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Pat-n-Eil
05-07-2003, 01:05 PM
I read this board and lots of people are down on Disney's California Adventure. I have to admit, the first time I visited DCA I thought "Well, this was good for about 3 hours.. but it is no Disneyland".

The lack of themed queues, the "annoying" music, the relative sparseness of rides.. California Screamin' was mostly down all day for 3 days in a row (finally got to ride it one night and loved it) but all in all we came away disappointed..

The following year, we went again.. and DCA hadn't changed much, but our personal interpretation of it had. We checked out the Millionaire show, The animation areas in the Hollywood back lot area, checked out the Audio Visual stuff where you sing or say the story and it records you.. Then we all enjoyed California Screamin'. We enjoyed Paradise Pier with a Margarita and a blues band. We found the Trattoria restaurant where we could sit and enjoy a nice meal.. We began to appreciate the Grizzly river run and always enjoyed Soarin' over California.. And we found that we were spending more and more enjoyable time at the less crowded park.

I have a feeling that this year, with Space Mountain closed, we'll be getting our coaster fill at California Screamin' some more. Though the multiple fastpass system will entice my to try Indiana Jones again for the first time in about 7 years.... But the point is, I've grown accustomed to DCA and my family enjoys it.

Baggins
05-07-2003, 01:18 PM
My family enjoys it, too. DL is usually our first stop, but if we've been there recently, then DCA is first choice. GRR is fun and so is Soarin'

I really like the article that David Koenig wrote in defense of DCA on April 30th. It needs time to grow, and I hope it does.

MegaDuck
05-07-2003, 01:32 PM
Iheard that the Summer Concert series was a pretty popular last year at DCA and drew in a lot of people. Any word if they are doing that again this year?

scaeagles
05-07-2003, 01:42 PM
I like DCA, too. So do my kids. It's different than DL, which I think is good. Why put another DL across the street from DL?

For example, my kids think the Redwood Creek Challange Trail blows Tom Sawyer's Island away. My 3 year old son would stay in there all day. Some don't like GRR, but I think it's a blast. I love Soarin' (I do hope that posting on here about the current quality of the film are overstated....I would be disappointed to go and have the quality so downgraded).

It will definitely need a chance to grow, and I expect the entire remainder of the parking lot to be gone eventually.

DisneyFan25863
05-07-2003, 01:48 PM
I really think that DCA is slowly but surly taking a turn for the better. I think TOT will really bring up the park, and that the proposed Monsters Inc. one will be a hit ;)

jrad32
05-07-2003, 01:51 PM
God love ya, you DCA fans you.

I guess it's nice someone likes the collection of merchandise outlets and off the shelf rides across the esplanade.

I do think DCA will improve and eventually be a good park, just not now.

I believe there will be no summer concert series as it has been replaced by an X Games like BMX show, according to sources. It looks like fans of the garbage bands they had last summer will miss out this year:crying:

Covnut
05-07-2003, 10:41 PM
Well, just imagine DCA in 2007 when they have ToT open and probably a new E-ticket along with Monsters Inc, and who knows what new shows will be there! Hey, do not forget how DL started. :D

merlinjones
05-08-2003, 06:15 AM
>>Hey, do not forget how DL started.<<

Disneyland was a unique, artfully executed concept from the beginning and the park itself was a big, unpreceedented hit with the public from day one (except for their opening day missteps). In fact, Disneyland's history is absolutely nothing like DCA's, despite apologist spin - - in fact they are opposites in nearly every way. Historical comparisons are ridiculous at best and an outright lie at worst.

Enjoy DCA if you must, but don't buy into the lie that it is or was anything like Disneyland at any time.

timl33
05-08-2003, 07:39 AM
I also enjoy DCA, but I still think it's not worth full price.

Wanda Woman
05-08-2003, 09:07 AM
I think the real problem with DCA is that the admission price is the same as DL's. The cost is the same, so guests are expecting to get the same value/experience as DL. DCA guests who have been to DL end up being disappointed because they realize they would have received better value for the same cost had they gone to DL.

