Disneyland and Southern California for Christmas 2022 - Day 3

DCA at Sunset

Day 3

• DCA - webslinger first - basically a walk on (religious freak at park entrance) - We got in to the park before rope drop with a plan to go to Radiator Springs Racers first.  Once the rope dropped, we noticed everyone going to Carsland and very few going to Avengers' Campus so we went that way to ride Webslingers.  It was basically a walk on.  This is a fun ride, but it is very similar to Toy Story Mania.  
• Guardians for part of group - monsters for kids and grandparents - After Webslinger, we found Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout was a short line, so we hoped on there.  Not all of us went, but those that did had a blast.
• Pym breakfast - butter pecan cold brew - After Guardians, we got breakfast at Pym's Test Kitchen.  This is a delicious restaurant for all meals, but breakfast is really good.  Lisa got the French toast, which was yummy and I got the impossible breakfast.  This was another stop on the Tour de Cold Brews.  This was the butter pecan cold brew.  It was pretty good.  Creamy with pecan pieces on top.  It wasn't the best of the trip, but it was tasty.
• Walk and the Incredicoaster and carousel - snack time, Mickey bars and cookie nom noms - We left Avengers Campus and walked through Carsland, Pacific Wharf and then on to Pixar Pier.  When we got to the Incredicoaster, the line was not bad so we hoped on.  This is so much fun.  It's amazing how a roller coaster that neither Lisa nor I cared about as California Screamin' has become one of our favorites with the Incredibles theme.Those that couldn't ride the Incredicoaster rode Jessi's Carousel next door.  After that, we had a snack.  Some had a churro, some had cookie nom noms, but some of us (including me) had Premium Mickey ice cream bars.  It was early, but we were on vacation.  
• Emotional whirlwind - Next the little kids wanted to ride the Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind.  This is a decent ride for the kids, but it's not great.  It does have cute theming though.
• Ariel - We walked the rest of the way around the lake until we got to Ariel.  We rode it again, but this time I got to ride.  It is such a cute ride.  I really enjoy riding with my kids because I know all the words to all of the songs and sing directly into their ears.  They can't stand it.  It's great. This time was Ellie.  "Don't sing daddy!"
• Redwood creek challenge trail - Chip and dale in the play area - We walked toward Grizzly Peak and stopped in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.  We were going to try and see Santa, but the line was really long and we lost the kids almost immediately.  They had a blast playing around in the challenge trail.  There are so many things to do for the kids.  We wished there were more seating, drinks and snacks.
• Riley, Ellie and Crosby rode grizzly river run - The kids wanted to ride Grizzly River Run.  We did our best to get them ready.  It was not warm nor sunny that day so the kids were the only ones that wanted to ride.  They were all old enough to go so we let them ride by themselves.  They had a blast.  Crosby got really wet.  Spencer took Crosby back to the hotel to change because he was so wet.
• Grand Californian - Next we walked around in the Grand Californian.  They have an amazing gingerbread house that looks like the exterior of the hotel.  This just an amazing place.  We wanted to stay there, but it didn't work out.  We wanted my parents to see it and they were very impressed.
• Snacks and Marvel store - We used the handy private entrance to and from the Grand Californian back into DCA.  We stopped and got popcorn and drinks close to Soarin' and then moved on.  We went to the Avengers Super Store.  They have a lot of stuff here, but it is just a giant warehouse with merchandise.  It feels like a placeholder and it could be a really cool store, but it's not themed at all.
• Lamplight - SO good, lobster nachos - Next was dinner.  The only reservations we could get for Lamplight Lounge for dinner were at 4:00pm.  It ended up working great.  We had 3 separate reservations because we couldn't get one for all of us together, but they were nice enough to put us at one table together.  It was a great meal.  The kids did great and we all had delicious food and drinks and good company.  I sat next to Riley and we both got lobster nachos.  They are SO good.  We probably could have shared one order because there was so much food.
• Philharmagic- good update and Coco addition - We were all super full and needed a break so we went to watch Mickey's Philharmagic.  We enjoy this show at Walt Disney World, but this was digitalized with a few added scenes.  We all enjoyed it.
• Boys played with spider bots; Sam and Josie went back to hotel - We were having trouble deciding if we were done for the day or if we wanted to continue.  Sam decided to take Josie back to the hotel.  We decided to keep going for a little while anyway.
• Luigi’s rollicking roadsters - I watched - We were walking around DCA and stopped to ride the dancing cars, as our kids call them.  The sign showed around 25 minutes, but it took almost an hour.  I enjoyed watching everyone and I got to see Lightning McQueen drive by.
• Everyone was tired - called it a night; Grady fell asleep in stroller almost immediately - We were done after that.  We headed back to the hotel after the dancing cars.  Grady crashed in the stroller.  We were pooped.  It was another fun full day.

