Aulani Waves and Disneyland Days: An Ohana Adventure - Day 12 Here for the souvenir mugs!

[bambikate]

Introduction and Index

Day 12 - Here for the souvenir mugs!
Uber to Disneyland Hotel, check in, Taqueria, browsing Downtown Disney, dinner at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, evening at the pool.

We woke up bright and early at 6am then packed our last bits away. Andy popped down to the restaurant to get our two free coffees and then we had these in our room with the rest of the Voodoo donuts we had bought the day before.

Today’s plan was to check into the Disneyland Hotel (a bucket list hotel for us!) And have a chilled downtown Disney and resort day. We had booked 6 nights at the hotel and 5 days of park tickets so we could really enjoy the resort - no Disney park for us today.

We took our time getting ready and by 10:25am we were catching our Uber XL; it was pretty pricey at $105 plus tip…

Bye, Hilton! Hello, Disneyland Hotel!



Arriving at the Disneyland Hotel to check in was so surreal and exciting. We had a little browse around as we were so early and we were told we could check in within the hour, which was a pleasant surprise.

Watching some Mickey Shorts whilst we check in!



Lobby inside the Adventure Tower



Loved the lights in the hallway





Our gorgeous room!











Spacious bathroom!









Our room was lovely and had a great view. We loved the musical and light up headboard and there were lots of cute Disney touches in the room.

As soon as bell services brought our bags up, we headed straight back downstairs and into Downtown Disney.

From the Adventure Tower you just went out the back doors or the tower and about 100m away is the security to get into Downtown Disney (and then the monorail or the parks), which was super convenient.

We wanted something quick and easy and after doing some research at home, knew that we wanted to go to Taqueria.

How to order



We got some tacos, quesadillas and burritos, some diet cokes for the girls and Andy and I got a frozen marg each. We sat outside under the red umbrellas hence everything looking bright red!

Stood by Taqueria looking back at our tower!











Our total came to $66.81 and it was all really tasty.

After lunch, we took our time exploring all the shops that Downtown Disney had to offer and bought a few things. It was going through some pretty extensive renovations but there was still so much to do.

Our fave!


Loved the dog halloween costumes:





A few of the mug choices:











Marceline’s



After a nice leisurely browse, we walked back to our hotel to explore the gifts shops there and have some pool time.

The flowers and plants at the resort were so beautiful.



Loved this shirt



Annoyingly, the famous monorail slide was being refurbished when we were there (which I don’t recall being told about) but the swimming pools and lounge areas were really lovely. We chilled in the pools for a bit and then went upstairs to unpack and get ready for dinner! We had booked Trader Sam’s Enchated Tiki Bar for dinner. For those that don’t know Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is our absolute fave and we have recreated our own version of it in our garden It was only by chance that I found out a few months before that you could now book Trader Sam’s ahead of time rather than just having to turn up, which was awesome and we booked it for 2 nights of our 6 night stay. I’m not sure if the Grog Grotto is doing this / is going to do this or not but I would be so happy if they did.

We got a bit dolled up and the girls wore their light up ears they had made at Aulani. We walked over to the bar and checked in at the desk. Kids are allowed in up until 8pm so we had made a reservation for 6pm. The outside area was also lovely but we definitely wanted to go inside and enjoy the experience there.

[bambikate]

Inside!








We ordered the Hawaiian Platter - with a choice of short rib or teriyaki chicken thigh, served with Furikake-seasoned Jasmine Rice, Macaroni Salad and Tangy Slaw



Some Pork Gyoza - Steamed Pork and Vegetable Pot Stickers topped with Unagi Sauce and Bonito Flakes, served with Gochujang Aïoli and some sweet-and-spicy Chicken Wings served with Togarashi Aïoli



and some Panko-crusted Long Beans served with Togarashi Aïoli.



