California New Year January 2019 - Day 5 and Going Home

Day 5:  Thursday –

• Slept through the night!!!! – Yay!!  We got a full night sleep.
• Earl of Sandwich – Decided to try Earl of Sandwich for breakfast.  It was delicious and fairly inexpensive. 
• Snow White / Pinocchio – We went to Disneyland for early entry and went to Fantasyland first.  Some of the rides were not working so we started with Snow White.  It is cute, but a little scary.  Crosby did not ride it, and shouldn’t have.  He didn’t really like the dark rides.  We rode Pinocchio next and it is also a little scary.  Both cute rides, but they don’t really give you the warm fuzzies.
• Characters in fantasyland – We saw a lot of characters walking around Fantasyland.  It is so cool to just see them mingling with the crowd.  We saw Geppetto, Peter Pan, Gaston and Flynn Rider were hanging out together and then we saw Belle get on the carousel.  The kids got on with her and then they tracked her down for a picture and autograph. 
• Dumbo – Next, we rode Dumbo, which took a lot longer than the posted time.  Grady actually fell asleep in line while we were holding him.  It was warm this day too so we were toasty in line.  They changed it from the last time so there was a covered waiting area and assigned Dumbo’s.  We all enjoyed this one.  Grady slept through it.  Both of my kids did better on their first Dumbo ride than I did.
• Toad – Ellie wanted to ride Mr. Toad next.  I personally think this is an over-rated ride.  I think it could use an update.  It is all cardboard cutout characters.  There isn’t an audio-animatronic character in there.  And you actually go to hell at the end.  Very family friendly.  I digress….
• Space mountain – We got a FastPass for Space Mountain.  Ellie did ride it.  She liked it this time.  I don’t know why, but this isn’t my favorite.  The Hyperspace Mountain version is one of my favorite rides ever, but the regular version doesn’t do much for me.
• Launch Bay – Spencer’s kids love Star Wars so they wanted to see the characters in the Launch Bay.  I had higher expectations for this area.  It was a glorified Star Wars museum with 3 characters and a gift shop.  We saw Bobba Fett, but the kids were too scared to meet him.  Then we saw Chewbacca, which we all loved and that was a great interaction.  Darth Vader was the other character, but the kids were too scared to even go see him.  Spence and I probably should have done it (maybe next time).
• Matterhorn – We got a FastPass for Matterhorn, so we went there next.  It took for-eve-er.  One side was closed so they were taking turns between the FastPass line and the standby line.  It was fun.  Ellie did it this time and she liked it.  She got a little nervous because you don’t sit next to each other.  I had to keep her calm before riding (which was a first, she does so well on all the rides).
• Lunch - Rancho del zocalo – After the Matterhorn, we split up and my family went to get lunch at Rancho del Zocalo.  It was really good.  All 4 of us ate well.  Lisa got the special, which was 3 street tacos and I got a burrito (I think).  Ellie got tacos.
• Big thunder - Ellie ‘is that the slow pass line?’ – We did Big Thunder Mountain after lunch.  We got a FastPass and I went with Ellie first.  We walked through the FastPass line and Ellie point to the other line and asked, “Is that the ‘slow pass’ line?”.  We had used so many FastPasses on this trip that she was used to it and figured the other line was the “slow pass” line.  It was cute.  It is so much fun going on this ride with her.  She loves it.  We switched, and Lisa went with her.  So much fun.
• Met Ariel – We headed toward Alice in Wonderland and stopped next to the castle because we found an impromptu Ariel and Eric meet and greet.  Lisa and Ellie went to do that, and I walked around with Grady.  While I was walking, I found the rest of my family walking by.  They stopped and we all got Mickey ice cream bars.  Mmm…  We also saw Mary Poppins and Bert walk by as well as Pinocchio.
• Met Tinker Bell – Pixie Hollow was next to us, so we did it.  The line was a lot longer than expected, but the interaction was great.  Tinker Bell is quite a talker and great with the kids.  As we walked out, we saw Captain Hook walk by and we made sure he didn’t find Tinker Bell.  It was funny.
• Rode Tea Cups – Next, we rode the Tea Cups, and Crosby had a meltdown.  We thought he was scared but come to find out he didn’t get the color cup he wanted.  Spence was almost asked to leave the ride.  Yikes.
• Peter Pan – We went to ride Peter Pan next because we had to do it before the end of the trip and the line wasn’t too bad.
• Big Thunder - Lisa and I got beignets – Spence got another FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain, so Ellie went with them and we took Crosby.  Lisa and I took the 2 boys and went to get beignets at the Mint Julep stand.  Yum.
• Dinner at Plaza Inn – I was really looking forward to this meal and it did not disappoint.  The fried chicken at the Plaza Inn is SO good.  We all ate well here.  Ellie got her noodles and Lisa got a salad.  Spence went rogue because he didn’t want to eat there.  He was going to get a corn dog I think.
• Dole Whip – We met him at the Tropical Hideaway after dinner and got Dole Whips.  It took us until the last day to get regular Dole Whips.  They are so good.
• Haunted Mansion – I wanted to ride Haunted Mansion one more time because it is my favorite.  Grady went this time.  He did really well.  We had to tell Ellie the ghosts were silly because she got a little scared since Jack and Sally weren’t there.
• Pooh’s Corner – Finally a Tigger Tail.  Wow was I disappoint.  They changed it.  It had orange-flavored icing and no crystallized sugar.  I didn’t like it as much.  Ellie still really liked it and Lisa liked it more this time.
• Watch nighttime show walking through Main Street – The park was closing so we walked down Main Street during the Mix Magic show.  It was cute to see there, but Small World was still the best spot to see it.
• Shopped in Downtown Disney and Hotel – We finally got to shop on the way back to the hotel, but the shops were packed.  It was hard to walk around.  We decided that next time we are adding an extra day mainly for Downtown Disney time.  We walked through it a lot but didn’t get to experience/shop very much.

