Originally Posted By fidoprincess We will be at GCH from 8/16-8/21. I don't like waiting in long lines for food so can someone look at my schedule and offer any tips or criticisms? I have not called to make the reservations yet and can change anything except our dates: Monday 8/16 Arrive, not sure of time Maybe lunch-Pizza Port Dinner – Goofy’s Kitchen Tuesday 8/17 Early Entry 7am Breakfast- Carnation Cafe after fantasyland stuff Lunch- Riverbell Terrace/Stage Door Cafe Dinner- Café Orleans Riverside Seating Fantasmic/fireworks Wednesday 8/18 Must Do WOC fast passes Enter CA from GCH at 8ish? Get FP for WOC and go to TSMM Breakfast at Pacific Wharf Cafe Do Pier area see HSM, Alladin Lunch at GCH Storytellers maybe/pool break? Dinner-Rain Forest Café 5:15 WOC check in at 7, show at 9 Thursday 8/19 (Back up day for World of Color) Early Entry 7am Breakfast Minnie’s Plaza Inn 9:30 after early entry stuff Lunch Pizza Port? Dinner- Carnation Café during Parade what time? See Fireworks in front of castle tonight? Friday 8/20 Toontown Madness at 8 Breakfast Café Orleans Lunch Round Up BBQ (Is this any good?) Dinner-Blue Bayou (Castle Fireworks back up night) Saturday-8/21 home Breakfast before we leave, where? Thanks in advance for any tips!
Originally Posted By Rsey103 I couldn't do all those breakfasts---but it looks like you're getting up at the crack of dawn. There is probably a better choice than the Rainforest Cafe.
Originally Posted By Ursula I think you have way too much food. The portions are fairly big and it takes time to sit down and eat at the restaurants. I would pick two meals a day and just do counter service for one meal a day that requires no reservation or seating and waiting for a server to assist you. You'd be spending too much time sitting and not doing! 8/21 I'd do Goofy's Kitchen as a nice send off and take it off the first day. Unless you have kids.
Originally Posted By fidoprincess WOW, thanks so much for your fast replies. How nice of you! Yep, I have 3 kids which is why I wanted to do Goofy's right away to get the autograph thing done. I hate trying to get the autographs in the park. My kids are too shy and polite and everyone cuts in front of them so it takes a really long time. That is the only reason we are doing Minnie's too because dd loves Pooh who is not at Goofy's kitchen. If we see a short line near the pooh ride to get the autograph, we'll probably cancel Minnie's. Also, we have a voucher that pays for either dinner or brunch so we get an extra $35 doing dinner. I, myself, never eat breakfast but DH and the kids HAVE to have it-ugh. I tried feeding them in the hotel room with the cute boxes of cereal and fruit but they take really long and we miss early entry. Even with doing breakfasts after early entry, I still have to give them something to hold them over in the hotel room while I do my makeup, shower, etc..Geez, kids are such a pain at DL-lol! I usually make this many reservations and then cancel what we don't make so I am not sure if I shouldn't book them anyway? What about that BBQ Roundup? Any good? For 5 of us for lunch it will be >$100. What is good close to CA for the night of WOC? They don't like Tratoria or Ariel's or Napa Rose? I don't want to get too far away.
Originally Posted By fidoprincess Ursula, We always did Goofys on the morning we were leaving since we drive home about 8 hours. The kids had such full bellys and slept like rocks most of the way home. DH just called and said he doesn't want to do dinner there and not to even think about the $35 difference-lol-so we will switch that too. Thanks again!
Originally Posted By Ursula As odd as it sounds, I've never eaten at the BBQ Roundup. I will dine there this weekend, though, so I'll let ya know! Okay, with kids then stick with Goofy's on your first day. And I really like their PB&J pizza and worms and dirt. Highly suggested. I would make the reservations and cancel them as you find out what your family wants/needs to do. DL and CA are feet from each other, so Tony Roma's or Mimi's Cafe are great and walking distance. Or inside the Grand Californian, go to Whitewater Snacks! It isn't far at all. You can use the exit/entrance gates as you are a guest. I personally can't stand the food at Taste Pilot's. The Wharf area has good food (I'm not saying that just because my niece works there), as does that little place at the back of the Farm Area in DCA, what the heck is that called? They have healthy food and fried food and it suits us well.
Originally Posted By Ursula A nice dinner on your first night: Try Napoli's in Downtown Disney. I like their food and it isn't crazy busy like Rain Forest with all of the business going on. (And your husband is much like my husband.)
Originally Posted By Ursula Oooh, or if healthier food isn't your bag of tea, I'd see if Croc's Bits and Bites are still going to be open when you are there. You can sit at the chairs at the Lost Bar (a family area, not exactly a grown-up bar) and have dinner there from Croc's. (But they are re-modeling, so call ahead of time.)
Originally Posted By darcy-becker Why not take the cereal boxes and fruit into the park. You can buy milk there. It will save you time and money.
Originally Posted By fidoprincess Oh gosh, thanks again for all of your help! Ursula, I remember an Ursula on here 5 or 6 years ago who helped me with my trip planning then. Are you the same Ursula? If so, wow, thanks for all of your help again. So I just got off the phone with Vacation Planning (Karen) and she was really sweet and helpful. I ended up doing Goofy's Kitchen the morning we leave since DH said he would stand in the character lines with dd. (I was shocked!)She will call me Saturday to let me know if we got the Fantasmic so I will be waiting but prepared to switch to Thursday or even Friday if they don't get it. I am not even sure when we will get there on Monday. We want to leave on Sunday night and drive to maybe Valencia but dd's friend has plans for Sunday so we will just have to see when she can leave. If we do that, we'll get to the hotel earlier and have a better chance of getting the daybed room. Then I am not sure what to do for dinner that night but we'll just wing it. Do you need reservations for Napoli's? Darcy, In all these trips, I NEVER thought of that! I've done the cereal in the room and brought in snacks and lunches even but oh boy, I think this might be a good idea. The kids would eat faster in the park seeing all the fun stuff to do and we would not have to lug around food all day that DH hates. I am going to try it this time. Where do you suggest we get the milk and where do you sit? Thanks!
