Day 2, in some ways, was really just day 1 (or maybe day 1.5) if you ask me. It was the first Disneyland day that we had fully rested without a 6 hour drive under our belt to start us off, and what a world of difference that can make right there. But day 2 sported something that Day 1 didn't and for that we were excited: our first character meal of the trip!
"What is a character meal?", you ask? Why, it is a meal with Disney characters, of course. A perfect blend of two of my favorite things about being at Disneyland: food, and my favorite Disney characters. And for this particular morning we would be having a Royal breakfast at Airel's Grotto (that's the name of the restaurant) in the Disney California Adventure park. Both parks didn't open until 10 a.m. but our PS (remember, that's a dining reservation in Disney speak) was for 9:40 a.m. We made sure to get there nice and early so once we were let into the park we would have time to get back to Paradise Pier for our meal, since it is located at the back of the park.
Similar to the rope drop that we experienced at Disneyland the day before they started letting everyone into DCA around 9:30 and with the direction of a few Cast Members we got past the ropes and were directed on where to go for our breakfast! I really enjoy having these early morning PS inside the parks because you don't often get views with absolutely no people in them!
After our arrival we got our photo taken with Ariel herself. I love the blue dress that she wears, but it really makes me miss the good old days when she had her own meet & greet in true mermaid fashion. But that's Pixie Hollow now, a meet & greet for Tinkerbell and her friends. Phooey. Of course I ordered the photo package which comes in a cute little themed folder.
Rather fittingly the restaurant has a very pretty Under the Sea theme that kept my eye wandering as we were seated and then waited for our food. The food was served family style, meaning you get a whole lot of it to share with everyone at your table. Let's see, we had a three-tiered platter with an assortment of fruits, cheeses, and breads, a big waffle as well as another tray filled with meats, potatoes, and eggs. I didn't need much encouragement to dive right in. The highlight of the food itself was probably my birthday brownie, equipped with a group of CM's to sing an Ariel's Grotto rendition of Happy Birthday.
Each of the Disneyland Resort character meals has a bit of a theme to it that continues down the line with the characters you'll find there. Ariel's Grotto, for one, is all about the Princesses. And in keeping up with that theme a Squire (or rather a CM dressed up as one) performed a little song for us before introducing each of the 4 Princesses as they entered the dining are and made their way around the room, visiting with each table for photos, autographs, and whatnot. I was really only interested in seeing one (and I'll give you one guess as to who that was), but we were graced with the presence of Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora (from Sleeping Beauty), and Belle (from Beauty & the Beast).
It was a good meal, especially considering how I am not a normal breakfast eater, made all the better by some of my favorite Disney characters. It's the way to go when you want to see the Princesses because your other option is waiting in the very long line for Princess Fantasy Faire which can be a royal pain in the you-know-what!
We did hang out in DCA for a little while after our breakfast was over before we made our way across the Esplanade back into Disneyland, proper.
I'm very excited to see this area filled with water again this September!
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