Disneyland <- suggestions wanted!

Well most of you don't know me, but some of you might, but I am a huge WDW fanatic. I know practically everything there is to know at WDW since I go there weekly and I've always loved it since I was a kid.

I am going May 1-5th, 2006 to Disneyland. This will be the frist trip there in a looooooooooooooooooooooooooong time. It's just my dad and I since it's my idea to go, and none of my friends can afford to go, so basically it will be a 21 year old and her dad. ;-) We are starting to look for booking and whatnot but I'd lvoe any suggestions or anything that anyone has to offer. :-)

We will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel. (No I don't want to stay at a good-neighbor hotel. I WANT to stay at the disneyland hotel, so that's where I will stay) And airfare is no problem.

Just some tips for the park and stuff, and has anyone used the DL dining plan? Does it work? Is it worth it/

Here is a good guide for the attractions at DL:
http://www.disneyworldtrivia.com/for...ead.php?t=2084

I never used the DL dining plan.

Be sure to get loads of pics of Submarine Voyage! There's a cookie in it for ya! :thumbs:

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Originally Posted by 20K

Be sure to get loads of pics of Submarine Voyage! There's a cookie in it for ya! :thumbs:

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What type of cookie?

And yes i will. I just have to... I don't know. I have to get more memory cards for my digital camera or I can just steal my dads which has like 500 pictures. We shall all see.

We didn't stay at the Disneyland Hotel, or anywhere else on Disney property on my past visit (bummer), and thus I didn't use the DL dining plan. But we did eat at some of the resort's restaurants, and I can tell you that they were excellent.

We ate at the Paradise Pier hotel (Stitch character breakfast), Goofy's Kitchen (Character dinner) and Granville's (upscale steakhouse) at the DL hotel, and the Blue Bayou in Disneyland itself. Blue Bayou is unique, it's built into the Pirates of the Carribean ride, and thus has a wonderful atmosphere. I found the Cajun food to be good, but I'm not sure if a native would agree...

We also ate at the Naples Ristorante in Downtown Disney, which gave my local South Philly Italian restaurants a run for their money.

On the other hand, we found that the counter service restaurants in the parks (DCA included) were on par for a theme park...overpriced, but edible, junk food. Redd Rockett's Pizza port in Tomorrowland gave me agita (heartburn). But if you want to indulge, do buy a Churro from a cart. Make sure to spring for the cup of caramel for .50 more...the sugar rush should keep you moving through the end of the day!

Outside of the resort, we pretty much stuck to chain restaurants (Denny's, Chili's, Jack in the Box), but we really liked the In-N-Out burger, a local legend.

Hope this gives you some insight!

Thanks that means a lot to me. I've heard about the Blue Bayou from a couple people, so I think that I'll definitely hit it there, my Dad will love it.

I'm guessing we'll stay on-site for most of it unless my dad decides he wants to go elsewhere, or he has business to do in the area. Other than that, I'll probably be glued to Disneyland... although he said he wants to go to Knot's Berry Farm. Is that any good?

Thanks again. I'll keep all your suggestions in mind! :-D If anyone else has any, please let me know! :-)

We didn't go to Knott's, but we drove by it a couple of times. They have a scale replica of Independence Hall across from the main park that we wanted to take pictures of. From the outside, it looks like any other amusement park...large wooden coaster and such.

Ok I am a Los Angeles native. Just mentioning In-N-Out makes me drool. You must eat there if you can. I miss it tremendously out here and the rest of the country does not know what it is missing.

I love WDW don't get me wrong but for some reason DL has an extra little spark of magic for me. I think it's all due to fantasyland which just has a lot more detail than at WDW.

As far as Knott's Berry Farm goes I have not been isince 1997. The last time I was there it was fabulous because there were zero lines. It's cute and quaint but nowhere near as good as DL. I like panning for gold and the train ride is great. Make sure to go to the main restaurant for fabulous fried chicken. If you have any other SoCal questions I'll be glad to answer them.

