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Okay, so I know a lot about Disney World, but I have questions about DL. We'll be there next September before our cruise.

 

My questions:

 

1. How long do you need there?

2. What are the best restaurants? We love to eat out in one really nice restaurant each day.

3. Is the dining plan there worth it?

4. Where would you stay? We're a family of 6, so we either need a suite or two rooms. We'd like walking distance to the parks, if possible.

 

Thanks for helping me get started on planning this trip!!!

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Okay, so I know a lot about Disney World, but I have questions about DL. We'll be there next September before our cruise.

 

My questions:

 

1. How long do you need there?

 

I would say, for a first timer in September, 3 full park days are fine.

 

2. What are the best restaurants? We love to eat out in one really nice restaurant each day.

 

Blue Bayou, Storytellers Cafe, and maybe Steakhouse 55 or Napa Rose

For counter service, Cafe Orleans, Rancho del Zocalo, Riverbelle Terrace, and La Brea Bakery

 

3. Is the dining plan there worth it?

Nope

 

4. Where would you stay? We're a family of 6, so we either need a suite or two rooms. We'd like walking distance to the parks, if possible.

 

On property- you can't beat the Grand Californian. 2nd choice would be D'Land Hotel

 

Off Property - I am not familiar with any suite hotels, but the Candy Cane Inn is pretty nice and very close.

 

Thanks for helping me get started on planning this trip!!!

 

Have fun!

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We always stay at the Disneyland Hotel on site. It's the best. Make your reservations in the Marina Tower.

 

Restaurants? Hmmm....well, there's a nice one by the Pirates ride. Ridiculously overpriced, but the atmosphere is top notch.

 

We usually stay 5-7 days. We spend one day at Newport Beach. You don't "need" that many days, but we like to leisurely about our vacations. Oh, and ride every ride at least 10 times. :lol:

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Have fun!

 

Thanks!!!! This definitely helps.

 

Why is the dining plan not worth it? Just curious! I like the idea of paying upfront and then feeling free to order whatever I want. We usually go to DisneyWorld during free dining - I wish they'd offer that for our trip! (Actually, I just did a quick search - the dining plan is VERY different than the one at WDW. I don't like it!!!)

 

We always stay at the Disneyland Hotel on site. It's the best. Make your reservations in the Marina Tower.

 

Restaurants? Hmmm....well, there's a nice one by the Pirates ride. Ridiculously overpriced, but the atmosphere is top notch.

 

We usually stay 5-7 days. We spend one day at Newport Beach. You don't "need" that many days, but we like to leisurely about our vacations. Oh, and ride every ride at least 10 times. :lol:

 

Thanks! We've come to expect overpriced for Disney! LOL We definitely go for the atmosphere, so we'll probably go to that one by Pirates! We also like a leisurely vacation. But, this has to be a quick trip to the parks. But, then we get a week on a Disney cruise!!

Edited by Jennifer in MI
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Off property - Tropicana Inn. We stayed there when we went to DL last Jan. We were able to get two connecting rooms for $99 each per night (middle of the week). It is pretty much right across the street from the entrance - 5 min walking tops). It does include breakfast, but it's pitiful. You're better off making use of the restaurants walking distance - Denny's, Mimi's (?), Subway, McDs... or the microwave/fridge combo in the room.

 

Blue Bayou (near pirates ride) is a nice restaurant in the park. I do recommend making reseravations ahead of time - ask for a table near the water.

 

If you have a car, Medeival Times is fairly close.

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I've only been to DL twice. Each time we got 5-day passes. You could do DL in two days. Three would be better. We usually spent roughly three days at DL and two at California Adventure. By the end of the 5th day we were exhausted but felt like we had done everything we wanted to do and were ready to leave. Next time we plan on staying a little longer so we can spend a day in between to rest at the hotel.

 

The last time we went we stayed at Home Stay Suites. It was only about $350 for a week. We had a two-bedroom, two-bath, two-story suite with a full kitchen. It was two miles from the park. I think it has new owners now though and a new name. The last time I checked the prices were higher as well. It wasn't fancy but it was clean and fit all six of us just fine. Ahh...I guess the hotel does have the same name still.

