It was a rather cool, winter type day at the Disneyland Resort for it being December 1. This made for a somewhat comfortable day. Crowds were fairly mild as it was also a travel day for many to go home after the Thanksgiving holiday.
I got to Disneyland around 2pm, but I was ready for the day once I got to the Parks. Of course, I got the obligatory photo of Main Street Station. After entering Town Square, I noticed more Candlelight prep had been made since I was at the Parks on Friday. Candlelight Processional is scheduled for this coming weekend, weather permitting.
Since Mr. DAPs, Caitie, and Jenny were already in the Parks, I texted to see where they were so I could meet up with them. They were across from ‘it’s a small world’ holiday waiting for ‘A Christmas Fantasy’ Parade.
This parade has been a holiday favorite at Disneyland since 1995. Several characters, as well as parade units have been added, removed, changed, and/or moved around over the years. Of course, the parade opens with the ballerina and teddy bear, the marching toy soldiers, Mickey, Minnie, Mrs. Claus, Chip, Dale, Donald, and dancing elves.
The next unit is the ‘Winter Wonderland’ unit. Here you can see snow people, ice skaters and skiers, as well as Anna, Elsa, and Olaf from ‘Frozen.’
The next unit is the baking unit featuring Clarabelle Cow, gingerbread people, bakers, Goofy, and Pluto. This is one of my favorite units because it’s a lot of fun to see some great characters and performers have fun!
Next up is the Ballroom Unit featuring the Disney Princesses and Princes. You can find the Tremaine’s, Snow White and her Prince, Tiana and Naveen, Belle and Beast, Cinderella and Prince Charming, Aurora and Phillip, and Ariel and Eric, as well as ballroom dancers.
Up next is the Toy Workshop Unit. This unit features characters from Toy Story, so you will see the Green Army Men, Jessie, Woody, and Buzz. And new this year to the big sack of toys is Forky from ‘Toy Story 4,’ so be in the lookout for him!
The finale unit features reindeer, dancers, and of course Santa Claus! It’s always great to hear Santa wish everyone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in many different languages, including American Sign Language. It’s definitely special for those watching!
After the parade, we made our way to Disney California Adventure by following the parade towards Main Street. It was nice to get some unique angles of the finale float making its way down the parade route.
We finally made it to Disney California Adventure. Jenny and I headed to the Cozy Cones in Cars Land for some peppermint soft serve, while Mr. DAPs and Caitie headed to find Festival of Holidays food.
The peppermint soft serve is found at the Ice Cream Cones ‘Cone.’ It’s served in a cup or cone, and comes with fun holiday sprinkles, and a gold star! It’s $5.79 plus tax, and discounts do not apply here. But the peppermint soft serve is very good, not too minty, and it definitely turns your tongue green, but it doesn’t stay green for long.
After enjoying some holiday treats, it was time for dinner. We also said goodbye to Jenny, and hello to Murray! We made our way to Smokejumpers Grill. I got the signature mac and cheese. It’s a green chile pork belly mac ‘n’ cheese served with waffle fries or onion rings. It’s $12.49, and discounts apply. The green chile definitely has a kick to it, but it’s not very spicy. I got this with the waffle fries, and I enjoyed it very much.
Before heading back to Disneyland, we stopped by the Buena Vista Christmas Tree. If you have a chance, look at the decorations on, around, and under the tree.
We then found ourselves back at Disneyland, and as we headed up Main Street, the Wintertime Enchantment moment was happening. It’s a nice way to experience the snowfall without the fireworks crowds.
Following the Wintertime Enchantment moment, we headed towards ‘it’s a small world’ holiday for some photos. From there, we headed to Tomorrowland Terrace to check out the Disney Holiday Dance Party. There was no DJ/host, so none of the characters were introduced as they came to the dance floor. At one point, the dance party abruptly ended due to ‘unforeseen circumstances.’ The dance floor quickly emptied out, and we decided to make our way out of Disneyland before fireworks.
As we made our way out of Disneyland, we stopped to get some photos from the Disneyland Fire Department. This is such a unique place to get some great nighttime photos, especially during the holidays.
Now it was time to leave Disneyland, as we were getting quite cold. Overall, it was a great day to enjoy some holiday fun at Disneyland! Next week is the annual Candlelight Processional and Ceremony, weather permitting. As of now, we have no idea who the narrator will be. We may find out as early as Saturday afternoon during the sound check. And yes, DAPS MAGIC will be there to cover the ceremony. See you next week for more adventures at the Disneyland Resort.
