Explore the Downtown Disney District with Mousetalgia! Once a part of Disneyland's vast parking lot, Downtown Disney is now an integral part of the
Disneyland Resort. Join Team Mousetalgia as we discuss the shops, dining, and entertainment found in this intriguing retail area, and share our own tips. Plus,
Mousetalgia welcomes Tim Babb's Kingdom Comedy to the show!
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Episode 24 - Downtown Disney!
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 Mousetalgia Jeff |
Episode 24 - Downtown Disney! |
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Posts: 113 04/19/09 21:23:49 Podcast Team Member / Moderator
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seecamerasmile |
#1 | |||
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Posts: 66 04/20/09 00:29:25 |
Wow...no love for the Rainforest Cafe! I'm pretty sure that's really the only place in DTD we've ever actually eaten...and while I agree, the food
is just ok, the drinks are amazing. :) The wait time is always pretty frustrating, though, but they have some sort of club card that you can get and just walk
up to the elephant and give them your name right off. It works out ok...there are better places to eat, yes, but I don't think RC is that bad! (And w00t
for Denny's!)
I love the Lego store... we use to get the lego pirate keychain each time we went, but alas, they haven't had them there for years now, it's very sad. I'm stuck with my lego Darth Vader. :) I'm sad, as well, about the Starbilias store closing! It was always fun to look around in there, though I'm with Jeff in that I was always suspicious about some of the stuff... But perhaps my FAVORITE store in Downtown Disney is Basin. If that ever closed, I would boycotte. I spend so much money there each time I go...it's an addiction! Great episode, yet again, guys! Have a great week! <3 |
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Mousetalgia Jeff |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 113 04/20/09 06:41:25 Podcast Team Member / Moderator
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Yeah. I guess I just feel like, sorry, Rainforest Cafe, but if you're going to try to be all audio-animated and everything, and you're also going to
have the guts to actually locate yourself on Disney property, you're setting a pretty high bar for yourself. A high bar, indeed. But if you're looking
for a fun party drink - okay, they've got some interesting creations. I'll give you that. And the parrot show in front is a plus - should have
mentioned that.
I think one of the saddest things I've seen at RC is the big hoopla they make when you order a Volcano sundae, which must be some sort of corporate policy. All of the menu photos show the Volcano sparkling and erupting in fireworks, which I assume is the means by which the dessert is presented in states, counties or malls that are a bit more tolerant of safe-n-sane fireworks. In Downtown Disney, your Volcano is topped by a plastic silver pompom of some sort, which just doesn't seem to add the excitement that the sparkler probably does in other locations. As a result, all the staff yelling VOOOLCAAAANNNOOOO! as a train of them deliver your ice cream sundae just seems a little over the top. |
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kurtisaurus |
#3 | |||
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Posts: 23 04/20/09 10:01:42 |
I think Rainforest suffers from the fact that, like Libby Liu, it's something you can get all across the country. Hopefully the shops being replaced will
do better because they'll be unique Disney properties which will drive more business. As it is, I might be tempted to hit a Rainforest Cafe out of
desperation back in Seattle, but when I'm all the way to Anaheim the last thing I want to do is hang out with the low-rent animatronics of a national
restaurant franchise.
On the flipside, and I realize I might be contradicting myself here, a fine grilled cheese sandwich at the end of the day from the Denny's across from the park does rock my world. |
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departedlilac |
#4 | |||
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Posts: 49 04/20/09 10:45:59 |
Mousetalgia Jeff wrote:I have an insidious, annoying plan to order a volcano and when it arrives at the table, have my friend say "you know, that looks good--I think I'll have one too!" then repeat until everyone at the table, one by one, has ordered a volcano. Then I remember that I can get better food faster at Naples.
"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and
curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
-Walt Disney |
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UltraByte |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 71 04/20/09 11:54:48 |
RC's the only place I've even eaten at in DD, and I love it. My family orders the Calamari every time we go in there, and it's amazing~~~ Burgers
and stuff there are great too. Wait's not that bad for us, because usually we call in and make a reservation
Though, my family's started to get lunch at the hot dog place in Toontown, which, after a day of trekking around the park, is awesome. I usually get the kid meals though whenever I eat lunch in park, because I don't have the patience to eat a whole meal (dinner's different for me :^D) Restaurant-aside, I never really browse DD, except for World of Disney, because it has a ton of stuff from inside the park, and usually my family hits this store before we leave... speaking of which, are prices jacked up there because it's one of those last-chance-to-get-something-from-Disneyland stores? 
