We just got back from our first vacation with the Racine family. Jimmy’s Dad planned the best vacation. We started the trip by leaving at 8:45am Christmas morning (a little rough, thank goodness we limited ourselves to one glass of eggnog Christmas eve). Then it was off to sunny CA. Seriously it was sunny at around 80 every single day. I could get used to that.
We hopped off the plane at LAX (haha), headed to the hotel, then straight to Disneyland.
The first day we rode quite a few rides and explored. First up was Pirates of the Caribbean. We did a shooting game at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Jimmy won #typical. Jenny was pretty amazing too. Me, not so much. We went on Winne the Pooh, so cute. Our last ride of the night was Splash Mountain where I was told we would maybe get a little damp. With Jimmy in the front and me right behind him, we were soaked. Luckily this was at the end of the night so we just went back to the hotel for some pizza and a glass of wine.
The next day we went to California Adventure in our matching shirts and Mickey/Minnie ears. Everyone at the park was welcoming the Racine Family on our vacation and throwing out complements. I was so proud. It also made for some great photos – coming soon. Including one with Stitch. We went on Goofy’s Fly School, Mickey’s Fun Wheel, Monster’s Inc, Soarin’ over California, and Tower of Terror.
The next day was our last Disney day. We were lucky enough to have a Christmas Time in Disney tour in the afternoon so we hit up some rides in the morning: fast pass to Indiana Jones, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Star Tours. Our Christmas tour was three hours of walking around hearing the history of Christmas at Disneyland. It was great to hear all the facts. We also got some treats – a chocolate and caramel covered marshmallow yum, then front of line access to three rides: It’s a Small World (Christmas version), the Jingle Cruise (Jungle Cruise normally), and a tour of the Haunted Mansion. The Jingle Cruise was so funny. The Haunted Mansion was not my favorite since it was basically The Nightmare before Christmas and I am not a fan of that movie so I spent the ride with my eyes closed #i’mawhimp. It’s a Small World was beautiful, they went all out with decorations. Then we had front row VIP seats for the Christmas parade (inside the roped off street so close I could touch the performers close). It was amazing. We also got hot chocolate and a gingerbread man. Definitely felt like a celebrity.
The next day we headed to Universal for more rides, a tour of the back lot and soundstages (so cool). After a half day at the park, we met up with Jimmy’s uncle and aunt and their two young kids who live in CA for dinner. It was great seeing them, we hadn’t seen them since our wedding.
After dinner we headed to our hotel to call it a night; our flight was at 7 the next morning. The flight back was amazing – Jimmy’s dad upgraded us to business class (I’d never ridden business class before) the seats folded down into beds and we got unlimited drinks and a great breakfast. It was the coolest thing ever, I feel so spoiled now.
All in all the vacation was incredible. Sharing Disney as a family was a fantastic experience. The rides were great, the shows were even better, and we got to have some quality family time. I’m feeling very thankful, happy and still in a bit of disbelief we just had that amazing vacation.
