California Christmas December 2017 - Day 5

Day 5 Notes –

• -          Toad - For several days, Ellie wanted to ride Mr. Toad.  We had watched the movie before our trip and she really enjoyed it.  We tried to ride the night before, but they closed the ride for fireworks.  I hadn't been on Toad since it was closed at Walt Disney World.  This was quite the experience.  It was very jerky, looked like paper cutouts of the characters and then you go to hell at the end.  Very strange.  Ellie liked it.
• -          Snow White - We rode Snow White after and it was fun.  Ellie likes it, but says its a little scary for her.  She doesn't like the Queen.
• -          Carousel - We rode the carousel because Lisa and Ellie love carousels.
• -          Sleeping Beauty Walk-through - We did the castle walk-through.  It is a cool telling of the story.  Sleeping Beauty is Lisa's favorite and Ellie loves all princesses so this was a good one.
• -          Peter Pan - After the castle, Peter Pan was right next to it and the wait showed 45 minutes from the end of the line.  The people in line didn't go all the way to the end of the physical line so we decided to give it a shot.  We knew we were gonna have to wait to ride it at some point so this was it.  We ended up only waiting about 25 minutes.  Pretty good for Peter Pan.
• -          Galactic Grill - After that we got hungry and Lisa and I had wanted to try the breakfast burrito at the Galactic Grill.  It was delicious.  Lisa and I both got it.  We would go back again for it.  We also got Ellie a Power Pack and she really enjoyed it too.  
• -          Buzz - After breakfast we rode Buzz while we waited for our Star Tours FastPass.  There was a short line.  I won again.  Lisa was closer and Ellie was getting better.
• -          Star Wars - We had a FastPass for Star Tours, but Lisa couldn't go.  Ellie wanted to try it.  I was really surprised.  We got in line and she was very excited.  She liked the 3D glasses and then we were off.  Ellie liked it a lot and did a good job with it.
• -          Radiator Springs - After Star Tours, we had decided to meet our friends at California Adventure for lunch.  We were able to get a FastPass for Radiator Springs Racers before lunch so Lisa went to the Cove Bar to meet our friends and Ellie and I rode Radiator Springs Racers.  It was a lot of fun.  Ellie enjoyed it again.
• -          Cove Bar - Our last trip we really wanted to try the lobster nachos at the Cove Bar, but we couldn't get in.  We decided to eat there for lunch this day.  The lobster nachos were good, but not amazing.  It was a good setting and the kids got a pizza to split.
• -          Toy Story - After lunch we had a FastPass for Toy Story.  I came in 3rd this time.  Darn.
• -          Ariel - We rode Ariel again.  As you can tell, this was our go to ride because there was never a line.
• -          Redwood Creek Challenge - I wanted to see what this was all about and I thought the kids would want to see Santa.  The line for Santa was crazy, so we skipped it.  They did get to go down a slide that let them take Christmas presents from the top to the bottom.  They enjoyed that a lot.
• -          Ice cream / treats in Carsland - Next we wanted to get an ice cream treat and Lisa remembered that she wanted the peppermint chocolate shake at Flo's V8 Cafe.  I wanted the pumpkin spice churro, which was at the Cozy Cone.  We all got something different.  Ellie got an ice cream cone from the Cozy Cone.  It was a good stop.  Ellie had ice cream all over her face.  
• -          Christmas Parade - After our treat, we went back to Disneyland to see the Christmas parade.  We had a better spot this time.  Everyone enjoyed it.
• -          Small World - We rode Small World again.  Love it.
• -          Big thunder - Ellie and I rode Big Thunder Mountain with our friends.  She told them that she was going to laugh and scream a lot.  She was loved it again, and did laugh and scream.  It was cute.
• -          Train - Next we rode the train.  We went to New Orleans Square and rode it around to Fantasyland.  We were a mess because we carried all of our stuff and the strollers.
• -          Tea cups - After the train, we rode the tea cups at night, which is fun.
• -          Plaza inn - We had trouble finding a spot to eat because they were all busy.  We tried to make a reservation and they were all full.  We ended up at the Plaza Inn.  There was a long line, but we made it in.  I got the fried chicken and it was awesome.  Probably the best fried chicken I've had.  Ellie got pasta and Lisa had a salad.
• -          Ellie nap - ‘I’m not gonna close my eyes’; 5 min later, asleep - After dinner, we started walking around to find something to do, and Ellie told us she was going to lay down in the stroller, but not close her eyes.  No more than 5 minutes later, she was asleep.  We went and sat/rested at the Galactic Grill.  We tried to see fireworks, but they were cancelled again.