George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
I feel like I'd enjoy Knott's Berry Farm more than DCA. Seems to have more of that classic theme park feel as opposed to a 2000s Disney one.
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Anyone else still like DCA?
- Thread starter DisneyAndUniversalFan
- Start date
knotts is great and season passes are only 100 buks totally worth it. I will say the backend (boardwalk area) is really weak imo. There no trees/shade, no boards to walk on...its a sterile concrete area with a small pool to represent water and a few coasters. Looks like something from 6 flags. I wish theyde redo theme that area to something with trees like the rest of the park. Maybe go dinosaur themed or extend the mayan/aztec area to the back i dunno... regardless the rest of the park is shaded and so many birds chirping in the trees its great.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
DCA honestly sucks. It isn't the worst park but I'd probably rather visit most other Disney parks.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
My last trip to the Disneyland Resort was for The Haunted Mansion's 50th in 2019 - spent 5 days at Disneyland and never once stepped into DCA. I regret nothing.
The first time I visited DCA was its first summer, and in the 20 years since I've given the park several chances to convince me it's worth my time and money. At this point the answer is a pretty firm no. I'm just not very interested in what it has to offer.
Add to that my favorite place is right across the way . . . I simply find it silly now to travel all the way across the country, be so close to Disneyland, and then decide to pay extra to visit a place that's lacking everything basically I love about Disneyland. The park has just never been compelling to me and doesn't seem to be on the path to changing that.
The first time I visited DCA was its first summer, and in the 20 years since I've given the park several chances to convince me it's worth my time and money. At this point the answer is a pretty firm no. I'm just not very interested in what it has to offer.
Add to that my favorite place is right across the way . . . I simply find it silly now to travel all the way across the country, be so close to Disneyland, and then decide to pay extra to visit a place that's lacking everything basically I love about Disneyland. The park has just never been compelling to me and doesn't seem to be on the path to changing that.
i respect the opinion, different strokes for different folks. I love CA haha I find it to be a beautiful and chill park with a lot of great rides!
EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
The reimagining into Pixar Pier was an instant downgrade to the park. Loud, garish, and ugly. It once had a cool San Diego kind of vibe. Now, it's just a jumble of bad ideas put in one place. Ugh.
MagicWDI
Well-Known Member
Yeah, not a fan of Pixar Pier. The new Paradise Pier was becoming something great. It's too bad it never got it's original phase two, but instead they went with Pixar...... again. It all fit into Chapek's master plan to use current IP's and set it on overdrive, even though the new Paradise Pier had a classic IP overlay anyway, and did so in a very nice subtle way.
SoCalDisneyLover
Well-Known Member
I find DCA & Knott's similar in that both have a few rides I like to hit each time I'm there. Some I don't mind doing more than once. But once I've ridden them in a day, there's no real need to stand in line waiting to ride again, which makes for a less complete day. Disneyland doesn't have that problem, as there's always another ride or attraction you haven't experienced, so the park maintains your interest from morning to night.
But the fact I can enjoy the occasional few hours at Knott's every week or two, and it only costs me $102 over a calendar year, makes it a tremendous value. Add in the $130 meal plan, where I can get 2 decent quality meals each visit, and it's even more of a steal. If every visit I go on a couple of rides, have a couple of meals, and see a couple of musical sets during Summer Nights, there's no way I can complain about getting my money's worth.
DCA probably has an edge in terms of being the better overall park than Knott's, but when you compensate for pricing, there's no contest. For roughly the cost of Two 1-Day DCA tickets (parking not included,) I can get a year at Knott's, with Parking and 2 Meals per visit. Plus a 10% discount at Knott's that's unavailable at Disney unless you're a Legacy Passholder.
But the fact I can enjoy the occasional few hours at Knott's every week or two, and it only costs me $102 over a calendar year, makes it a tremendous value. Add in the $130 meal plan, where I can get 2 decent quality meals each visit, and it's even more of a steal. If every visit I go on a couple of rides, have a couple of meals, and see a couple of musical sets during Summer Nights, there's no way I can complain about getting my money's worth.
