buena vista street – Remain Seated, Please

July 11, 2012September 23, 2017

Grand Re-Opening of DCA – Part 2!

As promised, here is the second part of our DCA grand re-opening coverage. While I was not able to go on the 15th, I did go all day both Saturday and Sunday and let me tell you — first thing I noticed was that I did not get tired of being in the parks for the bulk of both days. This is no longer a half-day park as far as I can tell. This is a complimentary park that I have even seen begin inspiring trends over on Main Street, U.S.A.

Of course the first thing we did was rush to get Fastpasses for RSR as well as jump in line for the new E-Ticket attraction. Our impressions can be found in Part 1 of our coverage but let’s just say that it’s an incredibly large ride that’s full of visuals and incredible animatronics. I really really love this ride and at night it’s incomparable with the lighting the Imagineers and designers pulled off.

We then headed into the shops on Buena Vista Street and while they are definitely sparse to say the least and chock full of a lot of your standard Disneyland merchandise, their more period pieces like the Red Car Trolly Ears and Carthay Circle themed merchandise. One of my favorite details, though, are these classic looking mannequins. Can you spot some pseudo-celebs?

Then we just had to check out the Carthay Circle Lounge. Was there a bar right there in Carthay Circle? Yes — and it is GOOD! They also serve incredible food in not only the restaurant, but in the lounge as well. We will cover the food in the next post.

Pictured here: a Tequila Daisy and a Ginger Rogers

Next, we had to check out Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. I had been hearing the songs playing from the ride for a while while walking by and seen the ride system making me cautiously optimistic about the ride. It was incredibly fun! It’s a super intricate ride system that I hear caused a lot of problems but in the end, WOW is this ride fun! It whips you to-and-fro along with some pretty funny songs from what’s arguably my least favorite character in all of Disney film history. Somehow, they made this ride and that character lovable and fun in this incarnation. Very very well done!

Next was a stop by the Cozy Cone as we had a little buzz from our drinks at the CC Lounge and that spin on Mater. So many great looking options! We decided to get both of the Chili Cone Queso offerings. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food! I got the standard Chili Cone Queso offering while Suzi tried the Chipotle Chicken Cone and both were wrapped in a fresh pretzel cone-shaped bun. What a great idea and great treat accompanied by a Pomegranate Lemonade!

Not to overwhelm ourselves, we left Cars Land and headed back to some classic DCA rides and around through what’s becoming our favorite spot – Carthay Circle. I just love the characters’ and their costumes here!

Luigi’s Flying Tires is another incredible time in Cars Land! This remaining of the Flying Saucers from Disneyland back in the 1960s returns with a revamped ride system that’s truly an incredible experience. Look at the detail that went into the queue — the best in all of Cars Land if you ask me.

Car-shaped topiary. This will look great once it’s fully grown, I’m sure.

Re-admit for when the ride stops because of unruly guests

This is a truly great ride but with an 8-minute start-stop-reload time for guests, prepare to wait a while!

At night, there are some incredible sights to be seen. One of which is the nightly lighting ceremony in Cars Land and a ride down Hollywood Blvd. on the Red Car Trolly as seen in our previous post. This is a beautiful park that is only just beginning to stretch it’s legs. More to come! Stay tuned!

June 25, 2012

The Grand Re-Opening of DCA! – Part One

A week ago, the all new Disney California Adventure opened its gates to the public!

We decided to make our way down to the park around 1am to get in line for the opening. Along with many others, we slept all night in between Disneyland and DCA. What fun is that! A Disneyland sleep over! There was a huge screen which displayed promos for the upcoming Buena Vista Street and Cars Land.

Around 8am, they finally let us in! Upon entering its gates on an overcast morning, we were treated to an incredible sight. The all new Buena Vista Street!

Buena Vista Street is a beautiful addition to Disney California Adventure with details around every corner. Whether it’s the Five & Dime store, Elias & Company, or the Chamber of Commerce building, you will be in awe.

Of course, motion is in effect in the new DCA. The Red Car Trolley made its way down the street complete with newsies singing their song. It was so fun to finally see the trolleys in action.