Holk family at Avengers Campus

Fun at Webslingers - Grady loved it!

Breakfast at Pym's Test Kitchen

Incredicoaster and Snacks

DCA Sights, Sounds and Fun

Lamplight Lounge dinner - Best in park meal

Nighttime at DCA

Dancing cars and then bedtime - Grady didn't wake up to change clothes

Disneyland and Southern California for Christmas 2022 - Day 2

 

Annual Tea Cups Family Photo

Day 2

• Got up early and ready to go - We got up and ready and took the short walk from our hotel to the parks.  This is one of the best parts of the Courtyard Theme Park Entrance.
• No problem getting into park - no lines - On previous trips, we had to wait in some lines for security, but very long lines to get in the parks.  We had very few issues on this trip. 
• Ate at Jolly holiday - really slow ordering - chimney sweep cold brew is delicious - We got close to the rope drop area and were going to get ready to take off, but the family called an audible and stopped to eat at Jolly Holiday.  I was really thrown off.  My brother is normally a commando tourist in Disney parks, but he was a kinder gentler tourist on this trip.  Much more go with the flow and it freaked me out.  Anyway, breakfast was delicious and it was the first indicator of a trend of the trip.  We ordered food to share between the four of us and I missed out.  I was going to share a croissant sandwich with Ellie and she ate it all.  Grady ate all of his yogurt and fruit as well.  We did get some sweets though.  Lisa got a raspberry macaron, which was delicious, a Mickey gingerbread cookie, also very delicious and the beginning of the Tour de Cold Brews of Disneyland with the Chimney Sweep cold brew.  This coffee had smoked syrup, chocolate and caramel ssauces, cream and smoked salt-sugar sprinkle.  It was SOOO good.
• Haunted Mansion holiday - so good, short line, new gingerbread house - After breakfast we checked wait times and Haunted Mansion was still pretty short so we headed there.  I LOVE this ride both regular and holiday.  The holiday version is SO good and it didn't disappoint.  After we were done, everyone in our group loved it and talked about how different it was from the original and how it was still great and kept the feel from the original.
• Pictures by castle - We walked toward the castle and Fantasyland and stopped on the walkway between Fantasy Faire and the castle.  This is a great spot for pictures and it wasn't super busy.  We got some great family pics and even got a little silly with some gingerbread photos.
• Castle walk through - Next we walked through the castle and parked the strollers in Fantasyland.  We started with the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough.  We really enjoy this and it was a first for some our group.
• Toad - Next we rode Mr Toad's Wild Ride.  It was a fairly short line so we hoped on.  I know this is a fan favorite and a classic Disney dark ride, but I'm gonna say it:  It's time for a change.  At minimum, a refurb, but up to a replacement.  The ride is jerky and it is all cutout displays with very little technology enhancements and no animatronics.  I think it would be great to give it an overhaul similar to Snow White.
• Tea cups - Next there was no line for the tea cups so we hoped on.  We love this ride and we have to do it every time.  Lisa and I came to a realization that the 4 of us are not going to fit in one tea cup much longer.  It was a sad moment, but we will cherish it for as long as we can.
• Churro - The kids were getting hungry so we stopped at the churro stand in Fantasyland.  Disneyland has the best churros.
• Millennium Falcon - Next we headed to Galaxy's Edge.  I am always blown away each time we walk in to this area and it think it gets better each time. Grady was SO excited just walking into and through the land.  We found that Smuggler's Run was not very long, so we hoped on.  Still a great ride and the kids are getting better at it, which is good for everyone.
• Mando and Grogu - Grady so excited, and Bob Fett Grady ‘I just wanted to do this my entire life’ - After the Millennium Falcon, we were walking around the land and spotted the Mandalorian walking around.  Grady flipped out and he, Riley and Crosby went to meet him.  They talked to him and saw Grogu in Mando's pouch.  We also saw Boba Fett walking close to Mando so we got to see them both.  It was really cool and Grady was in Star Wars heaven.  He was so cute and excited.  The Mandalorian and Grogu are his favorite and he got to see them on the first day.
• Lunch at Carnation Cafe - After that, we went back to Main Street for lunch at Carnation Cafe.  They crammed us into a long booth so we didn't have a lot of room.  The kids were getting a little antsy and overstimulated by the morning so we had a few issues at breakfast, but not bad.  Lunch was good, but not great.  Good to sit down and restart though.
