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

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.