DCA probably has an edge in terms of being the better overall park than Knott's, but when you compensate for pricing, there's no contest. For roughly the cost of Two 1-Day DCA tickets (parking not included,) I can get a year at Knott's, with Parking and 2 Meals per visit. Plus a 10% discount at Knott's that's unavailable at Disney unless you're a Legacy Passholder.
truth...if your getting the knotts season pass, its def worth it to splurge for the meal plan. pays for itself in a couple visits
SoCalDisneyLover
Well-Known Member
And the food is of good quality. I have no complaints so far, and in a month, I've paid for the plan's cost.
In the past weeks, I've had: Pastrami Sandwich (2 Times), Steak Sandwich w/Corn, Ribs w/Cheese Toast, Panda Express, Fried Fish & Onion Rings (2X), Fried Corn Dog & Fries, Shrimp Po Boy & Fries. Haven't even done the Summer Nights card yet, where the options work out to less than $7 each, (including alcohol choices,) when taking into account the AP discount.
I enjoy DCA, but it’s not a big deal to me if I don’t go. My biggest complaint with the park is it’s just... too warm. It constantly feels 10-15 degrees hotter in DCA than over at Disneyland.
For the average person, it’s definitely worth going to just to ride RSR and Soarin’, IMO.
For the average person, it’s definitely worth going to just to ride RSR and Soarin’, IMO.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
That actually sounds great - I'd happily take a DCA featuring stories like Coco and Raya over Disney Franchise Adventure Park featuring IP they couldn't squeeze into Disneyland.
Oh, and bring back Soarin' Over California. I was a huge fan of the World idea (particularly for Epcot) but they completely dropped the ball on it. Let DCA park keep the better fit (and better film), please.
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
This is huge. DCA desperately needs more trees and shade. I find Pixar Pier and Paradise Gardens Park objectionable from a thematic standpoint, but also — it’s just so unpleasant walking through that part of the park most of the year.
Doesn’t look like Avengers Campus does much to address this issue…
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
Glad you agree! Even if Coco and Raya are IP and don’t really make sense in a park celebrating California, they could be contextualized within lands tied to CA history/culture.
& totally agree re Soarin’. World is better suited for Epcot; bring back California for DCA. It’s frustrating that they could but choose not to.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
SoCalDisneyLover
Well-Known Member
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
At least make the version in each theater different. They would have to somehow make separate lines, and perhaps that's not logistically possible given the lane just inside the entrance dedicated to Fast Pass?
It's beyond Lame that in a park supposedly dedicated to California, the park can't showcase the California version of this popular attraction.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Especially because it’s the far better and more popular version. Of course, I think the fact that it’s gone for at least 8 months a year adds to its popularity.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
I'd 100% take the Boardwalk at Knott's over Pixar Pier. Because like real boardwalk amusement parks, it has a decent amount of worthwhile attractions, certainly more than Pixar Pier. No boards, but otherwise everything more or less fits without anything that obviously doesn't fit.
Knott's destroys Disney in general from the value perspective, and to be perfectly honest, my experience for the past five years or so has been that the average Knott's employee provides better, more genuine service than the average CM. Also, compared to DCA, Knott's actually has tons of things to do, including entertainment, whereas Disney has just kept cutting back on its entertainment offerings-and many of the great DCA offerings that were introduced in 2012 no longer exist. I'm at the point where I visit Knott's every time I go to DLR (might as well, it's close by and I have the CF Platinum Pass) and even so I always forget just how many things they actually have packed into a pretty tiny footprint.
I'd take Knott's over DCA any day right now, especially considering the trajectory of both of them over the past five years. The trajectory of Knott's has been better over that time than the majority of Disney's parks!
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
That is indeed a beautiful spot. I was thinking of the land's main midway. Somewhere between Little Mermaid and Goofy's Sky School I usually start to regret not wearing sunscreen.
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
Screening both films simultaneously and having two separate lines may severely undermine any perception that Soarin' Around the World is an upgrade to SOC...