It'll Be Alright: January 2022

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Disneyland and Southern California for Christmas 2021 - Day 4

Holiday Small World

Day 4

A little better sleep - When I woke up, I found Grady in bed and Lisa was missing. Come to find out, Grady woke up several times and Lisa ended up sleeping in his bed. She figured out the bunk bed made a lot of noise when Ellie rolled/moved around on the top bunk. She padded the rails with towels and it seemed to fix it.
Got into park before rope drop - We started the day at Disneyland and were able to enter the park before rope drop. It was nice to take our time walking into the park and then getting an idea of where the crowd would go.
First day for Genie+; bought it; app is pretty slow and some bugs still - We found out on Monday Genie+ would start Wednesday Dec 8. I had predicted before the trip, it would start after Thanksgiving to give them time to fix issues before the large holiday crowds showed up. Well, I was right. We loved MaxPass in the past, so I wanted to try it. I was able to purchase it and then we scheduled a Lightning Lane for Big Thunder Mountain.
First stop - lightning lane for big thunder mountain - Grady didn’t like it - We had not done Big Thunder Mountain and Grady wanted to ride it since he was big enough. We used our Lightning Lane, which worked find and hoped on the ride. I rode with Ellie and Grady rode with Lisa. Ellie and I had a great time. Grady got pretty scared. He didn't like it very much.
Pirates walked on - Grady is being a bear - Next we rode Pirates because there was no wait. Grady was not following the rules nor instruction. We went ahead and rode the ride, but it was not the best experience.
Family meltdown - decided we were hungry - After Pirates, none of us were in a good mood nor getting along. We decided that we were hungry, especially the kids. We needed to find food.
Red Rose - no breakfast, had snacks at table - We wanted to eat breakfast at Red Rose Tavern because we had eaten there in the past and it was yummy. We stopped there and found out they no longer serve breakfast. I had seen their menu online before we left, but the case member told me it had been stopped a couple weeks. We decided to give the kids snacks and sit at one of the tables outside of the restaurant. It did seem to help.
Casey Jr - Grady liked - Grady wanted to ride the Casey Jr train so we hoped on it. It is a fun little train ride. Grady enjoys it.
Millennium Falcon - Grady did not like - Ellie and I piloted - We headed to Galaxy's Edge because we wanted to eat there and had a surprise for the kids planned. When we got there, the line for Smuggler's Run was reasonable, so we got in line. It didn't take long to get to the ride. Ellie and I got to pilot. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy piloting. It really was like being a little kid and pulling the lever for lightspeed was awesome. Grady did not like it as much as he did last year. He did ok though.
Ronto and Docking Bay - Yummy for momma and daddy - Next we got an early lunch at Docking Bay 7 and Ronto Roasters. Lisa and I split the Felucian Kefta & Hummus Garden Spread (Impossible meatballs with hummus, relish and pita) from Docking Bay 7 and the Ronto-less Garden Wrap from Ronto Roasters. They were DELICIOUS. Very different flavors than anywhere else on property. We also got the Cold Brew Black Caf from Docking Bay 7, which is a cold brew coffee with sweet cream coffee and coco puffs. It was so good. This was a great stop, but there wasn't much for the kids. We then went looking for food for them.
Hungry Bear - lunch for kids - We have never been to Hungry Bear, but it is the best place to get food for the kids. They got chicken nuggets and a hot dog. It was a good meal for them too. I also thought the seating area was nice, a little crowded, but nice.
Droid Depot - really cool experience - Our next stop was the surprise for the kids. At dinner the night before, I had decided to make reservations at the Droid Depot to build a droid. Droids are the part of Star Wars Grady likes the most. We got to the Droid Depot and checked in. We decided to build a BB type droid and picked the pieces we wanted from the conveyor belt. Grady likes red so he picked the pieces to build a red BB droid. We took the pieces to the building station, then followed the directions to build it. Once we were done, the cast member turned it on and set it up. We got to try it out on at the station, then we checked out. We ended up buying a second body and found they told us they would take our droid to "daycare" and we could pick it up at the end of the night. This was a great option so we didn't have to lug around the droid the entire day. Overall, this was a great experience. I was hoping for a little better quality pieces, but we had a great time and the kids had a blast.
Pictures at Castle - After we built the droid, we had back to Fantasyland and stopped to take pictures in front of the castle. Since we purchased Genie+, PhotoPass was included. We took advantage of that and used a PhotoPass photographer. We got some great pics.
