We’re large followers of secret areas and hidden gems within the parks and resorts. This Listing of the Prime 10 Quiet Corners of Walt Disney World shares a few of them, and common readers know that we routinely sing the praises of Magic Kingdom’s little-known balcony within the busiest space of Fantasyland and one other close by enjoyable respite from the crowds.
Sadly, there aren’t as many areas that provide a reprieve from the chaos and crowds at Disneyland Resort. The extra consolidated and cramped format of the California parks imply there aren’t as many locations to flee different individuals. That is one thing of which we’ve develop into acutely conscious whereas trying to find quiet areas to appease a fussy child.
What if we advised you there’s not solely a secret area that checks all the precise packing containers, whereas additionally being one of many 24 Greatest Eating places at Disneyland. In truth, it’s one of the crucial pleasing eating experiences in both park, and even Downtown Disney and the motels, for that matter. The delicacies is crowd-pleasing, the meals is enjoyable–it checks the precise packing containers from a culinary perspective, too!
We’re speaking about Lamplight Lounge in Pixar Pier at Disney California Journey, the reimagined restaurant that took over the areas of two totally different eating choices, and provides all kinds of seating open air and inside consequently. Even longtime Disney diehards who steadily eat at Lamplight Lounge could not know this secret eating room exists. Heck, we didn’t till after eating right here a couple of half-dozen occasions!
For starters, Lamplight Lounge is one in all our favourite desk service eating places in both park (behind solely Carthay Circle Restaurant in DCA). It’s a laid again spot that’s embellished with Pixar artwork and different objects, and feels prefer it may very well be an worker lounge in Emeryville the place the fabled animation studios is headquartered.
Lamplight Lounge is incredible for lunch or dinner, however our favourite meal is the “good brunch” at Lamplight Lunch (full assessment), which has a slew of standouts. The vibes are immaculate for brunch, with open air seating boasting large views of the bay. Precisely the kind of decompressing expertise we crave after Early Entry and racing round at rope drop.
Anyway, let’s head contained in the unique eating room at Lamplight Lounge, which is one in all Disney’s coolest secret spots within the parks that you simply may not know even exists. This spot is tucked away on the decrease stage together with the remainder of the principle eating rooms at Lamplight Lounge. After checking in and happening stairs, you head straight by to the far reverse facet.
From there, you’ll head “backstage” at Lamplight Lounge, heading past the principle eating room into an space vaguely paying homage to the boiler room at Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.
This, as you could acknowledge, is a upkeep service elevator vault door, nonetheless in operation, ready for you. We invite you, if you happen to dare, to step aboard as a result of in tonight’s episode you’re the star. And this elevator travels vault door on to . . . The Twilight Zone The Workplace.
Okay, kinda mixing attraction references right here, however for no matter cause, after I first headed again to the key eating room, it gave me critical Tower of Terror flashbacks. I used to be half-tempted to ask the Forged Member introducing it how good his Rod Serling impersonation was, however feared listening to “who?” or simply typically coming throughout as a weirdo.
Anyway, entry to the key eating room is fastidiously guarded behind the vault door. And as hinted at above, the key eating room is named “The Workplace.” (So no, that was not an odd reference to a different tv present above.)
The Workplace’s vault door can also be no extraordinary vault door, and has a present ingredient–you provoke a gap sequence, for lack of a greater time period. It’s nothing superb or something, however it’s sufficiently enjoyable that everybody in our get together needed to (and did, due to a affected person Forged Member who I assume hears the very same request from nearly each group seated right here) do it themselves.
Opening the vault door is a type of little issues that’s immensely satisfying, like a very good again crack or pulling the lever in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Disney wants extra of those tactile moments that don’t seem to be a lot, however are one way or the other immensely cathartic. Not the purpose of this submit, although.
Upon getting into The Workplace at Lamplight Lounge by the vault door, you’ll see an intimate area that seats as much as 13 individuals. You may just about see all of it in my photograph above: one sales space plus one other round picket desk with leather-based seats and a wooden desk.
Purple partitions with hand-drawn sketches of Pixar animators, plus one other shadowbox with coasters signed by extra animators and Pixar executives that includes doodles and messages to the opening workforce of Pixar Pier and Lamplight Lounge.
Above the leather-based seats, there are additionally video games on the wall that you could take down and play.
It’s a reasonably easy area, however there are some things that make The Workplace particular. First and most evident, it’s unique. If there’s one factor Disney followers love, it’s exclusivity. You might scoff at that, calling it superficial or no matter, nevertheless it’s 100% true. What number of of you may have Membership 33 in your bucket listing? Who amongst us hasn’t purchased Annual Passholder-exclusive merchandise–even the stuff that’s a bit ugly as a result of they added one too many graphic to it?!
One factor we love as Disney followers is being “within the know” or a part of a choose group who appreciates and enjoys the parks on a distinct stage than the typical visitor. Issues like understanding backstories or having the ability to spot little particulars–issues of that nature additionally qualify. That is necessary to many people additionally as a result of it’s what helps separate Disney theme parks from extraordinary amusement parks.
The Workplace has that high quality in spades. It’s not simply the exclusivity of understanding about and attending to dine on this secret area. It’s additionally the present of getting inside, and what the room itself options within the type of artwork from the Pixar animators. You’re really feel such as you’re in a particular place.
