We tried something new this year for Thanksgiving. We decided to take the kids to Disneyland and California Adventure. It was a very fun, cold, rainy, memorable and non-traditional way to celebrate the holiday! We traveled with our good friends, the Raetzes. We spent the Wednesday Thanksgiving Day exploring both parks. What we hadn't planned on was the torrential downpour that Southern California would receive during our time in the parks. But, we made the most of it by packing ponchos for all of us to wear so that we wouldn't get too wet and layering our clothes to keep warm. Josh also packed hand warmers for everyone to use. The trip wasn't without tears, but luckily, the magic of Disney erased most of them.
We spent our first day (Wednesday) enjoying Disneyland. The park's crowds were pretty light. We are guessing a little because of the weather and some because most families want to visit Disneyland on Thanksgiving Day. We hoped that if we explored Disneyland before the holiday, the crowds may be less. Whatever the reason, it worked out and the lines were pretty short. In the morning, some of the rides weren't open due to the rain. But the rain stopped mid-afternoon and all of the rides seemed to be function like normal. This allowed everyone in our party to be able to ride all of their favorite attractions multiple times. There was even time to see some of the characters.
One of the best parts of our day was visiting Star Wars' Galaxy Edge together for the first time. The attention to detail in this area of the park is unreal. Storm Troopers are walking all over the place. It really feels like you are on another planet. The kids, especially Aiden, really enjoyed the new "Rise of the Resistance" ride. We also had the opportunity to visit Oga's Cantina. This is the only restaurant in the park that serves alcoholic beverages. They even had fun kid-friendly concoctions. I cannot wait to visit this particular land again when the roller coaster ride opens.
Overall, day one was a good day. Fun was had. It was rainy, but luckily it let up by the afternoon. Characters and parades were seen. And Disneyland decorated for Christmas is pretty spectacular.
We spent our first day (Wednesday) enjoying Disneyland. The park's crowds were pretty light. We are guessing a little because of the weather and some because most families want to visit Disneyland on Thanksgiving Day. We hoped that if we explored Disneyland before the holiday, the crowds may be less. Whatever the reason, it worked out and the lines were pretty short. In the morning, some of the rides weren't open due to the rain. But the rain stopped mid-afternoon and all of the rides seemed to be function like normal. This allowed everyone in our party to be able to ride all of their favorite attractions multiple times. There was even time to see some of the characters.
One of the best parts of our day was visiting Star Wars' Galaxy Edge together for the first time. The attention to detail in this area of the park is unreal. Storm Troopers are walking all over the place. It really feels like you are on another planet. The kids, especially Aiden, really enjoyed the new "Rise of the Resistance" ride. We also had the opportunity to visit Oga's Cantina. This is the only restaurant in the park that serves alcoholic beverages. They even had fun kid-friendly concoctions. I cannot wait to visit this particular land again when the roller coaster ride opens.
Overall, day one was a good day. Fun was had. It was rainy, but luckily it let up by the afternoon. Characters and parades were seen. And Disneyland decorated for Christmas is pretty spectacular.
Breakfast at Denny's
Photos in front of the Christmas Tree
Thunder Mountain
Video of the ride
Small World
Space Mountain
Visiting Characters
Holiday Parade
Photos in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle
Star Wars' Galaxy Edge
Oga's Cantina
Holiday Decorated Small World
Snow (Bubbles) Falling in Fantasy Land
The Holiday Castle
Disneyland Christmas Tree
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