First Time to DLP-Advice Appreciated!

[JConklin]

My DH and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary next year by going to DLP the week after Thanksgiving. We've been to DW at least once a year for the past 7 years, so we are familiar with Disney in general, but have never been to DLP so we are newbies in where to eat, tips and tricks etc. I greatly appreciate anyone's advice and help!

1. What restaurants would you recommend and which would you avoid? Are table service worth going for or is quick service better?

2. For the resort, we were thinking Newport or Sequoia but weren't sure which might be better?

Any tips regarding the parks, resorts, or differences we should be aware of are appreciated as well!

Thank you in advance!

 

[Karin1984]

1. How long are you going? What type of team strategy do you have, opening to close, smell the roses, ride all the rides, see all the characters?

2. They are equal, except Newport Bay is more overpriced. I prefer the atmosphere of Sequoia.

 

[JConklin]

1. How long are you going? What type of team strategy do you have, opening to close, smell the roses, ride all the rides, see all the characters?

2. They are equal, except Newport Bay is more overpriced. I prefer the atmosphere of Sequoia.

Thank you for your help! We are going from Sunday to Thursday, and will be there early Sunday, so we should have the majority of that day as well. We usually are open to close people in DW, so probably the same there as well but are super flexible. We are mostly interested in seeing the rides/shows/parades, and aren't too concerned with seeing characters.

 

[hmkenn0]

1. We (myself and my 12-year-old son) particularly enjoyed Bistro Chez Remy on our March trip, but others have had very negative experiences, I love the theming and liked all of the food. We did not like Captain Jacks (inside Pirates of the Caribbean), it was just hard to find something on the menu we liked, and the food we got, we did not enjoy. We both really like Hyperion Cafe for quick service at Disneyland park- not as much for the food as the location (in a big theater, with plenty of space to stretch out and relax). We will try the new Marvel restaurants (PYM kitchen- buffet- reservations, and Stark Factory- quick service) and Walt's (which was not open in March) when we return in December. We also ate at the Plaza Gardens Restaurant (much like Crystal Palace at WDW) on our first visit in 2018, and at Restaurant en Coulisse (quick service in the entrance building of the studios) and Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost (quick service Adventureland) when we were there in March, and all had good standard park food.

2. I've only stayed at Marvel, but I think I would pick Newport over Sequoia just because it's closer to the parks, and since you will only be sleeping there, it doesn't matter as much. Try booking dot com or other sites- they can be a lot cheaper than the Disneyland site- I just picked up Marvel for half of what I was quoted as an annual passholder for our Christmas visit.

Keep looking on here and do whatever Karin1984 says- definitely, the expert on here and was so helpful for us.

 

[Louise97]

We always enjoy Walt's, and on our last trip Pym Kitchen was a highlight. Bistrot Chez Remy has great theming. If you're staying onsite you can book further in advance - 60 days for all guests but up to a year for onsite guests (though our October trip restaurant booking has only started to open up this week). The quick service locations are fine but we find Earl of Sandwich in the Disney Village is better value.

I'd done the US parks before doing DLP and the main thing is the operational differences. We've found it's hit or miss on when snack locations are open, and have had a few times where we've been told things were closing so had stopped serving even when the app said they were open for another 30 minutes. They also don't have the schedules published as far in advance as WDW so you won't know when parades etc will be until you're into your booking window for table service restaurants.

That being said, the main park is beautiful and they're making a real effort to improve the Studios. You will have a great time!

 

[Araminta18]

Oooh, same--WDW vets who just did DLP. We ended up loving Pym Kitchen, Walt's and Bistrot Chez Remy. I'm doing a trip report (in my sig) if you want to see our experiences. We had a great trip, despite some operational not-great-moments. Definitely ride Big Thunder!!