California Adventure not getting the crowds, why?

[All American]

I enjoy Califonia Adventure, but it lacks Disney Magic.

 

[disney-super-mom]

We love DCA "because" it's different from DL. We find it refreshing to be able to take a bit of a breather from the much more hectic atmosphere at DL while still being able to have a lot of fun!

I really wouldn't change too much about the park except:

1. As others have mentioned, the addition of Mickey's PhilharMagic would be GREAT! (On the other hand, I'd much rather see "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" replaced instead of "Muppet Vision 3D, but I know that DCA "needs" the attraction more than DL.)

2. Also, as others have mentioned (including myself), a couple more "appeals to all ages" major attractions are needed at DCA, and in my opinion they really should be "immersive" attractions for the riders. I think I read somewhere (thanks to a link that HydroGuy provided a while ago) that something like this is already in the beginning planning stages for DCA.

3. There are a few attractions that I would either change or replace.

Hemlock's Chew Chew Train - this attraction just needs to go. It's VERY SLOW (I don't think it could go any slower), it's boring, and it's extremely SHORT. Something much more fun for the little ones needs to go here. I mean really, if the attraction is boring even for a one year old, then there's something wrong. Something like those little race cars that go around and around in a circle at Camp Snoopy would be great here (or some other actual "FUN" ride). Change the race cars into little bug mobiles of course to fit in with the theme, and you've got a winner for the under 5 crowd. (I'll admit, DH and I thought the race car ride at Camp Snoopy was A LOT of fun too. )

Maliboomer - I'm not sure if this is considered one of the more popular attractions at DCA. If it is, then disregard this. There's nothing wrong with the ride. I just don't think one park needs 2 drop rides.

Orange Stinger - it has a very limited group that can ride it. Kids can't ride it because of the taller height requirement, meaning most parents can't or won't ride it either and will just bypass it. Also, because of the size of the chairs, many adults can't ride it either.

I do have to say though, that for the most part we really enjoy DCA, and I have to agree that it gets a bum rap a lot of the time. We always seem to have a great time there!

 

[HydroGuy]

We are actually driving to CA this year. Like our weather?

It is great for me. We are on a ski trip at Copper Mountain this week. But I have never seen so much snow in Colorado in ten years here. We have it piled so high at our house I don't know where we can put any more.

 

[HydroGuy]

K. Won't argue there! Seems we spent hours waiting to get off that horrible Maelstrom boat My poor kids were so sad LOL. I think the only ride they hated more at WDW was that LONG boring MGM ride (Movie Ride???). They asked about 100 times 'is it over, can we go now'

Now its my turn. I and and my kids loved the Great Movie Ride at MGM, LOL. We only rode it once, and I can see how it might have low re-ride value. But we enjoyed it.

 

[DLR29]

We love DCA "because" it's different from DL. We find it refreshing to be able to take a bit of a breather from the much more hectic atmosphere at DL while still being able to have a lot of fun!

I really wouldn't change too much about the park except:

1. As others have mentioned, the addition of Mickey's PhilharMagic would be GREAT! (On the other hand, I'd much rather see "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" replaced instead of "Muppet Vision 3D, but I know that DCA "needs" the attraction more than DL.)

2. Also, as others have mentioned (including myself), a couple more "appeals to all ages" major attractions are needed at DCA, and in my opinion they really should be "immersive" attractions for the riders. I think I read somewhere (thanks to a link that HydroGuy provided a while ago) that something like this is already in the beginning planning stages for DCA.

3. There are a few attractions that I would either change or replace.

Hemlock's Chew Chew Train - this attraction just needs to go. It's VERY SLOW (I don't think it could go any slower), it's boring, and it's extremely SHORT. Something much more fun for the little ones needs to go here. I mean really, if the attraction is boring even for a one year old, then there's something wrong. Something like those little race cars that go around and around in a circle at Camp Snoopy would be great here (or some other actual "FUN" ride). Change the race cars into little bug mobiles of course to fit in with the theme, and you've got a winner for the under 5 crowd. (I'll admit, DH and I thought the race car ride at Camp Snoopy was A LOT of fun too. )

Maliboomer - I'm not sure if this is considered one of the more popular attractions at DCA. If it is, then disregard this. There's nothing wrong with the ride. I just don't think one park needs 2 drop rides.

