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Thread: Feedback/Suggestions/Tips before my trip?

  1. #1

    Feedback/Suggestions/Tips before my trip?

    My husband and I are going to Disneyland in mid May. I was hoping to get some advice before my trip. We are planning on staying at the Park Vue Inn right across the street. Has anyone stayed there? I would love to hear whether you liked it or not. Our second choice is the Candy Cane Inn, but are currently leaning toward the Park Vue Inn because of the location.

    While we are there we are thinking of eating dinner at Ariel's Grotto the first night (doing the World of Color dinner thing), Big Thunder Ranch BBQ the second night, and Steakhouse 55 the last night. We have not eaten at these restaurants before - any feedback or suggestions of a different place that we shouldn't miss?

    Finally, if you have any tips or suggestions of things to do/see in either of the parks that are not as well known please let me know! We have been to the parks several times (used to live near there and had annual passes), but now it has been a few years and we want to make the most of our trip since we can't go as often. Thanks!


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  3. #2
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    foresthill Ca

    Just the 2 of you? Ask to ride in the Wheelhouse of the Mark Twain. At the Main Street station you can ask to ride in the tender of the train (It is a seat in the engine), now with this one you might have to be patient, as there are about a hundred different senarios on why they would have to deny this request, including if they need to take on water at the New Orleans Square station. But if you are able the engineer is usually chatty and gives you history of things around the park. You also have to ride the complete loop around back to Main Street. You can also ask to ride in the Lily Belle car, but I am not sure of the proceedure on that one, it is still on my to do list.
    Ask for a Jungle Cruise map as you exit the boat, there is a little "office" to the left before you exit the dock is where you ask.
    Have you been into Anamation Academy?


  4. #3

    Yes, it will just be the 2 of us. Thanks for the suggestions - that is exactly what I was looking for! We haven't tried any of that yet except the animation academy. I love it! I have no artistic ability whatsoever but the class makes it easy.


  5. #4
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    foresthill Ca

    We have 4 kids, they are 19-10 right now, and were 4 1/2 to 14 when we started going as a family. I make sure to date the pictures, and I cropped them to fit in a 12x12 album I got that has Cinderella on it. My youngest especially loves looking through it to see how much better she draws now than when she was "little".
    I can't recall when Ariel's will no longer be offering the WOC package and will go back to character dinner. It is in the update from last week.


  6. #5

    That is a great idea! We are thinking of having kids soon, so I'll keep that in mind for the future. That would be a great keepsake.

    I think the WOC thing continues through mid June so we should still be able to go, but thanks for the heads up.


  7. #6

    I think June 14th is the last night for the WOC Dining Package at AG, so your plans should be fine. Depending on the size of your appetites, the WOC dinner may be too big (it was for us!), so definitely get the leftovers boxed up to go. Recommend the tri-tip dinner -- surprisingly good! If you take the rolls as well, you can make sandwiches with the leftovers for midnight snacks in your hotel room. (Plastic forks and knives and packets of condiments are available at Pacific Wharf.) We ate our boxed desserts while waiting for WOC to start.
    Big Thunder BBQ is fun and the portions are super generous. Get extra cornbread to eat with breakfast the next morning. I think the sausages are only available at dinner, so this may affect whether you eat there for lunch or dinner.
    Steakhouse 55 is fun, too. If you get Al (from NYC), he is one of the best servers!
    Have you looked at the Napa Rose? You can reserve to sit in the main dining room or drop by to sit in the lounge. Highly recommended, especially since there will just be 2 of you.
    Since it will be just the 2 of you this trip, have you looked at the premium rooms at the Candy Cane Inn? The premium rooms come with some very nice touches (robes, breakfast delivered to the room, etc.). The CCI shuttle can be a real help when you are just too tired to walk another step. And the CCI staff is so friendly and helpful.


  8. #7

    The only problem with CCI is that they don't have king sized beds in the premium rooms, only queen. For some that isn't an issue but for us it was. If it's just the two of us we want the king.


  9. #8

    Thanks for all the tips tea4two! Those are great suggestions. And we've been to the Napa Rose before so were thinking Steakhouse 55 this time instead for a nice dinner since we haven't been yet. And since everyone is mentioning CCI maybe we should stay there instead. TTFN92 - we definitely prefer the king too but a few of the places we have been looking at don't have kings available (I think they are all booked up) so I think we are resigned to dealing with 2 queen beds unfortunately.


  10. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    puyallup washington

    candles71s tips are excellent the procedure for the Lilly Belle is the same just ask the CM at the main street station to ride, you have to get here early and maybe be ready to go. The time we rode the train was about to leave and they had room for 2 so we jumped on. In the tender of the train is on our to do list for July. Park vue has king beds with jacuzzi tubs.


  11. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by candles71 View Post
    Ask for a Jungle Cruise map as you exit the boat, there is a little "office" to the left before you exit the dock is where you ask.
    There's a map for the Jungle Cruise?!?

    My girlfriend and I are also going in May and I will definitley have to ask for that! So far we've got a dinner at the Blue Bayou and a Fantasmic premium viewing booked, as well as the Lights... Camera... Magic! tour of the Disney Studios. I'm anticipating eating at the Storyteller's Cafe that evening, since the drop-off point is the Grand Californian. I'm also going to target Trader Sam's and the Tangaroa Terrace. Steakhouse 55 is on the possibility list, but I tend towards more themed experiences than quasi-generic steakhouse experiences. Oh yes, and I'll be trying for the Lilly Belle as well, and I have yet to go in the Mark Twain's wheelhouse.

  12. #11

    We just got home from a week stay at the Park Vue and we thought it was perfect! The service was excellent, the room was clean and the breakfast was great. It was so nice to just walk right across the street at the end of the night.

    We ate at the Big Thunder BBQ and it was our favorite meal of the trip! Super yummy!


  13. #12

    Thanks everyone for the tips! We are all set with reservations at the Park Vue Inn, and then dinner reservations at Big Thunder BBQ, Ariel's Grotto, and Steakhouse 55. I can't wait to get there and try out everyone's tips and suggestions. Now if I could only fast forward 3 weeks to my trip!


  14. #13
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA

    Yes the Big Thunder BBQ place is awesome... cannot miss that or the Dole pineapple whip!

    "A pirates life for me"

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