Anaheim A-Plannin' for A-Goin' Back Again (Disney's California Adventure)

Member Name: TheChocolateLady

Product:	Disney's California Adventure
Date:	10/06/06 (393 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Soarin' Over California, California Screamin'

Disadvantages: The price - entrance and drinks in particular

Well, I'm about to go to Euro-Disney with my daughter so I thought it might be fun to tell you all about how I played "child for a day" at Disney's California Adventure at Disneyland in California (where else?).

How can one tell someone about visiting Disneyland? I mean, hasn't it all been said already? Certainly there are more reviews out there on this place than there are visitors (well, probably not, but still…)? And yet, isn't it just irresistible - both as a place to go as well as a place to write about? Well, I found it to be that way, and I hope that all of you don't resist your urge to read this review.

Walt Disney opened the original Disneyland in July of 1955 so that he could fulfill his dream of an amusement park where parents and children could enjoy a day doing things together, and not just watching their kids have all the fun. It was under this premise that my parents took me there for the first time in 1964. I can, to this day, remember almost all of that visit with all the excitement that I had at that tender age. In the years since, I've had the privilege of visiting this dream world several times, and each time was better than the previous one.

The last time before this trip that I went to Disneyland was 14 years ago when I was there with my husband and two (then young) sons. I really can't tell you who enjoyed it more - us adults or the kids. And so, because of this, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go once again when I was in California again.

The big difference was that this last time we were there, they had opened a brand new part to this complex - the California Adventure. It is on this park that this review will focus.

In 2001 the whole of Disneyland was renovated and the revamping included a huge parking complex, some changes to the original park, a new central area and, of course, the addition of this new section - the California Adventure theme park. The California Adventure area is smaller than the original one, but no doubt it will expand with time. Like all the other Disneyland parks, this one is sectioned into different areas. These areas are (in alphabetical order):

§ Bug's Land - much the most childish of all the areas, this one has the type of rides that the very youngest of visitors can enjoy. There's also a 3D movie ride about insects. Since we were just the two of us adults this time, we passed on this area.

§ Condor Flats - the smallest part of this whole park which holds only one ride but by far the absolute best one on offer. It's an experience called Soarin' Over California which takes you on a flight all over the state of California from inside what looks like an airplane hangar. I kid you not, you'll want to do this one over and over again (we did it only twice, but would have done more if there was time) because the effect is so amazingly realistic. You see, you don't actually move anywhere, but I swear you feel as if you're being propelled forward. How they did that was a total mystery to me. The added kitsch of blowing air in your faces and spraying you with scents wasn't really all that silly, and the educational posters about aviators on the walls that line the entry to the ride are also fascinating. I actually was sorry that we didn't have long enough waits to read them all!

§ Golden State - Golden Vine Winery - mostly eating experiences, no rides here. Remember that food prices are usually quite high in theme parks, and this is no exception.

§ Grisly Peak Recreation Area - take your waterproof coats with you if you want to do the River Run, because you're sure to get soaked on these twirling round rafts that imitate a white-water experience. That's wonderful in the summer but when the temperatures are less than tropic, you could catch a chill on this one. There's also a climbing area called the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - similar to the original Disneyland's Chip & Dale's Island (which, if I recall correctly, was originally called Tom Sawyer's Island, way back when… ) where your over energetic kids can show off their resemblance to their primate cousins.

§ Hollywood Picture Backlot - there are many things you can do here. You can play "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" or visit the Animation Workshop which includes interactive areas for doing Karaoke singing or acting with some of your favourite Disney film scenes, or you can find out which Disney character is most like your own personality. There's also exhibits about how Disney characters changed from the original concepts to their final forms, and other fascinating information about animation. There's also a Soap Opera Bistro which was closed when we were there. But the best thing in this area is the Jim Henson's Muppet Theatre 3D show - just reading all the Muppet versions of classic film posters while you're entering and exiting the show is fun enough, but the show itself is wonderful. Warning: people like myself with dyslexia may not feel the full effect of the 3D movie.

§ Pacific Warf - mostly a food area with two "behind the scenes" exhibits about making food (tortillas and sourdough bread) - if you're into that, then enjoy, but it wasn't our thing (having not gotten enough of the rides).

§ Paradise Bay - only one thing here, the Golden Dreams theater which is a show about the history of California. We didn't bother since we had an appointment to go to the Gene Autry Museum the next day.

§ Paradise Pier - this is your big "rides" area, and there are many here that will make the hair on your neck stand on end. For instance, the Maliboomer rockets you (counter-bungee-wise) UP into the air. Our favorite (and the one we rode twice) was California Screamin' (yes, I know, bad pun) which takes you into a full loop after it propels you forward from standing to a whopping 55mph in just five seconds! Best ridden at dusk to get the full lighting effect, and when you observe it from afar, as the roller coaster makes its loop, the lights on the head of Mickey Mouse behind it, light up - quite cool to see! With another eight rides, a couple of shops and seven restaurants (not including McDonald's), this is by far the busiest area of the park and where you, like us, will end up coming back to again and again.

§ Sunshine Plaza - at the entrance to the park, this is mostly for eating and shopping, and the Baker's Field Baker Caf has the absolute best coffee of the whole place (if not the whole state or country, for that matter). What you'll notice most here is the background music - seeing how many of the tunes you can identify and how they relate to California is a game in and of itself.

Although there is much less here than in the original Disneyland, there's still enough to fill a whole day of fun. But you should know that the hours for this part of the park are shorter than for the original side, and unless you take a multi-day package deal, you can only get into one park per visit. That means you have to decide which side you want to be in if you're only coming for one day. However, we were told that the multi-day packages are good for two years, so if you don't live near enough or are staying long enough, but you know you'll be back within two years, it might not be a bad idea to take one of those packages. (And the thought also occurred to me that if you take a multi-day package, but only intend to use it for one day, you can sell the rest on e-bay when the prices go up! Ain't I clever?)

