Epic Vacation Day 5: Disneyland (last time)

If you've hung in with me this long, man- you are a super fan of our family because I know this has been endless photos and minute details about this trip. For our last day at Disneyland, of course we were there for rope drop. I love this pic of Brent hustling down Main Street with the Christmas decorations and castle in the background.

Again, you can get some great photos if you are there for rope drop!

A bit of a rebel that one. I have to say after years of anger over mask mandates it was somehow comforting to see that a huge crowd could be held back by nothing more than a rope and one cast member and obey the rules. It felt solidifying- we all wanted to be here and we were all willing to do what it takes to have that right. 

This video shows how hard it is to keep up with Brent. He's got a long stride and a lot of determination!

Now that the girls had experienced the majority of the park, today was all about hitting their favorite rides just one last time. We were all eager to try Smuggler's Run and we ended up going THREE times so everyone could try each of the different positions. 

This video makes me laugh because we never truly got it down- and it's so chaotic.

We took advantage of the photographers there and got these pics:

This one is my favorite. The girls t-shirts say The Future of the Galaxy is Female.

We again enjoyed the blue milk and decided to hit Snow White's Enchanted Wish since the line wasn't terribly long just yet. 

Charming little corners like this one are so cute!

The queue isn't horrible although like all lines in Fantasyland it's really narrow. There are some fun things to look at and the story book is kind of nice.

They definitely took out all the scary elements but at the end of the day it's just not that compelling a ride. Everyone felt like that was a one and done.

We will happily ever after skip that one and I will always wonder why the lines are so insanely long.

The girls wanted to do Indiana Jones one more time. This is a view of the vines across the ceiling just before we got on our jeep.

Ireland pointed out how they even made sure to paint mud splatters on them.

This will always be one of my favorite classic rides! I'm so glad the girls wanted to go again.

Isn't it the truth?

Disneyland foodie blogs always mention the skewers at Bengal Barbeque and they didn't disappoint! We got two Bengal Rice plates with the Bengal Beef Skewers, Safari Skewer (bacon wrapped asparagus- YUM!) and Tiger Tail Breadsticks. We ended up making sandwiches with the breadsticks and it was good! Again, we could easily have ordered twice as much but we had more snacking to do so we held back. Bengal BBQ: YES!

Ireland also tried the giant pickle, which wasn't on any foodie blog or podcast!

While the girls and I used the restroom, Brent ran over to Maurice's Treats and picked up some cheddar garlic pretzel twists and called an audible on some churro rings. They were so good! The twist was warm yummy bread and the buttery garlic made it so super tasty. We tried it with the marinara dipping sauce which could get a bit messy but definitely added flavor.

Garlic Pretzel Twist and Churro Ring: YES! While I couldn't get onboard with the churros at the park, the churro ring was a delight because it wasn't so dry and just the right size.

So yummy!!! Can't believe no one gave that a mention either!

We snapped a pic at the castle and headed to the Matterhorn. Unfortunately, we hadn't scored tickets to Rise that morning and it was getting time to try again. Brent wanted to give us the best chance possible so even though he wanted to ride, he stayed behind. It was a wise decision because our bobsled went into the tunnel right at noon and I lost all connectivity.

We came out of the ride to find our fate on if Brent had been more lucky. When he confirmed he scored tickets to Rise the girls gave him a hero's welcome.

We came across a kiosk doing personalized names with Disney characters. We'd come across a similar place doing Marvel characters and when I tried to order, it was too late and I wanted to kick myself. It's something I've wanted to hang over their hooks in the mudroom for ages. They were rather pricey but Brent knew I really wanted them and gave the go ahead so we put in our order. I think the woman was a bit exasperated with all the names and different character requests. While I worked that out, the girls enjoyed eating mickey-shaped chocolate dipped ice cream bars. They were really trying to get in as much chocolate as possible before vacation was over!

This video of Gita makes me laugh. Taking a break from the Chocolate Challenge really made this vacation extra special. 

On our way back to the hotel for swimming, we stopped by the Emporium where Ireland finally picked out her ears and I grabbed an adorable picture frame for the gallery wall I was planning once we were home again. Brent and I are fans of Modern Family and I really wanted to do the Great Moments with Abraham Lincoln. Another hidden gem, the cast member had a great sense of humor, "It's great to see you again from outside the door." and with the divisiveness of the pandemic it was balm to the soul to hear Lincoln's words on unity and the good he still saw in this country.

This model of the Capitol was really cool to see in person.

We paid homage at the bench where Disney first dreamed of Disneyland. Great things can come from watching children play! 

That large picture of Walt in front of the castle also hung in our hotel rooms.

After our last time enjoying the fantastic pools at the Disneyland Hotel, we cleaned up, pulled out the last coordinated outfits and headed back to the park. This time the girls personalized it with the ears they had all picked out and that just made my heart soar.

The photographers by the entrance Mickey had just wrapped up when we arrived and so a kind mother offered to take our picture if I did the same for her family.