Pure Joy!

Love this girl.  This is what Disneyland is all about.

Ariel and Little Mermaid shoes!

Tinker Bell at Pixie Hollow

Day 6:  Friday –

• Grady slept through the night
• Packed and left – Packing with the 2 little kids was a mess.  Trying to watch them and pick everything up was a lot.  It was also a pain because we were all in one room.  The last trip we packed most of the stuff while Ellie was sleeping because she was in essence in another room.
• Flight was better than on the way there, Grady slept 45 min and was able to play because we had more space since it wasn’t full – We sat in the back of the plane and the 4 of us took a full row.  It worked great.
• Nighttime - Ellie was sad at bedtime because vacation was over. She didn’t want it to end. I asked about watching a show about Disneyland or would it make her sad and she said, ‘it’ll just make me sad’

Heading Home - Plane Ride went Ok

Trip Notes:

Overall, it was a great trip.  This was more of a blur than previous trips.  Partially because there were more of us and because we had a baby to attend to.

• Grady – Overall, Grady did fine, but we had to adjust to him.  He did get sick during the trip which did not help.  We also found that we treated him more like a toddler than a baby and that didn’t help.
• MaxPass – Still the greatest thing ever.  Like I said before, Ellie got so used to going in the FastPass line she thought the standby line was called the ‘slow pass’ line.  It was great.  I was talking to my brother after the trip and we decided if we had gone to Florida instead (without MaxPass) we couldn’t have done nearly as many rides.
• Hotel – I’m really glad we got to stay at the Disneyland Hotel, but I’m not sure I’d do it again, especially at the regular rate.  The room was nice, but not great.  The resort was good, but not great.  The construction didn’t help. 
• Park Hopper – We didn’t use the hopper as much as I thought we would nor have in the past.  We’ll have to decide if we need it in the future.
• Food – I think our food planning worked pretty good.  We could have planned more.  Lunch was a little bit of a problem.  We had trouble getting Grady enough food, but that will get easier has he gets older.  We were glad we had at least 1 meal planned with reservations.  It slowed us down and gave us a break.
• Rest – I have never been more tired after a vacation than this one.  Mostly because we didn’t sleep very well and Disney vacations are always very busy.  It showed me how important sleep is on a vacation, since we didn’t get enough.

