It'll Be Alright: California New Year January 2019

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.