Parade at Small World - After we took pictures, we found out that Disney was filming the Christmas parade to broadcast on TV Christmas Day. We wanted to see the parade so we tried to find a spot. We went back by Small World and found a pretty good spot. The spot got even better after several people left and they put the rope up right in front of us. It ended up being a great spot and we were right in front to watch the entire parade. We really enjoyed the evil stepmother and stepsisters. The girls next to use talked to them and they had a very funny interaction. Our kids loved seeing all of the characters, Christmas theme-ing and Santa at the end.
Got gift card for Genie+ - Genie+........well, just like Disney World, it was released with a giant thud. We used it at Big Thunder Mountain and then it didn't work the rest of the day. I used the chat function a couple of times through the day and was told they were working on it. I got a notification in the afternoon that said to go to City Hall for support. When I got there, they asked me to fill out a form, then check in and show that I had Genie+. They then gave me 4 $20 gift cards to cover the cost of Genie+ for 4 people. It was nice of them to do this, but I thought we should have got a free Lightning Lane ticket or something extra for the headache we dealt with the entire day. Not a great experience.
Shopped at World of Disney - It was rest time for the kids so we walked to Downtown Disney and walked through World of Disney. Grady fell asleep, but Ellie wanted to shop. It worked out fine and we had a good time shopping.
Salt and Straw - After shopping, we got an ice cream treat. We had been wanting to try Salt and Straw because they have very different flavors than your normal ice cream stand. I tried the pear and blue cheese, it was really weird. After we tried a bunch of the flavors, Lisa got Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Ellie and I both got the Gingerbread Cookie Dough. They were delicious. We got cones and it was the perfect amount for me, but too much for Ellie. Grady woke up while we were eating and he shared Ellie's, which worked out perfect.
Walked to DCA - After our Downtown Disney break, we headed to DCA.
Saw Dora Milaje - We stopped at Avenger's Campus and watched the Dora Milaje show. We had seened parts of it the previous couple days, but we stopped to watch the entire show this time. It was really good, but the highlight was the cast members next to us. They were doing all of the moves and having a great time. I enjoyed watching them more than the show. It shows how much more you can enjoy something where there are others having a good time too.
Carthay Circle - very good - kids tired - I lucked out and found reservations for Carthay Circle very close to our trip. We had mixed feelings about this reservation before our trip. It is an expensive restaurant, the only other time we went Ellie was not great, the kids were great at the Brown Derby and a relaxing longer meal would be good for us. This time it was great. The kids were well behaved; extremely tired, but well behaved. I decided to cheat on our new lifestyle and ordered salmon. I didn't want to spend $40 on a veggie meal. Lisa ordered the veggie pasta and it was actually better than my salmon. The meal was delicious. We even got cocktails with our meal. It turned out to be exactly what we needed: a relaxing, delicious break from the frenetic, busy park time.
Dr Strange show - it was ok; had higher expectations - We wanted to see the Dr Strange show so we headed to Avenger's Campus after dinner. We got there in time and found spots to watch the show. It was ok. I think I had higher expectations. I was hoping for more magic and it was more of a Disney showy show. After the show, we walked through Carsland and ended up finding 2 PhotoPass spots so we stopped and got family pictures.
Walked to Star Wars to get droid; played with droid by the Falcon; watched fireworks in Galaxy’s Edge - After Dr Strange, we decided to head back to Disneyland because we needed to pick up the droid. When we got there, people were already lined up to watch the fireworks. The park was packed. We snaked our way back to Galaxy's Edge. We picked up the droid and decided to play with it in the land since it was not very busy. It was a lot of fun. We played by the Millennium Falcon, and there was another family across from us. Their kids really liked our droid and didn't realize we were controlling it. It was cute. After a while, a cast member came over and informed us that fireworks were about to start and we needed to move. We found the viewing are in Galaxy's Edge and watched the fireworks from there. It was GREAT! This was a wonderful spot to watc the fireworks. So cool. After the fireworks, we took pictures with a PhotoPass photographer. They came out great. Then we found another spot to play with the droid. Too much fun.
Saw lights and projection show at Small World - Lisa wanted to see Small World at night, so we headed that way. What a sight. As great as the castle looks with lights, Small World is the pinnacle of the Disneyland Christmas decorations. We even got to see the projection show, which is really cool.
Back to the hotel - Grady had major meltdown waking up to go back to bed - The kids fell asleep in the stroller and we were tired so we headed back to the hotel. When we got there, we got the kids up to get ready for bed and Grady had a major meltdown. Sometimes he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and this was one of them. Yikes. We finally got him calmed down and all to sleep.

