Sit at the bar etc?

Is the food and wine on par with high end restaurants at a garden variety luxury resort?

guide just like Vermin05’s WDW one above. Mine will need to be updated whenever they decide to roll out Genie+ and LL, but I’ve been there enough since it re-opened that I could provide a very comprehensive guide for the post-COVID experience, including hotels.

I have a niece at UCLA and a niece at USD. I would probably make it a week and stay half the time in Newport and half at a Disneyland resort hotel.

But I will go to Disneyworld as soon as my younger boy meets all height minimums. I will probably take a more Brunswickian approach and stay half the time in Naples or in John’s Island.

As vermin05 mentioned, if you don't want to do a full week at Disney, you can get more bang for your buck with 3-4 days at Disneyland. It's only an hour extra flight and you would have extra days available to do other things in Orange County or LA.


There is no beating the convenience of the Grand Californian. It has a private entrance to California Adventure and private security to Downtown Disney and Disneyland. Napa Rose Restaurant and its lounge would meet your standard for both. The hotel also has Hearthstone Lounge which is the walk-in lobby bar you were seeking.

Disneyland is 1.5-2 days to cover. California Adventure is 1 day. That leaves time to hang out at the hotel pool or explore other SoCal sites.

Much less planning is required at Disneyland. Really just park reservations and dining. For someplace like Napa Rose or Cathay Circle, you'll want to try to book at the 60 day mark to be safe, but availability is no where near as limited as WDW.

I’ve got no desire to ever go back to WDW, but the Grand Californian or Disneyland Hotel (I’m a sucker for Trader Sam’s) gets a visit every year or so.

are more “magical” for the kids with the singing/ light up headboards and the far better pool waterslides. That said, aside from our annual trip where we stay in a hotel, we always “take a break” for lunch at the GC in their lobby. No reservations required. Food is far better and it’s just lively to sit and rest on a comfortable couch, listening to the pianist play Disney music on their grand piano and enjoy a cocktail in the air conditioning. It’s very beautiful.

than mine. For us, it doesn’t make sense until our little guy is tall enough for virtually all of the rides to do the WDW trip. He’s almost 8, but barely 46” and that is with him wearing Air Maxes with orthotics inside. He passed for under 3 until he was 5.5 though, so there’s that.

Most of the restaurants I posted in my guide either have bars or attached lounges where you can walk in if there’s room.

I am particularly a fan of the lounge adjacent to the Yachtsman.