Thanks.

I don't know how much off-grounds we'll be doing. My dad may be doing business and even though its just me and him, I'm 21 and I think I'll just be a nerd and go on a shopping spree at WDW if he has to go somewhere instead of off-grounds. This way I don't have to explain my purchases to anyone. lol.

My dad was there once and he wasn't impressed but he volunteered to take me and now its a 'father/daughter' deal so I'm looking forward to it. It should be fun.

Is the San Diego Zoo worth it?

I know its a bit away, but is it worth going to?

And how long would it take to experience the zoo?

Blue Bayou is a must. Be sure to find out about reservations. I "think" they take them first thing in the morning and they fill up quick. When I worked there - years ago - you had to make them in person, but things change often, so you might want to check with the hotel concierge when you get there.

Bengal Barbeque has some great smaller serving skewer foods if you like flavor. It is located in Adventureland across from the Indiana Jones attractions. You can order meat or vegetables on a skewer. The beef is very spicy and the chicken is very tropical. Both are delicious. So is the bacon wrapped asparagus. It could be a light meal and like most places in the park, it is not cheap.

Disneyland does get crowded, so try to get a fast pass and go on the busier attractions early in the morning to avoid the long line waits.

Knott's Berry Farm can be fun. They have really expanded their roller coaster selection. So if you want some fun rollercoasters that are close, you will enjoy it. They have other rides as well. It is definitely a one day event, but not more. Make sure to get something "boysenberry" while you are there. They have delicious funnel cakes with boysenberry topping (if you want it) and great boysenberry popiscles. (They boysenberry is their family trademark.) http://www.knotts.com/coinfo/history/index.shtml

I hope you have a fun trip!

Thanks.

I'm not too worried about the busier attractions because anything they have in Disney World, Tower of Terror, Buzzlight year, Soarin', anything they almost have exact for exact, I don't plan on going on. I've been on those way too many times and it doesn't mean that much to me going on those rides in a different state. I will check out anything that is different though. But thanks. I'm familiar with fastpass. I'm a WDW junkie.

Thanks. My dad wanted to go to Knotts, so we shall see. I'm still curious about the San Diego Zoo.

I found that many of the "duplicate" rides at DL are different than the WDW versions, and are worth riding at least once. You'll get a new take on the old favorites. The differences go beyond merely existing in a different state!

For example, Buzz has a completely different storyline and much more flexible laser guns. Space Mountain has been completely "re-imagineered". The outsides of Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Small World are radically different, and the rides inside have slight changes that you are sure to notice.

If the park isn't too crowded, treat yourself to these classic attractions, you'll be glad you did.

Never been to the SD zoo, sorry!!

Yeah. I know they just did space mountian so im obviously going on that, but other than that for me, the rides aren't all that important. I know so many nooks and crannys of WDW that a lot of people don't know about, and I like to look for that. They just redid Small World in WDW and really... I know I'll go on some of the duplicates but Tower of Terror, probably not. I'm only there for about 4 days so that's not too long. I know I'll be able to get through a lot of it, but I'm also going some other places, so we shall see what I all get on.

A big part of it is also shopping. My parents are looking for some more disney artwork so I know I'll be spending plenty of time at the Disney Gallary and other places. So in all honestly, rides are not number one on the list, which I know is odd. I"ll be making a list of what I definitely have to get on. I know the fantasyland rides are different in DL, but other than that I don't worry. Thanks though!

You can call ahead for the Blue Bayou and I highly recommend doing it. I went this summer and called like 2 months ahead and got my pick of times. The people who walked in were waiting up to 2 hours.

The San Diego Zoo is a great zoo but that's all it is, a zoo. If I were only in Los Angeles for a few days I would not spend one of them there. It's too much hassle to get there for what it is if you are short on time.

You will find plenty of little nooks and crannies to check out especially in New Orleans Square. In my opinion it is far superior to Liberty Square.