A few more trip questions post-Covid

[millie0312]

Hi everyone-
As we’re about to pack for our trip next week I was hoping to see if anyone would have time for a few more questions since we haven’t been to the parks since they re-opened and want to make sure we know what to expect now
- no need to bring autograph books at all correct? I think we can’t get closer then 3-5 feet or even more away so I’m thinking we can leave those at home this year?
- it seems like most of the places we loved getting a late breakfast at after being in the parks a couple hours no longer have breakfast- only lunch and dinner (hopefully a temporary thing- we love sitting down at places like Flos and having some bacon and eggs). Any tips for breakfast places or something easy other then at Downtown Disney or off site that works? We don’t want to leave the parks really but we are usually up and front of the lines and go go go from rope drop so around 10 or so we are starving for some hearty to eat and not ready for lunch foods yet. Are they really not doing breakfast at places like Flos and Red Rose :-( we’ve looked online at every menu and it seems like there’s maybe 2-3 breakfast places between both parks with super limited menus…
- is the parade route still the same and is the area around Alice bathrooms still pretty decent? We have a parade dining reservation but we’re thinking since we start on Wednesday we might snag ok spots and not need it.
- any tips on fireworks viewing? We used to stand around the corn dog place and follow the rope as they put it up- is this still a trick that works? I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that cares about a good parade or fireworks spot but it’s so nice if you don’t have to wait hours before to get a somewhat decent spot (an hour is about our limit).
- any tips or ideas about fun characters to see (since they aren’t really listed any more or in the usual spots) or good photo pass places? Obviously the usual spots we know but was thinking about any changes since re-opening mostly
- is there any fun gift cards around (like the ones with the pins)? Or fun sippers/popcorn buckets? Trying to think of a different kind of suvenior possibly then we usually do
- any tips for using the DAS smoothly? This is our first Year using it and I think we understand but if anyone else has used it with all the new stuff we wouldn’t mind some helpful tips or advice
Thanks everyone! We’re getting so excited- we leave in 2 days!!

 

[millie0312]

Oh I forgot- is what used to be Tom Sawyers Island (we will always call it that lol) and the redwood creek challenge area open and going as normal?

 

[DLgal]

Hi everyone-
As we’re about to pack for our trip next week I was hoping to see if anyone would have time for a few more questions since we haven’t been to the parks since they re-opened and want to make sure we know what to expect now
- no need to bring autograph books at all correct? I think we can’t get closer then 3-5 feet or even more away so I’m thinking we can leave those at home this year?
- it seems like most of the places we loved getting a late breakfast at after being in the parks a couple hours no longer have breakfast- only lunch and dinner (hopefully a temporary thing- we love sitting down at places like Flos and having some bacon and eggs). Any tips for breakfast places or something easy other then at Downtown Disney or off site that works? We don’t want to leave the parks really but we are usually up and front of the lines and go go go from rope drop so around 10 or so we are starving for some hearty to eat and not ready for lunch foods yet. Are they really not doing breakfast at places like Flos and Red Rose :-( we’ve looked online at every menu and it seems like there’s maybe 2-3 breakfast places between both parks with super limited menus…
- is the parade route still the same and is the area around Alice bathrooms still pretty decent? We have a parade dining reservation but we’re thinking since we start on Wednesday we might snag ok spots and not need it.
- any tips on fireworks viewing? We used to stand around the corn dog place and follow the rope as they put it up- is this still a trick that works? I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that cares about a good parade or fireworks spot but it’s so nice if you don’t have to wait hours before to get a somewhat decent spot (an hour is about our limit).
- any tips or ideas about fun characters to see (since they aren’t really listed any more or in the usual spots) or good photo pass places? Obviously the usual spots we know but was thinking about any changes since re-opening mostly
- is there any fun gift cards around (like the ones with the pins)? Or fun sippers/popcorn buckets? Trying to think of a different kind of suvenior possibly then we usually do
- any tips for using the DAS smoothly? This is our first Year using it and I think we understand but if anyone else has used it with all the new stuff we wouldn’t mind some helpful tips or advice
Thanks everyone! We’re getting so excited- we leave in 2 days!!

I'll do the best I can with your questions. We are actually heading to DL later this morning for our weekly visit.

No need for autograph books. Character photos will be distanced.

In park CS breakfast options are limited. In Disneyland, you have Jolly Holiday (pastries and breakfast sandwiches), Starbucks, Ronto Roasters in Galaxy's Edge (breakfast Ronto wrap), Galactic Grill in Tomorrowland, and Red Rose Taverne actually does open for breakfast and has an all day breakfast burger, but no other breakfast specific options. Oddly, Bengal BBQ is also open right at park open, serving up meat skewers.

In DCA, Flos is open in the morning, but serving lunch food. Pym's Test Kitchen serves breakfast, and you can also get smoothies at Schmoozies. There is also the Starbucks there along with the coffee cart that has pastries and such. Lamplight Lounge is a FANTASTIC option for brunch if you will be there Friday-Sunday. They take walk ups if you are there right before they open and it will be the best breakfast you will have on property right now.

The only other options I can recommend are Jamba Juice in Downtown (they have their own app you can mobile order from which is very efficient) and La Brea bakery express (they have really good stuff for breakfast). Both of those options are easy to grab on your way into the parks. You can also grab good breakfast from the CS in the Grand Californian, but it is often SUPER busy in there and SLOW, although when they are actually doing mobile orders, it's a good option. On a DCA day, you could pop in late morning to grab a hearty breakfast before they start serving lunch.

