It'll Be Alright: California Christmas December 2017

Day 3 Notes –

- Found our friends in security - We were gonna meet them at the restaurant for breakfast, but got to security at the same time.
- Ariel’s ride - We had a little extra time before breakfast at Ariel's Grotto so we all rode the Ariel dark ride before.
- Ariel’s Grotto – Ariel, Belle, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Tiana - We had breakfast at Ariel's Grotto mainly to see the Princesses. This was a great experience from the perspective of Ellie and the Princesses, but the food was just ok and the restaurant could use an update. Ellie loved it though.
- Carsland – Mater’s, Luigi’s, Radiator Springs Racers (with Ellie, first big ride) - We got a FastPass to ride Radiator Springs Racers and before it we walked through Carsland. We rode Mater's and Luigi's before hand and they were fun. We didn't do Mater's last time and only Lisa and Ellie did Luigi's last time. Ellie and I rode Radiator Springs Racers with our friends and she did great. She loved it. Our friends daughter was ok until we went outside and car speeds up and goes over some bumps. At that point she started bawling. Ellie tried to consul her, but was unsuccessful.
- Soarin’ - After Carsland, we got a FastPass for Soarin'. Lisa and I love it. This was Ellie's first time and she was just ok with it.
- Lunch – Wine Country - We had lunch at Wine Country Trattoria and got the World of Color package. We did this last time with Carthay Circle, but didn't want to spend that much this year. The Trattoria was good, but not great. Ellie destroyed her plain pasta with "sprinkle cheese". I had Alfredo and Lisa had Lasagna.
- Carousel - The girls wanted to ride the carousel so we did.
- Mickey’s Wheel - Our friends wanted to ride the Fun Wheel, which we hadn't done before. It was fun, but not great for people who are not a fan of heights (Me). There are some good views of the park from there.
- Elena - We stumbled upon an Elena parade / street party. The kids enjoyed this show.
- Meet Elena and Donald – Listen to Latin music (Gloria Estefan) - After the parade there was a meet and greet with Elena and Donald. The kids wanted to see that. I got a break and got to sit down and watch the strollers.
- Feliz Navidad parade with Donald, Mickey and Minnie - After the meet, there was a Donald Duck Feliz Navidad street party. It was cute and fun for the kids. Ellie took after her dad and found an opening to sneak her way to the front to watch the show.
- Ariel’s - After the street party, we rode Ariel's again because it was on the path.
- Carousel - We had a FastPass for Toy Story so we walked back to Paradise Pier again and rode the Carousel again before our FastPass
- Toy Story - We all rode Toy Story. I won.
- Shops and find place to relax – Starbucks - At this point, we had run pretty hard for 2 days and Lisa was beat. We were looking for a place to sit and couldn't find a good spot. We ended up at the Starbucks at the front of the park.
- Lisa rest; Ellie and Zack Monsters - We left Lisa at the Starbucks to take a break. Ellie and I went to ride Monsters Inc. We love that ride. We walked around a little while too to give Lisa some extra time.
- Walk to waiting spot for World of Color - After our break, we went to check on our reserved spot for World of Color. We were about an hour early and that was the right time. The Trattoria reserved area is in front of the Carthay Circle area. It was still a good spot, but I liked the Carthay Circle area better.
- Get peppermint hot chocolate, warm bourbon cider, and gingerbread man cookie - While Lisa and Ellie held our spot and I went to get her peppermint hot chocolate from Ghirardelli. Then I went to find the item I had looked forward to: Warm Bourbon Cider. I got it and a gingerbread cookie. They were delicious. We had our beverages before World of Color.
- World of Color – Ellie asleep - World of Color started and it was the Holiday version. We LOVED the regular version of World of Color last time, but the Holiday version didn't stack up. It was good, but not as good. Ellie fell asleep while we were waiting and we couldn't wake her up. She was down for the night. After the show, we went back to the hotel and crashed.