Big Thunder Mountain

Galaxy's Edge - Smuggler's Run and lunch

Droid Depot - We built a droid!

Christmas Day Parade

More fun around Disneyland

Family pictures in front of the castle

Avenger's Campus family pictures

Carthay Circle Dinner - Yummy!!

Nighttime Fun at Carsland

Carsland Family Pictures

Galaxy's Edge - Droid play time and fireworks

Galaxy's Edge family pictures

Monday, January 10, 2022

Disneyland and Southern California for Christmas 2021 - Day 3

Carsland with the kiddos

Day 3

Short night, Grady didn’t sleep well - Grady had a rough night. He woke up a bunch of times and we are pretty sure he was having bad dreams from riding Star Tours. We were all tired the next morning.
Rainy morning; start at DCA - We got up and got ready to go. It was a little rainy, but not too bad. We headed to California Adventure and got sprinkled on a little. This park just gets better and better. It is great at Christmas time too.
Soarin - kids liked it - Our plan was to go to either Radiator Springs Racers or WEB Slingers to start the morning. Come to find out, they were both very long lines. We decided to start at Soarin'. Grady was tall enough to ride so we all got to go on it. We love this ride. It is one of Lisa's favorite. Grady did ok. He was a little nervous, but ended up ok.
Monsters - so good - Next we went over to Monsters. Such a cute ride. The kids got to ride in the front and we sat in the back. It was fun to watch them on the ride together.
GotG with Grady - Grady did not like it - Next, we found that Guardians was not too long of a wait. Grady is now tall enough and he had been talking about riding it for a while. Ellie doesn't like it because it messes up her stomach. I rode with Grady. We got a little nervous as we went through the line, then when we got on the ride and it started to move, he wasn't good and he got worse. He really didn't like it. It was too much for him. He really liked seeing Rocket at the beginning, but that was it.
Pym Test for the win again - We stopped to get breakfast at Pym's Test Kitchen again. It is so good. We got the Plant Based Omelet and Cinna-Pym Toast for Lisa and I and the kids got a Cinna-Pym Toast and Nano Eggs-periment 101. We all ate everything. It was SO good. And they had a fancy nitro cold brew coffee that was delicious!
Saw Spider-Man show - so cool, looks like real Spider-Man doing all of his moves - We went to the front of Avenger's Campus and watched the Spider-Man show and watched the full show. It is so cool. The part where he flies through the sky is incredible.
Radiator springs racers - 50 min posted wait - about 45 min wait - everyone loved it - Next we walked to Carsland and the line for Radiator Springs Racers was not super long so we got in line. It took a while, but there was a lot to see in line. Grady was excited to ride because he was big enough now. Ellie loves this ride. Grady was nervous at first, really liked the slow part and the Cars characters, but then he wasn't sure about the fast part at the end. In the end he liked it, but wasn't super sure.
Snack time - little girl got stuck in bench - Next we got a snack at the Cozy Cone. Ellie and Grady shared peppermint ice cream and Lisa got a beer. We found a bench to sit on over by the restrooms across from the Cozy Cone. There was a nice family sitting across from us and the daughter somehow got her leg stuck in the bench, between the slats. She was super scared and upset. They found a cast member to help and a couple of security members showed up. One of them was a child whisperer and calmed the girl, then got her to turn her leg and free her from the bench. We felt useless because we asked to help, but they were ok and the cast members were on it.
Cookie nom nom - Next we walked to Pixar Pier and go a Cookie Nom Nom. It was good, but I didn't think it was as good as prior years.
Walked through shops and across to Disneyland - DCA was super busy, so we decided to head across to Disneyland. We walked through the shops on Buena Vista Street. Not a lot of unique items. We found a few things, but overall we found, probably due to supply chain issues, they did not have the variety we had seen in the past.
Ride Jungle Cruise - good updates - Next we went to ride the Jungle Cruise. This has become one of our favorites and at home we have a couple of kids books about the Jungle Cruise that Grady loves. There were also changes/updates since we were last there. The ride was great as usual. The updates were welcome and they didn't change the ride too much. Our skipper was fine, not as good as Skipper Hunter in Disney World.
