Tuesday Jan 30
Woke up early - 5:45 - The part opened at 8:00, but we could get in 30 minutes early since we were staying at the Grand Californian. We knew security could take a while, and they did not open the security lines until 7:00, but we wanted to be ready.
Security good - pretty quick, dad argued with lady that ‘cut’ - We got through security pretty easy and then on to the park entrance lines. The lines were not clearly marked, but we got in a line. A lady stood between lines and turned around to look for her people. They showed up right before the gates opened, and she moved into a new line with her group. My dad wasn’t happy so he argued with her about it. I wasn’t either, but I didn’t want to make a big deal. We moved on (Dad didn’t) and got into the park. We found the entrance for early entry at the rope drop area and headed to Fantasyland.
Started with Peter Pan - We were near the front of the early entry rope drop and got to Peter Pan with the line relatively short. We only waited 15-20 minutes. What a great ride and great way to start the day.
Toad - There was no line for Toad, so we did that next. I went by myself. There was a lot of discussion on this trip about who would ride together and it started with Toad. I still can’t believe they have a ride that takes you to hell.
Dumbo - We got in line for Dumbo next as the lines wasn’t busy yet. Still a great ride. The kids loved it.
Churro and ronto wraps - Next we were gonna go find breakfast, and the kids wanted churros. I said no to my kids, but Crosby was told yes by his parents. Everyone ended up with churros. We then went to Galaxy’s Edge to get breakfast ronto wraps. They were delicious. We were visited by Chewbacca while we ate too.
Take rental cars back - genius shuttle idea - After our transportation debacle the day before, Spence and I had to take the rental cars back. We took the monorail back to Downtown Disney and found the cars to return. We left the parking area and were not charged. We got one break. Then we drove to Avis and dropped the cars off. There were no issues with drop off. Then we had to figure out how to get back. Spence had the idea to go into the Toy Story parking lot, which was next to the rental car office, and take the bus back to the park. This was genius. We walked in, went through security before boarding the bus, and then took a relaxing bus ride to the park. We were dropped off at the front and did not have to go through security again. It was great.
Chimney sweep cold brew - On our way to meet with the group, we walked down Main Street and decided to stop for a Chimney Sweep cold brew at Jolly Holiday. It was delicious. It did take a little while.
Popcorn and churros - We met our group in Frontierland and had a popcorn at churro snack.
Pirates - store meltdown Grady - We found Pirates wasn’t a long line and it was close, so we headed over there. Love this ride. In the store we found some cute stuff and Grady found a sword he wanted. This sounded like.a terrible idea, there would have been a lot of fights with a pirate sword. I said no and he completely melted down. It was epic.
Wanted toy sword G-“you guys won’t get me what I want. You guys are making me frustrated. You’re the problem, it’s you”
Walk to DCA - Grady rest time. - After the meltdown, we needed a break. Grady had some rest time and we walked across to DCA. It took a lot to calm him down.
Ellie lunch at Smokejumpers. Carrot cake churro - We got in to DCA and Ellie was hungry. We stopped at Smokejumpers and got Ellie some chicken fingers. The churro cart close to Smokejumpers had carrot cake churros. They were really good.
Walk through shops,Avengers Campus - We enjoy the shops on Buena Vista street in DCA. Ellie and Lisa have found they enjoy the jewelry/women’s shop near the end of the row of shops. They remind me of the shop in MGM/Hollywood studios.
Back to Disneyland - We found DCA was really busy so we decided to go back to Disneyland.
Toontown - kids played, met Mickey (really short wait, Steamboat Willie) - One of the things we were looking forward to seeing was the newly renovated Toon Town. It was really cool. We met the rest of our group there. They had been playing around Goofy and Donald’s houses. I really liked the updates. It is much more interactive and more accessible. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway fits perfect in Toon Town as well. We found Mickey’s house had a short line, we went to meet Mickey. We had a bad experience in the past when the wait time was short, but the line was long. This was not the case. It was only 15 minutes or so. The kids were really excited because we got to meet Steamboat Willie Mickey. Crosby and Grady really like Steamboat Willie.
Small World - After meeting Mickey, we found Small World had a short line, so we hoped on. This was the regular version, which we hadn’t seen for a while. Such a great ride.
Back to DCA - We had dinner reservations at Lamplight Lounge, so we decided to head across to California Adventure.
Walked around before dinner - I have found that I really enjoy just walking around and taking in all of the different atmospheres in DCA. Walking through Avenger’s Campus, then Carsland, then the new San Fransokyo, on to Pixar Pier and around to Paradise Gardens and the Grizzly Peak area. Such wonderfully themed areas to explore.
Grady got Spider Bot - On our last trip, Grady ended up getting a lightsaber, but I wanted a Spider-Bot too. This trip he planned on getting a Spider Bot so we went ahead and got it early in the trip so he could enjoy it. He got the Black Panther armor to go with it. It is a pretty cool toy and solid quality compared to most Disney parks toys.
Lamplight was delicious, more lobster nachos - We got to Lamplight and they were nice enough to combine our reservations and put us at one table. We really enjoy this restaurant. The food is delicious, the drinks are yummy and the ambience is unmatched.
World of color - Moana part best, Star Wars and Marvel - Wold of Color is one of my favorite parts of going to Disneyland. I love the regular version of World of Color. It got me in all of the feels the first time we saw it back in 2017. Since then, I make sure to see it every trip (unless it’s under refurbishment). We have even seen the Holiday version several time even though it is not as good. On this trip, there is a new version called World of Color One, which we heard included all Disney brands, not just Disney/Pixar animation. We were looking forward to it. After dinner, the show was about to start and we were gonna stand on the bridge to Pixar Pier to watch it. We found right before the show, they opened up a large are and we moved down the stairs to a section close to the water and next to the reserved section. It was a great spot. The show was good, but not as good as the show from 2017. The original song at the beginning was not as good and the “story” did not flow as well. We enjoyed it, but it was not my favorite.
Grady asleep - walk to Downtown Disney to World of Disney to look for blanket - Grady was asleep in the stroller during World of Color so after the show we left the part and walked through Downtown Disney. Since we were staying at the Grand Californian, it was very convenient to walk through Downtown Disney and then go to our room.
Bedtime - We were beat. It was a full day. Time to get rested for another day of Disney fun.
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| Riding Dumbo! |
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| Tea Cup Time! Always a highlight of my trip. |
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| Big Thunder Mountain |