California New Year January 2019 - Day 4

Day 4:  Wednesday –

• Slept better (up every couple hours) - Grady slept better Tuesday night.  He did get up a couple of times, but we got a much better night sleep.

• Goofy’s Kitchen - saw Goofy, Minnie, Chip and Dale, and Pluto - We were going to go to Carthay Circle for lunch one day to do the World of Color package, but World of Color was not working (huge bummer). Instead, we cancelled that reservation and did Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast.  We thought the kids would like a character meal instead.  They loved it.  The character interaction was great.  We got to meet Goofy when we walked in, then Chip, Dale, Pluto and Minnie.  It was really cute.  The food looked really good, but then when we ate it, it was not.  The food was very lacking.  It was probably the worst food I've had at any Disney restaurant.

• Went to DCA - After breakfast, we went to California Adventure for the early entry.  The more I go to this park the more I love it.  We were a little late for early entry because of breakfast but we still got to do a couple rides before the park opened.

• Rode Radiator Springs 2 times - We started in Carsland and got to ride Radiator Springs Racers again, twice.  We love this ride.  It is probably my favorite in this park.

• Grady napped for 3 hours – Grady fell asleep while we were riding Radiator Springs and he slept for 3 hours.  We knew he was tired, and he must have been catching up on sleep.  It worked well for us because we did a lot while he was asleep.

• Guardians – After Carsland, we got a FastPass for Guardians of the Galaxy:  Mission Breakout.  This used to be the Tower of Terror, but they converted it.  I did this ride last time and loved it.  Lisa and Ellie did it with me, as well as my brother, niece and dad.  We had a great time.  And it was different than when I did it on the last trip.  There are several different versions of the ride and you never know which one you’ll get.  The Rocket Racoon character is really cool on the ride too.  Also, the best part was I bought the Rocket Racoon jacket for Grady.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t come in a infant/toddler size so he’s (I’m) going to have to wait until he’s 3-4 years old before he can wear it.  I’d been eyeing that jacket since the last trip.  So cute.

• Toy Story – Next, we got a FastPass for Toy Story Mania and we all rode it, even Grady.  He was funny on the ride.  He wanted to hold the shooter, so I let him hold it and I pulled the chain to shoot.  We actually got some points.

• Lunch at Lamplight Lounge - lobster nachos – Lunch was at Lamplight Lounge.  This used to be the Cove Bar and Ariel’s Grotto, but they changed them to the Lamplight Lounge part of Pixar Pier.  I didn’t have any expectations for this restaurant, but it ended up being a highlight.  We loved the space.  It was covered with Pixar décor, but done in a subtle way.  The food was great, they still have the lobster nachos.  And the drinks were good too.  Lisa had a drink with a special cup that help dry ice in the bottom to make it bubble.  It was cool.

• Jumping jellyfish – After lunch, the kids wanted to do Jumping Jellyfish.  My dad and I waited while they did that.  They loved it, but I was so full from lunch I didn’t want to spew. 

• Soarin’ – We got a FastPass for Soarin’ and everyone, but my mom and Grady went on it.  Crosby was really worried about it.  He wasn’t sure what he was getting into, but he did great and even cheered and oh’d and ah’d during it.  It was cute.

• Incredicoaster 2 times – After Soarin’ we got FastPasses for the Incredicoaster.  Lisa and I had done it as California Screamin’, but it was changed as part of the Pixar Pier updates.  It was great.  We were not huge fans of California Screamin’, but the Incredicoaster was great.  The story was cute, and the Incredibles additions were great.  We actually rode it twice because we got FastPasses for everyone, but not everyone wanted to or could ride it.

• Num num cookie – Snack time.  Next to the Incredicoaster was Jack Jack’s Num num cookies.  Holy cow these were good.  It was a big, warm chocolate chip cookie.  This is a definite must do.

• Ariel – We finally rode Ariel.  The last trip we rode this all the time, but we only rode it once.  Still a cute ride.  Grady liked it.

