I was actually surprised when my husband suggested adding Disneyland to our epic West Coast vacation, but I wasted no time researching and planning for this experience.
Luckily I’ve had the Disney credit card for several years and had built up enough points to pay for a chunk of our stay.
I decided to work directly with Disney vacation planners as the Land is not quite as complicated as the World.
We decided on a three night package with a 2-day park hopper pass between Disneyland and the California Adventure Park. I highly recommend the park hopper option; it is nice to be able to go back and forth as you want. We also added the “Max Pass” option after downloading the Disneyland app. I downloaded this app way before our trip so I could start making dining reservations and get a feel for wait times at certain rides etc.
Where we stayed at Disneyland:
After stalking the “Good Neighbor Hotels” for some time and missing an opportunity for the one I had in mind – the Anaheim Marriot – I ultimately decided to splurge on a (the cheapest) Disney property hotel, Paradise Pier. I am so glad I decided to stay on property as it was super convenient and we were able to take advantage of the Magic Morning Hours to get in the Park at 7 a.m. (Yawn!!). At least 3 of 4 of us are not early people but thinking it may be once in a lifetime (probably not, as it turns out ha!!!), we decided we could get out of bed this early for these 2 days only.
This hotel was nice, clean, and fun. There is a room option with 2 beds and a pull out couch which is what we prefer for our family. The pool area is perfect size with a lifeguard on duty and a water slide my kids loved. Also we took advantage of dining by the pool one night which was super convenient as we were resting between park outings and they had decent food. I remember my husband got a poke bowl and I had a wrap of some sort. Also you can see the fireworks from one side of the pool deck. It’s not the best view but it is low key and was good enough for us!
If price was not a consideration, however, I would stay at the Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel which is a bit closer to the Park and seemed REALLY nice as we walked through the lobby back to our own hotel once. Anything on Disneyland property is more expensive than outside of it, but we are unlikely to come here more than once or twice, so I just felt like it was worth it.
My kids were 7 & 9 at the time of this trip, and I believe that is the perfect age. I was not one bit envious of the strollers or the stroller parking!! My kids can walk themselves around and mostly last all day (about 4 p.m. we all started to melt down a bit both days) so it made for a great trip. Being these ages, for better or worse, they did not care about “character dining” which is a huge thing at Disney. This was great for me because it gave ME the opportunity to think about where and what I (oops and my family ha!!!) wanted to eat.
Where we ate at Disneyland:
There are lots of good options in Downtown Disney and in California Adventure for fun dining with a family that still works for adults (meaning you can have a drink). Note there is no alcohol at Disneyland except one super exclusive area that you have to be a club member to get into. So I made reservations at three places I would recommend for different reasons, not necessarily because they are good values (this is Disney after all!!). You can make reservations 60 days out on the Disneyland app.
We ate at the Jazz Kitchen on our first night at Disney when we didn’t have access to the parks. Dining at this Louisiana-themed restaurant was overall a great experience except we were seated in the bright sun and their umbrellas were not moveable. I though the prices were reasonable and the food was delicious. I had the BBQ shrimp & grits. For dessert we ordered the Bananas Foster which they prepare at the table. I would recommend this as an good option for fun, family dining at Disneyland.
I went back and forth on whether to book a reservation at this super popular restaurant which is INSIDE of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland (reservations are a must here!!). On one hand I wanted to see what the hype was about. On the other hand, it is super expensive; the menu is not that expansive; and there is NO alcohol. Ultimately I decided to book a lunch reservation there because I just couldn’t stand not to. We did a 1:20 lunch, and it was a good time to relax a bit and get out of the sun. Also we were able to go on the ride right before the lunch.
The entire Cajun themed restaurant is on a “patio” where you can see the boats go by. It is always “night” here with the sounds of crickets and flickering lights. It is really a beautiful scene. This restaurant is famous for its “Monte Cristo” sandwich so that’s what I had to order. I split that with my husband; he got a bowl of soup and I think we each got a salad. My verdict on this sandwich is that it was good, but it was just too much sweetness for me. The “bread” was more like a donut and I felt like I was eating a dessert for lunch. The kids meals were actually a nice surprise as they got the “beef” that came with potatoes and a vegetable. I saw that many kids had drinks that light up, but they were $8 for a souvenir cup we would have to lug around, so they sold me the ice cube lights for $5 and I was able to stick these in my fanny pack and take them home. It seemed like the best option at the time as the light up drinks were part of the experience.
Ultimately everything the naysayers say about this restaurant is true: The menu here is just not that great. And our bill was huge. Would I go there again?? Probably not. But am I glad I went once?? Yes, I actually am glad I went there just to see it and have my own opinion.
This was the most exciting reservation I was able to land because this restaurant had just opened a week before we dined there. It sits on Pixar Pier in California Adventure Park. We did an 8:30 reservation and were seated outside where we had amazing views of the lights of the pier and even could see and hear the Paint the Night parade as well as the screams from the Incredicoaster. We are not parade people so this was great for us, to enjoy that from a distance.
This place is best known for its Lobster Nachos (carried over from a previous restaurant) so we got those and they were good. I don’t remember them being the best thing I’d ever had like some of the reviews I’ve read but nonetheless they were good. Though they are $20!!! I believe I got the spinach salad here. It was Ok, unremarkable. The only other thing I remember about our specific order is that my daughter loved the PB and J Roll off the kids menu and although this does not sound remarkable, it was a cute presentation and a nice change from the chicken fingers and hamburger rotation we had been going through for the past 2 weeks.
Overall the reason to book this restaurant is for the view and the experience and it is one I would eat at again for sure!
View of Pixar Pier.
Overall…
Although we are not “Disney” people, obviously since we waited until ages 7 & 9 to even take our kids, we will go back sometime, probably after they have the Star Wars area up and running. And when we do we will be staying on property again and dining at Lamplight Lounge, and perhaps we will try a reservation somewhere else in the Adventure Park.
If you have any questions or dining suggestions to add please do so in the comments below. Thanks for reading.