It'll Be Alright: Disneyland and Southern California for Christmas 2021

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.