Unexpected quick trip to the other Disney ;)

Ok I know this is the WDW forum but it has sooooo many more active users it seems than the DLR forum and this is the one I know and love, lol!
I always use this forum for our WDW plans obviously, but my husband surprised me by taking a week off next week and we caught a “flash sale” with Jet Blue to Long Beach for $50/person and with my TA discount at the Disneyland Hotel (just something I do here and there on the side as much or little as I want), it was just too good to pass up!
So we’re doing 3 days next week. Any of my WDW peeps been to DLR after being a seasoned WDW visitor?! Please feel free to share your best tips with me if so! TIA! :smiley:

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@bswan26 has s great blog post on DLR for WDW veterans. Can’t remember the link, so hopefully he will jump in with it.

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We just went to DL for the first time a couple weeks ago. Highly recommend MaxPass - it’s an extra cost per day ($10 per person per day), but was well worth it for us as we were able to hit all the headliners with FP. Often walking from one right onto the other. The ability to book them immediately after checking in while waiting in line is awesome and saves so much time.

We splurged on 2 meals dining at Napa Rose (Grand Californian) one night and Blue Bayou (DL by Pirates) another. Both were excellent food and we felt worth the price. I would definitely recommend Blue Bayou and suggest reservations for both if interested.

The biggest difference between DLR and WDW is at DLR everything is right there inside security so it’s relatively easy to parkhop (still need to get thru tickets but relatively easy and very short walk) or to do a lunch at Downtown Disney w/o requiring a long break from the parks. Bailing from a busy park for a nice sitdown meal at Downtown Disney actually makes a lot of sense and is fairly refreshing. We liked Tortilla Jo’s for Mexican and Catal Restaurant (guess we did the bar menu which is cheaper) had a good burger. ESPN Zone was a little underwhelming, but we may have gotten unlucky.

Have fun - we really enjoyed it, although expect to do WDW far more often still, but it was fun to see the similarities and differences and do some of the old school rides still at DL that are no longer in MK…

Oh - we also got a same day lunch reservation at Carthay Circle Restaurant at DCA which was expensive, but excellent as well. Best $24 Bacon-Cheddar Burger ever. It’s fashioned after the Carthay theater in LA which has an extensive Disney history and has a lot of pictures around that if you’re a Disney history lover are fun to browse. We had an awesome waiter as well which made the experience even better. Definitely worth checking out if you’re eating upscale at DLR…

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Would love to see @bswan26!

We do have a reservation for Blue Bayou, based on many recommendations! We have a Goofy’s Kitchen breakfast since the kids will surely want to do that.