Orange Stinger - it has a very limited group that can ride it. Kids can't ride it because of the taller height requirement, meaning most parents can't or won't ride it either and will just bypass it. Also, because of the size of the chairs, many adults can't ride it either.

I do have to say though, that for the most part we really enjoy DCA, and I have to agree that it gets a bum rap a lot of the time. We always seem to have a great time there!

1. Definitely agree, although I've never seen Philharmagic. I think MuppetVision is pretty bad.

2. Totally agree again. Something original too. Not something from WDW. Something like Soarin that appeals to all age ranges.

3.

a. Heimlich-Disagree sooooooo much (no offense). Adding a Speedway to DL would be a horrendous nightmare! That thing can only accomdate 400 riders per hour! That's about 1/3-1/2 of Heimlich's capacity. The ride is fine. I can't see anything else going in that small space.

b. Maliboomer-? The thrill of Maliboomer is a completely different thrill produced from the ToT. On Maliboomer, the excitement comes from the 1 shot up and the airtime and the view at the top. ToT has a storyline and provides several drops and show scenes to bring the thrill. And I wouldn't consider it one of the more popular rides at DCA. The only reason why it has a long line is because of its capacity.

c. Orange Stinger-Disagree and agree. Kids aren't that short. 48" is only 4 feet. And the ride is not intended for little kids either but more towards older kids/preteens. Also about the chair size, the requirement is 200 lbs.
So it depends on your definition of "many" adults. I would just assume most adults wouldn't want to ride in the first place just like you said, and I doubt there are very many 200lb kids.

I have a great time there too. I just wish they could improve the park. They have a lot of work to do.

 

[disney-super-mom]

3.

a. Heimlich-Disagree sooooooo much (no offense). Adding a Speedway to DL would be a horrendous nightmare! That thing can only accomdate 400 riders per hour! That's about 1/3-1/2 of Heimlich's capacity. The ride is fine. I can't see anything else going in that small space.

Okay, but I kindly disagree with you about ride capacity.

Heimlich's Chew Chew Train has six sections. The first section (closest to the head) only sits two people, and the last five sections sits four people each.

That's a total of 18 people per ride.

Now, I'm not sure how long the ride actually is (seems like just the blink of the eye), but lets say it's about 3 minutes (at the most).

Let's say they can load and unload the ride within one minute.

So, with these estimations, the ride goes around the track once every 4 minutes with 18 people on board. That's only a capacity 270 people per hour.

Even if it went around once every 3 minutes fully loaded with people, that's only a capacity of 360 people per hour.

Granted, a ride like the raceway ride at Camp Snoopy doesn't have a bigger capacity compared to Heimlich's Chew Chew Train (they're probably about equal), but you gotta admit, it sure is a lot more fun.

Of course switching out the Chew Chew Train wouldn't do much to increase park attendance , so it doesn't matter one way or another. It's just my family's very least favorite ride and ended up on our chopping block of attractions that could go bye-bye (if we had a choice that is ).

I do think the ride has a cute theme though......if it just wasn't so boooooooorrrrring. Even if they could just spice it up a bit, that would be a big improvement. You know what I mean....a few tiny hills and dips could do wonders.

However, it'll never happen because in order to really increase park attendance, Disney will concentrate on what most everyone here says is needed - one or two "family friendly" headliners that most anyone will enjoy.

No matter what, I'm really looking forward to seeing what DCA morphs into in the next 10 years. Should be very interesting and fun to watch!

 

[cgoldburg]

Living in SoCal and having gone to DW in Dec of 05, I now have something for comparision. We went to DCA when it first opened 6 years ago and were completely disappointed. there were hardly any rides and we finished the park in 3 hours.

In the last 6 years alot of improvements have been made. TOT, Monster's Inc, Aladdin show, parade, High School Musical parade, beach party, turtle talk and a ton more characters. Ariels's Grotto and so much more! Compared to all the DW parks outside of MK, DCA is significantly better. The park is definately improving, and from a completely selfish standpoint, when we were there on NYE the crowds were light, it was great!