• Guardians – Got another Guardians FastPass.  Such a fun ride.  It was a different version from the earlier ride.

• Monsters – We finally rode Monsters.  Ellie loves this ride.  Grady really enjoyed it.  We did have to wait 20 min or so.

• Ice cream – One of the snacks/treats I wanted on this trip was the Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae.  Our group split up (my parents went back to the hotel, Spence and Sam took the girls and Crosby to do a ride and we took Grady).  I went to Ghirardelli to get the ice cream and Lisa got a snack for Grady at Flo’s.  It was so much chaos that I didn’t really get to enjoy the ice cream, but it was still REALLY good. 

• Pixar pier games and shops – We met my brother’s group at the boardwalk games on Pixar Pier.  That is a really cute area and you can actually win stuff.  We won 3 plush characters.  We met a cast member from Kansas City at one of the games and he helped us win.  We went through Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff, which has some super cute candy and all Pixar merchandise.

• Grand Californian – We headed back to the hotel and went out through the Grand Californian exit and walked through the hotel.  I wanted to show it to my brother and his family.  It ended up a pain because we had to go through security to get back to Downtown Disney and Grady woke up in the process.

• Hotel / Trader Sam’s didn’t work out – We got back to the hotel and my parents were going to watch the kids while we went to Trader Sam’s for a drink.  We decided to take Grady with us and when we got there, that wasn’t going to work.  It was too noisy for him to try and sleep.  We went back to the room and went to bed earlier, which was probably a good idea.

More RunDisney Shoes!  Donald, Mickey, Cinderella and Tinker Bell

Group picture with Chef Goofy

The kids loved meeting the characters.

Grady liked meeting the characters too.

DCA fun!

Lunch at Lamplight Lounge

Cute kids at California Adventure

Num num cookies!!

What a cute couple!

Yep, that is 4 kids, 3 adults and 3 strollers in 1 elevator.

California New Year January 2019 - Day 3

Day 3:  Tuesday –

• No sleep – Welp, this day is/was a blur.  Monday night we got ready for bed and Ellie went right to sleep.  Grady on the other hand would fall asleep and wake up shortly after falling asleep.  We tried everything to get him down in the room.  We tried putting him in our bed.  We gave him a bottle, he nursed, we gave him meds because we finally realized he felt warm.  At midnight, I decided to put him in the stroller and go for a walk to see if he would go to sleep.  He did.  I walked around for about half an hour and then went back up to the room.  I left him in the stroller and I got ready for bed.  Right as I laid down, he woke up.  So I got dressed and went back downstairs.  I went for another walk and he fell asleep again.  He would sleep for between 30 minutes to an hour the whole night.  I think I got about 2 hours asleep.  I walked the entire property of the hotel several times.  It was nice that we were at a large property.  I got to know the front lobby and security people very well.  They were so nice and supportive.  The moment that made my nice is I was sitting on a couch in the lobby with Grady asleep on my chest and I was almost asleep.  The lady at the front desk brought a Toy Story blanket over and put it over us.  It was so sweet.  I finally went up to the room around 6:30.  We were going to Disneyland early this morning.  We stopped and got Starbucks on the way (I wouldn't have functioned without coffee).

• Tea cups - We got into the park and took a family picture in front of the partners' statue and then went to Fantasyland.  We rode the Tea Cups because the line for Alice was crazy.  This ride is so great.  We went without Grady because he was asleep in the stroller (shocker, right?).

