California Day 8 - The Final Day

It was our final day in California and it was going to be a long one.   We had reservations at 8:15 for the buffet at Goofy’s Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel.  We debated about taking a cab but decided that we would be on the first shuttle from the hotel and walk through Downtown Disney which worked out fine.  Chris isn’t a big fan of getting up early or breakfast so he decided to sit this one out.

Goofy’s Kitchen is a character breakfast and we found the characters to be very interactive!  Chip at one point even sat down at our table and was checking out what we were eating.  We enjoyed having fun with them and taking some pictures.   We also really enjoyed the buffet.  It was listed as a brunch but we figured that at 8:15 am it would be breakfast foods only.  Not so!  We were surprised to find pizza, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and other lunch type foods as well as classic breakfast dishes.  And I had no problem enjoying some pizza and macaroni and cheese alongside my eggs and Mickey waffles.  I even had ice cream for dessert!  

After we were stuffed, we walked back through Downtown Disney to Disneyland.  Chris and I had to use our one day, one park only pass this day so we had decided to spend the full day in Disneyland.  As we entered the park, we headed to the right to do my sister’s favorite attraction, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.  Apparently my sister is the only one that shares the love for this attraction because we had a private showing as the only ones in the theater.   On our way in I was very happy to find “the bench.”  I had read that it was in Disneyland but I wasn’t sure where to find it.  As you enter the Opera House, there sits the bench that Walt Disney sat on in Griffith Park while his daughters rode the merry go round and he came up with the idea for Disneyland.  

We then headed towards the rear of the park to check out the Big Thunder Ranch area which was decorated for Halloween.  There were some animals in a petting zoo type of setting but what we liked most was all of the figures that were made with pumpkins and the pumpkin carvings.

Chris met up with us at this point and we spent the rest of the morning / early afternoon going on a various rides.  It was very busy so getting fastpasses was important.  We did wait for about 45 minutes to get on the Nemo submarine ride but that was the longest wait of the day.   We had previously decided that we were going to take a park break around 2 pm and go to Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland hotel.  We also had to pick up our tickets for the Fantasmic Dessert Package at Town Hall.   So we made our way out of the park, picked up the tickets and then walked once again through Downtown Disney to Trader Sam’s.

Inside of Trader Sam’s is small and it was crowded so we found a table outside.  We ordered some drinks and some food to share.  It was a nice sit down break from the parks.  On our way back, we took the monorail from Downtown Disney into Disneyland.  It stops at Tomorrowland so we were right where we left off.  The parade was in the last few minutes so there was almost no line for the Matterhorn which had been a big wait for most of the day.  We hopped on that ride and noticed that within 30 minutes the long wait had returned there.

We did some more attractions until it was time for the Fantasmic Dessert Package.  This package is unfortunately being discontinued which is too bad because we really enjoyed it.  We had to check in and then wait in line to choose our seats.  We then were told to return at around 8:30 (the show started at 9).  There were already a lot of people who started sitting around the viewing area on the ground as early as 5 pm so having assigned seats was excellent.  We had folding chairs right in front of a railing that was on a higher level than the guests seated on the ground.  It was the perfect place to see the show.

After we were seated, a cast member came around with our dessert boxes.  We each received a pretty large size box.  Each contained several cheeses and crackers and then 6-7 bite size desserts and some chocolates.  The cast member also will bring you the beverage of your choice.  There was soda, coffee, tea and water.  All of the food was great and there was a lot of it.  None of us finished our box.  Chris and I handed ours over to my sisters because we were leaving the next morning.

The other benefit to the seats was that we were allowed to stay in them for the fireworks.  Of course we couldn’t see the castle from where we were but got the general idea and the music and narration played in our area as well.

That was our last activity of the entire trip and it was a great way to end.  After the fireworks, it was time to take the shuttle back to the hotel and pack.  My sisters were staying for a few more days so we said goodbye to them that night.

The next morning, the driver arranged by Adventures by Disney arrived and we made a quick 20 minute drive to Long Beach airport to fly home.

Our whole time in California was wonderful.  I had a great time as part of Adventures by Disney and touring around on our own.  As always, it is sad when a trip ends and you have to come home.  This time though there was a silver lining as there was only 2 ½ weeks after we got home until Chris and I headed to Walt Disney World in Florida for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon weekend.   As of writing this, we are already home from that trip… so more trip reports coming soon!