• Shopping then Grady nap - We walked through the shops on Main Street and then Grady took a stroller nap.  I found a Mickey sweatshirt (more to come on this sweatshirt) and Ellie got a fluffy pink Disneyland spirit jersey.
• DCA - met Carl, peppermint churro, Ariel and Zack churro toffee cold brew - We walked to California Adventure to see Avenger's Campus with the whole group.  We went the long way by Soarin' and Grizzly Peak.  We met Carl from Up and got a peppermint churro.  After that we went to do the Ariel ride, but Grady was still napping.  I took this chance to find my second stop on the Tour de Cold Brews.  At the Festival of Holidays, one of the booths had a churro toffee cold brew.  Come to find out, there was an alcohol version, but I got the non-alcoholic.  It was really good, but a little too sweet.  I think the coffee liquor would have calmed the sweetness.
• Holiday cavalcade - After I got my delicious cold brew, I stood outside of Ariel's and watched the people while Grady slept.  Right as our group came out from the Ariel ride, the holiday cavalcade went by.  Grady woke up and the kids went up to watch and had a great time, dancing and having so much fun.
• Avenger’s Campus - Spider man show, Hawkeye show, M’Baku show, Guardian show - Then we walked to Avenger's Campus.  I was so excited for Spence and Crosby to see it.  As we walked in, the Spider-Man show was going on.  That is so cool.  We continued in and got to see the Hawkeye holiday battle that we saw last year.  We walked around some more and the new M'Baku show was starting after Hawkeye.  We really enjoyed this show.  M'Baku was very charismatic.  I liked it more than the Dora Milage show.  After the M'Baku show we walked toward Guardians and the Dance Party was going on.  There is so much to see in this land.  It is great!
• Mostly everyone Turtle talk - Lisa and Zack shop - The kids wanted to go to the animation building and see Turtle Talk.  Lisa and I skipped and did some shopping.  I actually took a potty break and ended up at the Grand Californian to take care of business.  By the way, this is a well kept secret, the restrooms inside the entrance of the Grand Californian to DCA is clean, quiet and easy to get in and out by yourself.
• Parade - After that, we went back to Disneyland.  When we walked it, the Christmas parade was going through Town Square.  We squeezed into the ropes to watch.  We really enjoy this show and the music is similar to small world.  It is catchy and entertaining, but it is an ear worm that sticks with you the whole trip.  I really enjoyed watching Josie, my 2 year old niece, who was so into the parade.  When Pluto showed up (her favorite character), she cheered and this watched him go all the way around the square and started down main street.  She about broke down a couple times when she couldn't see him, but then she found him again.  It was really cute.
• Star Wars dinner - We were getting hungry so of course we looked for the closest restaurant to Main Street, Docking Bay 7 in Galaxy's Edge.  It was very good, but I got a shrimp dish and it had sausage in it that I didn't notice on the menu.  I ate around it, but it was kind of a pain.
• Jungle Cruise - Next we met my parents at the Jungle Cruise because they just wanted a hot dog instead of going to Star Wars land.  We love the Jungle Cruise and the new changes make it that much better.  Our skipper was great and added a holiday twist to most of the jokes.  We did find that my dad had some trouble getting through the lines. It was dark so it was hard for him to see and the stairs in the queue were tough for him.  We also found that the lines were condensed to 1 lane because someone threw up in line.  Yuck, we had to distract the kids because our kids have a reputation of getting sick just know there is vomit around.
• Mom, dad, Riley and Ellie went back to room - After the Jungle Cruise most of us were pretty tired, especially the older kids.  My parents were done too, so they took the older girls back to the hotel and the rest of us continued on.
• We rode pirates and watched fireworks with the littles. Sam got chewed out for running into someone with the stroller during the mass exodus after fireworks - We had a good time hanging out for a little while longer, but Sam accidentally bumped someone with the stroller and she flipped out on her.  It was an accident, but the lady sure thought Sam had done it on purpose.  This happened after fireworks in the crowd of people trying to leave it park.  It was pretty ridiculous.
• Bedtime - We walked back to the hotel and crashed.  It was a fun full day.