• BBB - Ellie’s reaction ‘oh....Yay!’ - Tuesday was Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique day (BBB).  We had talked about doing this with Ellie the entire time we planned the trip and we did not tell Ellie she was going to do it so it was a surprise.  After the Tea Cups, we told her what her surprise was and her reaction was "oh....Yay!".  I don't think she quite knew what it was.  We took her to the BBB shop and showed her and then she started to get excited.  This was quite a process and I could probably do a whole blog on it.  The check in was a pain because they couldn't find our reservation and I didn't bring the reservation number with us (ALWAYS BRING RESERVATION NUMBERS).  They did find and walked us in.  Ellie got to pick her princess and picked Aurora, which is her mom's favorite (Ellie might have been coached a little).  She got changed and then they sat her down at a salon type chair.  They did her hair, makeup and nails.  Ellie is so girly anyway that she LOVED this.  At the end, there is a magic moment in the mirror that was cute.  After she was done with the make over, they took her to a photo shoot area.  It was really cute.  Then the big surprise was we all got to go meet the princesses and go to the front of the line.  She was SO excited.  She got to meet Cinderella, Snow White and AURORA!.  She was so sad after our last trip because we couldn't find Aurora and this time she got to meet her after getting a makeover to look like her.  Lisa was really excited too (actually, I'm not sure which of the 2 of them was more excited).  It was a great experience and Ellie loved it.  She was the perfect age too.  I would highly recommend it to any parent with a daughter that loves princesses and dress up.  (On a side note:  Grady was a pain in the ass through this.  He was tired and hungry and didn't want to sit still.  I had him for a while and then my dad took him.  Dad walked around and he fell asleep in the stroller again.)

• Not much else, went back for nap around 2:30 - The rest of the day was a blur.  I know we ended up across at DCA and we met my brother and his family for lunch.  I wasn't really feeling it so I took Grady and we went to Smokejumper's Grill to get some chicken fingers.  He did eat some of the chicken and fries and I ate as well.  I was starting to get really grouchy.  I snapped at one of the kids and realized I needed to leave the group.  Lisa found me and Grady at lunch and she took him and let me go back to the hotel for a nap.  This was much needed.  I slept until dinner time.

• Dinner at carnation cafe - fried pickles and meatloaf - Dinner was around 5:30 so I got up around 5:00.  That was a great nap.  It was quite and no one bothered me.  I met everyone at the esplanade and we went into Disneyland to eat.  We had reservations at Carnation Cafe.  Lisa and I had eaten here on a previous trip, and it was quite good.  This time it was really good.  We started with fried pickles, which were good.  I got the meatloaf which was really good and Lisa got the special, which was a pot roast.  She said it was really good.

• Rode pirates, big thunder, shop in Frontierland - After dinner we walked to New Orleans Square and rode Pirates of the Caribbean.  Ellie and Grady rode it and they liked it.  We got a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain and we rode it next.  This is Ellie's favorite ride.  She loved it.  It was also the first time that Lisa got to ride with her and she loved that experience.  I stayed with Grady and then we switched.  We then went into the shops in Frontierland.  We really like these shops.  We got a couple things there.  Then we left and ended up going behind Main Street, which I didn't like and won't do that again.

Why so tired Grady?

Good thing you can't see the castle.  It was under construction.

She loved this makeover.  So cute.

Look at that beautiful princess.

More RunDisney shoes.  We tried to get a picture every day.

Meeting the princesses.  Aurora!

Another full day.  Grady slept much better this night.

California New Year January 2019 - Day 2

Day 2:  Monday –

• Early in to DCA – We stayed at the Disneyland hotel which allowed us to enter the park an hour before opening each day.  Our first full day was at California Adventure.

• Mom, dad, Spence on tour – My brother wanted to do the Walking in Walt’s Footsteps tour, so he and my parents did that Monday morning.  They really enjoyed it.  Sounded like they got to do and see a lot of cool stuff.

• Luigi’s – The rest of us (Lisa, Sam, me and the kids) went to Carsland first.  The big ride there is Radiator Springs Racers.  When we got there, the line was already packed.  We decided to go do something else while the line calmed down.  We went to ride Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters instead.  I stayed with Grady, who fell asleep shortly after.  

• RSR - 3 times (walk with Grady) – After Luigi’s, I stayed with Grady and went for a walk while Sam, Lisa and the kids rode Radiator Springs Racers.  They got on pretty quick because the first wave of people had calmed down.  After they were done, I met them, and I rode with Ellie and Riley (walked right on).  Then when we were done, me, Lisa and the girls rode again before the park opened to the public.  It was great.  We got to ride it 3 times before the park opened.

