Sunday Recap Report - A Warm Holiday Sunday in the Parks

Sunday Recap Report – A Warm Holiday Sunday in the Parks

It’s hard to believe, but it was very warm at the Disneyland Resort on Sunday! Temperatures were already in the 80s by 11:30 am, and reached 94 degrees at one point in the afternoon! Cool drinks and shady areas were definitely helpful on this day.

I arrived at Disneyland around 11:30 am, and sat on a bench outside of Disneyana. It was a nice people watching day. After sitting down for a while, it was time to go ‘window shopping’ on Main Street. I checked out the new holiday Disney Parks Wishables, even though I bought the open edition Toy Soldier last week. The blind bags weren’t available at the Emporium, but they were this week. There are four different characters available in the blind bags and cost $9.99.

I then sat inside the Opera House lobby for awhile. It was nice and cool in there, and there were plenty of people there also trying to keep cool from the heat. Around 12:25 pm, I found Mr. DAPs and Caitie waiting for the Main Street March. The March was fun as always, and it’s a great way to see a fun little show!

We then made our way up Main Street to the Market House for some Starbucks before heading to Coke Corner. We sat and watched the Dapper Dans. Their holiday set is a lot of fun! They sing a lot of our holiday favorites, including “Jingle Bells,’ “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” and even a fun holiday rendition of “Mr. Sandman” sung as “Mr. Santa!”

Soon after, we made our way to the entrance of Tomorrowland to take some ‘dapscaf’ photos! You can join the fun of ‘dapscaf.’ Just take a photo with your favorite coffee drink (it doesn’t have to be coffee or from Starbucks), and tag your photo with #dapscaf2019 on social media! We will be using ‘dapscaf2020’ starting January 1st, but there’s plenty of time to join us now!

And it wouldn’t be Sunday if we didn’t go to Disney California Adventure and sit at Sonoma Terrace for awhile. We found a somewhat shady spot to keep us away from the sun and heat. While here, we saw Mostly Kosher. They are a band who puts their own special spin in Yiddish klezmer music. Catch them daily at Sonoma Terrace at Disney California Adventure.

We then headed to Carthay Circle and saw Five & Dime Before ‘Mickey’s Happy Holidays.’ Five & Dime is still very entertaining, and ‘Mickey’s Happy Holidays’ is a fun little show that incorporates the Holiday Toy Drummers, and includes many of our favorite characters dressed in some very fun and festive costumes. This show is performed daily at 12:30pm and 4pm and the Paradise Gardens Obelisk (near The Little Mermaid attraction) and at Carthay Circle.

Since it was ‘The Little Mermaid’s’ 30th anniversary, we made our way to ‘The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure’ for a ride through. It’s a fun ride, and it was cool in there too which definitely helped. We then went to a Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Santa is meeting and greeting guests here yet again, and while he didn’t visit Santa, many guests were waiting for him. While at Challenge Trail, you can also get yummy holiday treats, and even decorate your own cookie.

It was now dinner time. We decided to visit an old friend – Smokejumpers Grill. I went to Award Wieners and got the Cheesy ‘Corn’ Dog. It’s a cheddar sausage with a tangy corn-cheese sauce, Chile lime dusted corn fritters, pickled Fresno chiles, and cilantro. They are served with filmstrip fries. It’s $10.29, and discounts apply. I always recommend ordering food from Award Wieners via Mobile Order on the Disneyland App. It definitely saves a lot of time as the line here can move very slow. Overall, I enjoyed the Cheesy ‘Corn’ Dog. The pickled Fresno chiles were definitely spicy, so I recommend to take them off of the hot dog, especially if you don’t like spicy food like me.

After dinner, we headed back to near the Challenge Trail expecting a snow moment like last year, but we didn’t get one. We think there isn’t one this season. Soon after we made our way to Cars Land. It was a nice night in Cars Land, and it was fun to see the holiday decor lit up.

After some time in Cars Land, we headed back to Disneyland and came across the ‘Wintertime Enchantment’ and snow moment on Main Street. This is a nice way to enjoy the snow with very little crowds, and it’s early enough too, especially if you have little ones with you. ‘Wintertime Enchantment’ occurs twice nightly, usually at 7:30pm and 8:30pm.

After a ‘blanket of snowfall’ on Main Street, we made our way to ‘it’s a small world.’ This attraction is definitely my favorite at Disneyland, and I especially love it even more during the holidays. The facade is merry and bright, and there’s just a special feel to it that you just can’t explain.

And no Sunday visit to Disneyland would be complete if we didn’t go to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It was a peaceful night on Batuu despite it being ‘Life Day’ on the planet. I also noticed it was November 17, two months away from the opening of Rise of the Resistance. It opens January 17, 2020 at Disneyland, and the same attraction opens on December 5 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I will be at Walt Disney World when Rise of the Resistance opens at Disneyland, so hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy it before I return home.

It was now time to make our way home. As we did, we saw another snow moment happening on Main Street. After a few more holiday photos, we headed out of Disneyland.

Despite the very warm weather, we had a great time at the Parks. More holiday fun is coming throughout the next few weeks, and I can’t wait to share it all with you!