Travel

Disney's California Adventure

Isn’t it funny that, no matter how little sleep you get on vacation it’s easier to get up in the morning than during “normal” life? Today we are headed to California Adventure and we’re there for the extended early hours. California Adventure had been opened less than a year the last time I was here so I’m not really sure what to expect. Sure, I’ve researched it, but it’s not the same as experiencing it. I’m excited!

We enter the park and find ourselves plunked right onto Buena Vista Street. Walt Disney established his Studios on Buena Vista Street in downtown Burbank in the 1920’s and this is a replica of that street, that time period. Like everything Disney does, it’s spectacular and immediately transports you.

As we’re wandering through the shops & restaurants, we have a destination in mind. It’s a silly story for another time, but on my last trip here (my husband’s only trip here) he took a rather goofy picture on a street corner that he simply had to re-create. Picture re-created, kids re-creating it too (it was taken long before they were even thought of) it’s off to find rides.

By sheer accident I learned something that morning. As we were headed towards Mike & Sulley to the Rescue, we noticed a small sign kind of out of the way by one of the Soundstages about a Disney Chase Visa Meet & Greet. I have a Disney Chase Card...what is this thing? I approach a cast member and ask. She asks if I have the credit card on me and I do – she looks at it, my ID to confirm it’s me and directs us into a tucked away back corner of the park to wait to meet Daisy Duck. I had no clue, but one of the perks to the credit card (other than the discounts & the bonus dollars you earn) is that if you’re visiting any Disney Park make sure to check where the character meet & greets are. It lets you in to a private meeting without a crazy long line and in addition to meeting a character, you get a free 5”x7” picture. Truly – the right place at the right time! So we got to meet Daisy Duck and that was super awesome! It’s funny how getting a picture taken with a character can make you feel like a kid no matter how old you are.

The line to get into Mike & Sulley is a little on the long side, but that’s to be expected – it IS Spring Break, after all. The wait wasn’t awful though because there were so many fun props & things to read and it honestly kind of helps build the excitement and pulls you into their world a little bit.

Afterwards, we walk out and round a corner to see Frozone, Mr. & Mrs. Incredible taking pictures and signing autographs. The line was long and they’d just closed it so we took a picture of the kids in front of them from the road. Ha ha! We made it work. As soon as we snapped the picture an old car came around the corner with an awesome Jazz Ensemble dressed in 1920’s garb in it. Very talented group of musicians! We pass around the backside of Bug’s Life Land (it’s no longer there, but we’re excited to see the Avengers Campus opening soon) and head to the place we’ve most looked forward to seeing – Cars Land!

I know I say this a lot, but MAN! No one does theming like Disney. No one. We rounded the bend on “Route 66” and we were quite literally transported into Radiator Springs. My excitement was nothing compared to my kids though. That moment made this entire trip worth it. As we’re standing there oohing & aahing over everything, here comes Mater rolling down the road. He’s the same lovable, funny character driving down the road as he is in the movies!

It’s lunchtime so we decide to grab something to eat. We settle on sit down dining at Flo’s V8 Cafe because we can soak in the atmosphere, see the characters driving down the road and watch the fun at Radiator Springs Racers. This was, honestly, the worst experience we had in the parks. The food was okay but here’s the kicker. Finding a table was a nightmare (they were either full or filthy). In that situation, when you find one you make sure part of your party plops their rear ends down and saves it. That’s what we did. Dad was waiting for the food and we didn’t realize they used real very heavy plates instead of disposables like almost every other place does. So here comes my honey trying to carry a ridiculously over full tray with 4 meals and shakes on it. That would be difficult for anyone to do, but factor in someone who has muscle atrophy, permanent nerve damage and an arm that doesn’t work like it should. That should have been two trays and they refused to accommodate him & put it on two trays like he asked. He couldn’t get anyone to help him either when he told them it was too heavy (apparently he didn’t look disabled enough). Needless to say, it was pretty ugly when he dropped it and they were less than happy when they had to remake everything.

It’s my hope that they have made and continue to make improvements to accommodate guests that need help. I made sure to let them know what I thought, but I don’t know that anything came from it. When someone asks for help, it’s simple: help. We never once had that issue at Disney World – just at Flo’s in CA Adventure. You can probably imagine how you’d feel in that situation. He did. He was in a tremendous amount of pain after that and the hurt wasn’t just physical. Needless to say, he went back to the hotel for the rest of the day and the boys & I continued on our day.

We anticipated our longest line of the day was going to be Radiator Springs Racers. (Disney – if you’re reading this...put in a Fast Pass System like Disney World! The one at Disneyland sucks and always has!) The regular line was over 2 hours, but the single-rider line was only about 30 minutes. Psh...easy choice. When we got to the front, Taylor & I ended up in the same car and another family had done the same thing so we switched seats so we could sit together. Nate? He was fine – he ended up in the car with a bunch of hot teenage girls. The ride was a lot of fun, but I’m not sure I’d feel the same way if we’d been in the 2 hour line. Ha ha!

Travel tip: If you can time it right, you’ll want want to be in Radiator Springs (or within eyeshot of it) at sunset. When the sun goes down, they light up Radiator Springs just like they do in the movie. It is quite the site to see! Even if you miss the actual lighting, take time to stroll through it after dark when the neon is lit. Magical!

We made our way through Radiator Springs and rode Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters then Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. I hope in the future they add some more rides to this area. All of them were fun, but there weren’t a lot. We went back into Bug’s Life and the lines were super short so we rode everything! Even though the rides are gone, I sure hope they find a place in one of the parks for some of the props – particularly the ones from Heimlich the Caterpillar’s ride.

After a stop for Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches & Frozen Bananas, it’s onto Paradise Pier (which is now Pixar Pier)! The 45 minute wait to get on Toy Story Mania was 100% worth it! That ride was the bomb and if the line hadn’t doubled by the time we got out, we’d have ridden it again! Lots of fun boardwalk type rides and they did them all. Their favorites were the Jumpin Jellyfish & Goofy’s Flight School.

As we’re walking back towards the front of the park, we pass by Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and there is, literally, no line. We stop and look to see if the ride is broken and it’s not. There is just no one in line so we hit that one. I think that was probably my favorite ride of the day. I have a soft spot for Ursula, but beyond that the ride was so beautifully done. And who doesn’t love Disney’s dark rides?

It’s getting late so we decide to check Soarin one last time and it’s still shut down. We checked Soarin and Grizzly River Run multiple times today only to find them closed every time. That was a bummer, but it happens.

It’s late, we’ve had a full day and it’s time to call it a wrap. We debate over whether or not to eat in the park or grab something on the walk back to the hotel. We should have eaten in the park or at least somewhere other than we chose, but that’s not how it played out. Again, I’m not naming the restaurant, but let me say that no matter how cool a pirate themed buffet across the street from Disneyland sounds...it’s not. It was edible, but barely. I kept expecting mob bosses to come busting out from the backroom too – it was just...I don’t know. Not a great experience.

Disney’s California Adventure was fun. There were definitely some things that were frustrating, but there were some incredible memories and experiences we took away from it too. Cars Land, in my opinion, might just be the best Disney Theming I’ve seen yet (especially when you’re lucky enough to be a boy mom). Tomorrow, back to Disneyland again.

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