2019 Walt Disney World Vacation Packages Open June 19, 2018!
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Rivers of Light is staged in the middle of the Discovery River, with seating split in two sections: on the shores of Asia in front of Expedition Everest, and along the banks of DinoLand U.S.A. in front of Finding Nemo—The Musical. All of the seats in Asia – half of the show’s 5,000 seats – are reserved for Guests with FastPass+. The other half of the seats, on the DinoLand side, are for those booking the Rivers of Light dining packages (available at Tusker House or 
The Disneyland Resort has 2 parks; the original Disneyland and California Adventure Park, the Downtown Disney District and 3 resorts on property – Paradise Pier Hotel, Disneyland Hotel and Disneyland’s Grand Californian. It is an easy resort to walk and explore and the weather is always beautiful in Southern California. And both Disneyland Park and California Adventure Park still use the paper FastPass system for “skip the line” access to many attractions.
Disneyland, the original Disney park, offers many magical attractions and experiences – some of which you can also find at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Peter Pan’s Flight and Pirates of the Caribbean) and some experiences only offered at Disneyland (such as Alice in Wonderland, Chip ‘n Dale Treehouse, Finding Nemo Submarine voyage and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride). The castle at Disneyland is Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and, of course, there are many Character Meet & Greets as well as nighttime fireworks, including select nights for Fantasmic!, and the Disneyland Monorail which will transport you around the parks and Downtown Disney District area. 
And don’t miss Star Wars Launch Bay if you have a Star Wars fan in your party! 
There are many great dining venues at Disneyland too, both quick service and table service. We chose table service dining at Blue Bayou where your experience includes a view of the boats passing through on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Blue Bayou was a magical dining experience with delicious food and exceptional service.
California Adventure Park was added as a second park at Disneyland in 2001. This park is a little more spacious, also offering many magical attractions and experiences – some of which you can also find at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (such as It’s Tough to be a Bug, Monster’s Inc., Soarin’ Around the World and Toy Story Midway Mania!) and some experiences only offered at California Adventure (such as Radiator Springs Racers, Mickey’s Fun Wheel, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and California Screamin’). You can also find a statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse.
The highlight of your experience at California Adventure Park is Cars Land! In Cars Land you will find meet & greets with Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen and you can dine at Flo’s V8 Café. In addition to Flo’s v8 Café, there are many quick service and table service dining experiences at California Adventure Park, all with a little something different to offer.
We reserved the World of Color Dining Package. I highly recommend the dining package for World of Color and you can choose from three restaurants for this experience; Wine Country Trattoria, Carthay Circle Restaurant – both offer lunch or dinner for the World of Color Dining Package – and Ariel’s Grotto for dinner only. Ariel’s Grotto also offers breakfast and lunch but both dining times are character dining experiences and do not include the World of Color Dining Package.
And if you want a quiet place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the parks, but still enjoy the magic of Disney, be sure to check out the Alfresco Tasting Terrace at California Adventure Park, where you can relax on the patio overlooking Radiator Springs as you tour the wine country with an expertly chosen flight. Or pair a glass with an assortment of delicious Italian-inspired appetizers. They also offer beer tastings for those who prefer beer over wine – or try both!
During our Disneyland Resort vacation, we also explored the Downtown Disney District area which offers shopping and dining as well as fun entertainment. The Downtown Disney District is free to enter with a parking fee, but if you dine at one of the participating restaurants you can get your parking pass validated for free parking.
There are many dining experiences and it was hard to choose but we narrowed it down and experienced lunch at ESPN Zone with dinner at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen where we dined New Orleans style on the balcony. The food was delicious and I would recommend both for your visit.
If you are planning to experience Disneyland Resort in California for your next vacation I recommend at least 3 days so that you can experience all of the magic!!
You can reserve the The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic Dining Package for breakfast, lunch or dinner at Tusker House Restaurant, which includes an all-you-care-to-enjoy buffet [Disney Dining Plan eligible] located in the Africa area of the park, or the newly opened Tiffins for lunch or dinner, which includes your choice of appetizer, entrée, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage [Disney Dining Plan eligible] located in the Discovery Island area. With either option, you must plan to dine no later than 2 ½ hours prior to your designated performance time of The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic. Typically there are 2 performances each night with the dining package offered for the first performance which begins at either 8:30 pm when there are 2 performances scheduled and 9 pm when there is only one performance scheduled.
The first and most important planning tip I would offer is to definitely stay on property during this time of celebration and to choose a resort that is closest to your New Year’s Eve Disney park of choice. For example, if you would like to experience the New Year’s Eve celebration at Epcot, choose to stay at one of Disney’s Resorts located in the Epcot Resort Area – Boardwalk Inn & Villas, Yacht Club or Beach Club. New Year’s Eve is a very busy time at Walt Disney World Resort. Parking venues fill up early and getting in and out with your own vehicle can be a challenge, but even if you let Disney do the driving the wait times can still be long. Staying close to the park you want to experience on that very busy night will allow you the ability to walk to and from Epcot.
Something to also consider is that the New Year’s Eve fireworks is both December 30 and December 31 at Magic Kingdom Park. Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios also offer a New Year’s Eve fireworks show but only on December 31, so if one of these is your park of choice you will need to choose…
And if you are typically park hoppers, during this busy holiday you want to plan to arrive early and stay in one park for the day. The New Year holiday is one of the most crowded times at Walt Disney World Resort and it’s not uncommon for some of the parks to reach capacity early in the day.