The girls shared the appetisers with us and also shared the Wagyu Hawaiian Cheeseburger served with Grilled Pineapple, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Havarti, Sweet-and-Spicy Spread, served with choice of Sweet Potato Fries or French Fries.



As for drinks, we loved pretty much all the drinks here so our choices were mostly based on what souvenir mugs we wanted (needed!). I chose the Tangaroa Cooler - Hendrick’s Gin, Orgeat (Almond) Syrup, Falernum, Angostura Bitters, and Juices of Grapefruit and Lemon because this was exclusive to the Disneyland location and the mug was beautiful - the drink was also really lovely.

Andy chose the HippopotoMai-Tai - Coruba Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, Orange Curaçao, Orgeat (Almond) Syrup, Agave Nectar and fresh Lime Juice. Mai Tai is one of his fave drinks anyway and we love the Trader Sam’s version but we didn’t have the mug in orange yet so this was a must!

Look how cute!



The girls chose a Skipper Sipper - Tropical Juices, Agave Nectar, Falernum, Mint and fresh Lime Juice topped with Soda Water.

The food was all delicious, we enjoyed all of it.

Uh oh!





For second drinks, the girls went for Schweitzer Falls - Tropical Juices and Sam's Gorilla Grog topped with Sprite.

Andy chose the Zombie - Appleton Estate Reserve Rum, Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rum, Hamilton 151 Rum, Tropical Juices, Falernum, and Cinnamon. We have this mug in a couple of different colours but not this one and he had to get it because it matched his tattoo!



I chose the Piranha Pool - Stoli Strasberi Vodka blended with Pineapple Juice, Cream of Coconut, Strawberry Purée, and Blue Curaçao. Another Enchanted Tiki Bar excluisive and look at this mug! Sooo cool and the drink was delicious too.





We were too full for dessert so decided to call it a night. We had the best time that evening, so happy and relaxed and excited!

Our server was awesome and really fun. At the end of the meal, she gave us literally a huge handful of tiki stirrers and some Trader Sam’s coasters in our paper bag with the souvenir mugs we had bought

We relaxed in our room for a while then got changed and headed down to the pool for some evening pool time. We all had a great time.



Andy went to Tangaroa Terrace to get us some drinks. The girls had another skipper sipper each and Andy and I chose the Dole Whip Float with a Splash of Rum - it was heavenly!







We chilled for a bit longer then headed up to our room. We heard some fireworks and we realised we could see them from our room!



We watched them for a bit whilst we had some of the treats we had bought at Marceline’s Confectionary at Downtown Disney earlier that day including this Mickey cookie and churro toffee that we had heard everyone rave about and yes it lived up to the hype - delicious!




Tomorrow: Disneyland Park!

[Pep]

Love your room at DL Hotel its a bucket list for us along with a visit to the OG Trader Sam's. Its good you can book ahead saves all that standing in line at the poly.

[bambikate]

Originally Posted by Pep

Love your room at DL Hotel its a bucket list for us along with a visit to the OG Trader Sam's. Its good you can book ahead saves all that standing in line at the poly.

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Thank you! We loved it so much. Yeah we were so pleased about the pre-booking - saves the stress of trying to get a table on the day - do you know if the Poly do it now too? That would be great!

[Wonder]

The hotel looks lovely, and such an amazing chance to experience Trader Sam's!

How many new glasses did you end up bringing back? So lovely for you to have that authentic touch of Trader Sam's in your own Grog Grotto at home, it's the perfect addition to the home bar.

[Pep]

Originally Posted by bambikate

Thank you! We loved it so much. Yeah we were so pleased about the pre-booking - saves the stress of trying to get a table on the day - do you know if the Poly do it now too? That would be great!

See more...

I don't think they do but as we are staying there in October I hope they bring it in before then

[smithlane]

What a lovely relaxing first day at Disney. Your room looks amazing and how fab that you can see the fireworks!
I love those drinks and mugs from Trader Sam’s they’ll be great additions to your bar at home!