It’s onerous to convey this, and I’m in all probability not doing it full justice. For me, the most effective instance is Tiffins or Nomad Lounge at Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Like Lamplight Lounge, these spots aren’t themed within the conventional sense of the time period. As a substitute, they’re embellished with inspiring and aspirational messages about journey, and objects from the Imagineer Joe Rohde and his inventive workforce.
A giant a part of what’s particular about Tiffins and Nomad Lounge for Disney followers is the sense that it’s a spot designed by Imagineers, for Imagineers. It’s straightforward to think about them unwinding there after a protracted day engaged on Pandora, as a result of they in all probability did!
Lamplight Lounge is like that, however for Pixar Animation Studios. Extra particularly, The Workplace appears very very similar to an area that Pixar creatives might’ve pushed to have put aside for themselves throughout the design technique of Pixar Pier. It’s not onerous to think about John Lasseter–a passionate parks particular person with numerous energy at the moment–wanting The Workplace to exist so he had someplace quiet to hang around along with his household or buddies when visiting DCA.
Even when that’s not precisely the story of how this secret area got here to fruition (and I’ve no clue, to be clear), that’s what it feels like. As if you happen to’re hanging out in one of many previous haunts of Pixar staff–the place they could’ve sketched out concepts for upcoming animated motion pictures on the again of napkins. It has an “if these partitions might discuss” vibe, very similar to the Tam O’Shanter. That’s one other restaurant that involves thoughts when in The Workplace, and the sketches on the wall are paying homage to the Brown Derby. So there’s undoubtedly an previous Hollywood sense to the area.
I nonetheless really feel like I’m failing to articulate what makes The Workplace really feel particular. I assume it’s a type of “if you already know, you already know” varieties of issues. If not, that is all in all probability nonsensical rambling, so hopefully a majority of you already know!
Whereas the key room itself is a comfortable escape from the remainder of Lamplight Lounge and Disney California Journey, it’s price noting that you simply don’t must completely forfeit the “large views” of Paradise Bay if eating right here.
You even have the most effective of each worlds, as simply exterior The Workplace, there’s a non-public patio that faces Pixar Pier and affords a superb vantage of the Incredicoaster launch.
All of this could sound nice, and it’s. Now time for the dangerous information. You may’t reserve the key room at Lamplight Lounge. Not solely that, however being seated right here requires an amazing quantity of luck and/or Forged Member magic, fortunate timing, and being the precise get together dimension.
I discussed earlier within the submit that we hadn’t been seated right here (and even heard about it) our first half-dozen or so occasions eating at Lamplight Lounge. Nicely, that’s as a result of on each a type of events, our group was 2-4 individuals. The probabilities of a pair (and even two) being seated in an area that accommodates as much as 13 is exceedingly uncommon.
So the first step for being seated within the secret room at Lamplight Lounge: make buddies. Or have an enormous household, however that’s going to take longer and be dearer, so perhaps simply go the chums route. That is a type of uncommon events the place an enormous group is a bonus moderately than a drawback for Disney eating.
If in case you have a bigger get together, ask concerning the secret eating room on the host stand. Along with that, go to the restaurant proper when it opens for the day and make the request to have your get together seated in The Workplace. On the finish of the evening is another choice which may work, or on a wet day or throughout a tough ticket occasion.
Principally, I’m simply itemizing events when demand is prone to be decrease and, in flip, it’s much less possible that The Workplace is already occupied. Any of these situations will increase your odds of being seated within the secret eating room, and a few of them would possibly even work for smaller events.
Dumb luck is one other large one. From what we’ve heard, that’s the commonest state of affairs for being seated within the secret room. It typically comes all the way down to a visitor celebrating a birthday or a Forged Member opting to make some magic for somebody. However you may’t actually plan for dumb luck, and also you’re studying a submit concerning the secret eating room in order that’s presumably not going to be your method, anyway.
Truthfully, I wouldn’t stress out an excessive amount of over being seated in The Workplace. It’s a cool area and I do suppose that each diehard Disney or Pixar fan ought to attempt to see inside at the very least as soon as. However you keep in mind that rambling part of this submit the place I attempted to elucidate why it’s so particular? If that clarification didn’t “click on” for you, it may very well be as a result of this kind of area received’t resonate with you. (It may be as a result of my writing isn’t lucid.) And there’s nothing unsuitable with that!
If we have been taking Disneyland first-timers or household, we really would not request The Workplace. As cool as I feel it’s, I even have the power to “learn the room” and know that my mother and father or our normie buddies wouldn’t really feel the identical method. They’d surprise why the heck I’m so excited a couple of windowless room…and why we handed by ample quantities of open air seating with views of the bay on an excellent California day. Hopefully that angle is pretty frequent, and can both reassure you that The Workplace isn’t a must-do…or make it simpler so that you can rating a spot on this secret eating room at DCA!
Planning a Southern California trip? For park admission offers, learn Ideas for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Study on-site and off-site motels in our Anaheim Lodge Critiques & Rankings. For the place to eat, try our Disneyland Restaurant Critiques. For distinctive concepts of issues that’ll enhance your journey, try What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Trip Planning Information. Lastly, for guides past Disney, try our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seaside, and lots of different SoCal cities!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider The Workplace? (No, not the one with Dwight, Jim and Pam?) Would you like sitting in right here or within the regular eating rooms at Lamplight Lounge? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
