WDW many times, first and only trip to Disneyland ...questions

[CarolynFH]

I would make sure to book a Trader Sam's reservation. It is so great, even if you're not a person who partakes in alcohol. The interior is great.

Thanks for letting me know it can be booked! At WDW you get in line before it opens to give your phone number, and they text you when you can come back!

 

[mdmost]

Thanks for letting me know it can be booked! At WDW you get in line before it opens to give your phone number, and they text you when you can come back!

They also offer walk-up service each day but you may not get a space inside since it is fairly tiny. ADRs open really early in the morning, 6 am Eastern, 60 days out. DLR dining is not as good as WDW but there are some great options like Carthay Circle, Lamplight Lounge, and Blue Bayou (for the ambiance as the dining area is the bayou portion of the Pirates ride). I've never had Wine Country Trattoria, Napa Rose, or Storytellers but those are recommend by others. Disney Food Blog has some good videos on places to eat since that's their speciality.

If you're coming any point beyond May, there will be Paint The Night dinner packages which is a good way to get a nice meal and a dedicated area to watch the parade. There are also packages for Fantasmic with Blue Bayou and others that offer something similar. For River Belle Terrace, you can dine on the terrace and watch the show from there but where you sit can sometimes be obstructed or not as ideal as the up front viewing with other packages. At California Adventure, the dessert party for World of Color is great but it's a lot of food.

 

[LKing]

If you're coming any point beyond May, there will be Paint The Night dinner packages which is a good way to get a nice meal and a dedicated area to watch the parade. There are also packages for Fantasmic with Blue Bayou and others that offer something similar. For River Belle Terrace, you can dine on the terrace and watch the show from there but where you sit can sometimes be obstructed or not as ideal as the up front viewing with other packages. At California Adventure, the dessert party for World of Color is great but it's a lot of food.

Adding to this. Effective Jan 10, Fantasmic has four dining packages.

1. Rancho del Zocalo ($35pp)
2. River Belle Terrace ($58pp)
3. Cafe Orleans ($58pp)
4. River Belle Terrace Premium ($89pp)

The Cafe Orleans dining package replaced the the Blue Bayou dining package.

It is important to note that Disneyland does not have an amphitheater with seats for Fantasmic.

The first three packages above involve eating at the restaurant and then watching Fantasmic from the waterfront while sitting on the ground. When you are done with your meal, your server (or the cashier in the case of RdZ) will give you a ticket for your Fantasmic showing. Dining package guests line up next to Harbour Galley and are allowed to enter the seating area at 7:45 pm for the first show and 10 pm for the second show. You can arrive later, but the later you arrive, the more crowded it becomes. It might not be an issue for two adults, but could be an issue for larger parties or groups with small children.

The fourth option is River Belle Terrace Premium package. The premium package is only offered for the first show. You will eat dinner and watch the show from your table. The pros are that you have a seat. The cons are that it isn't the most comfortable seat and, as was mentioned, the view is obstructed.

For Rancho del Zocalo, River Belle Terrace and River Belle Terrace Premium dining, you need to book a Fantasmic Dining Package on the Disneyland app. Due to very limited seating, the Premium packages sell out within seconds. At this time, for Cafe Orleans, you book a regular dining reservation and tell your server at the table that you would like the Prix Fixe Fantasmic Dining Package.

There are lots of posts with pictures of food, reviews, etc. If you are interested in a particular package, let us know and we can share links to those posts.

 

[Jojo Cat Lady]

We try to go to Disneyland every year. I recommend the book "Unofficial Guide to Disneyland" which is published every year with updates on things that have changed. I just purchased the 2025 edition for our June trip. This year's edition is 408 pages of information on rides, hotels and advice.

 

[crystal1313]

I'm local so can't compare the hotels very well. @crystal1313 has toured or stayed at many of them.

Edit to add a link to her YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOs2o-78WspbTNKOFWnHnK9TMeC8ZKwWf

Thanks for the shoutout @LKing ! We also have quite a few walking videos from the hotels in the area, so you can see the route and how long the walk is.

 

[Epcot Mom]

Wow! You all are amazing!!! Thank you so much, this is soooo helpful! I really appreciate your time in responding!

 

[CarolynFH]

Wow! You all are amazing!!! Thank you so much, this is soooo helpful! I really appreciate your time in responding!

Ditto!

 

[OlliePop27]

I hope you have a great trip! You've received a ton of great advice on this thread.

I always find it interesting when someone posts a thread like this and says "my only trip ever to DL." What if you love it so much that you decide to come back?!

Have a fun planning and going!

 

[Olaf - Be Our Guest]

Adding to this. Effective Jan 10, Fantasmic has four dining packages.

1. Rancho del Zocalo ($35pp)
2. River Belle Terrace ($58pp)
3. Cafe Orleans ($58pp)
4. River Belle Terrace Premium ($89pp)

The Cafe Orleans dining package replaced the the Blue Bayou dining package.

It is important to note that Disneyland does not have an amphitheater with seats for Fantasmic.

The first three packages above involve eating at the restaurant and then watching Fantasmic from the waterfront while sitting on the ground. When you are done with your meal, your server (or the cashier in the case of RdZ) will give you a ticket for your Fantasmic showing. Dining package guests line up next to Harbour Galley and are allowed to enter the seating area at 7:45 pm for the first show and 10 pm for the second show. You can arrive later, but the later you arrive, the more crowded it becomes. It might not be an issue for two adults, but could be an issue for larger parties or groups with small children.

The fourth option is River Belle Terrace Premium package. The premium package is only offered for the first show. You will eat dinner and watch the show from your table. The pros are that you have a seat. The cons are that it isn't the most comfortable seat and, as was mentioned, the view is obstructed.

For Rancho del Zocalo, River Belle Terrace and River Belle Terrace Premium dining, you need to book a Fantasmic Dining Package on the Disneyland app. Due to very limited seating, the Premium packages sell out within seconds. At this time, for Cafe Orleans, you book a regular dining reservation and tell your server at the table that you would like the Prix Fixe Fantasmic Dining Package.

There are lots of posts with pictures of food, reviews, etc. If you are interested in a particular package, let us know and we can share links to those posts.

Thanks for the info on Disneyland and the Fantasmic dining packages. We were able to get a standard dining at River Belle Terrace booked for our short trip to Disneyland - first time - on May 30-31. We tried to get the Premium seating, but the agent mentioned that all dining was not released for those days. I was not sure if that was the nice way of saying it was already booked - no availability.

Has anyone had any luck getting the Fantasmic Premium Dining package? We are starting to see some real differences here between Land and World - no length of stay booking, etc. Thanks for the info, we will keep looking.

 

[tzeitel]

I like going in the Fall/ early Winter. The IaSW and NBC HM holiday overlays are so good!

Have never stayed at GCH but you can tell the architect did WL and AKL.

Park hopping is super easy, if you visit for more than 3 days then get it.

We have done the F! package (all tiers) by now it's not a must do.
But the World of Color dessert party is a must do for us every trip.
Did the dining package once and didn't care for it.

Trader Sam's is hard to get (but worth it) reservation. If you don't get it right away keep trying. I have found reservations by checking at odd times and even at the last minute.

 

[irlandaise]

Has anyone had any luck getting the Fantasmic Premium Dining package?

There are some services you can subscribe to (some free) that will alert you if there's a cancellation. Folks on this board have reported that it's helpful to sign up for a service that provides text alerts because those come through faster than emails, and newly opened reservations go fast.