• Flo’s breakfast – When the park opened to the public, we decided to stop and eat breakfast.  We ate at Flo’s V8 café.  It was delicious.  Even the kids ate a good breakfast.  Lisa got the brioche French toast and I got the breakfast tamale.  They were both really good.

• Mater’s – After that, we all rode Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.  It was fun.  We also used rider swap in Carsland which worked great for us.  I rode with my nephew Crosby and we had fun.  He had some trouble on some of the rides, but he did like this one.

• Captain America (Monster’s long line) – We went to ride Monster’s Inc, but when we got there, the line was really long.  Instead, we walked by an area where there was a Superhero meet and greet.  We tried to meet Captain America, but it was going really slow.  Lisa and I took our kids to go check the Disney Jr show.  It was starting when we got there and went it and watched.  Sam and her kids stayed to see Captain America and didn’t get done until after we were done with the Disney Jr show.

• Z/L went to Disney Jr – We took the kids to see the Disney Jr Dance Party.  Ellie loves the Disney Junior shows on TV, but we found that this show does not have the current shows like Vampirina, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Fancy Nancy and Puppy Dog Pals.  It was ok, but we won’t do it again until they update the show.

• Met Sam & kids at Vanellope meet – After the show, we found Sam and the kids meeting Vanellope, which Ellie got to meet her too.

• Toy Story (walk with Grady) – After that, we got a FastPass for Toy Story Mania, so we walked over there.  I stayed with Grady and they all rode Toy Story.  I walked around the new Pixar Pier while they were on the ride.  It is a really cool spot.  They did a great job updating and refreshing the area from Paradise Pier.  I didn’t expect much, but I was pleasantly surprised with the change.  I met them back at Toy Story Mania and as they got done, Woody showed up at the front of the ride for a meet and greet and we all were first in line to meet him.  That was pretty cool.

• Tried Smokejumpers but line was too long (DCA was packed) – We tried to go to Smokejumper’s Grill for lunch, but the line was crazy.  It was around noon and the park was getting really busy.  We heard from Spence and my parents and they were about done so we decided to go across the street to Disneyland for lunch.

• Went to Jolly Holiday for lunch, met S/D/M them – We went to Jolly Holiday for lunch, which was really good.  My parents and brother met us there and told us about their tour.  They loved it.  

• Looked for special churro (not available) – We left lunch and went to look for a Sorcerer Mickey churro in Frontierland.  Come to find out, there was a lot of new special/seasonal food and snacks coming out, but they were not all available when we were there.  No Sorcerer Mickey churro.  Darn it.

• Split up - we went shopping: Crosby fell asleep – The kids were starting to get cranky, so Spence and Sam decided to head back to the hotel.  Grady fell asleep in the stroller and Ellie rode in her stroller so with my parents, we walked through the shops on Main Street and did some shopping.  It was a nice change of pace for a while.

• Indiana Jones – Got a text from my brother saying he was going to meet us at Indiana Jones for a fastpass he had booked.  We were confused because they were on their way back to the hotel.  Come to find out, Sam had Crosby and he fell asleep laying on her, while she was laying down on the ground in the esplanade between the two parks.  Crazy lady.  (Side note:  Spence and Sam had switched tickets that morning and they wouldn’t let Sam in with us because she had his ticket, darn it).  So, Spence and Riley came back into the parks and met us at Indiana Jones.  We stopped at Bengal Barbeque for a snacking before finding them.  My mom stayed with my kids so me, Lisa, Spence, Riley and my dad went on the ride.  This is a great ride and Spence, dad and Riley loved it too.  Another side note, this was the first time Lisa and I got to ride some of these rides together.  On past trips, we used Rider Switch or FastPass to ride, but one of us stayed with Ellie and the other went on the ride.  This trip we got to ride together.

• Star Tours – Next was a FastPass for Star Tours.  We enjoy this ride too.  This was me, Spence, Riley, Ellie and my dad.  We had a great time.