Near the end of Buena Vista Street, the new Storytellers statue featuring a young Walt and Mickey was finally unveiled. It’s an incredible work of art. Make sure you look all the way around the statue for the subtile details, especially on the suitcase!

Buena Vista Street ends with the new Carthay Circle Theatre which is a restaurant and lounge. Inside, I was shocked to see the amount of elegance and history. It was as if I had gone back in time to the 1930s and I was in high society, dining with the Hollywood elite. Entering Carthay Circle Theatre is one of the best examples of time travel Disney has ever given.

After walking down Buena Vista Street, we headed for Cars Land. Wow. I can’t believe the amount of detail the imagineers put into this place. It’s incredible. The best part about the new land is the mountain range. It’s shocking to believe you are in the middle of Anaheim, California with this beautiful huge mountain range. I was so surprised by the shear size and beauty of the range. I must admit that I was a bit worried that it was looking a bit flat from the areas that you could see while under construction. But boy was I wrong. I really can’t wait to go back and just look at everything.

Some of the Best Rock Work I Have Ever Seen

Walking down the main street in Radiator Springs brings back memories from Disney/Pixar’s Cars. Every detail is here. Ramone’s is here. Luigi’s is here. Flo’s Cafe is here. It looks exactly like the movie and not one detail is missing.

At the end of the land is the grand new attraction, Radiator Springs Racers. This ride has the same vehicle as the cars in Epcot’s Test Track, but that’s the only similarity. You begin your journey by taking a cruise through the incredible mountain range and coming right up along side a beautiful waterfall. Soon you are in doors and parts of your favorite “Cars” moments are brought to life through the wonders of audio-animatronics. These are some of the best animatronics to date. The way they move is so fluent and natural. I couldn’t believe it. I never would have thought that bringing an animated film to life could be accomplished this well. Near the end of the interior section, you line up with another car and get ready to race. After a countdown, you are off! You are zooming through that great mountain range, making your way to the finish line. It’s awfully fun to see who is going to win. You never know who it will be. Finally, you enter Taillight Caverns and you exit your vehicle.

Radiator Springs Racers is a great E Ticket attraction. It combines thrill with detail only Disney knows how to do. The only thing that didn’t meet my expectations was Taillight Caverns. I had hoped that there would be lots of detailed caves with waterfalls that we would see on our journey. Unfortunately, the caves are only at the ride’s exit. Still, it’s a wonderful ride.

At night, a new sort of magic is in the air in Cars Land. Just like in the movie, 1950s music plays and each building’s lights come on, one at a time. It’s a special moment and the neon is remarkable. They do this every night, so be sure to be in Cars Land at dusk, right before they turn the lights on!

This is just the beginning of what’s new at Disney California Adventure. In part two, we will discuss the other new Cars Land Attractions, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Flying Tires, we will discuss a sit down dining experience at Carthay Circle Theatre, and we will also talk about the interiors of all the Buena Vista Street buildings, among other things.

Part Two will include a review of Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree!

Disney California Adventure has always been a great park to me. It did have its problems, but now those problems have been fixed. It is an excellent park that Disney should be proud of. Just think of the great things you can do there now. Walk down Buena Vista Street and see what Los Angeles was like to a young Walt Disney. Enjoy a delicious meal at Carthay Circle Theatre. Take flight on Luigi’s Flying Tires. Zoom through the mountains of Radiator Springs. These are just some of the things you can do at the all new DCA. I can’t wait to go back and experience it for years to come.

Remember: Keep an eye open for Part Two of our DCA Grand Re-Opening Coverage!

June 19, 2012September 23, 2017

Video Updates From This Past Weekend!

Here I have compiled some of the videos I took this past weekend. More to come but thought I would share!

Here we see a DCA Cast Member doing his best impression of this classic Twilight Zone character:

© CBS – The Twilight Zone “A Piano in the House” (1962)

Here we see the nightly lighting ceremony at Cars Land inside Disney California Adventure Park. True to the movie, even down to the 3rd light flashing slower than the others!

This is a full ride-thru on the Red Car Trolley from the Tower station to the Buena Vista Street station by way for Carthay Circle. This park looks truly amazing lit up at night!