Ride Haunted Mansion - stuck in stretching room - so good with Jack and Sally - gingerbread house was awesome - Next the line for Haunted Mansion was not too long so we hoped in line. It did take about 25-30 minutes, but not too bad. I was so excited to ride. The Haunted Mansion is my favorite and even more so when the holiday overlay is there. When we got to the stretching room, it got to the end and the ride shut down. We stayed in the stretching room as the rest of the group moved to the line. We were stuck in the stretching room for around 10 minutes and then took a while to wait in line to get in a doom buggy. Once on the ride, it was a great experience. This year's gingerbread house was awesome. So glad to be able to ride the holiday overlay with the Nightmare Before Christmas theme. The kids loved it at well. It does not seem to be as scary, which helps them enjoy it.
Ride pirates - so good, Grady liked it too - Next we rode Pirates. We all love this ride and Grady has grown to love the song. We was excited to ride and loved it. We didn't like the drops, but he liked the rest of it.
Watched flag retreat - This was a Christmas party night at Disneyland so we left the park knowing we would spend the evening at DCA. The kids were starting to be cranky, so we walked to Downtown Disney. On the way, we got to see the Flag Retreat at Town Square. I have heard great things about the flag retreat, but we were never there at the right time. I was excited to see it and it did not disappoint. It was a very patriotic experience and they did a great job with the Disneyland band and the flag handlers. Pretty cool.
Walk to try and get kids to rest - got drink at Starbucks - We walked to Downtown Disney after the flag retreat and the kids had some rest time. Lisa and I got a drink at Starbucks (I wanted to try the reserve coffee, but they didn't serve it). The kids didn't fall asleep so we headed to DCA.
Dinner at Lamplight - SO GOOD - We had dinner at Lamplight Lounge. We have had some not great experiences here in the past, but this was great. Grady had fallen asleep so I carried him to the table and he stayed asleep on me for about half of the meal. The food was great. I had a pastrami impossible burger. It was great. We had a great time and we all enjoyed the company, food and restaurant.
Tried to see Dr Strange show - Thor followed us and walked with Grady hopping over lines on the ground while talking to him - After dinner we wanted to go back to Avenger's Campus and see the Dr Strange show. We got there too late, but we walked through the land. As we were walking, Grady was jumping over the different color blocks in the ground and Thor came up behind him and jumped with him. It was so cute and awesome. We thought that was a great magic Disney moment, until......
Grady got to meet and walk with Captain America - I wanted a Terran Treat churro, which was interesting and we hung out in Avenger's Campus. Lisa started talking to one of the cast members about when and where characters would come out. She told her about how Grady loves Captain America and he has a Captain America watch he wanted to show him. The cast member discretely told Lisa where to be and when. We hung out and ate out snack until Captain America came down from the upper levels of the HQ and said Hi! to Grady!!! He talked to Grady, asked about his Captain America jacket (that he wears almost everyday) and walked with him to where Captain America left the land. He even asked Grady about his watch, which Grady loved!!! He took pictures with him and then said goodbye. It was amazing. Lisa and I both choked up and couldn't believe what happened. It was Grady's dream to meat Captain America. It reminded us of Ellie wanted to and getting to walk with characters on Main Street and Fairy Tale Hall. This was the ultimate Disney magic moment. We were all in awe of how it happened and what happened. We thanked the cast member profusely and even submitted a formal compliment the next day. Grady could not believe it and was so excited and happy about what happened.
Walked back to hotel, in bed around 9:00 - After meeting Captain America, we were spent. It had been a full couple of days and we decided to head back to the hotel and get some sleep.

