Aulani Waves and Disneyland Days: An Ohana Adventure - Day 16 No donuts for you!

[bambikate]

Introduction and Index

Day 16 - No donuts for you!
Disneyland Park, Starbucks breakfast, Mickey beignets, Lamplight Lounge, Radiator Springs at night.

A super early start today, we were in Disneyland Park by 7:30am to make the most of the quiet park. It started to drizzle ever so slightly, which felt very strange!

We went straight to Fantasyland and rode the rides that were open: Alice in Wonderland, the Teacups a couple of times, the Carousel and then we tried the sword again.









Monorail!



The Matterhorn didn’t open until 8am, so at exactly 8am we got in line and were one of the first to ride it that day



Next, we went on Autopia for a little cruise



At about 8:45 we went to Starbucks to get some breakfast.

They also randomly gave us this free Halloween cookie!





Mary Poppins wandering around Fantasyland



Next up, Peter Pan’s Flight!





Genie!



Then we did Pinocchio’s Daring Journey and headed into Mickey’s Toontown for a browse before going on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

The queuing area in the Disneyland version was cool with lots of funny posters.



Anyone else remember this little short from when they were younger?



And when Chip and Dale tried to hide from Pluto dressed as a Santa candle?



I’m not sure what kind of farming Mickey has been doing here…





Love this ride: it’s so clever!



The girls had a go on the little playground because - why not!

Then they went on Chip and Dale’s Gadget Coaster which took about 20 minutes.

Then we played with all the interactive bits in Mickey’s Toontown for a bit.

Next up, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin.

It was nearly lunch time now and we were feeling a little peckish, so we went to Edelweiss Snacks and got a turkey leg and a Cheesy Garlic Pretzel Bread with a side of Marinara sauce…. Oh…. My…. GOODNESS! The bread was 10/10 - if you are going to Disneyland you’ve got to add this to your list - heaven!



Next, we went to the Fantasyland Theatre to watch the Tale of The Lion King musical; a show we’d never seen or even realised was there before.



The show was OK but not even half as good as the Festival of the Lion King - granted it’s not supposed to be the same, I think it was supposed to be a bit "different". I'm not sure what exactly it was but it was just a bit of a miss for us. I see it’s now stopped running from January this year.



Bumped into Captain Hook!

Next, we walked to the Mint Julep Bar and ordered a bag of Mickey Biegnets - yummy!



Then, we went on the Disneyland Railroad! The was so cute - I liked how it was facing outwards like the Rafiki’s Planet watch train.

We rode the train to the front of the park and then walked back to our hotel to relax for a while before our 6:15pm reservation at Lamplight Lounge I was so happy to be going back here, we had such great memories of our meal from 2018.

We left our room at about 5:30pm and had a short browse around Pixar Pier before checking in for our reservation.

[bambikate]

Andy ordered a Long Island Iced Tea and I ordered the secret Menu Mickey’s Fun Wheel, the girls had diet cokes and we had water for the table too.





Food wise, we got Potato Skins (crispy Yukon Gold Potatoes with Brown Butter-Caper Yogurt, Smoked Paprika Aïoli and Manchego Cheese), the Lobster Nachos (Warm Lobster with Black Beans, Aged Cheddar-Oaxaca Cheese Sauce, Shredded Cheese Blend, Pico de Gallo, Sliced Serrano Chiles and Chipotle Crema) and the Kung Pao Bao which I can’t find on the menu but it was crispy pork belly with a sweet sticky glaze. The girls had chicken and wedges Mickey check meals and shared the potato skins and Bao.







All the food was top tier - we enjoyed all of it.

For second drinks, Andy got another Long Island Iced Tea and I got a “Final with a Fix” (reposado tequila, raspberry liqueur, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, and mezcal) I loved this - it was like a slightly smoky (courtesy of the mezcal) raspberry margarita



We were going to get the donuts but our server (who wasn’t very attentive and acted like he couldn’t wait to clear our table and get the next guests in) as we were about halfway through our second drinks, with food left, plonked our bill on the the table and said “whenever you’re ready - no rush!”

Andy and I were so confused and looked at each other - why had he brought it out - what if we wanted another drink or dessert - he didn’t even ask us. We were really annoyed and he even came back to check to see if we had signed it yet about 5 minutes afterwards. We did say to him - we’ve not finished our drinks yet! He said “Oh yeah of course, take your time!” But then we never saw him again.

It really did spoil our experience there to be honest. We paid a lot of money and were made to feel like he wanted to get rid of us.

We asked to speak to someone to explain how disappointed we were with the service. They were apologetic and actually gave us some vouchers we could use at any restaurant, which was a very kind gesture and they said they would feed back. It was just a shame it happened in the first place.

Looking at the positives, the food and drinks were excellent and we had the whole evening in California Adventure to enjoy!



When we got outside, it was dark and everything looked so pretty!

We explored the park and went on some rides and then went to Cars Land to explore and take pictures and went on Radiator Springs Racers - it’s sooo cool at night - we had the best time.































LOVED these lanterns









At about 10pm we called it a day and went back to the hotel to get some much needed rest ready for our final full day tomorrow.

[Pep]

Great full on day shame about your server though.
Loved seeing Pluto's Christmas tree poster it's our absolute fav cartoon we watch it every Christmas about 6 times.
Never been to DL it's on our bucket list though I think the first ride we would do is Rodger Rabbit we just love the character and the movie.
Radiator springs looks so good at night also.

[bambikate]

Originally Posted by Pep

Great full on day shame about your server though.
Loved seeing Pluto's Christmas tree poster it's our absolute fav cartoon we watch it every Christmas about 6 times.
Never been to DL it's on our bucket list though I think the first ride we would do is Rodger Rabbit we just love the character and the movie.
Radiator springs looks so good at night also.

See more...

Thank you! OMG no way! Us too! It makes me feel so nostalgic. Did you used to also watch Mickey's Christmas Carol and Santa's Workshop think they also used to all be on the same VHS (showing my age!)

It's a very pretty area at night - definitely!

TFR!

[Pep]

Originally Posted by bambikate

Thank you! OMG no way! Us too! It makes me feel so nostalgic. Did you used to also watch Mickey's Christmas Carol and Santa's Workshop think they also used to all be on the same VHS (showing my age!)

It's a very pretty area at night - definitely!

TFR!

See more...

Yes we did watch all those and there's one where chip and Dale fight with Donald clearing the snow on his path 😀
We love Christmas and Disney our decorations are all Disney one's

[Wonder]

Ah got to love a Disney Christmas short! My two love all the old school Disney shorts they now have on Disney Plus too! Nostalgia!

Another great day though, shame about the waiter but other than him it sounds great!

[smithlane]

Such a shame about the service at Lamplight Lounge but I’m glad you said something to a manager as when you’re paying that kind of money you want an amazing server who is attentive!
Otherwise another really good day. Radiator Springs really does look great at night