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I went to DL for the half marathon last September and it was my first time. We stayed at the Howard Johnson Anaheim which was walking distance and it was a nice, clean place to stay. You WILL be awakened by the fireworks each night if you try to go to bed according to your eastern/central time zone body clock! LOL

 

We had 2 days in the park because of time constraints and it was plenty. There was actually not much I was interested in at California Adventure and I was disappointed there, but I also didn't have any kids with me. Disneyland park was fun but we didn't need more than one day.

 

I'm a picky eater so I stuck to counter service for my basic grilled chicken sandwich! :)

 

Have a wonderful time... just try not to compare to WDW or you will be disappointed. It's much different. Not so magical.

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I just try not to compare to WDW or you will be disappointed. It's much different. Not so magical.

 

Well, here's the differences between the two parks. (I've been an annual pass holder at DL and have a ds who is a Disney freak working at DW, so I've experienced both.)

 

DL is the original. The entire theme park concept started here -- the ideas of a hub, of the walkways that lead off of it to different themed areas. You could watch some of the documentaries on how it was built and watch the recordings of the opening day broadcast to really appreciate it.

 

Except for the height of the summer months, on any given day the vast majority of the guests will be annual pass holders who live within a couple hours from the place. Many of those guests have been going for years, and know the park inside and out and are happy to help visitors with tips. These people have very high standards, know how things are supposed to be, and complain loudly when something isn't just right, so the park is kept up better -- bathrooms are cleaner, the paint is fresher, park benches are fixed immediately. DisneyWorld just doesn't keep the same high standard -- yes it is lovely and clean, but it isn't the same.

 

Magic Kingdom in Orlando seems to this Californian very tiny. The lines for Small World and Peter Pan felt like they were in a shopping mall, not someplace magical. I like Tower of Terror better in Orlando.

 

But, Disney had no control of the land around DL. It was immediately bought up and dozens of cheap hotels and restaurants were built surrounding the park. Walt Disney quietly bought all that land outside of Orlando by creating different corporations as fronts to prevent the speculators from catching on to what he was doing. The resulting space is wonderful! I love all that space at DW -- it is so relaxing to be cut off the rest of the world!!

 

California Adventure is undergoing some amazing renovations right now. The new World of Color Light show is a big hit (another difference -- no seating for these outdoor shows -- bring a blanket and save a space on the ground if you want to watch Fantasmic or the parades or fireworks.) There is a new dark ride (Peter Pan is a "dark ride") based on Little Mermaid that should open this summer.

 

We love to eat at Steakhouse 55 for special occasions, and if we're at the park for the day eat a meal at Red Rocket's Pizza Port. Their pastas are really good. My favorite restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel has closed, or so I heard (Hook's). Downtown Disney is right there (not a bus ride away) and there are several good places to eat there, too, though I can't think of their names. Make reservations! And if you want to see World of Color, make reservations for one of the dinner or picnic packages so you'll have a reserved area.

 

I've stayed at all 3 hotels, though the Grand Californian is really expensive. Off site I like the Red Lion -- cheap, free wifi, but probably not so fun for the kids. Disneyland Hotel has a good pool area, Paradise Pier has a pool on the roof with a great slide. I've watched the firework show from the jacuzzi there!

 

September should be a great time of year. The weather will be warm and dry, the kids will be back in school -- should be a great time to visit.

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These people have very high standards, know how things are supposed to be, and complain loudly when something isn't just right, so the park is kept up better -- bathrooms are cleaner, the paint is fresher, park benches are fixed immediately. DisneyWorld just doesn't keep the same high standard -- yes it is lovely and clean, but it isn't the same.

