Things not to miss!

[Amy]

I had never heard about it either, but when I was watching some youtube videos from Disney Parks Blog and came across this power walk video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&featu ... 7DPzgdEgmU
I just love the idea that it is in the parks when they are empty and a great way to start your day! Would love to hear if anyone has ever done it!

Looks like fun to be in the parks with no one else around! It does look like they walk pretty briskly so I better make sure I'm not only putting my miles in, but making them go by pretty quickly by December I hope they are still doing it. Everything I found on it seems to be from 2012.

[sfein]

My family went for the first time last July. We area WDW family, but we had a couple of weeks in California so added DL/CA to our things to do list. We did both parks in 3 days. The only thing we missed was the new Cars ride. Fastpass sold out by early and lines were over 3 hours long. So we skipped. As a matter of fact, I got up early and went to get a fastpass around 8. Line for fastpass was over an hour and a helpful worker told me that where I was in line, there was no way I was getting a fastpass, so don't waste my hour.

We ate at the Blue Bayou. Yes expensive, but POC is right there where you can watch the boats go by, and being my favorite ride, we had to eat there.

A couple of non-obvious attractions:
You can go inside the Castle and see dioramas of Sleeping Beauty. They looked nice (though small), but it was the idea of walking inside parts of the castle that got my interest. We went at night when no one was in that area.

Storybookland was also interesting. Yes it is geared for small children, but well-built castles and houses on display were excellent. I wanted to take one home.

It is very popular, but the big Ferris Wheel in CA is also fun. This is because individual cars move within tracks. It adds a little excitement to the normal Ferris Wheel.

[Belle1082]

We ate at the Blue Bayou. Yes expensive, but POC is right there where you can watch the boats go by, and being my favorite ride, we had to eat there.

I totally forgot about the Blue Bayou and how it is inside POC! I definitely want to try and get reservations there. Or is this a restaurant you could probably walk right in? I have no sense of DL/CA dining! lol

[Amy]

My family went for the first time last July. We area WDW family, but we had a couple of weeks in California so added DL/CA to our things to do list. We did both parks in 3 days. The only thing we missed was the new Cars ride. Fastpass sold out by early and lines were over 3 hours long. So we skipped. As a matter of fact, I got up early and went to get a fastpass around 8. Line for fastpass was over an hour and a helpful worker told me that where I was in line, there was no way I was getting a fastpass, so don't waste my hour.

We ate at the Blue Bayou. Yes expensive, but POC is right there where you can watch the boats go by, and being my favorite ride, we had to eat there.

A couple of non-obvious attractions:
You can go inside the Castle and see dioramas of Sleeping Beauty. They looked nice (though small), but it was the idea of walking inside parts of the castle that got my interest. We went at night when no one was in that area.

Storybookland was also interesting. Yes it is geared for small children, but well-built castles and houses on display were excellent. I wanted to take one home.

It is very popular, but the big Ferris Wheel in CA is also fun. This is because individual cars move within tracks. It adds a little excitement to the normal Ferris Wheel.

Thanks for the tips! We enjoyed the Storybook Land Canal Boats when we went before. I'm not sure if my Mom will be able to get into/off the boat this time around though. We'll have to wait and see. Do you happen to remember if the dioramas involved any stairs? I know we saw them before but I can't remember any specifics.

We might try dessert at the Blue Bayou as someone else suggested that ~ sounds like a good way to enjoy the ambiance without breaking the piggy bank. I think that you can probably walk up to that restaurant as long as you aren't trying to dine right at a common meal time Belle1082, although the official Disneyland website does recommend making a ressie.

[Wizzard419]

Sleeping Beauty Castle does involve stairs, but I think they too have added a handicapped room.

[Amy]

Sleeping Beauty Castle does involve stairs, but I think they too have added a handicapped room.

Thanks ~ F1gment can do some stairs, but she does go slower so she wouldn't want to be where she could be rushed or jostled.