DCA is not a great park, but it's a nice little park. It should be priced like a nice little park. I'd set the ticket price at $30 to $35, max.

Disney is giving consumers the unrealistic perception that a visit to DCA is worth the same amount of money as a visit to DL. Consumers aren't convinced.

Just my two cents.

Wanda Woman

"Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" when we are already there?"

mikala
05-08-2003, 09:33 AM
We first went to California Adventure during CM previews in January 2001 before it opened. It has quickly become what we consider a must see when going to Disneyland Resort.

My husbands perception of it, is a total fave. Like someone else said the parks are different. In our opinion, you could definately spend a full day in CA AD, but then again during our last trip in April, we rode 17 rides in 3 days. We stroll and take our time. California Adventure is well worth it. :)

kwlundy
05-08-2003, 09:35 AM
Now see there...this thread was starting out real nice, and then the 'senior members' had to come along and ruin it :)

Tref
05-08-2003, 10:34 AM
To-day's special guest writer for "Tref" will be his next door neighbor, crotchety, Old Man Helgusson:

Dangnabbit! I'm telling ya, the parks no good, chil'ren. It ain't right! Mercy! And you'll come to no good if'n you keep supporting its wickedness! Cheap, money pinchin' corporate fiddle faddle, is all it is. Don' be fooled & don' settle for nothin' less then what ye de-serve. Are you listen' t' me? Trouble is yer ears r' all stuffed with pixie dust and yer brain is hyp-no-tised by watchin' yer Disney channel 'til yer eyes bleed.

You think TOT may help? Hee hee Indeed, chil'ren, maybe 'til we all realise that we're gettin' abou' half the ride that there Flordia park has! My goodness! DCA will never be worth a spit until its dismantled (by about half) and re-built in the image of a real Disn'a park. Praise Walt and take a pass on the admission. Now leave me be, I needs to get back to my leaf rakin' You DCA lovin' off the shelf ride huggin' ne'er-do-wells.

Signed, respec'yfully,
O M H

mousketeer
05-08-2003, 08:38 PM
Originally posted by Pat&Eil
I read this board and lots of people are down on Disney's California Adventure. I have to admit, the first time I visited DCA I thought "Well, this was good for about 3 hours.. but it is no Disneyland".

The lack of themed queues, the "annoying" music, the relative sparseness of rides.. California Screamin' was mostly down all day for 3 days in a row (finally got to ride it one night and loved it) but all in all we came away disappointed..

The following year, we went again.. and DCA hadn't changed much, but our personal interpretation of it had. We checked out the Millionaire show, The animation areas in the Hollywood back lot area, checked out the Audio Visual stuff where you sing or say the story and it records you.. Then we all enjoyed California Screamin'. We enjoyed Paradise Pier with a Margarita and a blues band. We found the Trattoria restaurant where we could sit and enjoy a nice meal.. We began to appreciate the Grizzly river run and always enjoyed Soarin' over California.. And we found that we were spending more and more enjoyable time at the less crowded park.

I have a feeling that this year, with Space Mountain closed, we'll be getting our coaster fill at California Screamin' some more. Though the multiple fastpass system will entice my to try Indiana Jones again for the first time in about 7 years.... But the point is, I've grown accustomed to DCA and my family enjoys it.

I couldn't agree more.

Tigertail777
05-09-2003, 01:15 AM
But I have to ask, and NO I am not trying to be mean about DCA or anything, but given the fact you pay the same as DL (and just pretend you do if you are an AP, or get a break on the price somehow), IF the park had been the huge hit that Disney wanted, and it had HUGE lines and wait times like Disneyland can, and was terribly crowded.... would you still like it as much or feel it was as good of value?

I ask this because most people bring up one of the main points they like DCA is that its less crowded and you can take your time...so if that one point was taken away, and you paid the same amount as Disneyland to get in, would it still be the same for you?
Now think hard about this, I don't want a off the top of your head answer... think about each ride or attraction and clearly picture what it would be like, for instance picture Soarin' its one of the most popular things in the park... if DCA had DL attendance you might be waiting over an hour in standby, and fastpass could easily run out early. Now picture those broad walkways crowded end to end with throngs of hot sweaty people bumping and jostling you (like Disneyland gets in the summer). Once you clearly picture the mess of the crowds, the heat (not much shade to be had in DCA), and the prices...