Just leave this place
behind,
Ill grill your place, don't mind. And you're the only one, 'cos you're up on defense. This is a new way! |
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disneycarnivora |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 303 04/20/09 11:58:50 |
Downtown Disney is a great place, end of the night we normally walk all the way through to get to the parking lot instead of taking the tram.
Seeing Tango Dancers, Violin Players, Walking through World of Disney, seeing the water fountain squirt unsuspecting guests...it's all a magical extension. Plus if you just wanna kick back you can go see a movie, visit the quaint little bookstore, or sit down with a Wetzel Pretzel. As for rainforest, sitting upstairs and outside is nice, but being inside with the Gorilla shaking my table every few minutes...annoying. Edit: Okay forgot this little story (a cautionary tale XD) So we went to downtown Disney to eat and see a movie, and we parked in the downtown disney parking lot. Well we're all annual passholders so we thought, lets just go to Disneyland for a ride or two, and we ended up staying until closing. We head out and BAM $40 dollar parking, yeah we paid it...expensive bit of fun, learned our lesson.
Last Edited By: disneycarnivora 04/20/09 12:19:02.
Edited 1 time.
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fallencathedral |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 91 04/20/09 13:06:10 |
I've eaten at the Rainforest Cafe once and I was less than impressed. It took nearly two hours to get a table and the service was slow (a huge pet peeve
for me at any restaurant). My favourite place to eat in Downtown Disney is Naples. I LOVE their pizza! The wait can be pretty long there too but we discovered
that, assuming you don't have a large party, you can sit at the bar and order from the full menu. And the bar is first come, first serve...no wait list.
They also have their fast service Italian deli next door called Napolini where you can get some great sandwiches and salads...and it's not too expensive
(at least by contrast to the rest of DTD).
I will kinda miss Dept 56 because they occasionally got in some really cool stuff at Halloween. That's about it though. Disney has already announced the replacement for Club Libby Lu. According to the resort website it is called Studio Disney 365 and kids will be able to go, dress up, and pretend to be superstars. They even have their own "paparazzi" photographers to take pictures when the kids reveal their new looks. Not sure how I feel about this... There is also a new store called Compass Books and Cafe which I've never been in. Odd, since I can usually sniff out a bookstore within a few miles. Next time I go up to the park I'l check it out and give a report. Finally, here is a little trivia question about Downtown Disney: There is a hidden Mickey in Downtown Disney. Where is it? |
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seecamerasmile |
#8 | |||
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Posts: 66 04/20/09 14:48:14 |
fallencathedral wrote: If that's the bookstore down towards the Disneyland Hotel, I'm pretty sure it's been there for at least six-ish years. It's a cute little store - I do enjoy browsing in there once and awhile. Actually, I think that's where I got the two Mouse Tales books... :) I've had coffee there once or twice, too, but I don't remember if it was anything amazing... And Jeff, I completely agree with you about the Volcano dessert hoopla... it is quite a sad display. They must just get their kicks in announcing to the whole restaurant that someone is about to gorge themselves on a dessert of, I'm sure, an obscene amount of calories! 
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fallencathedral |
#9 | |||
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Posts: 91 04/20/09 15:09:17 |
That explains why I've never seen it. Since I never stay at the hotel I never venture any further than the Lego Store. Now I have a reason to check it out.
Last Edited By: fallencathedral 04/20/09 15:21:02.
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 MasterGracey13 |
#10 | |||
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Posts: 210 04/20/09 17:41:37 |
I love Downtown Disney! After a bit of observation between the WDW and DL DD maps, I realized that the WDW one is much larger, and has more things to do than
DL (I am not trying to put down DL). On another note... I love the rainforest cafe! I have only eaten in the Downtown Disney one 2 times, but thats because I
much rather eat at the WDW DD Planet Hollywood. The food there is Ok but I love looking at the movie props.
