Disneyland Newbie- Looking for Recommendations

Amycella78

Earning My Ears
Joined
Oct 31, 2014
Hi All,

I will be posting this also in the Disneyland forum but I thought I would ask my fellow Canadians for their advice as well. We are WDW veterans but we are venturing to the West Coast this summer and will be visiting Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farms in mid August. Having never been there I am feeling just a little overwhelmed! We will have a car and will be staying at a Good Neighbour Hotel.

My children will be 8 and 4 by the time of our trip and don't sit still very well, which means we don't usually get to watch parades or shows. They love rides though! Any recommendations on which rides at Disneyland or California Adventure are absolute musts?

Any recommendations on where to eat? We are not too picky, we can usually find something on a menu that we will eat. We typically do quick/counter service but are looking for at least one special sit down meal- is there anything similar to Be Our Guest? The whole family, even DH, loved our experience there!
Since we have a car, if there are any off-site restaurants you can recommend, feel free to share. We have planned a 'down day' where we do not have any plans other than to explore the surrounding area for the day.

Any tips, advice, suggestions are greatly appreciated!
 
All the rides in Cars Land are an absolute must do. Radiator Springs Racers is like Test Track but better, and the other rides really have no WDW equivalent. They are amazing.

Despite what you said about parades, you will not want to miss the Paint the Night Parade. It's simply the best parade ever and you will not be disappointed.

I can't comment much on dining. We are also going in Aug and it will only be our 3rd trip there. The first was many moons ago, and the 2nd was 2016 for their 60th anniversary where we first watched Paint the Night. You will have a blast. Park Hopping is so easy there!
 
We are going to DLR for the first time in April! So fun to discover a new park! We are staying at Best Western Park Place Inn (across the street on Harbor) and I made reservations for the Paint the Night dining package at Wine Trattoria restaurant (might cancel if reports say it's easy to get a good view without a pkg), Cafe Orleans, Minnie breakfast at Plaza Inn and Blue Bayou Fantasmic dining package. I got my tickets with Airmiles (3 day park hopper tickets) and I'm planning on getting MaxPass while there.

Before posting on the DLR forum I would read HydroGuy's threads, especially the one for WDW vets. It will probably answer most of your questions. Also check menus and there's probably an August check-in thread.
 
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Looks like a lot of newbies heading west this year. Count us as one of them too, Last week of Aug. Plan on 5 days at the parks as we wont be back soon enough.
 
We have been to DLR the last two years in a row and will be heading back next week. We absolutely love it.

We're big fan's of the Minnie Breakfast in the Plaza Inn. Food is good but Characters are amazing!
Radiator Springs Racers is our favourite ride. Our four year old was a bit scared when he did it last year (the race at the end moves pretty quick), but he did it four times during the trip...so it couldn't have been that bad.
My 6 year old's (DD) fav ride was Radiator Springs and the Animation Academy and my 4 year old's (DS) was Toy Story (in California Adventure) and Astro Blasters (in Disneyland Park). He also LOVED the Jedi Academy. He can't wait to do it again.
Peter Pan is always a long lineup but is pretty magical.
The Mickey Beignets and Mint Julep are a must for us...I think they're at the Mint Julep Bar in Orleans Square.
Also a fan of the Pommes Frittes in Cafe Orleans for a quick snack.
 
We are heading back for 2nd trip at end of April. Off site in one of the hotels within walking distance.
Off site restaurants around are Cheesecake Factory, Fire & Ice, PF Chang, and there’s a Pizza Press in lobby of our hotel that’s pretty good.

The best themed restaurant inside DL imo is Blue Bayou. It’s themed like you’re sitting outside on the bayou. You’re on the water on the other side of POTC where the boats go. It’s really cool.

Small World is different, they have the dolls that are disney characters in it. POTC is a longer version as is Space Mtn. Indiana Jones is like Dinosaur, Big Thunder was a little different, Story Book Canal boats, Mr Toad! Matterhorn! Lots of fun things.
In DCA ToT was turned into Guardians of the Galaxy, really good. Cars Land is really cute. You may have to do child swap on some rides as the 8 yr old will be able to go on much more than the 4 yr old.

The Max Pass was worth it. Saves a lot of leg work and time. And it comes with photopass for ride photos and all those character photos your kids will want to get.

Mint Julep and Mickey Beignets yes!
 



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