 

 

 

Jenn, that's so funny that you say that about Disneyland because I feel that it's just the opposite. We just got back from WDW on Saturday, so I can compare it to my trip in September. I appreciate that DL is the original and I'm thankful for that. I was amazed to be able to walk from my hotel to the parks and DTD. But it felt more like Six Flags than Disney. We were there on Labor Day/Half Marathon weekend, though, so maybe that was the difference. The cast members were rude and didn't stay in character. If it's much more magical that WDW, I truly would have loved to experience it while I was there, because I won't get another chance to fly all the way out there again. :(

 

Jenn, I did think about you when I was on my WDW trip last week. I was talking to a young man at Magic Kingdom. He was actually drawing with water on the ground in Fantasyland... and we were all gathered around him trying to determine what he was drawing. It turned out to be Goofy and it was a good 10 feet tall. After he finished, my little artist (Reece) started talking to him about drawing and painting, and I noticed that he was part of the college program (said so on his name tag). I thought about your son and his participation in the college program and wondered if we could have run into him at all while we were there! :) Of course, my Riley was asking me about the college program while she was watching the castle stage show dancers - she kept saying, "I can do that step! I can do that combination!" LOL She said she would want to go to college if she could have Disney be part of it!

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We went to Disneyland Sept. 09. We stayed at the Howard Johnson, about a 10 minute walk from the parks, and we LOVED it. We stayed in what were at the time brand new pirate themed kid suites. I'm not sure if you can do 6 people in the rooms, though...they have a king bed in one room, and a set of bunk beds plus pull out sleeper chair. But it was really nice.

 

My understanding of why the dining plan isn't worth it at DL is because they don't have a real dining plan--it's not like WDW's at all. Basically you pay for vouchers to use for food, but they're worth exactly what you pay for them, and if you use them to pay for something that's less than the face value, you don't get change, so you lose the difference. I.e. if you have a $20 voucher and you use it for an $18 bill, you lose the $2. That's how it worked when I was researching it a year and a half ago, anyway.

 

We actually did 5 days at the parks, mostly because they were running a buy 3 get 2 free promotion when we were there. We were also visiting with extended family, which made everything slower. I think 3 days, maybe 4 would be ideal. Just saw that it's September you're going...things were pretty slow when we were there then...I'd say it's comparable to WDW in September.

 

We really liked the pizza place at Downtown Disney (although it's the same company that owns Via Napoli at Epcot, so now you can get the same thing in Orlando). We ate at Storyteller's Cafe in the Grand Californian, and it was...meh. fine, nothing special. There's not the same focus on food at DL that there is in WDW; there aren't a gazillion heavily themed restaurants to pick from. We weren't impressed with the counter service options, either, for the most part.

 

I'll not get into a contest about which resort is better...IME people tend to like their "home park" the best. But for me it was really cool seeing the original park and doing all the stuff we can't do at WDW. WDW's Pirates kind of bums me out now that I've ridden the one at DL. And we all loved the Matterhorn, and the Alice in Wonderland ride. If you're there in late September, you might get to see the Nightmare Before Christmas Halloween overlay at Haunted Mansion, which is wonderful.

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The Ramada was decent, and they have an Indian restaurant in the hotel. All you can eat lunches.

 

http://www.hotels.com/ho203200/ramada-plaza-hotel-anaheim-anaheim-united-states/

 

If there are any vegetarians in your family, the best Vietnamese restaurant is a few minutes down the street: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/738257

 

Pho heaven!! Seriously...

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The best place to stay is the Grand California, it is connected to Califorina Adventure, you just walk in. It is the closest, nothing fun at end of day w/tired kids, trying to shuttle them to hotels on the strip.

 

Grand CAlifornia has best outside park restaurant, Napa Rose. Great food.

 

Best inside park is Blue Bayou, make reservations two wks to a month in advance. Its packed, but cool, b/c its inside the Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

Take tours, b/c you can do in front of the line stuff and get reserved space for parades.

 

There is an italian restaurant starts w/a C in Downtown disney thats good, at nite, its nice if you go upstairs and sit on the veranda.

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that's so funny that you say that about Disneyland because I feel that it's just the opposite. We just got back from WDW on Saturday, so I can compare it to my trip in September. I appreciate that DL is the original and I'm thankful for that. I was amazed to be able to walk from my hotel to the parks and DTD. But it felt more like Six Flags than Disney. We were there on Labor Day/Half Marathon weekend, though, so maybe that was the difference. The cast members were rude and didn't stay in character. If it's much more magical that WDW, I truly would have loved to experience it while I was there, because I won't get another chance to fly all the way out there again. :(

 

 

I guess it really does depend on when you go, expectations, etc.... We live in CA so go to Disneyland/CA Adventure often, and we love it. I wasn't so thrilled with CA Adventure when it opened, but I've come to appreciate it more over the years. We have always received excellent service at the Disneyland Hotels and the Parks.

