goofy's Kitchen could be a fun way to kick off "Disney time" on your first day if your daughter likes to meet characters! I like to do my character meals on our first day or other non-park day so as not to cut into park time.

There are also fun things to see walking around the hotel grounds, such as the teacup chairs in the Fantasy Tower lobby, the Autopia car in front of Steakhouse 55, the replica Big Thunder Mountain in the Frontier tower lobby, etc. that will definitely get your family in the Disney mood.

 

[VandVsmama]

Given your DISboards name, I'm guessing that you're coming from Arizona, so you won't have a time zone change to deal with in early September.

I second the suggestion for Rainforest Cafe. Skip the DLH & GCH hotel tours because they are really not geared toward young children. Your daughter would likely be bored. And you know what happens with bored/cranky toddlers!

You could take her to Anna & Elsa's Boutique or the World of Disney stores and let her pick out ONE item as a souvenir. Disney has these cool "Animator Series" dolls out now for $30.00. My YDD picked one out in June and it's really cute and pretty big for a $30.00 Disney toy.

The Lego Store has legos just outside the entrance to their store that you can play with. That's pretty fun.

For a 2-year-old, my recipe the first night in Anaheim would be this:

• explore a couple of stores in DTD.
• let toddler run around the fountain, toss a few pennies in, and burn off some energy from travelling all day.
• plan to eat dinner in the 5-5:30 pm time frame (when restaurants haven't hit their big dinner rush yet)
• go back to the hotel/motel
• take 2-yr-old for a swim in the pool (my kids are often quite relaxed after a swim)
• go to bed early

 

[AZpharmacist]

Given your DISboards name, I'm guessing that you're coming from Arizona, so you won't have a time zone change to deal with in early September.

I second the suggestion for Rainforest Cafe. Skip the DLH & GCH hotel tours because they are really not geared toward young children. Your daughter would likely be bored. And you know what happens with bored/cranky toddlers!

You could take her to Anna & Elsa's Boutique or the World of Disney stores and let her pick out ONE item as a souvenir. Disney has these cool "Animator Series" dolls out now for $30.00. My YDD picked one out in June and it's really cute and pretty big for a $30.00 Disney toy.

The Lego Store has legos just outside the entrance to their store that you can play with. That's pretty fun.

For a 2-year-old, my recipe the first night in Anaheim would be this:

• explore a couple of stores in DTD.
• let toddler run around the fountain, toss a few pennies in, and burn off some energy from travelling all day.
• plan to eat dinner in the 5-5:30 pm time frame (when restaurants haven't hit their big dinner rush yet)
• go back to the hotel/motel
• take 2-yr-old for a swim in the pool (my kids are often quite relaxed after a swim)
• go to bed early

Good idea on the swim except we are staying at the Portofino Inn so I'm not sure how nice the pool is. I may let her run around in the lobbies of the hotels while I look around.

Those Animator dolls are beautiful. She has the Snow White one already and I love it although she doesn't care for dolls. We will be doing the Anna and Elsa boutique but probably not on the first day as I promised my 3 year old niece I would take her and she won't arrive until late Monday night.

 

[AZpharmacist]

A character dinner at Goofy's Kitchen could be a fun way to kick off "Disney time" on your first day if your daughter likes to meet characters! I like to do my character meals on our first day or other non-park day so as not to cut into park time.

There are also fun things to see walking around the hotel grounds, such as the teacup chairs in the Fantasy Tower lobby, the Autopia car in front of Steakhouse 55, the replica Big Thunder Mountain in the Frontier tower lobby, etc. that will definitely get your family in the Disney mood.

Character meal is a great idea. I'll see if I can convince DH. Thank you for the suggestions on specific items to see in the hotels. That was exactly the type of info I'm looking for

 

[AZpharmacist]

Taking a tour of the hotels will be a fun use of time. Downtown Disney is great if you're ready to spend some cash. Build-a-Bear would be a big hit for your little one. I'm not sure that DD will have a big band playing anywhere on Monday - Labor Day may bring in something really good, but who knows - , but there will be some musicians playing some mood music along the way. Might be a good time to sit and enjoy some music.

For food, she might like Rainforest Cafe's environment. Lot's of "animals" and a waterfall. You'll be able to see fireworks from the area between parks.

Does the Build-a-bear in DTD have special Disney outfits? Just curious. My daughter is turning 2 this month so she won't really understand anyways

 

[figment_jii]

Does the Build-a-bear in DTD have special Disney outfits? Just curious. My daughter is turning 2 this month so she won't really understand anyways

Yes, the DTD Build-A-Bear has special/unique items. There is currently a DLR 60th anniversary bear and two outfits, along with a fair amount of other items.

