California Adventure: Thirteenth Birthday

[Californian Elitist]

Tomorrow is California Adventure's thirteenth birthday. It's crazy that it's been thirteen years. The more I think about it, the more unbelievable it is to me. Disney's California Adventure took the place of Disneyland's parking lot, and opened on February 8, 2001. I was there the first year it opened, and I remember how underwhelming it was for me. For the most part, I was disappointed, but I did enjoy a few things, including Soarin' Over California, Bur-r-r-bank Ice Cream, Burger Invasion, Jumpin' Jellyfish, Mulholland Madness, the big letters in the front, the Golden Gate Bridge and the beautiful mural. Honestly, I hated the park. I clearly remember entering California Adventure, riding only Soarin' Over California and literally running across to Disneyland. Over time, I've come to appreciate the park, and now I love it. It has come such a long way, and although it still has a few problems (Hollywood Land, my goodness), I believe it's worthy of sitting across from Disneyland. Happy Birthday, Disney California Adventure!

Flashback Friday:

UGH... The hubcap!!!

Who else remembers Burger Invasion?! Nothing like getting a Big Mac in a Disney park.

Aahhh, the Maliboomer:

The Orange Stinger...oh, boy:

The creepy Sun Wheel and the old California Screamin':

Mulholland Madness and the big, weird and tacky dinosaur!:

Holy moly, Eureka!

Remember Golden Dreams?

The tackiest, lamest, most biggest offense of all... Superstar Limo (gross):

Thank God for the past.

 

[Reade's Dad]

Would love to know more about the 'old' DCA...from the pics the park looked so different from what I saw on my first visit last April. Is the a place to find out about the old DCA?

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I'm glad I never went to the original version. Perhaps the worst Disney park ever, although there's always Walt Disney Studios in Paris. That one actually has Walt's entire name in its title. How dare they.

I've only been going to California Adventure since last year, so all of the major changes and additions were in place once I stepped through the gates. I still consider it a guilty pleasure. I feel much of it isn't up to the standards of Disney. Buena Vista Street is nice in that Disney-MGM Studios kind of way. So even that feels very been-there-done-that to me. Sure, it's still cool and I like the trollies. Hollywoodland is prime for some serious enhancing. Cars Land is nice, but everyone knows that. Still not a Cars fan, though.

I enjoy some of the atmosphere throughout the park when I'm not itching to walk across the esplanade. However, there is a lot of dead space between attractions and usually not in a good way. Its design is so opposite of Disneyland and still reflective of the management that oversaw its original construction. It's a lot of shops and restaurants with occasional attractions, and those attractions are typically still not on the level of what you would expect from the company that built masterpieces like Pirates, Haunted Mansion, it's a small world and others across the way.

As I said, a guilty pleasure park. I mean, I enjoy the Goofy ride, but does that thing belong in a Disney park? Absolutely not.

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

I do miss the Soap Opera Bistro

 

[Californian Elitist]

Would love to know more about the 'old' DCA...from the pics the park looked so different from what I saw on my first visit last April. Is the a place to find out about the old DCA?

Try Yesterland.com

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

My first experience with DCA was in 2007 before the big refurb and I thought it was a neat little park then. But I could see room for improvement. I went again in 2012 while they were "fixing" the park and I was very excited to see the new DCA. So in June of 2013 I went back and enjoyed all the new changes , it is evolved into a great park. But I did like in in 2007 too. Anyway, Happy Birthday DCA!

 

[BubbaQuest]

Thanks to the OP for a trip down memory lane. I also recommend Yesterdayland for some great history on DCA. They just did a great Now and Then series.

I didn't hate the original DCA. Sure it wasn't like Disneyland, but I understood the concept. I thought the Orange Stinger was cute, although the fake GG Bridge was really ugly. It was worth a trip at least once, but a repeat visit wasn't necessary.

The thing I remember the most, though, is the new Disney philosophy that came with the park. It was my first time going to a Disney park to find that only about half the park was really open and the rest wouldn't open until noon. I also remember the McDonald's Burger Invasion. Unfortunately, it wasn't a real McDonalds. It only had about three menu items and I hope you like fries, because they came with everything. It was the first time I remember seeing a "combo meal only" menu at Disney.

