Welcome to those of you joining me from Growing Up Disney and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 4th stop on our Magical Blogorail.
Normally when we travel to Disney parks, we travel to Walt Disney World — so I was all set to write about my favorite character dining restaurants there. But then, when I started thinking about it, I decided that I would write about the two character dining restaurants that we did at Disneyland. Those were Ariel’s Grotto and Storyteller’s Cafe.
Ariel’s Grotto
Ariel’s Grotto was a dining location we ate at for lunch. Located at the Paradise Pier part of Disney’s California Adventure Park, it features a meet and greet photo opportunity with Ariel when you first arrive, and other Disney Princesses during your meal. We enjoyed our lunch, and we met Ariel, Snow White, Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella.
Storyteller’s Cafe
The day I surprised the girls with their trip to Mandara Spa — and the day we went to see the Dodgers game — was also the day we ate at Storyteller’s Cafe. The food was good, we all opted for the buffet, but you could also order breakfast items off the menu. For us, though, the characters were why we came — and they went out of their way to come see us for pictures and autographs! We saw Chip & Dale, of course, but we also saw Brother Bear, Koda, and Miko from Pocahontas. Mico, in particular, stayed with us for a long time, and we were very thankful to him for doing so!
I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the characters that we got to meet while at Disneyland. It was a memorable trip for many reasons,
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Disney Donna Kay.
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ Colorado Mountain Mom
2nd Stop ~ A World View
3rd Stop ~ Growing Up Disney
4th Stop ~ My Dreams of Disney
Final Stop ~ Disney Donna Kay
Looks fun! The photos with Miko are so cute. :)
Thanks, Melissa! And thanks for showing me that I spelled Miko wrong! :) I’ll go fix that now!
Miko!
Thanks for the great reviews. We’re considering a DL trip in 2 years and these look like meals my kids would love to do.
Wow, Mike, what fabulous photos that you got of such wonderful family memories! I can’t believe how much Sophie has grown since I first “met” you. You are certainly blessed with a beautiful family! I’m so glad I got to meet you in person.
Mike, I adore the pic of you with Snow White!! I love hearing about your trip to Disneyland, maybe one day I will get to make the trip. BTW, Sophie gets prettier every time I see a new picture!!
that may be the prettiest Cinderella I’ve seen! I love reading about DL!
We took my daughter to Ariel’s Grotto when she was four years old. We thought it would be a nice lower-key alternative to eating at the castle at Disney World. We were right! It was a great way for her to meet all the princesses. I also remember that my son’s hotdog was cut to look like an octopus.
Disneyland looks like so much fun! Thanks for sharing, Mike!
Mike, this article comes just at the right time. We’re going to Disneyland in September. And granddaughter number 1 loves Snow White… will I maker her jealous when shes see my picture next month!
Loved this, as I know little to nothing about dining at Disneyland! Looks like a wonderful time, we’ll have to follow in your steps one of these days. :)
(Sorry it took me so long to swing by, I’ve been traveling for work… )