Epic Vacation Day 4: California Adventure (again)

This was the one day we didn't rush into the parks early in the morning. We slept in a bit and then Brent tried to take care of shipping a Christmas gift to my brother and his family (who live in California now!). Turns out it was more complicated than either of us thought it would be but DCA is a smaller park and we didn't feel so much pressure to get through every single ride. We'd done most of them at this point, so it was ok if we weren't the first in line. The girls and I meandered through Downtown Disney snapping some photos before it was full of shoppers.

Gita was really feeling herself in that outfit with the fabulous braid. These pictures crack me up!

This sweet cast member told the girls they had to promise not to spend all of Mom's money today. It was a much-needed moment of levity that morning!

Once in DCA, we took some more photos in Hollywood Studios while we waited for Brent to catch up with us:

We came across Iron Man and the girls were the last ones allowed to meet him before he went inside Avengers Campus for a break. 

They were ready to go with their poses and I love how this pic turned out! They told him to be nice to Pepper Potts to which he responded, "Uh, NO!"

Now with Brent by our side, we all headed to Radiator Springs Racers

These bottles look really cool with the morning light filtering through them! We left little messages rolled up in them like, "You are Beautiful!" and "Have a Great Day!"

This time around I really noticed this part of the ride near the end after you've raced:

On our way to another part of the park we saw this photo op and had to stop

Black Panther really spoke to Ireland and around the corner from the last photo op was this photo op and well, we had to stop and take a couple photos.

I'm so glad we went through all the Marvel movies last summer! It really enhanced our enjoyment of the parks.

Finally we made it waaay in the corner of the park for Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue! Most of the line was inside with lots of cute theming like this Harry Housin's menu with Vegetable Tempuki, Spider Roll and Ickki Ishikari- soft shell blob with leech and lentil puree.

The snack vending machine includes Bag-O-Calories, Sugar Salt & Fat and Primordial Ooze.

This was a fun, nostalgic ride. At the end was Roz who would point out specific people in your car and make comments like, "Hey lady in the red shirt! I'm watching you... always watching."

It was getting hot outside and I'd heard nearby Animation Studio is a hidden gem. Brent was reluctant to go, really reluctant but finally relented because hey, it was an air-conditioned building! Everyone was happy to sit down for a bit and get off our feet.

The artwork display gave us some idea of what we might be drawing.

Turns out we got Sully- kind of perfect given the ride we'd just gone on and the cast member was amazing! Not only at drawing, but he had the most kind voice that gave you the confidence that you could do this- you could draw a Disney character, even if you weren't skilled at drawing. 

Some of the tidbits he shared are that Sully is a strong character so he has a prominent jaw like Gaston, Mr Incredible and Genie. He's a friendly monster so his teeth are shaped more like candy corn than something jagged and threatening. Sully also has big, kind eyes. As we drew, he gave simple instruction like make a U or a rainbow and low and behold we were illustrating with the best of them! He mentioned he loved that Mike always gets cut out of the picture so he added that little detail of drawing him just over Sully's shoulder. He encouraged us to sign our artwork with our name and add our own flair (see how he added little horns to his).

At the end he had us all hold up our drawings and show them to the class. He emphasized everyone's will look different and that's ok (Sydney was a bit embarrassed by hers but I really love her interpretation). As people filtered out we hung back and told the cast member that this was truly a hidden gem and Brent- who had been a Doubting Thomas- thanked him over and over. The cast member not only thanked us, but he gave us his drawing as a memento. We walked out of there feeling so refreshed- physically and mentally.

We hadn't planned on it, but we decided to try out Turtle Talk with Crush since it was in the same air-conditioned building and again, really enjoyed ourselves more than we anticipated. The screen is animated with Crush but they hand out a microphone and he asks questions. At one point Crush brought out a bikini top and asked a little boy what it was for. It was hilarious to hear him stumble to find the words and finally say, "It's for swimming" to which Crush replied he couldn't wait to wear it when he goes swimming. 

Up to this point I think I'd tested Brent's patience with all the photo ops but this one was on the way out and he was happy to snap one with me after so many positive experiences and great memories made.

