Does anyone have a suggestion of a place to rest during the middle of the day when visiting Disneyland? We usually arrive early and leave early. This time we would like to try to stay for the fireworks but it would make a very long day for our daughter. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thank You!
Gem

P.S. the hotel pools always look so inviting. Is there any way to use them with out staying at the hotel? A day use fee?

It's always good to book meals at sit-down restaurants where you will be served and not have to wait in line and serve yourself.

Thank you for the tip, Happy Trails! Do you have favorites?

I haven't been to Disneyland for several years, but on our last visit I remember a tasty meal at a Disney hotel. I would look for a restaurant that is moderately priced and that includes sandwiches, entree salads, and items such as fish tacos on the menu. I don't think Disneyland is a place to splurge on a fancy meal.

There is an outdoor shopping mall nearby called 'The Block at Orange' that may fill the bill, and they have a 'Hawaiian' store there that, if you go in, you will come out with about $50 worth of chocolate covered macadamia nuts, AWESOME stuff !

They also have a Ron Jon Surf Shop.

Other than that it's typical mall stores.

Right outside of the Disneyland entrance are several restaurants (is that Downtown Disney? - I think so). You didn't say how old your daughter is, but she may enjoy the Rainforest cafe (it'rains' every 15 min or so). Also, inside the park is the restaurant that is inside the Pirates of the Caribbean restaurant. I want to say that it is called Blue Bayou, but that might not be right - check the Disney website. I am sure that you need a reservation for it. Also, if you are staying for the Fireworks and you also plan to see the Fantasmic show (laser light show), think about splurging on the dessert buffet in the French Quarter. This requires an advance reservation as well. You get a wonderful seat on a balcony overlooking the Fantasmic show, then when that's over, you turn your chair a bit and have a wonderful view of the Fireworks. After a long day at the park this beats standing around for an hour or more for the Fantasmic show. The dessert buffet is nothing special, it's the seats that are wonderful!

Why not get a cheap room, anyway, somewhere nearby and then you could go to the hotel and check-in (hopefully early), swim, take a nap, check out, hen go back into Disneyland for the rest of your evening. That could work out really well. Or, just stay the night then.

Thank you so much for all the great suggestions! You are all so quick, too.

I am now looking at it from another angle. I think that we will go a little later and spread things out so that we can last through the fireworks. I think that this might work well for us.

Very Best,
Gem

The Blue Bayou is inside Pirates of Caribbean. You can get reservations there, and it's cool inside, but fairly pricy. A less expensive cafeteria style sitdown restaurant is the Plaza Inn, right off of Main Street. The menu is limited (broasted chicken, pot roast, salads). There is also the restaurant near the Winnie the Pooh Ride (way in the back corner after Splash Mountain). Glorified McDs but they have a good chicken salad. A lot of people like to go there because it's on the Rivers of America and you can feed/watch the ducks.

I do think it's a good idea to arrive later if it will be a long day, especially if you have an annual pass. You won't be the only ones doing that.

Hey Sparklegem, do you live nearby and go often? I suspect you must live within an hour's drive or so otherwise you would be spending the night?

Because I completely disagree with getting a later start. As you know, when you get there when it opens, you beat a lot of "late starters"--therefore, less crowds, less lines, less hassle. I would do whatever I could to be there at park opening (or as close to it as possible).

Depending on how old your daughter is you would be surprised at the energy level Disneyland will give her. We have a five-year-old and were there in November for a four-day stay. We got there on a Saturday afternoon. We used one of our days then so we could see the fireworks, as it was the only day offered at that time of year and it was the big 50th show that people insisted we see AT the castle (they were right)...

Anyway, my point is, we closed down the park afterward and didn't get to bed until almost 1 a.m. by the time we got back to the hotel and settled down. It was great. In fact, we were there around opening every day after that, and did the swim/nap thing each afternoon so we could stay until closing each night. (We saw Fantasmic on Sunday night and also shut the parks down on Monday and Tuesday nights.)

If you are going to spend a lot of money going to Disneyland (which you do), you should spend a little bit more in order to enjoy it to the max. I say getting a room is the way to go! Everyone could use the break, and the pool is a bonus. Go for it!!! There are so many reasonable choices near the park, that you can access just by walking out of Downtown Disney.

Haven't vouched for this plan personally, but a friend said they stayed on the Disney grounds at a hotel that is right on the monorail. Mid-day, when the kids are getting tired, go back to the hotel to rest and play in the pool. Then, head back to the park in the evening for fireworks. He swears by this routine!

I think sparkelgem is an AP pass holder and goes all the time.

Check and make sure they are even doing fireworks on the day you plan on visiting. We are going Sept. 24-26 and they are not doing any on those days. I think they might still be doing fantasmic (spell?), but the actual Disney firework show is not on for our dates. We usually stay off property because it is cheaper. We stay just across the cross walk (Best Western, or Desert Inn, HoJo). We have gone when it opened, come back and hung out at the pool for awhile and then headed back in for the fireworks, this works well. However, as I mentioned there will be no fireworks for our dates and I believe the park is only open from 10-8, so we will be staying all day. If you have other questions, try disboards.com, they know everything Disney!

A sit-down, table service meal can do wonders (esp. outside of MK, where mom and dad can have a bit of wine!) If you really take your time at a meal, you will feel much better afterwards. allearsnet.com now has the Disneyland menus on line, so you can see if there is a restaurant in one of the parks, hotels or DTD that fits your needs. I'd avoid buffets, as all the getting up and down isn't restful.

Another idea is the good old napping spot, the Tiki Room. Go there, then have a Dole whip and if you're still tired, doze through the Tiki room again.

Two more (more serious) ideas:

1. Ride the train all the way around the park - maybe even twice.

2. Sit through every single cartoon at the Main Street Cinema. We did this one night while waiting for the crowds to thin out after the parade. The cartoons are old Mickey - laugh out loud funny; or, you can just close your eyes and get about 25 minutes of shut eye.

Thank you for all the super great ideas!

We went a little later then usual (noonish) and stayed for the fireworks. We saw a few shows: Billy Hill, the Enchanted Tiki Room and Snow White, in between going on rides which helped us to pace ourselves. The fireworks were amazing. It was our best trip yet! We will be going back in a week or two to do our early morning blitz.

Thanks Everyone!!