Disneyland November 2021 Trip Report - Day Six
What happened to day five?
Day five was a rest day, non-park day, so we've spared you the details. We met up with a friend, did a Coastal Southern California Mystery Picnic, and went to Huntington Beach Pier.
On to day six of the trip, which is day four in the parks!
It was a Sunday and was projected to be a 9/10 on the crowd calendar. Again, we approached the day with fear, but really it wasn't too bad. Weather was 89 degrees, and of course sunny.
Scenery at Radiator Springs Racers
We started our day at Disney California Adventure as there were just a couple things we had on our list that we had not done. We rope dropped Radiator Springs Racers - adorable ride! 5/5. Wish the regular line was not quite so long, but overall, the ride is really well themed. And we were walking by Mater's Junkyard Jamboree on the way out of Cars Land and of course had to do it again cuz we enjoy it. Then, we drummed up our courage, took some Dramamine, and rode the Incredicoaster. It was great! I also give it a 5/5, would ride again, easily. It is a very smooth coaster and super fun.
And after this, of course, we had to get a Jack Jack Num Num Cookie. BEST snack at Disneyland. 5/5. Ooey gooey goodness.
Behold, the melty, warm, Jack Jack Num Num
Then, we made our way via Grizzly Peak to Soarin' and rode that again. This time, the wait was much lower than it had been the previous time we rode. Saw that the Amazing Spiderman show was coming up at 10, so we headed over there to watch that (again), and then saw that the wait for Guardians of the Galaxy was quite short, so we rode that again.
Overall, as you can see by how much we got done, lines were very bearable until it approached noon. Thankfully, we were exiting the park right about then for brunch at Storyteller's Cafe at the Grand Californian Resort.
We checked in, and then meandered the resort for a few minutes before our table was ready. Saw them working on the gingerbread house, and ducked into the shop. It is a nice hotel. The lobby is beautiful, though I can't say it holds a torch to the lobbies of similar resorts like Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Resort, because it is smaller. Very pretty craftsman style, though.
Lobby area at the Grand Californian Hotel
Brunch was terrific. I was glad we chose to do brunch instead of breakfast because brunch included small plates from the kitchen for no additional charge, as well as the breakfast offerings. The buffet was good, but the small plates were extraordinary. We had crab cakes, salmon poke, shawarma, beignets, and truffle fries. Our server was excellent. The characters were there- Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Goofy, but weren't coming very close. Because we were two adults, they mostly hurried by our table with a wave, which was fine with me. They posed for pictures at tables with kids. They would march through every 15 minutes or so, and I think we saw them come through at least four times. 5/5 would do again, but I would eat less salmon when it's on recall. See next week to find out why!
After brunch, we slowly made our way back to the hotel. Crowds were now quite evident as it was midday, but that was ok as we planned on resting until about 4pm. At around 4, we returned with the goal in mind to stake out our spot for the Festival of Fantasy Parade. I had luckily read earlier the same day on a forum I follow that the best spot was near the It's a Small World Plaza because you would get a lighting show, a projection show, and the parade. This turned out to be amazing advice. We planted ourselves at least an hour early behind a trash can.
Let's talk parade strategy for a second: Behind a trash can is a GREAT place to stake your claim. The parade route is usually roped off, right along the curb. The ropes touch the front of trash cans. If you stand behind them, you get some personal space, and an unobstructed view. I ran to get a giant pickle since we were now curious from having seem the amount of people eating pickles in front of us in line the other day, and a frozen raspberry lemonade. Fantasyland was swarming with people when I ran to get snacks, but that was ok with me as we knew it would be busy.
The "Santa" float at the holiday parade
We got to see the lighting of It's a Small World, then when the parade music started, but the parade wasn't quite there, there were projections on It's a Small World. The parade was everything I hoped it would be. It was a holiday parade with gorgeous floats and princesses, and I was just so happy to be watching a parade again as they had just returned to Disneyland earlier that week.
The other thing that had just returned earlier that week was FIREWORKS and we were psyched to catch the fireworks show later that night. Before that, however, we had some time after the parade, and we had a few more bucket list items to knock off our list, so we headed to the Enchanted Tiki Room. I don't really care for this experience at Walt Disney World, but at Disneyland, understandably, it just has a different aura that makes it feel special, even if it's still corny and even a little dull. To think that this original attraction actually had a separate ticket from the other rides at Disneyland because Walt had personally financed it! And the birds are the first audio animatronics Walt created! That alone made it very special.
Next, we got an accessibility return time for Indiana Jones. We waited for a bit on a bench in Frontierland, looking over the river, until our time came, and rode after another lengthy wait in line. This ride had been up and down all night and guests in line were clearly frustrated. And it did "hitch" a couple times while we were on it. We.... were not super impressed. I've been told this ride is among the best at Disneyland, but I have to disagree. I kind of dislike it for the same reasons I dislike Dinosaur! at Walt Disney World. So, if you like Dinosaur!, maybe you'll like this ride. 2/5 - do not need to do again unless the line is like 5 minutes long.
After this, we headed to Main Street to find a spot to plant ourselves for fireworks. We found a good spot in the middle-ish of the street, and it was packed. Like, body to body packed. Like, do not pick up your foot for any length of time as you may not be able to put it down again packed. This was a little upsetting for me. I fought my way through the bodies to get us some snacks ahead of time from Jolly Holiday Bakery, including a legendary Matterhorn Macaron for me.
Behold, the impressive Matterhorn Macaroon and the impressive crowds
Despite our discomfort waiting, when the fireworks started all was forgotten. The projections were on the castle and down the sides of Main Street now, and so sharp and wonderful! Toward the end, they played a really sweet version of "Remember the Magic" which was from Disney's 25th anniversary, but for me, it encapsulated just the joy of being back in a Disney park after the pandemic shut them down, and especially shut Disneyland down, for so long. I might have shed a tear. Or two.
But the best was yet to come because after the fireworks, it SNOWED on Main Street while they played a sweet version of "White Christmas" and suddenly everyone was just still in place, looking at the sky, hugging their loved ones, smiling at the pretty snow, and I had a bit of a MOMENT. 10/5 - most moving moment of the year, wish I could feel the feeling I felt that moment every day, would do again :)
It was a little after 9:30, I think, when we headed out and back to our hotel. It was nice to be able to just walk by the lines of everyone waiting for buses and shuttles. Definitely book a hotel across the street if you at all can.
Next week is our final installment. We start the day in Disneyland park, joined by my friend we visited on Saturday. But wait... what will the recalled salmon do to our hero? Stay tuned! And if you like our blog, follow us over on Facebook so you can see when the next blog is published! Until next time...
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