Would it still be as worthwhile to you? Would you feel you still get a good value?


Now having asked that, I will give you my honest answer: I liked about one quarter of what was in DCA, I thought some of that percentage was fantastic (the animation building, TTBAB), some pretty nice but needed some extra touches (Soarin', and GRR), and some just so-so (some of Hollywood backlot, most of paradise pier). So with all that in mind, and we DID pay full price, I would say it isnt worth the money. Had it been closer to $20-$25 I would say it was.

OK now I want to hear yer answers... (remember keep in mind the crowding issue)

10krbell
05-09-2003, 08:06 AM
Originally posted by Tigertail777
Would it still be as worthwhile to you? Would you feel you still get a good value?


Now having asked that, I will give you my honest answer: I liked about one quarter of what was in DCA, I thought some of that percentage was fantastic (the animation building, TTBAB), some pretty nice but needed some extra touches (Soarin', and GRR), and some just so-so (some of Hollywood backlot, most of paradise pier). So with all that in mind, and we DID pay full price, I would say it isnt worth the money. Had it been closer to $20-$25 I would say it was.

OK now I want to hear yer answers... (remember keep in mind the crowding issue)

Ok, I really thought about this one, since I too am fond of DCA. We went for an AP Preview, when it was crowded (we waited 4 hours for Soarin' and 2 hours for GRR, since both FP's were out by the time we got to them) DCA doesn't take much to be considered *crowded* when you think about it. Yes, I would lose a lot of my fondness for DCA on days it is that crowded, but I also lose a bit of my fondness for DL on days it is that crowded, though DL is much more conducive to sitting and people watching, etc.

But honestly, if I were to pay full price for DCA on that crowded of a day, I would be annoyed. but if I were to pay full price for DL on a crowded day I would also be annoyed. But (and this is just me and my thought proccess) would I be annoyed at DCA? No, I would get annoyed at all the other people in the crowds!

Tref
05-09-2003, 11:55 AM
Originally writ' by Tigertail777
But I have to ask, and NO I am not trying to be mean about DCA or anything, but given the fact you pay the same as DL (and just pretend you do if you are an AP, or get a break on the price somehow), IF the park had been the huge hit that Disney wanted, and it had HUGE lines and wait times like Disneyland can, and was terribly crowded.... would you still like it as much or feel it was as good of value?
Would it still be as worthwhile to you? Would you feel you still get good value?
OK now I want to hear yer answers... (remember keep in mind the crowding issue)

To-day's special guest writer for the vacationing "Tref" will be his next door neighbor -- crotchety, Old Man Helgusson:

Dagnabbit! If'n you could have been t' Dream Land on Coney Island back in aught 5, when I was jess a lil kid, then you would all understand the REAL origin of the theme park. You may think Walt was first, but ole Dreamland lived and burned before Walt ever had the notion to take his kinder to that there park in the Los Angeles hills. Dreamland was a site to see; Tall spiralin' towers that pert near touched God; lit up so as to turn night into day. Mercy! And the rides -- holy macker'l. You kids are worried about wi'ther or not you gets a countdown warnin' signal at the start of the Screamin' ride? Why on the Parachute Drop ride, a small family of 4 could be blown out to sea and ne'er be seen ag'in and the last thought that family would have would be how grateful they were for the chance to have seen Dreamland before they left earth. Whoa, boy! The Steeplechase ride not only didn't have seatbelts but the seats were greased wit' butt'a to ensure that you'd be thrown off at some point to the joy of the onlookers. Folks had to be wheeled out all bruised and broken, but wit' smiles on their face as wide as George Tilyou's grinning "funny face" on the Steeplechase Park.