Staring our DCA morning with Monsters, Soarin', and Guardians of the Galaxy

Christmas at Carsland!

Christmas at California Adventure

Cavalcade at Disneyland

Jungle Cruise and the Back Side of WATER!!

Holiday Haunted Mansion

Around Disneyland and the Flag Retreat

Avenger's Campus and a Terran Treat

Grady got to meet Captain America!!

Talking to Captain America!!

Showing Captain America his Captain America watch

Fighting pose with Captain America. So excited he couldn't move, just smile!

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Disneyland and Southern California for Christmas 2021 - Day 2

Day 2

Up early - didn’t sleep well - alarms went off, didn’t have phone, etc - We all went to bed ok, but we were up almost every hour with something going on. Grady didn't sleep very well so he was in our bed every hour. Then Ellie's alarm for school went off at 5:00am because she gets up at 7:00am central time. We figured out that the bunk bed was very noisy and that's what was keeping Grady awake (didn't figure this out until the next night).
Left early and walked to Alamo and got phone; no problem getting phone - We left the hotel earlier than we planned to go to Alamo to find my phone. We didn't anticipate the line/wait at the elevator in the morning though. We were on the 2nd floor so the elevator would go all the way up and then be full by the time it got to us. To get to Alamo we had to walk all the way to Harbor and Katella and then turn right about half a block down. It was super foggy too. On the walk, we couldn't see more than about 100 feet in front of us. When we got to Alamo, they had just opened and I poked my head in to explain what happened. The ladies said they hadn't done anything with the car yet and opened it up. My phone was in the console, right where I left it. After that, we had to walk back. I think we had more than 5k steps before we got into the park.
Long line to get in park but moved pretty quick - We got to security and found that there was a new security kiosk instead of the tents they used to have. There were more lanes and security moved much quicker. Once we were in the esplanade, there were long lines into the park, but once they started moving, they moved pretty quick. We were in the park before opening and were able to wait for rope drop.
Walked on Alice - It was great to be back at Disneyland. After we walked in, I felt relaxed and comfortable and remembered why I needed to go back after being at Disney World in February. At rope drop, the crowd was heading to Fantasyland and Galaxy's Edge. We decided to go around and start with Alice in Wonderland. This was a good move because we walked on. This ride is normally a very long line and sometimes we don't get to ride it. It was good to knock it out first thing.
Small world reopened - kids were SO excited - After Alice, we were going to do the Tea Cups , but we heard someone say Small World was open. Quick backstory, in planning our trip we found out that the Small World ride was flooded during the holiday transition and we may not get to ride it. We were thrilled that we got to ride it. We had told the kids that they probably wouldn't get to ride it and that was a big loss for them. They were SO excited to hear that it was open. We immediately went to Small World and walked on since no one knew it was open yet. We got to ride the holiday version, which is so great to see. We all loved it.
Ride tea cups - had a blast! - After Small World, we rode the Tea Cups. This ride is so much fun with all of us in one cup. The kids love it. We have a great video of us on the ride.
Ride Snow White - SO good - One of the rides I was most looking forward to was the newly reimagined Snow White ride. We rode it after the Tea Cups and it did not disappoint. I think it is my new favorite Fantasyland dark ride. The technology mixed with legacy effects was great. It had a few carryovers from the Mine Train, but overall it was new and it was great.