I think people need to lower there expectations about DCA and take it at face value. It is now a full day experience and has some great attractions. It's not very disneyesque, but neither is AK, MGM or Epcot. IMO, nothing is really disney unless it is DL or MK, you need the castle and main street to get that "true" disney feeling. All the rest of the parks have there own special qualities and that is what makes them disney!

Just my 2 cents!

 

[AllJackedUp]

What I always thought was funny (ironic, not ha-ha LOL funny) about DCA and the Pier (midway) section was that was the kind of amusement park that Walt was trying to avoid when designing DL. He hated the carney atmosphere most amusement parks offered back in the 50's and the dirtiness and lack of creativity. So, what they do...recreate one right in the middle of DCA! I understand all the economic advantages of purchasing off the shelf rides and just throwing it all together but to me, it was idealistically wrong from the start and that's why I always avoid that section. If I wanted to go to Six Flags, I could stay home and go locally....

That said...I like just wandering through the other sections, for the theming and horticulture. I like that they brought "A Bug's Life" to DCA (although I really miss that big ole Tree of Life). What I don't like about DCA is the way things look so boxy...sometimes when you look over it from a higher vantage point, it looks like a bunch of warehouses. I think they could have done more with building design to make it more aesthetically appealing. But once again, we are back to the money issue...

I also think once the trees have had time to grow more, that will improve the overall look as well. DL has had the grace of time to create shade and a beautiful park-like feel.

 

[HydroGuy]

What I always thought was funny (ironic, not ha-ha LOL funny) about DCA and the Pier (midway) section was that was the kind of amusement park that Walt was trying to avoid when designing DL. He hated the carney atmosphere most amusement parks offered back in the 50's and the dirtiness and lack of creativity. So, what they do...recreate one right in the middle of DCA!

It is not my understanding that Walt hated this. I think his biggest gripe - which lead to the DL idea - was that such places were for kids and not adults. He wanted a place which appealed to all age groups.

Further, the seaside amusement park is a part of California culture and history. As far as that goes, it fits into DCA's theme.

With that said, it is easily my least favorite part of DCA. While California Screamin is a pretty fun rollercoaster, Disney is not known for rollercoasters. Rather, it is known for themed rides. Heck, Space Mtn is pretty weak as far as rollercoasters go. But add in the atmosphere, music, lighting, launch, loading area, queue, etc., and you have an experience which far transcends a mere rollercoaster. Of all of the coasters at DLR and WDW, Screamin is by far the weakest as far as theming goes. Aside from tearing it out - which would be a mistake at this point - there isn't much they can do about it. But, as I said, Screamin is still pretty fun. And we enjoy riding it. Aside from Maliboomer and maybe the Sun Wheel, all of the other rides in Paradise Pier can be demolished as far I am concerned. And I think that is pretty much the plan over the next few years.

 

[Disneyland1084]

In my opinion DCA is a failure. There's parts of it I DO enjoy, but I think that property should of been used to add onto DISNEYLAND!!!! That's what Walt would have wanted anyway.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I think its really hard to say for sure what Walt would have thought about not only DCA but all of his parks if he were alive today. He died 40 years ago last month, and who knows what he might have thought about today's times and what impact they have on theme parks. I do think he would be pretty happy to see families and people of all ages still having fun at his parks and happy that his parks do better than any others and maintain an atmospere of cleanliness and quality often lacking in other theme parks. I think its safe to say that he would always be looking for ways to improve and might not think DCA, Paradise Pier in particular, was Disney imagineering at its absolute best. But he would have loved rolling up his sleeves and making it better. I think anything that has potential, that has room to improve, is not a failure. And as many have noted, DCA has improved by leaps and bounds with more plans on the horizon to continue that trend. Only a small part of DCA is a carnival atmosphere. Same at WDW. Only one part, of one section of Dinoland USA is a carnival type area as well as the Boardwalk area between Epcot and MGM. Boardwalk I might add is seen as a prime place to eat and stay with the resorts around it being some of the most expensive at WDW. The carnivals Walt saw as a boy were dirty, full of strange people and a dark element. These were the places where deformed people were put on display and run by individuals who exploited those people and the people that came into see them, so no wonder he wanted nothing to do with that. But that is hardly what you see at DCA! In a way the nice thing about the area of PP is that its going to be a piece of cake to rip that out and change it. You almost get the impression thats what they had in mind from the very beginning, since its located at the back end of the park and could be easily closed off and rennovated without the other areas being impacted. I look at PP as some sort of filler whose days are very numbered. It would only be a failure if they had no way to change or improve it.