My point, you ask? My point is that Disn'a had 100 hundred ye'rs of history from which to build their little ex-tension to DL. 100 years, I tells ya! That's a long time of trial and err'a. No excuse must be made about yer DCA park. So, I'd say, to ans'r Tigertails quest'ee,
it's worth a nickel when its not crowded and when crowded, Disn'a pays ye the nickel.

Signed,
OMH

Pat-n-Eil
05-09-2003, 02:48 PM
Tigertail777 asked if we thought DCA was worth the same price as Disneyland.

Since you don't want an off the top of my head answer, then I won't answer with yes or no.. Rather my answer is that I always get multiple day parkhoppers, so I don't really think about it.

I think about the combined value of both parks for the price paid. I only make it down there about once per year and so the question, as asked, doesn't really work for me..

Do I think DCA is as good as Disneyland? No.
Would I make the annual trek to SoCal if it was only DCA? No.

But at this point, I would very much miss DCA if it weren't there. It is certainly different than Disneyland and part of my original point was that the difference takes getting used to.. On the plus side, when I compare it to - say - Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara, I like it better due to the cleanliness and organization of the park. I do wish it had some more E-Ticket rides, but all parks start at some point with less than they ultimately have..

GeminiAngel
05-09-2003, 03:04 PM
Originally posted by kwlundy
Now see there...this thread was starting out real nice, and then the 'senior members' had to come along and ruin it :)

Don't let those old grumpies bug ya!! This senior is on board with DCA. :D

Wizard69
05-09-2003, 04:23 PM
I like DCA. I always have. Especially when Blast was there and now Aladdin. And now that they have added A Bug's Land and Playhouse Disney and soon TOT, the park is only getting better. Ok, so yes A Bug's Land and Playhouse Disney is for kids. So what! The point I am making is that they are expanding the park. They are building on to the park and making it better.

For all those people who hate DCA. We ought to send them those facts in the other thread on here about how many rides, etc were at each park at opening.

The only reason these idiots hate DCA is for one reason. IT'S NOT DISNEYLAND!! Wake the (insert explicative here) up and quit comparing DCA to Disneyland. If you are going to compare it. You gotta compare it to the other parks as well (especially on the quality, quantity of attractions, etc. at their respective openings.). Disneyland had almost 50 years to get better. Where as DCA has only had a few. So quit comparing apples to oranges.

Tref
05-09-2003, 05:23 PM
Originally writ' by Wizard69
I like DCA.

For all those people who hate DCA. We ought to send them those facts in the other thread on here about how many rides, etc were at each park at opening.

The only reason these idiots hate DCA is for one reason. IT'S NOT DISNEYLAND!! Wake the (insert explicative here) up and quit comparing DCA to Disneyland. If you are going to compare it. You gotta compare it to the other parks as well (especially on the quality, quantity of attractions, etc. at their respective openings.). Disneyland had almost 50 years to get better. Where as DCA has only had a few. So quit comparing apples to oranges.

To-day's special guest writer for the vacationing, Tref, will be his next door neighbor -- crotchety, Old Man Helgusson:

"Idiots!" Why I outta take you o'er ma knee young'n. You'll be "Sceamin' California" to next Tuesday when I get done wit' ya!

How dare you! What nonsense spews forth from yer mouf, boy! I demand an apology. Disn'aland had 50 years to get better and the Disn'a organisation had fifty years to figure out how to do a follow up, boy! Do the math, son. And stop being an apologist for what deep in your cold heart you know to be second rate. Now g'it on home, son, yer mama must be worried sick.

Respectfully,
OMH

drjones
05-09-2003, 05:24 PM
i also like DCA, in fact, my kids seem to prefer it. Michelle and i have to virtually drag the kids away so we can get into DL. They love the redwood creek challenge trail, Screamin' and GRR.
I think it is worth the $ if you consider it a non disney park, like Knotts or six flags. I think DCA has an overall better ambiance then aforementioned parks, but still pales in comparison to the original. (bows before sleeping beauty's castle)

MonorailMan
05-09-2003, 05:25 PM
Originally posted by MegaDuck
Iheard that the Summer Concert series

How many time do I have to tell you; It was a "Music Series". THey were not Concerts. :rolleyes: :fez:

Tigertail777
05-09-2003, 06:11 PM
Why do we keep comparing it to Disneyland???

