What's so wrong with California Adventure?

[JanetRose]

I've only been there twice and liked it. I've read that they are going to re-do the whole park? Is it that bad?

 

[trodrigue]

My family likes it. It is sort of the new disney stuff, vs the classic and a bit more about thrill rides than theming, but that is okay in my opinion. Still plenty of the disney magic to make it awesome. My youngest loved bugs life, and the tractor displays and whatnot.

 

[audrabolster]

I think it is great that they are adding some new stuff! I like it okay, but to me, there doesn't seem to be much to do there. We went once and weren't there for very long.

 

[Dobie]

I don't think there's a thing wrong with it. I think that many of the professional DCA bashers are just spoiled children who never grew up and who feel entitled to instant gratification and a thrill a minute entertainment.

 

[pixiewings71]

WE love DCA.. honestly, we are mixed on our thoughts of redoing it so much. Adding rides/lands is cool but I'm really bummed they are taking out the Golden Gate Bridge....and I drive over that bridge in real life regularly.

 

[DoomBugger]

I like CA but with over a billion dollars going in to it over the next few years I think I will love it.

I can't wait for the Rockin Rollercoaster to arrive in CA, I love that ride!

 

[Monkey Monkey]

I love DCA! I love how modern it feels in contrast to DL, and my son and I love the Pixar themes. To me it just feels different than DL, and it's kind of refreshing to stroll over there after a few hours at DL and experience the smaller crowds.

Visually I think it's very interesting and well-done, and while there isn't enough there for me to spend a whole day with my toddler, since I got my AP, I hop back and forth between the two parks on every visit.

I can't wait for Toy Story Mania to open!

 

[Tink208]

WE love DCA.. honestly, we are mixed on our thoughts of redoing it so much. Adding rides/lands is cool but I'm really bummed they are taking out the Golden Gate Bridge....and I drive over that bridge in real life regularly.

They are taking out the Golden Gate Bridge? That is a bummer. Admittedly, I am a SF Bay Area resident, so I am perhaps a bit biased, but I think the GGB is a California landmark and it seems a shame to remove it from DCA.

I enjoy DCA, but I have to admit, as well, that as a Northern CA resident, I find some of it a bit redundant, or not particularly of interest. I have the real Napa Valley a short drive away, and the sourdough bread and tortilla factories aren't very novel to me. But, I really do enjoy having a second park to visit when DL gets too crowded. If I only had one day/non-hopper tickets, however, I would definitely skip DCA. (My older son and I went a few years ago and had one day/non-hopper tickets and did one day at DCA...we ran out of things to do, so were back in our room pretty early. In all fairness, though, it was also pouring rain, which made some rides, as well as just hanging out and watching people not viable options.)

 

[MommyWithDreams]

I like the "feel" of DCA, but I DESPISE the layout!!!! I think I read somewhere that they will be be changing the layout a bit so that you can enter bug land from the backlot area near TOT??? I'm sure someone can confirm that ...but that's the worst part of the park to me. It's a real hike to get anywhere. Very different than the "circular" way everything connects at DL.

 

[Tink208]

I like the "feel" of DCA, but I DESPISE the layout!!!! I think I read somewhere that they will be be changing the layout a bit so that you can enter bug land from the backlot area near TOT??? I'm sure someone can confirm that ...but that's the worst part of the park to me. It's a real hike to get anywhere. Very different than the "circular" way everything connects at DL.

I definitely agree that the layout is not good. That could stand to be modified!

 

[Monkey Monkey]

I like the "feel" of DCA, but I DESPISE the layout!!!! I think I read somewhere that they will be be changing the layout a bit so that you can enter bug land from the backlot area near TOT??? I'm sure someone can confirm that ...but that's the worst part of the park to me. It's a real hike to get anywhere. Very different than the "circular" way everything connects at DL.

I totally agree with this. Especially now that you can't access the Paradise Pier area from the carousel side because of the Toy Story Mania construction!

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

I like the "feel" of DCA, but I DESPISE the layout!!!! I think I read somewhere that they will be be changing the layout a bit so that you can enter bug land from the backlot area near TOT??? I'm sure someone can confirm that ...but that's the worst part of the park to me. It's a real hike to get anywhere. Very different than the "circular" way everything connects at DL.

That's my biggest complaint too. It makes it hard to get from one end of the park to another. We LOVE DCA. It is different than DL... but to me, that's okay. I never have understood all the DCA bashing. It's different in the way that the other parks in WDW are different too. I don't want a DL clone right across the plaza, kwim? Theming could be a little stronger, but I really enjoy it overall. I will be sad to see the GGB go too. People complain that they can't spend all day there. Well guess what, you can't really spend all day at AK in WDW either, and that park is older. I always looked at it as DCA was the park of the future- where most of the good new rides/ideas will come about in the next 30 years. DL is pretty much built out. DL changed a lot over the first 30 years of it's existence, and I think DCA should follow that model. My mom went to DL in 1957, and she talks about how very very different it was then to when we did our first family vacation to DL in 1978. I don't think retheming anything or adding to the park should be considered a "failure" at all. Just refining it and making it relevant to today's park visitors, just as DL did.