As for the idea that DCA shoud have been an addition to Disneyland, I am not sure how that would have worked. How would Main Street USA look if it was in the middle of some new expanded Disneyland? Walt loved the idea of nostalgia mixed with the future and he wanted his park to be entered through the past as you went in to the different lands including Tomorrowland. If you look at old clips of Disneyland and how it was when it first opened, you can see that even in the 11 years Walt was around after it opened, it changed quite a bit. Which leads me to believe that even he sometimes thought his original ideas could be changed and improved. That was in fact what the concept of WDW was, an improvement on Disneyland.

Alot of Walt's original ideas had to be changed or canned altogether. Epcot was one of them. That park is nothing like what it was originally supposed to be, yet I don't hear anyone saying Walt is turning over in his grave because of it. I really think DCA does get a bum rap. It is common knowledge they cut that budget way back and it does show. But less so now than it used to. Its the only time Disney ever attempted to attach one park to another and therefore its always going to be the proverbial little sister, being constantly compared and having a hard time measuring up to big sister. But I do think if they do as much in the next three or four years as they have done in the last three or four, DCA will stop being a punching bag and start being enjoyed by more people. In the meantime I am going to continue to enjoy it and eagerly await what they do next.

 

[jenzshoppin]

I am on my last day of a 4 day park hopper at DL and DCA. We have spent the majority of our 3 1/2 days at DL. We just went to DCA for about an hour before lunch and rode Grizzly River Rapids 2x because of the 5 minute wait ON A SATURDAY!! Wow!

Anyway, DCA feels like another park that I had a season pass to when I was a teen and lived in the Bay Area. It was called Marriotts Great America at the time. I heard it was sold to Paramount ?? I think??? but it was still called Great America. Anyway, it had coasters and other rides that DCA does not have but the feel was the same. Hard to explain. But I cannot compare DL to Great America at all!!

The only way I would not describe DCA being like GA in Santa Clara is the Alladin show and Disney Animation, oh, and Monsters feels a lot like the Snow White, Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland rides.

I saw Alladin for the second time ever last night and it totally felt like Disney Magic to us!! I love it!!

 

[Disney Davo]

First trip to DL was in 67 or 68. I've got allot of days at DL under my belt. When I first went to WDW I felt DL had all the good rides WDW had but in one park compared to four. So I felt DL was much better. After 5 trips to WDW at 5-7 day trips each I have become a huge fan of both. One thing is for sure I have still not seen or done everthing WDW has to offer, and even after our 7th day I wish we could stay longer; I'm just a big kid. I know you will never make DL as big as WDW but DL needs a little more to be more than a 2-3 day destiation. One of the great things about DL is you can't see out of the park from almost anywhere, you can completly forget you are in busy So. Cal. It would be great to see DL expand just a little so I could totally get lost for 3-4 days. Maybe a water park would be nice, with a wave pool large enough to hold the OP Pro at Disney! Ha, Ha, Ha

 

[AllJackedUp]

It is not my understanding that Walt hated this. I think his biggest gripe - which lead to the DL idea - was that such places were for kids and not adults. He wanted a place which appealed to all age groups.

Further, the seaside amusement park is a part of California culture and history. As far as that goes, it fits into DCA's theme.

With that said, it is easily my least favorite part of DCA. While California Screamin is a pretty fun rollercoaster, Disney is not known for rollercoasters. Rather, it is known for themed rides. Heck, Space Mtn is pretty weak as far as rollercoasters go. But add in the atmosphere, music, lighting, launch, loading area, queue, etc., and you have an experience which far transcends a mere rollercoaster. Of all of the coasters at DLR and WDW, Screamin is by far the weakest as far as theming goes. Aside from tearing it out - which would be a mistake at this point - there isn't much they can do about it. But, as I said, Screamin is still pretty fun. And we enjoy riding it. Aside from Maliboomer and maybe the Sun Wheel, all of the other rides in Paradise Pier can be demolished as far I am concerned. And I think that is pretty much the plan over the next few years.

