Just days away from departure, so it’s time to kick off a trip report!
I will be heading to Disneyland for the first time on Sunday. This will also be a solo trip, so the plan is to make this a live report…since what else will I have to do in line I haven’t done a full solo trip to Disney before (although I do a lot of solo travel in general), besides a single post 4pm ticket while attending a work conference, so I’m excited to see how this goes.
I’m usually on the WDW side of the forum, and I’ve been to the WDW parks many, many times, but this is my first time going to DL. My trips are usually child-free so they are ride-focused while also spending time sampling the adult beverages across the parks. I’m a rope drop to close type liner, so there are a lot of park hours ahead!
The plan:
Flying in and out of SNA and plan to uber to/from the hotel. I’ll be staying at the Anaheim Marriott by the Convention Center. I’ll be flying out from Charleston, SC early Sunday morning and arriving around midday. Plan to head to the hotel and drop my stuff and head to the parks.
I’ve got a 5 day ticket so will be doing the parks Sun-Thursday before I fly back home Friday. I just switched back and forth on park reservations each day, but have a park hopper, so fully plan to bounce back and forth throughout the afternoons.
I also got a number of dining reservations, which is not my usual MO, but with this much solo time in the parks I think I will have plenty of time to stop and enjoy a meal. If you’ve got recommendations for any of these spots, let me know!
Sunday - Start at DL:
- Late Lunch @ Cafe Orleans - the Monte Cristo is one of my favorite indulgences, so can’t wait to try DL’s first thing
Monday - Start at DCA:
- Lunch @ Lamplight Lounge - not sure if this will end up being for actual lunch, or if it will end up just being for a snack and drinks
- After Park Hours @ Trader Sam’s - one of the things I am most excited about. 10:30 reservation, which will be late for this east coaster, but will be worth it for a tiki drink for sure
Tuesday - Start at DL:
- Lunch @ Blue Bayou - this is the first of two reservations for BB. I will cancel one of them, but haven’t decided which yet.
Wednesday - Start at DCA:
- Brunch @ La Brea
- Dinner @ Wine Country Trattoria
Thursday - Start at DL:
- Lunch @ Trader Sam’s - probably going to cancel this one, but its a back up in case TS’s blows my mind on Monday
- Dinner @ Blue Bayou - again, still deciding if I am cancelling this one or Tuesday’s lunch.
My dates are both pre-Magic Key and post-Magic Key, so I’m very interested to see what that means for the crowds. They seem to be pretty low right now, but I’m thinking they may pick up a little next week with people bridging tickets into the Key. Either way, plan to take advantage of single rider lines for sure.
It’s about time to start packing. I have never flown to the parks, since I usually drive to Orlando from Charleston, SC. So have to figure out how to condense all the park must haves into my backpack and carry on, without sacrificing all of my Minnie ears.
If you’ve got tips for snacks, drinks, touring suggestions, etc, definitely let me know!