HOOBOY! let me count the ways...
1) its right across the way within viewing distance
2) they insist on pricing it the same as DL, its only about half the park so should be about half the price.
3) DCA is going on what its 2nd, or third year? compare how many new things were being unveiled in a simular time frame for the original Disneyland.
4) it has "Disney's" in the title leaving it open for comparison to DL, and meaning it should have the same quality as all other Disney products.
5) they bill the whole place as a "resort" now meaning the two parks are no longer seperate but taken as a whole, so if they are grouped together like that they cannot be judged on seperate merits, and the pricing together with this "resort" title make it seem as if they are supposed to be the same value as each other.
6) the park is within throwing distance of DL, and flies in the face of what Walt wanted DL to be to begin with. He had the opportunity to put in barely themed carny rides, and for the most part, (dumbo notwithstanding) he didnt do it.

For the record, I don't HATE DCA, I am just very very dissappointed. For my money, and the types of rides presented there, and the PRICE, I would rather go to Magic Mountain or Knotts. Disney has always meant immersive theming even MGM does a far better job of that than DCA. And frankly knowing some of the ideas that were originally planned and not executed for DCA really adds to that dissappointment.
IF they HAD to go with paradise pier, why couldnt they have actually had full immersive theming better? It sure as heck doesnt feel like a turn of the century or even 1920's amusement park... where are the staples for that time period: the fun house, tunnel of love, ghost train, Thompson scenic railway, shoot the chutes etc? Sure doesnt look like much research was put into that part. I can tell you right now, had Disney really put a big effort into making Paradise pier authentic, it would have had a huge built in fanbase.. there are tons of fans of old amusement parks and rides that would travel great distances just to see an authentic reproduction. They really shot themselves in the foot with that one, they could have even have had a big publicity thing going about it and how they were going to extreme lengths for authenticity... people would have come in droves. You have no idea how obsessive (far more than me) many people are about authentic old rides, there are MANY big clubs across the country that would have made a pilgramage just to see paradise pier on a regular basis.
That many people seeing just that part of the park, would have drove sales in the other areas, would have put money in Disney's coffers to add more. BUT "if it's good enough for six flags"... therin lies the problem: it's trying for two different types of audiences and not wholly succeeding in either one. Its not the immersive themed amusement park of yesteryear that would set old park buffs drooling, and its also not super extreme ride extravaganza 6 flags. And this is just SOME of the inherent flaws in ONE land. (Although had this land been done right, it could have "drove" the entire rest of the park in sales).
DCA is poorly planned, had they thought it through longer, planned things more, and were more careful, even with the same budget they could have had a better park along the exact same lines.

Wizard69
05-09-2003, 10:41 PM
Why do we keep comparing it to Disneyland???

HOOBOY! let me count the ways...
1) its right across the way within viewing distance

So is Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor


4) it has "Disney's" in the title leaving it open for comparison to DL, and meaning it should have the same quality as all other Disney products.

Based on your statement, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor both have "Six Flags" in the name. So should they have the same quality as each other as well?


5) they bill the whole place as a "resort" now meaning the two parks are no longer seperate but taken as a whole, so if they are grouped together like that they cannot be judged on seperate merits, and the pricing together with this "resort" title make it seem as if they are supposed to be the same value as each other.

Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor are part of Six Flags Los Angeles. So, based on your statement, I can say the same thing...They bill the whole place as "Six Flags Los Angeles" now meaning two parks are no longer seperate but taken as a whole, so if they are grouped together like that they cannot be judged on seperate merits, and the pricing together with this "Six Flags Los Anglees" title make it seem as if they are supposed to be the same value as each other.

My point is, Disneyland and DCA are 2 different parks and they should be judged separately even though they may have the same name in the title and/or be next to another theme park owned by the same company. The same goes for Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor as well as WDW and any other theme park which has more than 1 park.