After exiting the Gallery, Lo and Michael gave us the option to visit Mickey Mouse in ToonTown! Of course this was AFTER they handed us 5 Fast Passes we could use wherever and whenever we wanted today. So, we had something to think about as we walked…
Toontown is just too adorable. It totally takes me back to when I was young going first as a teenager and then bringing my kids to Toontown in Walt Disney World. We all loved it there- and Disneyland’s Toontown is just awesome, so much bigger than what Walt Disney World’s once was.
Here you get the chance to meet Mickey Mouse once you walk through his house, but on an Adventure by Disney vacation- we went through his backdoor and right inside!
From here we decided to use a Fast Pass on Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin- which is adorable and everyone enjoyed it, but we were all WIPED OUT. We had every intention to meet Lo and Michael for the 4:30 parade, “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade”- but we just couldn’t do it. We headed back to the Grand Californian to rest a bit before dinner. This was where we were so grateful to have our resort nearby because there were no buses or monorails to wait for- just as fast as our legs could get us there. We were even too tired to head to the pool- that we stared at every day from our balconies!
After resting we headed into Downtown Disney and the Rainforest Cafe. This is a traditional stop for Mike and the kids- they usually head to one for lunch and or dinner during trips they accompany me for a conference, etc in Walt Disney World. They LOVE it there. The closest one we have to our home is in NJ-about an hour and a half away. We made a reservation for 6, we got there maybe 15 minutes early- and we were seated by 6.
We were seated next to elephants!
Katie had fish and chips:
I had a chicken wrap:
Mike had a turkey club:
Jacqueline had a burger:
Mikey had mozzarella sticks:
I have to admit- the service was good and the food was great. I can understand why they like to make this a tradition, I am just not sure I want to cross state lines to visit one closer to home. 😉
We decided to finish up the day inside Disneyland park. The girls had been in contact with the other teen adventurers and we knew it was just a matter of time that they would be off to explore with them…so, we decided to head to Big Thunder Mountain. So far, this was Mikey’s favorite and riding it at night feels so different. No need to use a Fast Pass here as the stand by wait was managable.
Next up was Star Tours- not my favorite (I am not good on simulated rides like that at all), but Mikey promised if I rode it- he would try Hyperspace Mountain again (which he didn’t love when we rode it yesterday & I knew he would). So, I rode it- using the first of our 4 remaining Fast Passes- hoping I would keep my dinner down!
I made it through- thank goodness- and we were off to Hyperapce Mountain. Mikey was nervous but promised to try to keep his eyes open & listen to the dialogue for the first minute or so and I promised he wouldn’t regret it. Well… he loved it 🙂 We were now down to our last 2 Fast Passes. The girls met up with the other teens on the trip- and as long as they stayed with the group and in contact with us via their phones, they could go explore.
Mike, Mikey and I decided to head back to our resort. We strolled through Main Street USA’s shops on our way out- Mikey spotted the Mickey ears Michael was wearing that day and Mikey needed to have them too.
We entered our rooms to a great surprise! Mikey came running into our room so excited because Lo and Michael sent HIM mail too (the reservation was in Mike’s name for that room- a name they share)!
Mike stopped downstairs at the Hearthstone Lounge and picked up a bottle of Pinot Grigio for us to enjoy on our balcony- the three of us were ready to toast (Mikey with his milk) to a magical day in Disneyland when the girls came back elated about their night too. So much for going to bed early- we were too busy chatting about our incredible day!