I will say the So Cal media are brutal to DCA. Heard a headline on one of the news broadcasts a week or so ago where it was about the modernization plans for DCA. It used phrases in the taglines such as "the troubled Disney's California Adventure" and "poor attendance" etc. Umm, I don't think so....

JMO!

 

[DLR29]

It's different in the way that the other parks in WDW are different too. I don't want a DL clone right across the plaza, kwim?

Well, it's different in that many of the type of rides that are there could be found at a normal amusement park rather than a Disney upscale (at least that's what I think of Disney parks) park. People were not expecting a DL clone, but they certainly didn't want a bunch of "cheap" looking rides just thrown in the park (Mulholland Madness, Orange Stinger, Maliboomer, Jumpin Jellyfish). So I would disagree in that DCA is much more different in style than DL compared to Epcot, DHS, or AK to the MK.

It used phrases in the taglines such as "the troubled Disney's California Adventure" and "poor attendance" etc. Umm, I don't think so....

Ummmmm I think so. DCA (especially at its opening) is very troubled and has extremely low attendance compared to other Disney parks. In '06*, DCA was the 13th most visited park in the world at around 6 million. The top 8 parks were in this order: MK, DL, Tokyo DL, Tokyo DS, DLP, Epcot, MGM, and AK.

Now why isn't DCA in that top 9? Because of the lack of quality that just doesn't intrigue locals (major attendance factor of DLR) as much as DLR. Just for numbers, DL's attendance was about 15 million. So for every 5 people that went into DL, only 2 went into DCA. That certainly isn't what the Disney company wants.

So they've been offering 2fers as a big incentive to visit DCA. Pay for a day at DL and go to DCA for free! But now, they need to get people to come to DCA without that kind of marketing. They need a big "Disney" type (high themed, tells a story, not just a ride) atmosphere to draw in the crowds. That's why they're adding a giant Carsland, a Little Mermaid dark ride, Toy Story Mania, World of Color night show (also to increase hours), and changing the entrance.

*Source: Park World Magazine: http://www.parkworld-online.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/322/Disney_tops_global_amusement_park_attendance_report.html

 

[hlbtimes2]

My complaints with DCA will probably not be fixed with the billions of dollars they are going to spend. I like the park, and feel there is enough to do. However, its HOT, there is a serious lack of shade. The only thing that will fix that is time- the trees need time to grow bigger. It also seems like a very long walk back to the pier area. Some in park transportation would be very nice.

 

[lillybug]

I really enjoyed DCA, but I have to admit I preffered Disneyland a lot more! I am excited to see the changes.

I don't think there's a thing wrong with it. I think that many of the professional DCA bashers are just spoiled children who never grew up and who feel entitled to instant gratification and a thrill a minute entertainment.

And why not? Isn't that why we pay large amounts of $$ to visit DLR? That's why we go!

 

[DLR29]

I like CA but with over a billion dollars going in to it over the next few years I think I will love it.

I can't wait for the Rockin Rollercoaster to arrive in CA, I love that ride!

There are no current plans to add a RnRC to DCA.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

However, its HOT, there is a serious lack of shade. The only thing that will fix that is time- the trees need time to grow bigger.

I totally agree.. Last trip I really noticed the lack of shade. DBF and I were walking up the ramp thing past Screaming to go around by Ariel's Grotto, and I was just SO hot walking that area.. I was convinced that DLR put heaters there so you can buy the frozen yogurt at that little stand right there on top of the ramp, I was dying..

I think people don't feel it has the same "magic" and nostalgia as DL does.. I personally love DCA, and I have a blast there. I agree there's not enough to do in one day like there is at DL.. But we always make a point to hop over to DCA.. JMO..

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't see anything wrong with DCA; we had avoided it for two one-day trips, but once we stepped foot inside, we fell in love with it! And then they announced the refurb, and we were sad. But it sounds like things will be improved, so that can't be bad.

I think Jumpin Jellyfish is lovely, especially at night! Haven't been on it yet, but I bet DS and I will really enjoy it on our next trip.

However, I hope they do NOT put a second entrance/exit to bug's land. Why? Lost kids, that's why. I feel extremely secure with there only being one way out of bug's land, b/c it's DS's favorite land, and he's a fast runner. If he got it in his head to run out, or to run in while we're outside of bug's land, I like there being only ONE way for him to have gone, and no way for him to get back out, if he's run in ahead of us. So while being stuck in there like it's Critter Country is annoying in a way, it's also comforting to me.

 

[Sunobo]

We love DCA and found it great to hop over there when the crowds got to us at DL. I also agree that the layout makes it difficult to get around but that's a minor inconvience for the smaller crowds.

 

[Cinerbelle]

I was just at DCA yesterday and my only complaint was the LOOOONNNNGGG walk between the "big" attractions. It would be much better if there was more then one way to get to TOT and with the construction over by CA. Screamin it totally blew having to walk allllllll the way around every time we wanted to get to the other side of the park. With that said, we had a BLAST!!! TOT and CA. Screamin were (in my opinion) better then any ride in DL.