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

Day 6

46 degrees when we woke up - Brrr....it was cold walking to the park this morning. One of the colder days we've had in California.
Easy in to park; RSR open late; Spider-Man really long wait - trying Genie+ again - We didn't have to wait in lines to get in and thought we would be able to get on either WEB Slingers or Radiator Springs Racers, but RSR opened late and WEB Slingers line went back beyond Carthay Circle. Yikes. We decided to go to ride Soarin' instead. We also wanted to try Genie+ again so we buy it once in the park. It seemed to work no problem, even though we didn't use it on Soarin'.
Soarin’ - Grady didn’t like it - We rode Soarin' and everything was fine, but then Grady got a little upset by the end and had a quasi-meltdown. We got to the stroller and got the kids a snack.
Jumping jellyfish - We walked around a little looking for a snack before brunch. We walked by Jumpin' Jellyfish and the kids really like it so they rode with Lisa.
Toy Story Mania - LL - We got a Lightning Lane for Toy Story Mania so we went to use it next. It worked just like FastPass and worked really well. We all enjoyed this ride.
Grady a bear - Grady did not do well without breakfast and this day was no exception. He was really hungry by this time and we were trying to hold out until brunch at Lamplight.
Incredicoaster and carousel - coaster broke when Ellie and I tried to ride it - We tried to ride the Incredicoaster, but it broke down when Ellie and I got close. They completely evacuated the ride so we didn't get to ride. Lisa and Grady rode the Critter Carousel.
Spider-Man show - also saw Iron Man, Ant Man and Cpt Marvel - We had a little extra time before brunch so we walked through Avenger's Campus. We saw the Spider-Man show and some characters around the land. Then we headed to brunch.
Grady a bigger bear - Grady was crashing big time. He wasn't listening to instructions or following the rules. It was a mess. We almost didn't take him in to brunch because he was such a hot mess.
Brunch at Lamplight - Lisa and I had been looking forward to this meal. The menu for the brunch at Lamplight Lounge looked amazing, even for vegetarians. We had eaten brunch here last time (with my brother's family), but Grady was terrible and I ended up leaving with him to go back to the hotel. I was very much looking forward to it. Lisa and Ellie got fancy drinks. I kinda cheated and got the chilaquiles, they had eggs, but they were delicious. There was also a plant-based chorizo that I added and it was awesome. Lisa got the potato flautas which were also very good, but the sauce was pretty spicy. It was almost too much for her, but it was still really good. This was another great meal. Our only complaint was we were outside and it was a little chilly. We were all wearing jackets or sweatshirts.
Ariel - Next we rode the Little Mermaid because why not?
Churro - We stopped and got the peppermint chocolate churro, which was close to Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. We ate it while waiting to see Santa in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. It was a really good churro, but super sweet. This is a great place to meet Santa. We enjoyed it more than the Pooh meet and greet across the esplanade.
Avengers Assemble - Next we went back to Avenger's Campus on the way to our Lightning Lane for Monster's. This was our walkway to everywhere. We loved it so much.
Monsters - Next we had a Lightning Lane pass for Monster's Inc. We love this ride so we wanted to get it in before the end of our time at DCA. The Lightning Lane was weird because we entered in the exit, which is not how the FastPass used to work. Really weird, but still a great ride.
Avengers, nap and walk to other park - We found a couple of shops and things to see around Monster's (Disney characters dressed as Marvel heroes, Marvel stores, ctc), then we walked back through Avenger's Campus on our way out. We wanted to see it one more time. We walked across to Disneyland and on the way the kids had rest/nap time.
Haunted Mansion - LL - Next we got a Lightning Lane for Haunted Mansion. We had to wake Grady up, which is a risky thing to do. He was ok and ready to go. Man, I love this ride and wanted to do it one last time. The Lightning Lane was helpful too. And we didn't get stuck in the Stretching Room this time.
Big Thunder - LL - Then we did Big Thunder Mountain with a Lightning Lane. We weren't sure how Grady would do but he wanted to try it again. He sat with Lisa and I turned around a few times to check on him. He wasn't doing well. He was about to have a meltdown at the end, but Ellie and I turned around and told him how much fun we had and then he enjoyed it. It left a good memory for him instead of leaving scared and that was great.
Smuggler’s Run - LL - We went back to Galaxy's Edge and rode Smuggler's Run with a Lightning Lane. Grady wasn't sure about this ride, but he did it. At the end he said he didn't like it. We're not sure.
Space Mountain - LL - We got a Lightning Lane for Space Mountain so Lisa went with Ellie first, Grady didn't want to ride it. He and I walked around and went in a couple of shops. We switched and I rode Space Mountain with Elle and Lisa and Grady rode the Monorail. They had a great time. We did too. I like the Disneyland version of Space Mountain a lot more than the Disney World version. Also, we went around a turn and Ellie's hand hit my glasses and they almost flew off. That was scary. Next time I'll just take them off.
Dinner at Red Rose Tavern and Royal Street Veranda - We got a hodge-podge for dinner. The kids wanted chicken nuggets so we got them food at Red Rose Tavern and we got the cauliflower sandwich there as well. It was yummy. Then Lisa and I got the vegetable gumbo at Royal Street Veranda. It was good, but not great. It was kind of a pain getting food from multiple spots too.
Decided we were cold, tired and too many people so we went back to the hotel - After we ate we were pretty cold and tired. We couldn't decide what we wanted to do and the park was pretty busy. They were also getting ready for fireworks, which makes it hard to get around. We decided to go see Small World one more time and then leave. It was a good choice. We got to see the projection show at Small World and then we snaked our way out of the park. Once we walked out, we were sad to leave, but Lisa and I immediately realized how tired we were.
Watched fireworks from hotel - When we got back to the hotel, we realized we made it before fireworks, so we made sure to get ready for bed and then we watched fireworks from the room again. It was a great way to end our time at Disneyland.