The parade routes are the same. The area near the bathrooms gets super crowded. We found good viewing spots near the entrance to Tomorrowland, sort of near the Plaza Inn. We walked up 10 minutes before the parade last Tuesday. I don't wait for parades. The view was great.

The character photo spots are really variable. The best characters will hang out near Small World and the castle. Train Station will have the Fab Five and friends, on and off through the day. In DCA, they primarily can be found in front of Carthay at the fountain. You should see a lot of characters. They are abundant.

There is a special metal gift card in Star wars land called the Spira (?). We have one. It looks like a rectangular coin. The one they currently sell is silver-ish (ours is more bronze). They cost $100 but can be reloaded and used over again. It's pretty cool. They always have some special popcorn bucket or other but they are very popular and sell out fast. I don't know that next week they will have anything new. People here are fanatical about them and once they release a new one, it's a matter of luck to get your hands on one. I can't really think of many other special souvenirs available right now. It seems to be mostly clothing.

DAS is fairly straightforward. It is immensely useful that you can now make return times directly on the app. Just be aware that if you are in one park and want a return time for a ride in the other, you can't do that via the app, but you can get that in person from a cast member at the kiosks. What we try to do is look at the attraction list and choose a DAS for a ride with a shorter wait time when we arrive early. This allows us to do more while wait times are low. We will ride something with a very short wait while we wait for the return time. Once you scan in to redeem the return time, you can immediately get on the app and select another ride. Do that. Also, the app will notify you when your return time is coming up. You can scan in 5 minutes early. Also, you can cancel return times if you change your mind, which is a great feature. It works basically like having fastpass but not being tied to pre selected return times, but rather a return time equal to a bit less than the posted standby time. Keep that in mind when booking: if a ride has a 60 minute wait, your return time will be approximately 10-15 minutes less than that. If for some reason the buttom to select your own DAS return times doesn't show up in the app, go get help from a guest relations kiosk.

 

[millie0312]

I'll do the best I can with your questions. We are actually heading to DL later this morning for our weekly visit.

No need for autograph books. Character photos will be distanced.

In park CS breakfast options are limited. In Disneyland, you have Jolly Holiday (pastries and breakfast sandwiches), Starbucks, Ronto Roasters in Galaxy's Edge (breakfast Ronto wrap), Galactic Grill in Tomorrowland, and Red Rose Taverne actually does open for breakfast and has an all day breakfast burger, but no other breakfast specific options. Oddly, Bengal BBQ is also open right at park open, serving up meat skewers.

In DCA, Flos is open in the morning, but serving lunch food. Pym's Test Kitchen serves breakfast, and you can also get smoothies at Schmoozies. There is also the Starbucks there along with the coffee cart that has pastries and such. Lamplight Lounge is a FANTASTIC option for brunch if you will be there Friday-Sunday. They take walk ups if you are there right before they open and it will be the best breakfast you will have on property right now.

The only other options I can recommend are Jamba Juice in Downtown (they have their own app you can mobile order from which is very efficient) and La Brea bakery express (they have really good stuff for breakfast). Both of those options are easy to grab on your way into the parks. You can also grab good breakfast from the CS in the Grand Californian, but it is often SUPER busy in there and SLOW, although when they are actually doing mobile orders, it's a good option. On a DCA day, you could pop in late morning to grab a hearty breakfast before they start serving lunch.

The parade routes are the same. The area near the bathrooms gets super crowded. We found good viewing spots near the entrance to Tomorrowland, sort of near the Plaza Inn. We walked up 10 minutes before the parade last Tuesday. I don't wait for parades. The view was great.

The character photo spots are really variable. The best characters will hang out near Small World and the castle. Train Station will have the Fab Five and friends, on and off through the day. In DCA, they primarily can be found in front of Carthay at the fountain. You should see a lot of characters. They are abundant.

There is a special metal gift card in Star wars land called the Spira (?). We have one. It looks like a rectangular coin. The one they currently sell is silver-ish (ours is more bronze). They cost $100 but can be reloaded and used over again. It's pretty cool. They always have some special popcorn bucket or other but they are very popular and sell out fast. I don't know that next week they will have anything new. People here are fanatical about them and once they release a new one, it's a matter of luck to get your hands on one. I can't really think of many other special souvenirs available right now. It seems to be mostly clothing.

DAS is fairly straightforward. It is immensely useful that you can now make return times directly on the app. Just be aware that if you are in one park and want a return time for a ride in the other, you can't do that via the app, but you can get that in person from a cast member at the kiosks. What we try to do is look at the attraction list and choose a DAS for a ride with a shorter wait time when we arrive early. This allows us to do more while wait times are low. We will ride something with a very short wait while we wait for the return time. Once you scan in to redeem the return time, you can immediately get on the app and select another ride. Do that. Also, the app will notify you when your return time is coming up. You can scan in 5 minutes early. Also, you can cancel return times if you change your mind, which is a great feature. It works basically like having fastpass but not being tied to pre selected return times, but rather a return time equal to a bit less than the posted standby time. Keep that in mind when booking: if a ride has a 60 minute wait, your return time will be approximately 10-15 minutes less than that. If for some reason the buttom to select your own DAS return times doesn't show up in the app, go get help from a guest relations kiosk.

This is IMMENSELY helpful!!! Thank you so much!! I’ve been feeling stressed about how things will be different so we know what to expect and make sure we plan accordingly (this makes for a good trip for us as long as we have realistic expectations)