• Dinner at Cafe Orléans - Monte Cristo and Pomme Frites – We had another dinner reservation, so we headed that way because it was in New Orleans Square.  Our table wasn’t ready when we got there so we waited about 20 minutes, but that let us walk through all the shops in New Orleans Square, which are great.  Dinner was good.  I got the Monte Cristo again, which was too much dough.  I’ll get something else next time.  Lisa got a beignet sandwich with buffalo chicken.  It was pretty good.  Ellie got Shrimp and Rice, which she loved.  We also ordered the Pomme Frites as an appetizer.  They were delicious.

• Small World – After dinner we got a FastPass for Small World, because it was the last day before they closed the ride to remove the holiday overlay.  What a great ride.  It never gets old.  

• Watched nighttime show at Small World – After the ride, they were getting ready to show the new nighttime show, Mickey’s Mix Magic.  It was a cute show.  We decided Small World was the best place to see it.  We were at the front of the viewing area because we were there when they setup.  There was a jerk dad who brought his child up to the front and they both stood in front of us.  Note to others:  Don’t do that.

• Walked back, couldn’t go on monorail – We were all tired, so we tried to take the monorail back to the hotel instead of walking.  Well, Grady was asleep, and they wouldn’t let us roll strollers on the monorail, so Lisa and I walked back with our kids.  Everyone else took the monorail.  The crazy thing was we got to the hotel at almost the same time.

Started off in Carsland

More fun in Carsland

We did a lot before lunch.

Fun at both parks.

Nighttime Fun!

End of a full day

This cute guy gave me a looooooong night.

California New Year January 2019 - Day 1

Our vacation started very early in the morning.  We had to wake the kids up and Ellie didn't want to get up even though we were going to Disneyland.  Our flight was at 8:10am so we had to leave by 6:00am.  We made it out on time and Lisa's mom was nice enough to take us to the airport again.  She dropped us off and we used Skycap to check in.  We then had to go to the ticket desk to check Grady in.  We went through the TSA Pre-Check line (which is the greatest thing to have when flying) and got through security with no problem.  We had a lot of stuff with us, but other than that, no problem.  This was the beginning of the crazy.  My brother and his kids were already there and through security, so they met us.  Half of the group went to the bathroom while the rest went to the gate.  They started boarding while the bathroom break was happening.  It all worked out and we got on the plane as part of the small children pre-board.

The flight was another type of crazy.  We had 9 seats for 10 of us.  Lisa and I sat with our 2 kids, my brother sat with his wife and one of his kids and my parents sat with his other kid.  This was Grady's first flight and it went as expected.  He didn't sit still.  He cried for half the flight.  He played for a little while.  It was a lot.  Ellie did pretty good, but wanted to get everything out, which we didn't have room for.  She also wanted to sit by her cousin, so halfway through the flight she switched seats with my brother.  We did pass Grady around, which helped, but he was still a lot.  We found that Ellie wasn't great to fly with until she was 3.  

We made it through the flight and got to LAX and baggage claim.  Thankfully it was a non-stop flight.  We got our bags no problem then had to find our transportation.  I had booked a small bus through Best-VIP Chauffeured Worldwide.  The driver arrived right as we got to baggage claim and we met them right outside the door.  This was VERY handy.  The driver was very friendly and helpful.  The bus was VERY comfortable.  It was nice to not have to drive and the seats and atmosphere were great.  They even provided all 4 car seats, which was wonderful.  The kids even fell asleep on the way.  One of the best lines of the trip was the driver's seat was lower than our seats.  We were getting the kids in their seats and Ellie couldn't see the driver, so she asked, "Is it driving itself?"  It was funny.

The ride to the hotel was very comfortable and because it was Sunday morning, there was very little traffic.  It only took us a little over 30 minutes to get to the Disneyland Hotel from LAX.  When we got to property we could see the backside of Star Wars Land being built, which was cool.  We drove up to the hotel and unloaded.  We had to wait a while to get checked in and come to find out they had 2 out of 3 rooms ready.  We took our stuff up to the rooms and got changed and ready for the park.  We decided to do this in one room.  The kids were crazy, and we had ALL of our stuff in one room.  We finally got ready and headed to the park.

