What is the best strategy for Breakfast? I am hearing it’s best to get in the parks early before the crowds; so how to handle breakfast?
Thinking of staying on property. It is worth it to go for the “breakfast included” price of the room?
Three kids 10, 8, and 5 with us.
Thanks in advance!
AB
We usually pick up something quick to eat while we walk to the parks, either at the hotel (if that’s an option), McDonalds, Panera, Starbucks, La Brea Bakery, etc. Always coffee for my husband and things like bagels, muffins, pastries or similar.
If you wait to get in the parks, there’s Starbucks there, open before RD. When the park opens, there is usually a quick service or two open but even that takes more time than we want to give to eating during the best time to avoid lines. Sometimes though we will get a QS breakfast as second breakfast/real breakfast later in the morning.
There’s Plaza Inn for character breakfast at Disneyland, but again that’s something that works better after a couple hours of rides.
If you can’t wait to eat that late, a pastry or granola/protein bar is a good option until you have a real breakfast.
We usually grab something either from the room or on the way over to the park and then have a “real” breakfast after we’ve spent a couple hours in the parks (either a sit down breakfast or something from quick service.
Blue milk Bantha french toast in Tomorrowland sounds Yummy. If you are at DCA try Flo’s french toast.
We used get Starbucks bfast in either park while waiting for rope drop, when they let crowds enter 30 min early. Lately (the last year) they haven’t been letting crowds in sooner than 15-20 min before which doesn’t leave enough time to get through Starbucks line. Also, another issue we found with that plan was that we usually didn’t have time to eat our hot sandwiches and drink our coffee in between running around the rides.
We do like to stay across the street along Harbor and that makes going to McD’s a quick, cheap stop for something to fill the stomach while you wait early for RD. However, you do have to plan time to get to McD’s as they are quite busy or send a runner while the rest get ready at the hotel and meet up to get to the parks. One thing that we have found works really well is stopping at McD’s on the way back to the hotel the night before (usually grabbing food to supplement whatever meal we split for dinner in the parks) and will always grab extra nuggets to have for something to eat as we wait and if my kids get happy meals I have them save their Gogurts for the next day. Also, I try to pack trail mix, applesauce squeeze packets, granola bars to have ready for quick eating. In both of those cases we will stop for bfast after an hour or two.
We really really really liked Flo’s breakfast this last time. And we do always enjoy the hot sandwiches at Starbucks. As for sit down breakfast, Ariel’s is my favorite of all but they are usually only available for bfast from 9-10 when I have checked. Their lunch is amazing as well if you want to consider them for an early lunch which is what we usually do when we want to have Ariel’s in our plans.
On the DL side, we have eaten at Rancho del Zocalo a few times and it’s decent, but Flo’s was better. Plaza Inn is a great deal as well if you factor in the amount of characters you get. The food is decent but nothing that I’ve ever had to go back for. It is efficient being in the parks.
Yes, this! Iced coffee is a good idea so it can be consumed more quickly. 
This past weekend Starbucks wasn’t even open before rope drop at DL.
I just love hot coffee so much! It’s not the same iced, plus I usually like mine black and with iced you just have to get that cream and sugar in there.
I know on Friday last week the fire alarm went off and they had to close down, so if it was Friday, so hopefully it was just related to this specific issue and they will go back to their usual regular pre-RD practice.
It baffles me that they don’t open 45 min before RD to get a start on collecting those $4/coffee.
It was Sunday and Monday that Sbux wasn’t open before rope drop. I totally can’t understand it either, why they would pass on an opportunity to be the only place open making $$$. La Brea in DTD also hasn’t been open before RD the last few times we’ve been by. Doesn’t make sense!