We headed to stand in line at the castle where we caught up with the same photographers. Before photos things got a bit chaotic. Our personalized name signs were ready for pickup so Brent grabbed those and ran them back to the hotel. Our order at the Red Rose Tavern also came up and Gita was sure she remembered where it was so she and Ireland left to pick it up. Brent was annoyed with me for those signs which were cumbersome from that point on and Ireland and Gita got lost. We made it to the front of the line with only half the family and when everyone was finally together they were either upset or angry. Then the photographer asked Brent and I to look into each other's eyes and think about what brought us to this place. All that irritation melted away. We didn't say a word but knowingly looked into each other's eyes, just so grateful we had made it to the Happiest Place on Earth with our girls. That was everything. Without being prompted, we kissed there in front of the castle. Dreams really do come true.

From there on out, pictures were a lot more fun.

How can they not be with these cute girls? I think the photographers felt bad they'd left us high and dry at the park entrance so they took a little more time with us at the castle.

Those polka dot legging looked really cute in photos!

A little mistletoe action as a nod to the holidays.

Turns out they were able to fulfill our order just fine for one more Grey Stuff Gateau and the gingerbread cookie. Before we took the goodies out to share with everyone, Liesel wanted a taste by the stained glass window.

Again- YUM!

At this point the only thing on our minds was our boarding group for Rise of the Resistance.

Another ceiling shot- the detail is so phenomenal!

This part of the ride always gets me- just how intimidating all those storm troopers are!

We enjoyed every second of that ride and I'm so grateful we got to go one more time. Since we were in Galaxies Edge we decided to do Smugglers Run. We were finally getting the whole "work as a team" thing down. And the queue is so incredible! Look at that view of the Millennium Falcon!

We also finally had a bit of time to take pictures here instead of being rushed onto the ride.

I still get chills!

We hung out for a a bit in Galaxy's Edge, just taking it all in.

I really can't say if I love it more during the day or at night. I just loved Galaxy's Edge!

Even something as simple as the drinking fountains were themed to an incredible level of detail.

Ronto Roasters: Yes. Roasted pork, grilled pork sausage, peppercorn sauce, tangy slaw wrapped in a pita- this one is meant to fill you up, for sure. Brent really loved it and I was shocked there was no line.

A quick stop by the Founder's Statue on our way to Tomorrowland.

We headed back to Tomorrowland to give Autopia another try. Ireland fared much better this time. I'm glad we could turn that one around for her so she wouldn't always associate that ride with bad memories of a broken car. Our last ride as a family was Star Tours. Brent took the little girls back to the hotel while Liesel hung out with me and Ireland just a bit longer. The three of us hit Astro Blasters. Liesel pointed out the ceiling lights are planets- how cute!

From there we did Astro Orbiter- Liesel found one with her zodiac sign. I hadn't even noticed each of the ships had the zodiac signs on them! After squishing in with me and Brent she was happy to have a rocket of her own this time around- haha!

Brent met up with us, we did Star Tours and then Liesel said goodbye. Our 1:1 with Ireland was truly unique because we managed to squeeze in more rides than anyone else. Ireland was all in. First we started with Space Mountain.

Ireland was with Brent so I rode alone and the picture cracked me up! I look so relaxed and chill and the lady behind me looks so panicked.

Ireland wanted one last ride on the Teacups with Brent.

I picked up our popcorn & coke (I was getting to know that stall pretty well by now). We did Dumbo which was stunning at night and then the Matterhorn.

From one mountain to another we went to Big Thunder and then ran over to Smuggler's Run. In case you have lost count, this was our 7th time and the only time we actually picked up 2 of the pod thingies- every other try we only got one and I can attest you get one even if you crash multiple times. Ireland got so many compliments on her ears!

Have I mentioned how much I love Galaxy's Edge?

On our way to the front of the park we did Big Thunder again and felt like we were pretty much done. I only had two items we had not yet tried on my food list which was the Mickey Raspberry Rose Macaron & Matterhorn Macaron. 

 Well worth the wait, they were both delicious. The raspberry was fruity and decadent and the Matterhorn was not overly sweet with a fantastic coconut flavor.

As we enjoyed the treats, Brent noticed the wait time at Space Mountain wasn't long. I told him I was done. Now that I had checked everything off of my food list, I was ready to say goodbye to the park. My feet ached after days of dashing around and waiting in lines. Ireland lit up and said she was game and off to the races they went. It was really the perfect ending to the trip. Space Mountain was the very first ride we went on as a family not to mention Brent's favorite. For him to wrap it up on our 1:1 with Ireland to say goodbye was very apropos. They came back all aglow and we slowly headed down Main Street soaking it all in one last time.

We sat by the big Christmas tree for a while and loved on our girl.

As we left we paid homage at the Fire House where a light is always on representing Walt's spirit.

Then we said goodbye and walked out the gates one last time.