DL first timer

Phew! Hopefully it’s just a temporary thing then and prices will drop back down in a few years when we go.

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Well, I just totaled up my dream DL vacation and it comes to a grand total of about $8k for the two of us! (gulp) Of course, I could shave off two grand just by staying at Paradise Pier instead of GCH. @Ms.BarbsWildRide really got me dreaming with the 30-40 steps from the hotel to the parks! Anyway, this trip is a long time away… let’s say… Dec 2024? Time for me to start saving! I’m almost done saving up for our WDW Tron trip for early 2022.

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We love DL but 3 days at DL = 7+ days at WDW . Depending on your resort.

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Yes! It’s hard for me to get out of that mentality. I will have to get used to only 5 park days. But it’s only 2 parks as opposed to 4. So, kinda like UOR? We did 5 days there last trip which was perfect.

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We think the food at DL is so much better than DW too. Better restaurants. I’ve only been to DL 3x (I have no idea how many times I’ve been to DW since 1971).

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I’m excited to try the food! Is DL more expensive than WDW? I’m wondering if I can budget for food similarly to how I would for Orlando.

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We will both listen to the regulars to answer that one. I don’t remember dinning being more expensive at DL though. I just remember how much better it was… hmmmmm when food is good the cost becomes irrelevant :yum:

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For sure! I just gotta figure out how much money to save up :slight_smile:

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We tend to only eat QS at DLR so it’s much cheaper.

You could also stay at a Good Neighbor hotel and shave off another thousand or more!

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Yes, that is an option I will consider closer to the trip. I kind of feel like we’ll want to get the full on Disney on-site experience since it might be our only visit to DLC.

And yes! We are mostly QS people too. So that helps! But DH tends to want to try everything and has expensive taste for food :stuck_out_tongue:

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I’ve actually never stayed on-site at DLR. I will stay at Grand Californian in November for the first time using DVC points!

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Oooo, have fun!!!

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It’s amazing, you’ll love it!

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We stayed at GC in Dec b4 pandemic, just DH and I, our first trip w/o kids. Got military discount on room and it’s our favorite resort. Loved the entrance directly into CA. Their QS at GC was daboom!

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Speaking on FOOD
Anyone have good keto foods for in park? Im not going to stick to the diet while there, but if there’s options I can at least ponder them…
We will be there in August and it’s our first time.

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@btw760 is the one to ask about Keto and GF meals. :blush:

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And if anyone needs a park map for either park I can mail you one of each. :blush: you can message me and I can mail it asap :heart:

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I also have a distinct memory of Pirates from my very first trip at 6! It’s a good one to have :slight_smile:

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Mobile order has made it more difficult to tweak an order, so I’m not sure the old customizations are easily available with it. Best keto-ish choice for QS is probably still salads, especially if crouton type toppings can be omitted and dressing on the side. Hamburgers can omit the cheese (o.k. for low carb, not keto) and bun (or discard). Most places seem to have the choice of cuties (tangerines) instead of fries on mobile order. Pym’s Test Kitchen has a very good arugula salad as side–dressing probably has sugar in it, but might be able to get dressing on the side. I’ve no idea if the highly processed turkey legs stay close to keto norms, but probably not a lot of sugar in the cure, and it would have low carbs. (I have never tried one, don’t appeal to me.) With limited menus, I’m not sure what has survived, but fajitas (no tortillas) were a good choice where available. For breakfast I would order just a side of scrambled eggs as best choice. Some places were more generous with side size, but without in person ordering I don’t think.sides are available. The mobile order menus are good sources for finding ideas, worth it to spend time looking in advance to have a plan. Some places still have one cashier in place for in person ordering. I noticed Flo’s and Pym’s in DCA did, but Cucina Cucamonga and Paradise Garden Grill did not. Bengal BBQ in DL did not, but Ronto Roasters did. (Expect that those might change. Disney is fiddling with mobile order all the time). I followed more a low(er) carb plan rather than strict keto, so I chose popcorn as my snack. It’s also easy to bring in appropriate portable snacks or bars if staying on plan is important, or if choices aren’t to your liking. Lockers in esplanade are open, $7 for small, if storage helps. Have fun!!

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Us too. If it’s your one and only trip I would consider Blue Bayou and then maybe no more than 2-3 other restaurants that really speak to you with their menu selection/location. We personally love getting fried pickles at Carnation Cafe, but Carthay Circle and Lamplight Lounge also have their own ambiances and menus that are widely appealing (we haven’t done Carthay in AGES bc we usually just stick to whatever QS we feel like and we’ve not yet taken the plunge on Lamplight, but it looks awesome!).

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