We had some time before our lunch reservation so we decided to hit Soarin' again. I was able to capture Sydney flying past the Sydney Opera House- her favorite part of the ride. Ireland pointed out at one point some hot air balloons make a hidden Mickey and I meant to take a picture but forgot dangit!

Have I mentioned how much I love the distanced meet and greets! They make for such great photos! Happy to see Snow White out and about in the park.

At long last it was time for brunch at the Lamplight Lounge. I'm really glad we had a reservation because the standby line was really long. We had to wait a bit so (of course) I snapped some more photos of the girls with that fabulous Ferris Wheel in the background. I actually bought these shirts with this photo in mind.

Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are never operating at 100%. There's always a ride down for maintenance or refurbishment or new rides going up. I have to say one of the biggest drawbacks to DCA was that the lagoon was drained and it made it so stark and ugly. Call me crazy but I think having the water there would have helped with the heat of the day too. I was hoping to see World of Color but that just wasn't in the cards. Anyway, we were still able to get some good individual photos of the girls.

Brent and I are split on our dining experience at Lamplight Lounge- I loved it, he didn't feel it was worth it. We splurged on drinks and this Infinity Fizz with Powerade Mountain Berry Blast, Apple Juice and Cherry Pearls had heads turning because of the dry ice mist coming out of it. We ended up ordering two because the girls enjoyed it so much. 

Ireland and I shared the crab cakes which were delicious!

And of course everyone wanted a photo with it! Liesel had the frittata and wasn't in love. She ended up sharing it with everyone else.

Gita had the mini breakfast burger and she loved it!

Sydney really loved those cherry pearls.

Here's Sydney finishing off her Indulgent French Toast with both hands!

Brent wasn't enchanted with his breakfast burger. Before leaving, we took advantage of the restroom which had the most fantastic wallpaper.

I asked everyone to pick a phrase that meant something to them specifically. Gita loved everything we had done with Monsters, Inc. that morning so this one made her smile.

All about women's empowerment, Liesel and Ireland aren't going to leave the saving of the world to the men. I don't think so!

Sydney found her name in there.

Even though Brent felt Lamplight Lounge didn't live up to his expectation, this whole adventure came down to making memories with our family.

It's hard to tell but Liesel actually leapt pretty high to get that To infinity and beyond! photo.

The atrium with the wall of lit Pixar balls was pretty darn cool.

Even the floor mosaic had fun details.

Lamplight Lounge: Yes. In my humble opinion, for a sit-down meal this beat out Café Orleans and Blue Bayou. The menu options were plentiful and delicious and the view was wonderful (even without the lagoon filled). Brent felt it was overpriced and the food wasn't that great. Admittedly, we did drop a pretty penny here and because it was Sunday, their brunch menu lasted until 1PM so we didn't get to try the famous Lobster Nachos which was a bummer. I'd love to go again when World of Color is up and running but Brent might have to be convinced.

After eating we split up. Brent took Liesel and Gita and ran into Edna Mode on their way to the Incredicoaster.

I took Sydney and Ireland to try out the Little Mermaid. Even though much of the queue was outside, it was covered and there were some fun theming details like the seashells in embedded in the concrete. 

All of the landscaping looked like things you'd find under the sea and we spotted lots of hidden Mickey's in these bubbles.

Another nostalgic ride, it didn't knock my socks off but the girls really enjoyed it. Next we hit the Golden Zephyr which is a simple ride I always love!

Brent, Liesel and Gita rode the Silly Symphony Swings and then met some characters from Toy Story. 

The Green Military Men put on a fantastic drum concert.

Then while we hit the Jumping Jellyfish, they did the Incredicoaster (the one ride the rest of us were fine skipping).

While they were doing that, we did Goofy's Sky School which Sydney and I missed the last time we were in DCA.

Another good queue with fun theming to keep you entertained while you wait.

"While this office has no idea what this invention is, we'd rather approve the application than have any further contact with the inventor." Haha!

Eventually we met up around that grand Ferris Wheel. Gita opted for a swinging gondola while Liesel and I were happy with the relative tranquility of a stationary gondola, Gita was determined to see what all the fuss was about. She happened to be just above us and when her gondola swung for the first time, she was at such a slight angle that it gently slid to the end of the track and barely swung. Gita kept telling us we were wimps and we tried unsuccessfully to tell her ours was really swinging! In any case, some lovely view from the top- the stationary gondolas go higher!