Since I live near the World of Disney store in NY, I go there allot (actually I went there yesterday! They finally started selling the bizzar "Vinalmation". I was planning on buying the HM one until I saw that they were $75.00!) The one in NY is much smaller that the one in the parks, which is disappointing, but NY has limited space. |
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Enigma |
#11 | |||
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Posts: 43 04/20/09 21:09:13 |
I've eaten at Rainforest Cafe once and I wasn't that impressed. The atmosphere was fun and luckily the wait to get a table wasn't very long but,
the food was over priced and wasn't that good.
I've been to the ESPN Zone several times and I love it. There's something about eating and relaxing in a Lazy Boy after a fun morning. I've only browsed through the stores, none of them really stood out to me. There was one that had a cool Halloween village display, but I haven't seen that for a while. Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him? |
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timbabbcomedian |
#12 | |||
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Posts: 69 04/21/09 00:46:14 |
I've really enjoyed every episode so far...but there was something about this one that I could really relate to...I can't put my finger on it ;)
I actually like the Rainforest Cafe...I've gone there a few times. I like the "Volcanooooooooooooo" It amuses me. I seem to find myself eating at Napels a lot. Their pizza is good. Plus the last time I was there I spilled some tomato sauce on the table cloth and it took the shape of a hidden Mickey. I've always enjoyed the AMC theater there. Annual Pass holders get a discount...aw yeah! Plus I went and saw the Haunted Manson movie there and then went out and got on the ride Haunted Mansion. I did the same thing for Indiana Jones 4. :)
Check out my videos and stand up at TANcast.com/tim
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octubrea |
#13 | |||
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Posts: 28 04/21/09 05:07:25 |
wow.....I was so surprised by this podcast!
I was under the impression that the two Downtown disneys were more or less the same. WDW's downtown is totally awesome....we always hang out there a few nights when we are at the world. We stay at the Old Key West resort, from which you can take a boat to downtown......really really fun. Love Wolfgang puck. Love the disney christmas store. Love the margarita stand. Yay! |
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disneycarnivora |
#14 | |||
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Posts: 303 04/21/09 06:56:02 |
Did anyone else crack up at The Churro stand? I can now picture Samuel L Jackson going off at Disneyland...or on Indiana Jones at the snake part XD
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Mousetalgia Kristen |
#15 | |||
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Posts: 205 04/21/09 08:31:24 |
disneycarnivora wrote: I totally did! Tim Babb = Disney Hilarity |
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UltraByte |
#16 | |||
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Posts: 71 04/21/09 11:32:28 |
disneycarnivora wrote: Yes. Sadly, everybody in my yearbook class stared at me, as usual. 
Just leave this place
behind,
Ill grill your place, don't mind. And you're the only one, 'cos you're up on defense. This is a new way! |
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timbabbcomedian |
#17 | |||
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Posts: 69 04/21/09 13:09:12 |
disneycarnivora wrote:Thanks...if only I had waited a few days to edit this, I could have had Sam being tired of all these "monkey fighting" churos... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4t6zNZ-b0A
Check out my videos and stand up at TANcast.com/tim
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DancinBelle |
#18 | |||
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Posts: 126 04/21/09 13:34:48 |
I do think RC suffers from lack of originality (the first one I ate was in Wisconsin). The same company just opened the T-rex Cafe in WDW, I'll check it
out when I'm there (4 months and 3 days YAY!)
Smallest DTD is Paris. They have maybe 3 or 4 stores, an RC (I think it's the only one in Europe), a McDonald's, Planet Hollywood, and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. It's fun to see Europeans get excited about the American brands we take for granted. |
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Captain Nemo.disneyshauntedm... |
Downtown Disney | #19 | ||
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Posts: 2 04/21/09 14:59:00 |
It probably sounds odd to say this since you can't get too much more commercial than the Disney brand, but Downtown Disney is too commercial for me.
I'm not big into "stuff" or chain restaurants. When I'm at Disneyland (or at "The World") I prefer to spend as much time as
possible within the Magic Kingdom.
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Mousetalgia Kristen |
#20 | |||
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Posts: 205 04/21/09 16:36:44 |
Captain Nemo wrote: I see your point - while I enjoy "stuff" I really enjoy it within the walls of the Kingdom and not so much in the streets outside. |
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