I don't know if you've read "Walt Disney: An American Original" by Bob Thomas or any number of other bios about Walt but he is quoted at length saying he disliked the dirtiness and he particularly disliked the fact that the places served alcohol (another DCA concession). It doesn't bother me personally that they added the alcohol because if they can get people to drop $6 or $7 for a drink, hey, go for it.

I just think it was a copout on the part of upper Disney management but I am glad that they put in Screamin' because I agree, it's probably one of the highlights of the park.

 

[Albort]

Well, i always thought California Scream was themed as like Santa Monica pier... aka wolden roller coaster.

Orange Stinger - it has a very limited group that can ride it. Kids can't ride it because of the taller height requirement, meaning most parents can't or won't ride it either and will just bypass it. Also, because of the size of the chairs, many adults can't ride it either.

I used to operate a similar type ride... its actually very popular amoung teens. Its also considered on of the most dangerous rides, which is why a height requirement is in place...

 

[aWholeFamilyofSupers]

My family PREFERS California Adventure. The pace is slower for the grandparents, and my kids are Pixar fanatics. So while we hate to miss out on Buzz over at DL, there are just so many other Pixar highlights at DCA: Block Party parade, Turtle Talk, a bug's land, etc. I'd love to see John Lasseter really push the Pixar theme at DCA, to set it apart from DL, but maintain the magic.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

My dd and I love CA Adventure. We actually love DL too but hate the crowds so when we go (we have APs) we will hit a few attatractions at DL and then spend the rest of our day over at CA Adventure. There really is a lot for the little ones to do. My dd loves the characters. It does not matter to her that she has met Sully or Mickey a thousand times she wants to see them again. We find that the lines for the Characters at CA Adventure are so much shorter than at DL. Plus there seems to be a wider variety of charactes out and about then when we first started going.

 

[Disney Davo]

Glad to hear so many positives for DCA! That means it can even get better with time just as DL has. This was fun post to read.

 

[lilpixie]

We had a positive experience at DCA. I grew up in Florida and loved WDW. My first trip to DL and DCA was last year. There was a cheerleading convention going on (we would not have attended at that time had I known that) and DL was absolutely PACKED with teenage cheerleaders (nothing wrong with cheerleaders, it was the crowds that was awful). It just got so annoying so we left and went over to DCA. We ate lunch at the wharf and took some darling family pictures with the gigantic roller coaster in the background and the water behind us. It just had a kick back atmosphere. My kids got to meet lots of characters on the Hollywood Backlot -- Sully, the Incredibles, Chicken little, Jo Jo . . . to name a few. The lines were short and they got lots of autographs and pics with the characters. I have little kids and they loved the Bug's land. OK, not the best rides for adults but we thought the theming was cute! And those rides are intended for *little* kids and we have the cutest pic of my 3 year old on Fliks Flyers with her arms up like it was some kind of roller coaster. lol
We did not like the Muppets 3D movie -- so loud and my girls didn't like it. They did like the Turtle talk with Crush and the King Triton Carousel (again, they are little, so this appeals to them). And we had a blast at Ariels Grotto meeting all the princesses. We never went over to the Grizzly part (whatever it is called) but heard it is fun. It's not a perfect park and hopefully it will just keep getting better. The good thing is, we took our girls and they are not hard to please -- they thought everything was cool and wonderful and magical -- so how could we not have a good time??? I do prefer DL, but DCA is fun to go to when DL gets too crowded.

 

[tracer]

I too think DCA will only get better. They keep adding and changing things. I am ready for them to update Playhouse Disney and The Aladdin show on top of the other things others have posted. It doesn't "feel" Disney when you first walk in but you get the vibe once you see some of the Pixar stuff. The atmosphere is not as kid friendly as Disneyland to us either. It offers a nice change when the crowds get high at DL, but it's not DL and never will be.