We were much happier with this more peaceful ride, that's for sure!

Brent took Ireland and Sydney on the Emotional Whirlwind and we finally met up for a quick snack at Bing Bong's Sweet Stuff. Rainbow Unicorn Memory Refresher: NO! This was just way too sweet. The instant I tasted it I knew it would be my last. Sure it looks fun with all the colors but the girls had to polish it off and they weren't big fans either. From there we rode the Carousel.

This is smaller than the one in Disneyland but still a classic. Sydney especially loves the Carousel!

I was absolutely determined to see the lighting of Car's Land and with dusk coming, we headed over to grab a seat. As luck would have it, the "popcone" at Cozy Cone 5 was actually open! We tried the flavored cheddar cheese and it was delicious.

Ireland pointed out the snowflakes were made of wrenches and I again fell in love with the theming of Cars Land. So clever!

Lighting of Cars Land: YES! This is not something that's really advertised- I heard it briefly mentioned on on a podcast. I was like a kid in a candy store watching the whole thing unfurl before my eyes.

Sydney and I had missed Grizzly River Run so we decided to do that one as a family. I was surprised how dark it was- which was kind of cool! Most of the rides have lots of lights on but not this one, and that made it more exciting. 

Another photo op heading to the other side of the park:

The girls wanted to do Web Slingers one more time and even though the line wasn't as long as it had been in the past, it's still just a boring queue. I do give them props for landscaping with spider grass though! 

Brent took Sydney and Ireland back to the hotel. Liesel knew her way back on her own and she asked if she could hit a couple more rides until Brent returned and we had our 1:1 with Gita. They did Guardians of the Galaxy where the first drop turned Gita's stomach so much she ended up crying through the rest of it.

I found them on a bench, Gita still visibly upset. I had been trying to hunt down a pair of ears Ireland had spotted earlier with no success and felt bad I wasn't there. They tell me a kind woman comforted her but did kind of wonder where their mom was... eesh. In spite of that I think this ride will always be one of Liesel's favorite for the memories she made with Brent and I on it. 

We grabbed a corn dog and ran into the Wakanda Warriors. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE WAKANDA WARRIORS?!?!!! Oh man, not only were they fierce and stunningly beautiful but they brought me to tears more than once. This moment when they asked for a moment of silence "for all of the Kings and Queens who have left us to join the ancestral plane" just got me.

Aside from the obvious reference to Chadwick Boseman, it was so poignant to collectively bow our heads and take a moment for so many who have died from the pandemic as well. It's hard to tell from the video, but the silence that fell over everyone in the middle of this busy theme park was just incredible. One of the warriors asked several people where their strength comes from and she received several answers: muscles, mind, heart. They did a demonstration of some warrior techniques which Liesel and Gita loved (years of memorizing dance choreography came in handy) and they showed off their skills right at the front of the group.

Then one of the warriors posed the question, "Who are your allies?" This seemed to stump people and she laughed and said, "Don't look at me! Look around you. You are each other's allies- and we need to treat each other as such." This is what got me all teared up. There have been so many issues in our country that have exposed deep divides and I have to admit I've struggled with some serious anxiety. Again, in that busy theme park the feeling that came over the crowd was just phenomenal. It was a little demonstration we happened upon, but it was one of my favorite moments in the park.

We headed towards the front of the park and went to Soarin' one last time before Liesel headed back to the hotel. Brent met up with us and now we had Gita all to ourselves and she was eager to return to Cars Land.

She also wanted to wear her ears and a princess dress so after a quick change, we hit Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters.

We also did Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.

Gita was keen to hit the Incredicoaster again and man, I am just too old for that ride so Brent took her while I stood in the looong line for Midway Mania. You can kind of see Gita's head in the photo but you'll just have to trust me that she had a blast.

They caught up with me at Midway Mania and since DCA closes at 10, that's all we were able to get in with Gita but let me tell you, that girl was pleased as punch to have us to herself in her Belle costume with light up Mickey ears on. This was the one time we didn't use the popcorn bucket since we'd already had some when Cars Land lit up at dusk. There was an insane line for the one popcorn cart on Buena Vista Street and I was glad we skipped that little treat.