Disneyland

Main Street

Tomorrowland

Plaza Inn. This is another basic "meet Disney characters" event at the Plaza Inn (east side of Main Street, where it meets Tomorrowland). However, the Plaza Inn only offers character breakfast when Disneyland is opening at 8:00, so it's not a daily occurance. If it's closed, head on over to the Tomorrowland Terrance for the same experience.

Goofy's Kitchen. Yet another basic "Meal with Characters" can be found at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel, at least until this restaurant gets torn down to make room for Resort expansion. Like Tomorrowland Terrace, reservations are not required.

Goofy's Kitchen is open from 7:00-11:30 for breakfast, 12:00-2:30 for lunch, and 5:00-9:00 for dinner. Notice that the restaurant is not open continuously - there are breaks between each meal period. For breakfast or lunch, an Adult Buffet Ticket costs about $15 and a Child (12 and Under) Ticket about $9. For dinner, the Adult price is $18 and the Child's is $9 (it is also possible to order a-la-carte).

During non-holiday periods, Goofy's Kitchen may not offer meals at every time of day, and possibly not on a daily basis, so be sure to check with the hotel before planning your trip.

Breakfast with "Minnie and Friends". Over at the Disneyland Pacific you can experience a livelier character meal. Rather than mill about with the children, here the characters (Minnie and the magician Merlin, among others) break into [pre-taped] song and dance every once in a while, to the great delight of all children present. Open 6:30 until 11:00 a.m. for breakfast only, it is an all-you-can-eat buffet: Adults cost $15, Children (12 and Under) cost $9. It is also possible to order a-la-carte.

Practically Perfect Tea. Only offered during peak (holiday) periods, the Practically Perfect Tea at the Disneyland Pacific Hotel naturally stars Mary Poppins. A different take on the concept of Character Breakfast, the Practically Perfect Tea features Victorian place settings, a wide selection of tea, and singing visits by that nanny Mary Poppins. Morning Tea occurs at 10:00 a.m., and there is also an afternoon tea. Note: these operating hours are for holiday periods - check with the hotel to see if this is true on the day of your visit. This is an extremely popular attraction. You will likely be unable to secure reservations if you try to do it for the "next day." Call ahead early at (714) 956-6755. Hotel Parking can be validated if you eat at the Tea Room.

Located on the second floor of the Disneyland Pacific, you can find the Tea Room by entering the main (Harbor Blvd) entrance, going straight past the glass elevator. A few steps later, take the stairs to your right side, and the Tea Room is at the top of the steps.

Adults cost $18.50, Children (12 and Under) cost 12.20

Plaza Pavilion has a large outdoor patio, so you might be able to find a spot. It is not, however, the best place to watch the parade. If you decide you must do so, see if you can get ahold of a table that is elevated above the level of a standing adult, or you will not be able to see much.

Plaza Inn is perhaps your best option for watching the parade while eating. Be aware, however, that people will be walking in front of you constantly (there is a walkway there), and the bussers may try to stop people from laying claim to tables to watch the show. Bottom line is: you're better off watching the show from somewhere else, in a designated viewing area.

Hercules Victory Celebration. Similar to the conditions that prevail during the Mulan Parade, except that Hercules occurs during the day. Restaurants will certainly have more tables available during the daytime parade, but there will also be more spaces available in the normal viewing areas. Your call.

Fantasmic Dessert Balcony. Viewing Fantasmic from the Disney Gallery is one of the most expensive, yet most worthwhile, things you could do at Disneyland. It costs $35 per person, for which you receive a raised, unadulterated view of the show (sitting on padded chairs with plenty of room), unlimited coffee/tea/mint julep as well as fancy cheesecakes, tiny pies, and fresh fruit, served to you by enthusiastic and classy Cast Members.

The Gallery, you may have noticed, is center stage. The view is so good here, in fact, that this balcony seating sells out very quickly. You must make same-day reservations (earlier ones are not possible) at the very beginning of the day - if possible, even hours before Disneyland opens its gates - if you want to guarantee yourself a spot.

You may reserve for four persons at a time. Reservations are handled by Guest Relations, a window to the east (right-hand side) of the Main Gate at Disneyland. Phone reservations are not possible. To be positive you will get a spot, try to be at Guest Relations two (or more) hours before official Park opening. Otherwise, Early Entry by hotel guests may soak up all the available spots.

It sounds expensive, but it's really the only way to view Fantasmic. You haven't lived until you've done this.

Fantasmic (from restaurant patios). Despite appearances to the contrary, not a single one of the restaurant patios provides a good place to watch Fantasmic. There are a couple of reasons for this. At Cafe Orleans, which is more or less center stage, there are elevated walkways between you and the show - you won't be able to see a thing. At French Market, you have the same problem in addition to being off to the side. At Harbour Galley, you're really far off the side.

In the other direction is the large patio for Stagedoor/Riverbelle, which looks real inviting. After all, the tables are elevated slightly over the walkways. There are two reasons I personally avoid this area: one, it is not very centered on the show - you're looking at everything from an angle, which does make a difference; and two, so many people try to reserve tables here that there are Guest Control people trying to control the situation. It's a big hassle that you are better off simply avoiding.

Golden Horseshoe Revue. A musical revue that occurs on its own stage, you enjoy table service while watching the wild-west antics of the performers. There are numerous shows throughout the day on a first-come, first-served basis (you line up outside the Horseshoe, often hours before). You could also make same-day reservations at the Horseshoe, but these are limited.

A typical summer day might have five shows; recently the seating times were 11:15, 12:45, 2:30, 4:00, and 5:20 - but they vary tremendously. Also significant is the fact that the Horseshoe may not be open during the week, even in the summertime. Check to be positive.

Rod Miller's Ragtime Piano. A favorite of many Disneyland regulars, Rod plays piano from five in the afternoon until closing time around midnight. The crowd gets into it, and Rod is truly an outstanding performer.

A recent summer day had performances scheduled for 4:15, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30 p.m. Undoubtedly the schedule varies, however, so stop by City Hall if you want to find out for sure on any given day.

Tomorrowland Stage Acts. You may find dancing on the Tomorrowland Stage, as was common in the past, or simply live bands. Again, check with City Hall or Coke Terrace to find out who is performing on a given day, and when.

Side Street Strutters. Recently attired in new, less-colorful but better-themed costumes, the Strutters are the brass-and-percussion jazz band you can find at the French Market, generally every hour during the afternoon. There are, however, notorious for following their own internal schedules and ignoring the official scheduled performances.

Royal Street Bachelors. These are the black performers who give great low-key jazz performances near the Royal Street Veranda. Never a crowd, but they play sporadically and barely follow even the employee schedule for performances.

Enchanted Evenings. Private parties at Disneyland, when they are paid for by an outside company, can be of two varieties. They can rent the entire park, which is very expensive, and in that case then all restaurants operate like normal (except that more are closed down to reduce staffing). For less of a rental fee, however, the revelers can opt to rent just one land of Disneyland - this is known as an Enchanted Evening. Restaurant Cast Members dress up in tuxedoes and serve their food out of chafing dishes set up on tables (that even have drapes!) out in the open spaces of whatever land is chosen (usually New Orleans or Toontown, but Elizabeth Taylor's birthday party in Fantasyland was a fun exception). Invariably, these private parties would feature completely new dishes that were tastier, more elegant, and doubtless more expensive.