From here on, I'm going to write the way I did from our last trip, using my notes as a guide and adding comments to the notes.  This worked really well for me and still gave a great overview with plenty of detail.

Day 1: Sunday -

• Grady cried most of the way on the plane

• Ellie - Is it driving itself? (After we got in bus)

• Hotel check in

• Crazy time getting ready

• Walk to park and lunch - Once we were ready, we headed to the parks.  We had our tickets pre-purchased so we went through security into Downtown Disney and walked to the park.  We all really enjoyed walking through Downtown Disney on the way to the park.  We got through the turnstiles and into the park.  We walked down Main Street and stopped at the Little Red Wagon for corn dogs.  Man these are good.  We bought too many.  We always had trouble with guessing how much food the kids were going to eat.

• Toon Town & Mickey - We got a FastPass for Small World and while waiting we went to Toon Town.  The kids enjoyed this area and they wanted to meet Mickey.  The sign said 10 minutes which is a really short time to meet Mickey.  It actually took over an hour.  The awesome part was we got to meet Mickey in his Sorcerer Apprentice outfit, which is my FAVORITE!  Ellie was really hesitant at first, but that was the only time the whole trip.  Grady even interacted with Mickey, which was really cute.

• Small World - We rode Small World Holiday together which everyone loved.  Lisa loves the Holiday overlay on this ride.  This was Grady's first ride.  He seemed to enjoy it.  He was looking around and very engaged.

• Storm Troopers - We got a FastPass for Buzz and on the way from Small World to Buzz we walked through Tomorrowland. On the way, we saw some Storm Troopers walking around and my sister-in-law yells, "Here's a rebel!" and they looked directly at her and she pointed to her son.  They walked over and 'investigated' us.  It was really cool.  Lisa was scared as usual.  My nephew hid in the stroller because he didn't want them to take him. 

• Buzz - We rode Buzz after that and I went with Ellie.  Lisa went with Grady.  It was fun.  Ellie is getting better at it.

• Dinner - I had booked early dinner reservations for all of us at Blue Bayou with the Fantasmic dining package.  I booked it early (4:00pm) because it would be dinner time at home and that was all that was available for a party of 10.  Dinner was good.  It was a little crazy with the kids.  They were starting to get tired and cranky.  All of the meals on this trip were a little crazy, this one was one of the craziest.  The kids were everywhere.  It was delicious and the service was really good.  Overall we enjoyed it, but our group was crazy.

• Pooh - We got a FastPass for Haunted Mansion and while we waited we rode Winnie the Pooh.  Grady fell asleep in the stroller on the way so my dad stayed with him.  We enjoyed Pooh, the kids really liked it.

• Haunted Mansion - Next we rode Haunted Mansion, my favorite.  Unfortunately the Holiday overlay was not up, but it is still a great ride.  

• Jungle Cruise - Next was Jungle Cruise because there was no line.  I waited with Grady and everyone else went on the ride.

• Tropical Hideaway - Next to Jungle Cruise was the brand new Tropical Hideaway.  This was a really cool spot that just opened.  They have Dole Whips with different flavors.  The line setup was not great.  It was confusing to figure out where we should go.  We got the Loaded Whip.  Man it was good.  We got one for me, Lisa and Ellie to share and we destroyed it.

• Fantasmic - Then we went to get seats at Fantasmic.  We had some issues with seats because my dad can't sit on the ground.  And Grady was still asleep in the stroller and they wouldn't let us bring him in the stroller to the FastPass section.  My dad ended up staying with him.  The show was great.  We love this show.  Ellie loves the princesses and the paddle boat with all of the characters.

• Hotel - craziness - After Fantasmic, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel.  Our room was ready, so we had to get moved in and then get all of us unpacked and ready for bed.  That was a lot to do after a full day.  Ellie went right to sleep.  Grady didn't sleep very well (more to come on Grady sleeping).

Another full first day.  Someday we'll learn not to do too much on the first day.

On our way to California.  Grady's first flight.

We made it to California!

Disneyland Fun!

Small World!

Fantasmic and Beyond

Disneyland Hotel room