Of course, what would any visit to Disneyland be without all those outdoor shows and characters running around, right? Well, this is no exception. Because of our visit was in December, we got all the Christmas shtick. A group of singers sang jazzed up carols and some Disney characters were ice skating on a fake rink at the Sunshine Plaza. There was even a Santa stuck beside a waterfall.

One of the newer features of Disneyland is what they call a "Fast Break". This is a free service for the most popular rides. What it does is let you order a time to get onto a ride through a fast line. In this way you have more time to see more things and spend less time waiting in long lines. Not everyone seems to take advantage of this, but when we wanted to do the Soarin' Over California a second time, we decided to use the "Fast Break". All you do is take your entry pass ticket and stick it into one of these boxes they have near the lines. You'll be issued with a separate ticket that shows a block of time when you can get into the ride through the fast lane. When you come any time during that slot, you're ushered immediately to the front of the line. Since the park was only filled to about ¼ of the capacity when we were there, the time savings for us wasn't all that great. Still, we easily cut out a good 10 minutes of waiting by using this, so you can imagine how much time you can save if you do this when the parks are fuller. Again, this is only for the most popular rides (i.e. all of the ones that we went on!).

We didn't stay long enough to see the closing parade and fireworks, especially since the California Adventure park closed almost two hours before that was supposed to begin, and that mostly takes place on the other side of the park. But they now have a slew of shops and eateries in what they call Downtown Disney which is nestled between the two parks. In fact, we almost wandered around them long enough to witness the parade. But we decided to pass since we also had a long ride back home and knew we would be hitting rush-hour traffic. Too bad, that - I love a good firework display, and if I recall correctly, Disneyland wouldn't have disappointed me in that.

I have to add that the new parking lot is fantastic. Its several stories high and there are people all over to help you get to the next available spot (but don't try going to where you think it might be closer to the entrance, these guides are a crack team that won't let anyone get past them). Each floor is both colour coded as well as noted by a Disney character, and signs tell you to carefully note where you've parked your car. There's also a little train that will take you from that complex to the entrance to the parks.

And speaking of the guides, I must say that for the most part, Disneyland employees seem to be a very happy lot - I haven't a clue why since I understand that their rules are very strict and the pay is poor to lousy. Apparently, they must have some pretty good perks or they wouldn't get so many students to rush after these jobs. I mean, the parks are always spotless, the bathrooms are pristine and you never get anything but a smile from absolutely every employee there. Its truly a pleasure.

A word to the wise is for people to bring their own food to Disneyland because, as I mentioned above, the food there is far more expensive than elsewhere - especially the drinks. For those who bring their own food, the park requests that you eat it only in the picnic area - which I didn't see myself, but they didn't say anything about where you can consume your own drinks. If you only bring your own drinks you'll be saving a huge amount (but someone made the mistake of telling us that if we kept our coffee cup and receipt we could get free refills for it. We took advantage of this twice, but on the second time the person at the till said that they don't really give out free refills, but they'd give it to us anyway since we had been told we could. Since this was at the very end of our stay, we don't know if the person who told us about the free refills was right or if the person at the till was right. If anyone knows the real answer to this, I'd love to hear it).

And speaking of drinks, I did see one review somewhere that noted that alcoholic drinks are served at this park. That person thought it was a "con" but I don't see why. The laws of California dictate the drinking age (I think its 18) and I didn't notice any drunks laying about.

Speaking of vices, for us smokers there are special areas of the parks set aside for smoking so that those non-smokers and kiddies aren't going to be assaulted by our stink while standing interminably in line for a ride or in the middle of their exorbitant dining pleasure. I say - good for them! Didn't bother me one bit.

There are many different shops and stands everywhere in order to assist you in letting go of more of your hard earned cash, but even so you can find some items that aren't too wildly priced beyond your range. For instance, we found for our daughter a packet of 100 stickers (perfect for a 10 year old girl) for only $5, and a Disney character decorated notepad that has a magnet on it for putting on your fridge for only $6. Little items like pens and key rings are always cute and affordable mementos. Unless you're a real die-hard fan, spending several dollars more on a t-shirt of sweatshirt just seems stupid and extravagant to me. But tourists will be tourists and some are willing to pay the price, and that's Disneyland's secret weapon.

All in all, although this can be a very pricey day's outing, I have to say that even in this smaller side of the park its almost worth it. Almost, because, well, there is very little out there that's not made of diamonds, caviar or Champaign that's actually worth $45 per person! In my mind, even Disneyland doesn't rate that - hence the loss of one star. But no matter what else you say about the price, and how little or much you'll be putting out for the visit, your memories will certainly always shine brightly, having left you with a taste for more. And for me, that's worth more than its weight in gold - don't you agree?

Thanks for reading.

Davida Chazan © December 2002, updated June 2006

~~~~~
Technical Stuff:
Address: 1313 S Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA, phone 714-781-4043. Adult admission $45, Child admission (age 3-9) $35, children under the age of 3 are free. Open all year round. Official web page with information on show times and bookings, as well as other interesting things can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/7pv57.

Regarding the rating on the "average waiting time for rides", I wrote 1/4 of an hour, since that was our experience. In the summertime, that average is much higher, but if you use the "Fast Break", I'd say it might be back down to 1/4 for the more popular rides.
~~~~~

Summary: Not as full as the regular Disneyland, but a wonderful time was still had by all!