 

While we enjoyed our one trip to Walt Disneyworld, we felt the same as a previous poster. The cast members were not as polite and helpful, and we actually had a bad experience at our hotel. There were 2 separate issues - one being broken glass in our room that my then 2 1/2 year old almost put into her mouth saying, "Ice!", but luckily we got to her before she did. We had just checked into our room (which obviously wasn't clean), and it took several hours and phone calls before someone came to clean THE GLASS OFF OF THE FLOOR for us. It was crazy, and along with our other bad hotel incident, we really felt like Disneyland gives much better hotel service.

 

We were also disappointed with some of the rides and attractions, like Small World and the Tiki room. To this day, my kids refer to the FL Tiki Room as the "Bad Tiki Room." On the other hand, we liked that the teacups were covered and went faster than ours, and there was one other ride that we felt was better (Pooh maybe? Can't remember). Overall, we still had a fabulous trip, but I think Disneyland will always be our favorite.

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If you decide to stay at one of the Hotels, make sure to call and find out if they're doing construction or not beforehand if that will bother you. We like to stay at the Disneyland Hotel because my kids like the Peter Pan pool, but the last time we stayed they were in the middle of a big construction project. They're updating rooms and the pool. It didn't make a difference to us as the pool wasn't closed off and we were never in our room during the day to be annoyed by construction sounds. It was also nice to stay in a room with new furniture, decor, etc..... Anyway, again, no matter where you stay, on or off property, it never hurts to call and ask about that.

 

I would probably take 4-5 days to visit if I was coming from out of town (but we like to have relaxing vacations and not feel rushed....it's very doable in 2-3 days during off season). My kids would choose longer if they could. Even though we have passes and live nearby, we still plan a small vacation there every year. :)

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1. How long do you need there?

You need at least three days. Mr. Ellie and I usually do 4.

2. What are the best restaurants? We love to eat out in one really nice restaurant each day.

They're all the best. :D You should do one meal at the Blue Bayou (you'll need reservations), and one meal at Goofy's Kitchen (character breakfast is always fun). We're not familiar with the restaurants at Downtown Disney and whatnot; we usually eat in the park.

3. Is the dining plan there worth it?

Don't know. For two empty-nesters, the dining plan isn't very economical.

4. Where would you stay? We're a family of 6, so we either need a suite or two rooms. We'd like walking distance to the parks, if possible.

We have stayed several times at Ramada Maingate (note that "maingate" is one word; there's another Ramada further down the road that's Ramada Main Gate). It is just a couple of blocks from Disney's main gate (and you pass an IHOP on the way). You have to read hotel descriptions carefully; there may be hotels that are "across from" Disneyland, but that doesn't mean they're walking distance from the main gate. You want the main gate.

 

Our budget just doesn't allow us to stay at any of the Disney hotels, although we have stayed at the Disneyland hotel several times because the state Christian homeschool convention used to be held there, and I was a speaker a few times, so I was able to stay at the hotel. :-)

 

Mr. Ellie and I have been to Disneyland over 30 times. :D

Edited by Ellie
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We're big fans of DL, but we haven't been to Orlando. In Anaheim, the suite hotels tend to be farther away from the park--Embassy Suites, Homewood Suites, Hampton Inn and Suites, etc. are pretty close to each other, and are over a mile from the entrance gates. However, Anaheim runs something called the ART, which is a shuttle service that runs from your hotel right to the entrance. You pay $3 per day per person for unlimited rides from the hotel to the park and back again. It's extremely efficient, and if you have little ones, will actually result in less walking than staying at some of the "walking distance" hotels. We have often stayed at the Embassy Suites, which is a fine example of the chain, and serves a cooked breakfast each morning.

 

The on-site hotels are fun, but the closest and nicest one, the Grand Californian, is pretty expensive. We've stayed at the DL hotel, which is fine, and allows guests to ride the monorail into the park, although the monorail stop is a short walk to the hotel.