 

[ADLFAN]

There is a good sized Duplo play area for the younger ones in the Lego Store from what I remember. There is an ice cream place, Hagen Daaz I believe, if you want some dessert while you enjoy some live music in the area. I would check out the menus of all of the Downtown Disney restaurants online and definitely reserve a spot for a nice relaxing dinner. Catal sounds interesting, Jazz Kitchen maybe? No one ever mentions the ESPN Zone, but it is there with a few video games, even? I haven't ever been inside though, it isn't my thing. You can spend a few minutes wandering through the enormous World of Disney store buying little gifts and souvenirs for people back home, if need be. I always mean to get each grandkid/family a bag of goodies, but I always forget when I'm actually in the parks! Maybe i will follow my own suggestion... We will be there for Labor Day Weekend too, and I hope we are prepared for the race crowds and heat! Have fun planning!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I love having a long afternoon/evening to spend walking around before we hit the parks. Definitely walk through DTD and down to the Disneyland Hotel to see the sights. You could do an early dinner at Goofy's Kitchen then walk back through DTD and check out the stores. As already suggested, Rainforest Café is fun for kids, as long as she's not afraid of big fish and the periodic thunderstorm in the restaurant. ESPN Zone is fun, but maybe not for a little girl. My teen boys love it because they can watch sports on the TVs in the restaurant and then go upstairs and play video games. I like to do most of my buying towards the end of the trip after I've seen everything that's available. It might be fun to walk through World of Disney and look around.

A tip on a good deal (if this is still available) - If you eat in a counter service restaurant in either park, you'll get a coupon on your receipt. It's good for 20% off merchandise at certain stores, if you shop before 1:00 p.m. This is their way of increasing traffic in the stores early in the day. We bought all of our stuff at the Emporium in Disneyland right after breakfast one morning and got 20% off. We spent the $7 to store it in a locker all day, and it was still a very good deal. Something to remember when planning your shopping.

 

[MommyJKM]

Trader Sam's at Disneyland Hotel. You can sit outside either by the restaurant or down by the firepit and your little one can run around while you have appetizers and drinks! When my DD was 2 she didn't love Downtown Disney because it was overwhelming but enjoyed being outside at DLH

 

[AZpharmacist]

I love having a long afternoon/evening to spend walking around before we hit the parks. Definitely walk through DTD and down to the Disneyland Hotel to see the sights. You could do an early dinner at Goofy's Kitchen then walk back through DTD and check out the stores. As already suggested, Rainforest Café is fun for kids, as long as she's not afraid of big fish and the periodic thunderstorm in the restaurant. ESPN Zone is fun, but maybe not for a little girl. My teen boys love it because they can watch sports on the TVs in the restaurant and then go upstairs and play video games. I like to do most of my buying towards the end of the trip after I've seen everything that's available. It might be fun to walk through World of Disney and look around.

A tip on a good deal (if this is still available) - If you eat in a counter service restaurant in either park, you'll get a coupon on your receipt. It's good for 20% off merchandise at certain stores, if you shop before 1:00 p.m. This is their way of increasing traffic in the stores early in the day. We bought all of our stuff at the Emporium in Disneyland right after breakfast one morning and got 20% off. We spent the $7 to store it in a locker all day, and it was still a very good deal. Something to remember when planning your shopping.

We used those 20% off coupons on our trip in December. Good deal. We had one of the stores hold out items until the end of the day. I believe it was the one in tomorrow land. Not sure if it
can be done at all of the stores

 

[AZpharmacist]

Trader Sam's at Disneyland Hotel. You can sit outside either by the restaurant or down by the firepit and your little one can run around while you have appetizers and drinks! When my DD was 2 she didn't love Downtown Disney because it was overwhelming but enjoyed being outside at DLH

I was wondering about this bc I wanted to check out the drinks. I think we may do this.

 

[calilou]

I think your plan to explore the hotels and Downtown Disney is a great one. Another restaurant option is Storytellers Café in GCH. It's fun and cozy, and your daughter can make her own Mickey pizza if she'd like. We always enjoy the menu there. Rainforest Café is also a great option. Also it will probably be hot so you could plan to swim after checking in. The Build-A-Bear store in DTD is a really fun experience if your daughter hasn't done that. They have special Disney themed bears and accessories you can't find at regular stores.

 

[AZpharmacist]

I think your plan to explore the hotels and Downtown Disney is a great one. Another restaurant option is Storytellers Café in GCH. It's fun and cozy, and your daughter can make her one Mickey pizza if she'd like. We always enjoy the menu there. Rainforest Café is also a great option. Also it will probably be hot so you could plan to swim after checking in. The Build-A-Bear store in DTD is a really fun experience if your daughter hasn't done that. They have special Disney themed bears and accessories you can't find at regular stores.

She may like this. She's obsessed with pizza. Plus I'm starting to think that I want to do dinner at one of the Disney restaurants since I haven't been to any in the hotels. We've done Ralph Brennan's, ESPN zone, and Napoli (which I thought was delicious so I'm not sure why they had bad reviews

 

[jina]

I second Storyteller's or Rainforest Cafe for a first night dinner- I prefer having reservations in hand although I agree if you go around 4-5pm you may get lucky (but being it's Labor Day I'd almost insist on a reservation). That's when we usually dine and the one time we did not have an ADR was on a Thurs night in May and we had to wait 30 min for a table at 5pm at Naples so now we are back to doing ADR's anytime we are doing table service dinners EXCEPT for Rainforest as we are Landry's Select members so we get priority seating (if you know you are doing Rainforest or Bubba Gumps over at the CityWalk definitely join Landry's Select as your enrollment fee comes back to you as a credit for your first meal).

DD5 liked character meals although not until she was close to 5yo. We tried a few character meals when she was 3 and even 4 and at 3 she was kind of nervous with the characters coming by (although she did smile occasionally) and at 4 she was happy but kept hiding from them. At 5 she was finally ready to really interact with them. Goofy's Kitchen is ideal if she's a picky eater as it's a buffet and I think kids under 3 are free but it is quite pricey for adults especially if she may be afraid of the characters.