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.
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.
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!