Ride Pinocchio - still just ok - After Snow White, there was no wait on Pinocchio so we rode it. This ride always confuses me because it has very little technology in it and seems to be no more than a creepy pop-up book. I understand the importance of Pinocchio to the company and studios and it should have a better representation. I hope it gets a makeover like Snow White.
Ride Toad - After that, we rode Mr. Toad because it was a short wait. This ride also confuses me. Disney fans love this ride, but it is very strange. Similar to Pinocchio, it is cardboard cutouts and then you go to hell in the end. I enjoy the Mr. Toad movie, but this ride does not do it justice. This may be blasphemy, but it's time for an update.
Castle Walkthrough - One of the things we wanted to do on this trip was the castle walkthrough. It is such a great addition to the castle and Fantasyland. We didn't do this on the last couple of trips, but we did this time and enjoyed it.
We completed most of the Fantasyland rides/attractions before breakfast at 10:30.
Plaza Inn breakfast with characters - Minnie, tigger, Pooh, chip n dale, Pluto -bananas foster French toast was a hit - Our next item on the itinerary was breakfast at the Plaza Inn. We have eaten here for dinner several times and love it. I had heard good things about The Plaza Inn breakfast so we tried it out. When we got there, we waited in line a little bit to take our picture with Minnie. She was in her holiday outfit, the kids enjoyed it. Then we went in to eat and it was setup similar to dinner so we got food from the stations. The nice part was the seating was assigned so it made it easier to find somewhere to sit. After we got our food, we went to our table and coincidentally the characters came by. We got to see Pluto, Tigger, Pooh, Chip and Dale. It was cute and the kids enjoyed it. The food was ok. The highlight was the bananas foster french toast. It was yummy.
Walk and rest time - After breakfast, it was time for rest time for the kids. We ended up getting Grady to go to sleep. We walked around for quite a while to get either of them to go to sleep. It was fun.
Shopping on Main Street while Grady napped - We walked back to Main Street to walk through the shops while the kids rested. Once we got to the shops, Ellie got out and wanted to shop with us. She said she did fall asleep which was good for everyone. We started in the new Christmas shop (which seemed a little small), then walked through the rest of the shops on that side of Main Street. We found a bunch of stuff including some really cute home and kitchen stuff. Whole I was shopping, Ellie and Lisa watched a cavalcade go by.
Walked to DCA - got pecan churro - Next we decided to go to California Adventure. I was ready to see Avenger's Campus. When we got there we got to see all of the Christmas decorations and we were all ready for a snack. We stopped at the churro stand across from Starbucks and they had a delicious pecan churro. It was yummy.
Walked through Avengers Campus and saw Spider-Man and Hawkeye v Track Suit Mafia ( such a cool area)
Ride Mater - the kids loved it - After a churro, our next stop was Avenger's Campus. I was really looking forward to seeing this and Grady is really into superheroes so this was at the top of our list. It did not disappoint. We walked in and got to see Spider-Man posing for pictures. We saw the Spider-Man ride and store, and then walked by the Dr Strange area and Pym restaurant. Then we got to the Avenger's HQ. We got there while Hawkeye and Kate Bishop were battling the Track Suit Mafia. At the end, all of the Avenger's showed up to say Hi. It was awesome and a great introduction to the land. (more to come on Avenger's Campus as the trip goes on).
Ariel - After Avenger's Campus, we walked toward Pixar Pier, but we stopped and rode Ariel. This is not the most popular ride, but we love it. I've gotten to where I especially love it lately because I started singing all of the songs to the kids and it drives them nuts. They love it, but they don't at the same time. I grew up with The Little Mermaid so the songs are burned into my brain. It was fun.