Originally Posted By fidoprincess Ursula, just curious if you ever had food at the bar above Ariel's? The menu looks good and even the kids could find something they might like. I heard the lobster tacos are delicious and maybe we should try to pop in there once for a meal. If you have been there, is it weird to take kids in? Is it hard to get in, crowded? Thanks again.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Ursula the Lost Bar is closing mid-August according to the guys working over the 4th of July but the server at the DL pool(they all move around from pools to Lost bar etc) said it was closing end of July. Some construction walls are already up at the Bonita Falls. LAST CAll sadly We looked everywhere for Lost BArs souvenirs but everything is generic Disney. So glad I have an old menu and coasters for my keepsakes. I will always consider the LostBar to be one of the coolest ever. Love how the glass doors can be opened on all sides and the bar is an open or close breeze-thru and families could relax(including smokes and drinks)as the children played nearby on the remote-control Jungle Cruise game or ate junk food from Croc's. the pedestrians visiting the Bonita Falls for the last time was really high over the Fourth. We had to visit with the youngest generation to take pictures. Someday they will be telling their children about the Falls buried underground and a "movie" will have to be made...
Originally Posted By fidoprincess This is so sad for me! We always stayed at DLH and we took the time to go to the waterfalls and my kids always feed the koi and did the remote boats. I had hoped we would see the falls one last time on our visit 8/16 but I guess that is too late. I read the fish are already gone. This is why we had to stay at GCH this time but no one is really happy about it. I just couldn't stand to see the construction but I know curiosity will make me go look. Hopefully, when DLH is all done, we'll love it just as much and get to come back. The pool plans look odd to me with the monorail slides but I hope it will be nice. I still never got over losing the fantasy waters show and cringed each time I passed by that empty space.
Originally Posted By Mickeysbestfan I would double check the newer menu for Ariels and think about doing the dinner with the WOC seating. I think it was Ursula that posted a trip report on how good the food was there for the WOC show recently.
Originally Posted By LuLu I recommend Ariels WoC also. Will be trying the Trattoria WoC this weekend.
Originally Posted By fidoprincess Thanks LuLu and Mickeysbestfan, Do you think doing a dinner is really necessary if I am getting in early to get a fastpass through GCH? I looked at the menus and while I was drooling and thought so much looked great, my kids could not find anything they liked at all. I have a 10, 11 and 15 year old but they are all ADULTS in Disney's eyes so I called to ask if I paid full adult price, could they still order a kids meal and I was told no. That is a bummer but dd is a vegetarian too and even I would be hard pressed to order the only adult veg meal: "Spinach and Ricotta Agnolotti Topped with fresh spinach, sun dried tomatoes, julienne onions, and asparagus served in a light mushroom broth" Can you see a 10 year old liking this? I might have got her on the ravioli but add spinach AND asparagus and yuk. I haven't seen any pics of this dish yet. For us to eat there it would be over $200 just to get a blue fast pass. I am still not sure what to do but am watching reports of people who are returning. We'd have better luck with picnics for food choices but I read those fastpasses are the same color as going to the FP machine. When I called today, I was also told that the FP from the machine is "ENTIRELY RANDOM" and that ticks me off too. Why wouldn't the people who line up earliest get the yellow tickets and not the red ones? I am still waiting to see how that all plays out but if you have more info, please tell me! Thanks again.
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 White Water Snacks in the GCH has inexpensive and tasty breakfasts and is much faster than some of the ideas you listed.
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 Also, try the picnic lunches for WOC; they are cheaper and there are several options (including a veggie one) for around 15 dollars and you still get seating. <a href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/calendar/specialEvents/detail?name=WorldOfColorDining" target="_blank">http://disneyland.disney.go.co...orDining</a>
Originally Posted By Mickeysbestfan My "adult" child was allowed to order off the childrens menu. She was still charged as an adult, but also got a larger portion of the childrens meal. However, that was at the Blue Bayou.
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 It looks like you are going to have a fantastic trip! I would second the idea that you can get away with planning two meals a day, and then snacking for the third meal as the meals are pretty filling. Do you have a reservation for Carnation Cafe at breakfast? I have seen the line get pretty long there sort of early, and they do take Priority Seating reservations. We usually do a breakfast in the room before going to Early Entry, then push hard for the first few hours, eating a few snacks (granola/breakfast bars or pastries and fruit) with a cup of coffee in line, on a bench, or waiting for someone to get Fast Passes, then go to a brunch/lunch at Carnation Cafe at around 10:30. We push it to 11:00 if we think we want to order off the lunch menu, 10:30 if we want breakfast (check when you call to make your reservations to see what time lunch starts). After a big meal at the Carnation Cafe, I don't think you will be ready for lunch at the Riverbelle Terrace, but if someone is hungry you could grab a snack if you need it. Since you have reserved seating for Fantasmic that night, and you are up to go very early for Early entry, you might want to consider heading back to the rooms/pools for a few hours in the afternoon, before returning in the evening for dinner or your Fantasmic reservations. Also, since it sounds like you are excited about the character dining, when I called yesterday I was told that they are doing a character breakfast with Mickey Mouse (!!!!) at the Paradise Pier now. The lady was really excited about it, and I didn't really think about it until I hung up because I wasn't planning on booking any character meals, but it is pretty cool that you can meet Mickey at a character meal instead of having to wait in line. I don't have the details, but you may want to ask about it if you call back again.