[sfein]

[quote="Amy"
Thanks for the tips! We enjoyed the Storybook Land Canal Boats when we went before. I'm not sure if my Mom will be able to get into/off the boat this time around though. We'll have to wait and see. Do you happen to remember if the dioramas involved any stairs? I know we saw them before but I can't remember any specifics.

We might try dessert at the Blue Bayou as someone else suggested that ~ sounds like a good way to enjoy the ambiance without breaking the piggy bank. I think that you can probably walk up to that restaurant as long as you aren't trying to dine right at a common meal time Belle1082, although the official Disneyland website does recommend making a ressie.[/quote]

Yes there were stairs and I don't remember if there were elevators or something else for handicap access (but this is Disney, so probably).

We did walk up to Blue Bayou. It was around lunch time, but I can't remember exactly when (ie closer to 11 than 12 for example). But we waited all of 5 minutes. I forgot to mention, the food was delicious. Though it was dark (tough to get pictures without flashes and I did not want to disturb other diners and the people on the boats so, pictures are dark).

[Amy]

Thanks for the tips! We enjoyed the Storybook Land Canal Boats when we went before. I'm not sure if my Mom will be able to get into/off the boat this time around though. We'll have to wait and see. Do you happen to remember if the dioramas involved any stairs? I know we saw them before but I can't remember any specifics.

We might try dessert at the Blue Bayou as someone else suggested that ~ sounds like a good way to enjoy the ambiance without breaking the piggy bank. I think that you can probably walk up to that restaurant as long as you aren't trying to dine right at a common meal time Belle1082, although the official Disneyland website does recommend making a ressie.

Yes there were stairs and I don't remember if there were elevators or something else for handicap access (but this is Disney, so probably).

We did walk up to Blue Bayou. It was around lunch time, but I can't remember exactly when (ie closer to 11 than 12 for example). But we waited all of 5 minutes. I forgot to mention, the food was delicious. Though it was dark (tough to get pictures without flashes and I did not want to disturb other diners and the people on the boats so, pictures are dark).

I do remember some flashes going off in the early part of the PoC bayou, so I'm sure some people were taking flash pictures. I just tried to think of them as extra flashes of lightning ~ maybe even heat lightning since we're in the swamp

[Wizzard419]

Since it's not a popular attraction (hence why it was also closed for about 10 years) you won't have to worry about being rushed through the staircases if she wanted to go into the castle. The wheelchair "experience" is this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sx9Xqb-MKg

[Amy]

Since it's not a popular attraction (hence why it was also closed for about 10 years) you won't have to worry about being rushed through the staircases if she wanted to go into the castle. The wheelchair "experience" is this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sx9Xqb-MKg

Thanks

[Belle1082]

I am definitely excited about Blue Bayou now that it isn't TOO difficult to get into without reservations.

We just don't know exactly how are days are going to lead and where exactly we will end up, so that is nice to hear.

And - there is a VERY good chance that we will get to have lunch in Club 33!!!!

[Amy]

And - there is a VERY good chance that we will get to have lunch in Club 33!!!!

who do you know?!?! Lucky!!!!

[GeoffS]

If you want to make a complete loop of all the snazzy restaurants, add Napa Rose and Carthay Circle to the list. That would be a bragging rights trip.

[Belle1082]

And - there is a VERY good chance that we will get to have lunch in Club 33!!!!

who do you know?!?! Lucky!!!!

A family friend works at Disney and she asked her boss' boss! It is a very special occasion though because we are taking my Dad for his 60th birthday!

I would also definitely like to check out Napa Rose! I've been to wine country twice and I just love the atmosphere and of course the wine!

[Amy]

F1gment has been looking at DL hotel accommodations online. I know I have seen a few places that are off property, but within walking distance of the parks, mentioned here and there that people have stayed in and liked, but I can't find them right off. Would anyone like to share where they have stayed and liked? It is looking like it is going to be too expensive to stay on property and there just aren't the same perks to staying at DL like there are at WDW to justify the extra expense We must have had really great deals the two times we stayed at the DL Hotel, or rooms were cheaper then, or I was more reckless with my spending, because I have no idea how we managed to stay there ~ and on the concierge level at that!