It was a fairly mild day at the Disneyland Resort. I got to Disneyland around 11:50am, and the lines to enter both parks were practically non-existent. This would make for a nice day to navigate the parks. I took some photos, and then sat on a bench people watching until I saw Mr. DAPs and Caitie walking by. So I met up with them, and we headed to Market House for some coffee. The wait was short, and we got our drinks quickly.
We then sat at a table inside Market House. We started to plan our ‘Star Wars’ filled day. This included a visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Star Wars: The Adventures Continue. After some photos near the Castle, we made our way to Galaxy’s Edge. Stormtroopers were out and about, and we saw Chewbacca roaming around as well.
After some time there, we headed to Disney California Adventure. As usual, we sat at Sonoma Terrace to relax and eat some snacks. I got a Merry Cherry Punch and a Bavarian pretzel with cheese. The punch was really good, and it’s a perfect non-alcoholic holiday drink. The pretzel is big enough for two to share. Both items were available on Mobile Order this week, which made it easier to order.
After we finished our snacks, we headed to Carthay Circle and saw the last few minutes of Five & Dime while we waited for Mickey’s Happy Holidays. Both shows are fun, but Mickey’s Happy Holidays is definitely the surprise hit of the season! You really never know who you will see when watching this show so be sure to catch it before it ends in January.
We next headed to The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure before going to dinner at Smokejumpers Grill. I got the Loaded Latkes like I did last week, but there was no chili so I couldn’t get a side of Campfire Chili. Thee Latkes were good, but the portion size seemed smaller this week. As we made our way out of California Adventure, I made sure to stop by and see Julius Katz as it was the first night of Hanukkah. His window is decorated for the holiday, and the first candle on the menorah was lit as well.
After dinner, we headed back to Disneyland as we had FastPass for ‘it’s a small world’ holiday and Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. Since the Christmas parade was going on, we decided to take the train to Fantasyland. Our wait for ‘it’s a small world’ was short, and the standby line for the attraction was practically non-existent thanks to the parade.
After a fun holiday cruise, we headed towards Tomorrowland as it was time to head to Star Tours to experience the updates to the attraction. New scenes based on ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ were added Friday to coincide with the movie’s release. I hadn’t seen the movie so I wasn’t quite sure how it all fits into the attraction, but it was fun for me. We then stopped by the Disney Holiday Dance Party where Marie and Clarabelle were dancing and having fun with guests.
We made our way back to Fantasyland for a ride on Snow White’s Scary Adventures. This attraction will be updated soon after the holidays to create a happier ending instead of a rushed ending. Even though the attraction follows part of the movie, it’s still scary and dark for most of the attraction.
After that, we headed back to Galaxy’s Edge and ended our night there. Of course, excitement is building for the new Rise of the Resistance attraction opening January 17. Cast Members are standing at the entrance of the attraction telling guests that it’s not open yet.
Overall, it was a great day to explore the Parks. The peak holiday season has arrived, and if you are planning to visit the Parks over the next two weeks, enjoy it! Arrive early if you feel you need to, but most importantly – have fun! Remember there is always plenty to do even when the Parks are busy! See you next week for more holiday fun in the Parks!
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