The day started off as cool and cloudy. We knew the rain was going to move in at a later point in the day, but we were prepared as we had purchased some Disney ponchos to get through that part.

My parents decided to join us for the day and it worked out a little nicely. Both required the electric scooters to get around and it did help us to get on a couple of the rides a little faster (like my favorite ride Star Tours).

Our first ride of the day ended up being It’s a Small World Holiday. Usually that line can get to a wait over 1 hour, so we took advantage of the 5 minute wait. It’s like I remembered and was fun to ride through. My husband was nervous though because he didn’t know if he was able to handle hearing that song over and over and over again. I reassured him it was Christmas Carols mixed in and he ended up enjoying himself.

After that, it was finally time to go to Galaxy’s Edge. The last time I was there, it was the first year that Smuggler’s Run had been open, so I didn’t really get to see many of the changes that had been made since. I was very excited to get on Rise of the Resistance for the first time and it was surprising to see the wait time was only 45 minutes. I was in awe the entire time the ride was going. From the shuttle transport, to when we were dropped off outside at the end, it was amazing. 

For those that haven’t had the chance to experience this ride, you begin on a shuttle transport that ends up getting captured by a Star Destroyer operated by the First Order. When you step off that shuttle, you truly feel like you have stepped foot in to the Star Wars universe. Yes, the Storm Troopers are there, but that’s not the most impressive part. That comes when the ride starts. It looks like you are escaping through the corridors of the ship and there are even (what appears to be) full size AT-ATs! Honestly, this is more of an experience than an actual ride. If the wait time hadn’t gone up to 70 minutes, my husband and I would have run right back on.

One of our next stops had to be: Haunted Mansion Holiday. It’s another one of my favorites. The best part for me is seeing what gingerbread house they decided to make for the dining room that year. In the last couple of year, I’ve watched YouTube videos to see what it looked like. This year, it was a bird house, complete with gingerbread ravens. I still have yet to see the new ghost that was added into the attic though, she was hidden behind a curtain for the holiday transformation.

Another first for this trip, was a ride on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Yes, we went on the log ride on a rainy day. The wait only happened to be 10 minutes… at least that’s what the sign said. We ended up walking right on and barely had time to get our ponchos on before settling into the back two seats (my parents weren’t interested in riding). The ride was quite fun and very cutesy. We love the music and how the ride was themed for a fun adventure. If given the chance, I’d ride it again.

We started in Disneyland proper to have our fun running around, but as it got later into the afternoon and the threat of rain loomed closer, we made our way over to California Adventure to see what they had for the holidays. We started by walking along the festival booths with the holiday foods being offered and checking out all the little merch spots. We didn’t go on any rides while there as the rain began falling after about 30 minutes into our visit. 

At this moment, it was time to head over to the Grand California Hotel to see the lobby all decked out. More importantly, to see the gingerbread house that was built that year. It was themed after Mickey’s Christmas Carol (one of my favorites as a kid, but the Muppet’s Christmas Carol is still better, sorry Disney). While there, we checked out the little treat cart next to it for a couple items before braving the downpour back to the Fiddler and Feifer cafe where we had left my dad and husband. 

The day started wrapping up at that point as the rain was downpouring and we were pretty tired after a full day of walking around. So, after some hot chocolate to refuel us, we headed out and back to my parent’s place to rest up for the start of another day.

Come back to get the rest of our magical story. Till then, safe exploring everyone!