 

The Grand Californian has two restaurants on site, the Napa Rose, which is more expensive, and the Storytellers Cafe, which is less expensive but still quite good. Napa Rose pretty much requires reservations, but Storytellers doesn't. In general, the quick-service choices are better at California Adventure, including a sourdough bakery, and some attempts to re-create California's diversity of dining choices. Frankly, you could spend a lot of your day eating your way around California Adventure. :tongue_smilie:

 

The quick-service choices at Disneyland aren't quite as well developed, but my kids and I usually enjoy eating at Rancho del Zocalo, near Adventureland. I know that true Disney-heads rave about the Blue Bayou, on the banks of the Caribbean sea (or at least, the Pirates of the Caribbean...) but I've never eaten there.

 

If you want to do Character dining, do the breakfast, and not the lunch or dinner that are available. The price is lower and the food is better.

 

Finally, I can also recommend the Mimi's Cafe that's across from the main gate of the park. If you've had all the Disney you can stand, and want a quieter and reasonably priced meal, escape across the street to Mimi's.

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We went to Disneyland earlier this month. :) Get the most current edition of The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. It answers all of your questions in detail and the touring plans are awesome (they minimize your wait in line and let you see all the best things in both parks).

 

You'll need at least two days to be relaxed about your trip. Three is better.

 

We don't eat in the parks except for snacks at cart vendors.

 

We like the Best Western Park Place Inn. You can get a minisuite that sleeps six. It is a five minute walk from your room to the gate. We've stayed there twice and have good experiences both times.

 

Have fun! :)

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LOL, we're in about the same situation as you are, except we have actually been to DisneyLand twice--just for something different!

 

We stayed at the Grand Californian--2 rooms.

 

The weather was great in September! A lot of the restaurants seat everyone outside, so make sure you take jackets.

 

You'll love Pirates and Small World there, and the Monsters, Inc. ride is so much fun!

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Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney is one of my favorite restaurants! It is almost as good as the New Orleans Original, and the Banana's Foster is to die for!

 

Like the PP, I find DL to be a little Six Flagish and teeny tiny. MK seems 1/2 of the size of the Orlando MK. 3 days is all I'd need! I'd much rather spend more time in Laguna Beach, LegoLand, Downtown L.A., etc......

 

EDITED: DL MK is 85 Acres, DW MK is 107 acres.

 

AND, DL does STILL have Mr. Toad's Wild Ride...my favorite :-). I'll never buy DW's decision to put in Pooh....ick!

Edited by 3littlekeets
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we live in SoCal. we don't have annual passes, but we do go once or twice a year with friends who are visiting.

 

the younger set (up to about age 8) love the play areas in california adventure. the teens love the tower of terror and the mickey mouse roller coaster, so we often split into two groups, with one adult with each group, and then met up for ice cream.

 

that said, we all prefer disneyland.

 

places to stay: we stayed at disney hotel twice, and it was fun. we tend to pick the least expensive hotel at the main gate at the time that has a pool, and stay there. there are lots of restaurants there, too. ie. for us, price is a consideration, and we didn't find that the more expensive hotels added enough joy to be worth it.

 

for most guests, our usual routine is to arrive one day in the morning, visit disneyland that day and then do california adventure the next day and come home (it closes earlier so it makes the return trip easier). for most kids, that's enough excitement. as a child, i remember visiting for 5 days, and it was just too much.

 

have fun!

ann

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Thanks!!!! This definitely helps.

 

Why is the dining plan not worth it? Just curious! I like the idea of paying upfront and then feeling free to order whatever I want. We usually go to DisneyWorld during free dining - I wish they'd offer that for our trip! (Actually, I just did a quick search - the dining plan is VERY different than the one at WDW. I don't like it!!!)

 

 

 

Thanks! We've come to expect overpriced for Disney! LOL We definitely go for the atmosphere, so we'll probably go to that one by Pirates! We also like a leisurely vacation. But, this has to be a quick trip to the parks. But, then we get a week on a Disney cruise!!

 

What is this free dining you speak of?! :bigear:

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