And then there was the return of the Electrical Parade. I'm not sure they even bothered to dust the thing off after unpacking it from storage and sending it down DCA lane. It was the first time I didn't feel "plussed" by a Disney experience.

I love the new park. There are definitely still some issues, but it has matured nicely.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Would love to know more about the 'old' DCA...from the pics the park looked so different from what I saw on my first visit last April. Is the a place to find out about the old DCA?

Yesterland is good, and WEDway Radio has one episode out of a series on "DCA 1.0".

 

[IndianaJones]

I've been to DCA 3 times. The first time was with the original, back in 03 so I don't remember much.

The second time was in 09, so it was right when they were getting ready for all of their new things,

Then I came back in December of 2012 after all of the new stuff was there.

The one thing I do renember about the original was that it had a few great attractions that we loved. Soarin', California Screaming, and a few others were all great. But of course like many others we would end up back at Disneyland.

So I definitely appreciate the love and TLC that it's received.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Soarin' Over California is pretty awesome. My favorite in the park, no question. Now, aside from Cars and Tower of Terror, the rest of the rides in the park don't really feel like Disney attractions.

 

[Nicole220]

God, I forgot how ugly it was. DCA is so grown up now *wipes away a tear*

 

[Figments Friend]

Great set of early photos there, Raven.
Wow...brings back some memories of my first DL visit in 2007.

At that time, DCA was a 'waste of space' in my opinion. I could not believe how 'empty' but at the same time 'cluttered looking' it was.
I had to agree with John Hench, when he uttered the now famous comment about DCA when he saw it open - " It was better as a parking lot.."

When i re-visited in 2012, it was just before the grand Re-Opening. I just missed it by a few days ( intentional..did not want to deal with the crowds) and promised to return within a year to check it out.
I did, and was pleased with the updates, but it still feels to me like a quasi-DHS clone.
DHS is my least favorite WDW property, so coming to CA and seeing a 'clone' of it still kind of sets me back a little.

Cars Land is great however...and that is coming from a non-Pixar fan. Very well themed and a great E-ticket to boot.
BV Street i am not overly enamored with ...at least, not to date. That might change when i have the chance to spend some more time there.
GRR is fun, and the Aladdin stage show is entertaining for a evening.

DCA has definitely come a long way from those early days though...and it is on the upswing.
Good to see that improvement, but there is still a ways to go before it becomes a truly fleshed out Park worthy of the 'Disney Theme Park' title, in my opinion.

 

[James122]

I only went to DCA twice before the renovations commenced, but one thing I miss dearly is the C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters out in the entrance plaza. It added a unique sense of character to the place.

And jeez-a-loo, I had forgotten how ugly Paradise Pier was back then! Sunshine Plaza was just an epic fail at giving the park an 'icon'. I think Superstar Limo was closed by the time I made my first trip, but everything I've heard about it suggests that it was an absolutely dreadful ride.

 

[westie]

I was there on opening day. I remember being underwhelmed to but thats how it is for every new park opening I would think. I took a pic of my daughter on the orange stinger, sent it to disney mag and they published it! Our last trip was november, it was my wedding anniversary, we were married there. Funny thing is they moved the wedding pavilion and it took a while to find it. Couldn't get a pic because a wedding was in progress!

 

[Disneyfanman]

I was there 6 months after opening with some friends. We spent 2 hours there and then headed back to DL. Without caring about the media, I truly disliked the park. It just didn't feel like a Disney experience.

I was there after Blast took over the Hyperion, after TOT rose, and one other time just before Toy Story Mania opened. They were all business week visits and my kids (young adults) didn't get to see it until a couple of years ago, but each visit lasted longer and there was more to do.

I can honestly say that I now love DCA and split my time 50:50. It's the greatest comeback in Theme Park History. It's at least a full day per visit, open to close and in my head it's as much fun as DL next door. In fact my adult kids may like it more. The cheap feeling has been replaced by the detailed immersion that has me happy to hand over 100 bucks a day, per person, to get in.

I really thought Disney might close the place for awhile. Now I can't wait to go back.

 

[RandomPrincess]

I miss the California letters too. We would always stop and get a picture in front of the letters hoping to get a full set one day. On our last visit in 2010 it was right before the letter were supposed to come down so I got a picture of my DD with each letter.