By: Maria Beehner, a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent
I woke up nice and cozy in my room at Disney's Grand Californian under something you don't see often in hotels anymore, a comforter. Convincing myself I had to escape its cozy grasp and meet up with my fellow Marvelous Mouse agents, my next thought was breakfast. My choices were many, but for my very first morning, and still engaged with my comforter, I went with room service. After all, I was at Disneyland, and it wouldn't be too magical if I didn't start my day without my Mickey shaped waffles now, would it?
I traded my comforter for my equally cozy in-room robe and slippers and grabbed my magical Mickey waffles and headed for the balcony. My balcony overlooked downtown Disney, and the California morning, along with my Mickey waffles, made me excited to get the day started. The comforter vs. robe coziness debate would have to wait!
I opted to begin the day with a Power-walk through Disney’s California Adventure Park I had signed up for the day before. It’s one of my favorite things to do staying at Disney's Grand Californian and it is the only hotel that offers this activity. There is something awe-inspiring in seeing the park going though it’s magical processes as cast members get the park ready. Equally awe-inspiring is the feeling you have on this power-walk. It’s quiet, peaceful and informative but the silence before the guests arrive is dramatic because you know something big is about to happen when those gates open.
Before heading off to the parks, I had to stop at Concierge. The Oogie Boogie Bash Disney Halloween Party sold out online in minutes in August, and I was ticketless and in need magical miracle. My fairy godmother took the reigns at Concierge, and when the pixie dust settled, we were granted four tickets for the Bash the next night. With a skip in my step, I was off to the parks!
After a 5-minute walk from the hotel, I met up with my fellow Marvelous Mouse agents at the parks. We tore through the parks for a couple hours and tracked down our absolute favorite snacks, the coveted Mickey Mouse shaped beignets. If you aren't familiar with Mickey Mouse shaped beignets, they are a deep-fried pastry (much like a Zeppole) sprinkled with powdered sugar and an absolute must-have.
Since the parks are so close to Disney's Grand Californian, we decided to head back and return for lunch and check out what’s what at the new GCH Craftsman Bar. After hearing about, and now seeing this poolside awesomeness, we decided we just had to have lunch here. The Shawarma Chicken Skewers were phenomenal and baked nachos were unreal! Normally I like to share with my fellow Marvelous Mouse agents, but not this time, everything was so scrumptious I didn't want to share!
After lunch, we changed into our bathing suits and headed poolside again. We only had a short time to dip our toes and work on our Vitamin D levels in the California sun because before we knew it the time had come to get ready for dinner.
I met up with my fellow Marvelous Mouse agents at Napa Rose inside Disney's Grand Californian. This is my kind of place! Napa Rose has an incredible and award-winning wine collection, including of course the best of Californian wines, to go with Chef Andrew Sutton’s masterful dishes. I had the filet mignon and their recommended Cabernet. The filet mignon, cooked to perfection, was complimented with red plum relish, grilled asparagus and fingerling potatoes, and the recommended Cabernet couldn't have been more spot on. My mouth is watering as I typed that!
After dinner, we literally scooted across the hall, to the entrance to California Adventure Park – super convenient! We ended up at Cars Land to drive some cars at Radiator Springs Racers and then over to Pacific Wharf for Sourdough Bread samples. After my third Sourdough sample (yeah, I know), I decided it was time to head back to my hotel room – and finally deal with the comforter vs. bathrobe dilemma.
I was thwarted in the lobby by some Marvelous Mouse agents, and we decided to visit Hearthstone Lounge for a night cap. I enjoyed an aviation cocktail with a red poison apple glow cube, and we just simply had to share an artesian margherita pizza. We chatted, had lots of laughs and completely lost track of time! Hysterically laughing, we headed back to our rooms and I couldn't wait to close my eyes.
I finally got back into my room, changed into my pajamas and put on my super cozy robe. I stepped out on to the balcony one last time, to see downtown Disney at night and whispered, “I’ll see you in the morning!”. I also decided since I was at Disneyland, I didn’t have to choose my cozy bathrobe or my comfy comforter – I chose both. I crawled into bed and under my comforter, still wearing my bathrobe, so happy for the day I had and grateful I still had a tomorrow at Disneyland and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.
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