Entering Disneyland and breakfast

Pictures in front of the castle - Fun with Mickey gingerbread men

Tea Cups!!!

Galaxy's Edge and The Mandalorian

Lunch and Nap Time

We found Carl in DCA!

Cold brew, churros and then Avenger's Campus

Christmas Parade - Josie watching Pluto closely

Fireworks, 'snow' and bedtime

Disneyland and Southern California for Christmas 2022 - Day 1

 

View of foggy/rainy LA from the Academy Awards Museum

Day 1

• Very early morning, didn’t sleep great - We left the house at 4:45am to get to the airport for a 7:00am flight.  We didn't have a lot of problems getting everyone up and going because we all knew we were going on vacation.  We didn't have any issues with the Parking Spot or getting to the airport, but Kansas City is getting a new airport in March.  It was obvious that they have let the current airport go.  When we got to the gate, there was not a line for TSA Pre-Check and as we went through security, the TSA person said "welcome to the gate from hell".  That was encouraging.  There were no food or drink options, so Delta was providing complimentary options.  I went to the bathroom and the toilets didn't flush.  We couldn't believe how bad it was and it is embarrassing to anyone flying to or through our airport.
• Flight is fine, Grady very antsy and asking if we are there a lot - Overall the flight was ok.  We surprisingly enjoyed the plane.  We flew on Delta to LAX.  It was a newer plane and seemed to have more room than the typical Southwest flight.  We all got to sit next to each other.  Grady sat with my parents and Ellie sat with us.  My brother's family was in the row in front of us.  Sam and Josie napped for a little bit.  Grady wanted to get there so he was antsy and wanted to get there so he asked a lot.
• Easy getting off the plane and getting to luggage. Got to car rental great too. - The LAX airport has gone through a renovation and is now VERY NICE compared to KCI.  We had no issues getting to where we needed to go and getting our luggage.  The rental car shuttle showed up just as we walked out to find it.  Good timing.
• Rented a Kia minivan. The 2 vans fit all of us and our stuff. Grady napped on the way to the farmers market - We rented through Budget which was upstairs from Alamo.  It was odd because the planes fly over and we had trouble talking to the nice ladies helping us.  We rented a Kia minivan which worked out great.  We put Ellie in the van with Sam and Spence and their kids.  We took my parents and Grady.  We fit all of our luggage, but I was worried for a minute.
• Drove to the farmers market - really enjoyed it and the food was delicious. We all loved this stop - We headed into LA: drove by Randy's donuts, Grady fell asleep shortly after Randy's donuts, saw the dramatic scenery change from Inglewood to Beverly Hills, thought we saw the Brown Derby building (we didn't), and ended driving by CBS Television City next to the Farmer's Market.  We had some trouble finding a parking spot, but it was worth it.  We LOVED the Farmer's Market.  There were so many delicious spots to eat.  Lisa and I ate at a seafood restaurant.  Several of us ate at a diner.  Ellie and Crosby got sushi (Right???).  It was a great stop and allowed us to get what we wanted.
• Went to academy awards museum. Struggled with the kids at first, they turned it around and were better. Had some cool stuff - C-3PO, R2-D2, Okoye, Jack heads, Bruce the shark - After our lunch at the Farmer's Market we went to the Academy Award museum.  It was only a couple blocks away so we got there, regrouped and started the tour.  This was a very informative and thorough museum, but it was also dry and not kid-friendly.  The kids were bored very quickly and started acting out.  They were running around, causing trouble and not listening to us.  We had to have a pow-wow with our kids to restart.  They did better, but we had to explain what we were seeing and why.  We finally got to an area the kids liked with animation displays and props from sci-fi movies, like C-3PO and R2-D2.  They also had Okoye's costume from Black Panther and the Terminator head.  They also had one of the shark models from Jaws.  One of the docents told us the story that all of the models from the movie were destroyed except this one.  It was found in a dump and reconditioned.  When they got it to put in the museum, they had to take part of the wall out to get the shark in the museum.  Pretty crazy.  Overall we had a good time, but I would not recommend taking kids.