Jumping Jellyfish - Next, the kids wanted to ride Jumping Jellyfish. Lisa rode with them and I took a short break. From here we could see that the water in the lake was very low while they worked on World of Color.
Emotional Whirlwind / Incredicoaster - Next, Ellie and Lisa went to ride the Incredicoaster and I rode the Emotional Whirlwind with Grady. This was a nice change up. Grady is still too little to ride the Incredicoaster, so we found something different for him. Then we switched and Ellie and I rode the Incredicoaster with Ellie.
Wait for Spider-Man SO long - ride was AWESOME! - We walked back to Avenger's Campus and found that the line for Spider-Man Web Slingers was not super long so we got in line. The line was REALLY long and took about an hour. It didn't help that the ride broke down briefly while we waited. It took a while to get there, but we finally got on and rode the ride. This thing was AMAZING! (Get it, "AMAZING", Spider-Man.....ok). It is a blend of Toy Story Mania and the VOID VR experience. This was so cool. The kids and I loved it, but Lisa said it was too much work. We went to the store after the ride and you could get Spider Bots, shooters and other accessories. The shooters and accessories you can actually use on the ride. The catch was this stuff was all really expensive. The bots were $80 each (and they didn't do much by themselves, but they could battle each other). The base shooter was $40 and the accessories were $25. Yikes! We didn't get anything.
Dinner at pym’s - SO GOOD - We were getting hungry and wanted to try Pym's Test Kitchen. The kids got pasta and meatballs, and Lisa and I shared a salad and the impossible meatballs and pasta. They were all delicious. The size of all of the food was very diverse and the food that came with it was delicious. We all loved it. We also got a couple beers that were great and a giant sized candy bar for dessert. Such a great spot. We would go again in a moment.
G-“mom, you need a bigger phone” why? “Cause that tree is SO big” ((taking pic of dl tree) - Grady had some great lines on this trip. This was a good one.
Guardians dance party - As we left Avenger's Campus we walked by Guardians of the Galaxy and they were having a dance party. It was fun. We had not seen it before. We stopped to watch.
Walk to Disneyland - Next we went back to Disneyland to see the decorations and fireworks.
Ride Star Tours - too much for Grady - We found a spot to watch the fireworks close to Tomorrowland and left the stroller in our spot. We found that Star Tours had a very short ride, so we hoped on. This was Grady's first time and I thought he would do great. I was wrong. He was really scared. We're not sure how much was him being tired or just new to the ride. Either way, it was a lot for him. I felt bad for the guy.
Buzz Lightyear - split up - We then went to ride Buzz Lightyear before the fireworks. Grady was a bear at this point. He got scared on Star Tours and he was tired. He and I ended up getting out of line and Lisa and Ellie rode it. Then when they were done we ended up riding it. It was fine, but it was time to go.
Fireworks - We went back to the stroller and watched fireworks. Out spot was a little bit behind the Astro Orbiter so we didn't have a great view and we were too far away from the music. We still got to see them and we enjoyed watching them. The kids watched too.
Dole whip, walked through a few shops, then walked back to hotel and went to bed - The kids fell asleep during and after the fireworks in the stroller so Lisa and I took a break by going to the Tropical Hideaway to get a Dole Whip. It was a much needed break. We walked through a few shops and then went back to the hotel. I was done. It was tired and my feet were killing me. My sedentary life working at home was not a great way to get ready for this trip.