• Walked to Tar Pits, had trouble figuring out where to go, enjoyed the museum, the kids liked it more than academy awards, it was more interactive. - After the Academy Awards museum, we walked to the La Brea Tar Pits.  The path walked through part of the museum of fine art and it was a longer walk than we expected.  We also had some trouble finding the tar pits museum.  Once we got there, it was pretty cool.  This was much more kid-friendly and it showed.  They got to see prehistoric animal bones and displays.  There were also activities and other things that were aimed at kids.
• Drove around Hollywood and the studios. The newbies really enjoyed this part. Stopped at the Griffith park merry go round but it was under refurbishment - This is one of my favorite parts of driving around LA and this is something I wanted my family to see.  I took them around some of the sights in Hollywood and LA.  We saw:  Hollywood blvd and the Chinese Theater, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers Studios, Providence Medical (where Walt Disney died), Walt Disney studios and animation studios, Griffith Park and the merry-go-round.  We were hoping to see and ride the merry-go-round (since it is where Walt came up with the idea for Disneyland), but it was closed (looked like for refurbishment).  We headed back to the highway to go to the hotel.  I did take the wrong turn and we drove right in front of the Disney Animation building with the Sorcerer Mickey hat out front.  It was pretty cool.  It's sometimes good to accidentally get lost or take a wrong turn.
• Drove to hotel, everyone seemed to like it. Grady was funny in the car on the way (‘I’m awake!’) - There was some pretty good LA traffic on the way to the hotel, but it moved pretty good.  Several times on the drive, Grady called out from the back "I'm awake".  He was keeping himself awake.  Everyone liked the hotel, the rooms and the smell of the lobby.  It is the best!  Just smells like Christmas in the lobby.
• Got checked in and dropped off luggage. Spencer and I went to Target.  We got some snacks and drinks for the room, then dropped off cars.  - We were slightly worried about dropping the cars off because there was no where to park so we had to double park.  No problem.  I did make sure to get my phone out of the car on this trip.
• Walked back to hotel and met rest of group.  Walked through Downtown Disney for dinner at Ballast Point, Grady fell asleep at dinner. - Dinner was pretty good.  I got a poke bowl with crispy wontons that was delicious.  Lisa said the kids mac and cheese was very good too.  They have their own beers and they were ok.  We were all pretty tired and slowing down.  Grady ate dinner and then laid down and fell asleep at the table.
• Walked back carrying Grady all the way back - After dinner we headed back to the hotel and we carried Grady all the way.  We didn't have the stroller and he was asleep so we traded off carrying him.  At one point I put him on my shoulders, but his head would roll off either side of my head.  
• We all crashed from a long day. - It was a fun, very full day and we crashed when we got to the hotel.  We had a pretty good setup with each of us getting our own bed in the room (2 queen size beds and a bunk bed).

Fun on the plane and in the airport

Academy Awards Museum

More fun at the Academy Awards Museum

La Brea Tar Pits

Courtyard by Marriot - standard room

Yummy Ballast Point dinner - Grady asleep, carrying home