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Dory
08-10-2004, 01:57 PM
I went to Disneyland recently and was wondering why CA Adventure still closes at 9PM? - Even on the weekends. I thought maybe starting this summer it would stay open as long as Disneyland (midnight).

Then I started thinking, does Cali Adventure close early just because of its lack of nighttime entertainment – I mean besides the Electric Parade? Because i can’t picture it costing that much to keep the park open three more hours.

If that’s the case– maybe they should think about doing a nighttime water show of some sort with that big pool in front of California Screamin. Something like Fantasmic but different.

I noticed there’s a lot of space around that area for people to watch. It’d probably be less congested then the area around Tom Sawyer Island. It could draw people over to CA Adventure who’ve seen Fantasmic already.

That’s another thing – since CA Adventure closes at 9 – I noticed it makes Disneyland way hectic from 9 to midnight cuz once DCA shuts down, all those people rush over to Disneyland making it a zoo.

IMO they should really think about doing something with CA Adventure to liven it up an night. Especially since TOT is open now, its kinda a waste that it closes at 9.

And like I said it would also help even out the crowds.

Also, I have a feeling alot of the new rides from now on will probably be in CA Adventure because Disneyland is running out of space. So they’re going to need to keep DCA open longer.

Hopefully they do.

BTW props to Disney for making a one day park hopper pass available. It wasn’t like that last summer and felt ripped off that I had to spend my whole day at CA Adventure – especially since it closed earlier. But this time I got to jump parks so that was cool.

CarlieB
08-10-2004, 02:00 PM
I agree that DCA should be open later. They're trying to market it as a more adult environment, so it shouldm have more adult hours. Also, the Paradise Pier area is much more attractive at nighttime, with all the lights - they really should take advantage of that. JMHO though:)

AaronInCal
08-10-2004, 02:30 PM
I think DCA closes at 9pm so no one will see Disneyland's fireworks at 9:25 and ask where are DCA's fireworks, or why don't they at least play the music in DCA.. :D

Mickeyslittlehelper
08-10-2004, 02:48 PM
I think its pretty stupid closing at 9. Whenever we were there at closing, we would just head to DL. Why not open the park at 11 till 11, that would be better. Oh wait, do they open at 11? lol

Arnie
08-10-2004, 03:22 PM
When we go in September, DCA is scheduled to close at 8pm and the Electrical Parade is also scheduled for 8pm :confused: I guess there is no avoiding the mass exit at the end of the parade, that is if they don't kick you out first :eek: .

How do they actually work closing the park and having the parade at the same time? I know they won't actually kick you out till after the parade if you are staying to watch but why do they have the closing and parade at the same time? Has anyone been there when something like this was going on?

CoasterChickie
08-10-2004, 03:38 PM
DORY-I totally agree with you. DCA should be open till at least 11. We had a great view of the fireworks at DL from the bridge by Paradise Pier. I think they could easily "pipe in" the music. A water show would be cool too. The California Screamin' is a blast at night when it's all lit up. And when it's hot enough, it would be great to go on the Grizzly a bunch of times at the end of the night, get as soaked as you want, then head back to your hotel versus going on it a bunch of times earlier in the day and looking like a drowned rat when you go back over to DL . They could also keep the crowds in DCA if they had some headliner bands play on weekends like they do at Great America sometimes.

GrumpyUTboi
08-10-2004, 04:01 PM
It is not hard to see that DCA closes early. I remember last year in Sept the park closed at 6 pm. The reason why that they close early is that if you have a crowd that reaches 16k and asuming that they arrive at 11 am. By the time 6,7,or 8 comes around people are tired. It is tiring to ride the rides and the sun also drains energy out of a person. At this point the crowds start to thin and the crowds may get down to say 8k. At this point the breakeven factor grows. For the park to break even, those 8k need to spend the money of 16k, which does not happen.

Also most people have a hopper pass and the people start to migrate to DL. There is more going on at DL and as we see DL is what brings in the money for Disney. Was I disappointed that DCA closed at 6 pm, yea I was and so was my kids. But my kids also understood that it was good business practice to close early.

We used to own a franchise and in the franchise agreement it stated that I had to stay open until midnight. I was in a bedroom community that after 9 pm I had no business. This meant that I was blowing labor for three hours. I may have had $10-$20 in sales for two hours but the last hour was nothing. This caused economic stress on my finances. The whole point is that there comes a point in the day where a business is spending more money than what they are taking in and profits made during the day may be lost in a couple of hours just to please a few people.

skoolpsyk
08-10-2004, 04:24 PM
Now that they have parkhoppers, it's not like they need to close due to lack on interest. We've been there at night and wanted to experience the coaster and GRR at night--but had to leave because it was closing time! so we did end up waiting in line--one to get out of DCA and one to get into DL; this made DL extremely crowded and not much fun...

David R
08-10-2004, 04:30 PM
They should stay open later, change the music to something more upbeat and have a few ODV that sell beer and other cocktails through certain key areas. Turn it into an adult hang-out area at night.

One of my favorite activities in the summer at DCA is to sit down in the SF area, grab a couple beers at the beer truck and chat with friends as we listen to the band play (except for the mariachi band, hopefully that won't stay around much longer - I apologize if anyone likes it, I just don't)

disneyperson
08-10-2004, 04:44 PM
When we go in September, DCA is scheduled to close at 8pm and the Electrical Parade is also scheduled for 8pm :confused: I guess there is no avoiding the mass exit at the end of the parade, that is if they don't kick you out first :eek: .

How do they actually work closing the park and having the parade at the same time? I know they won't actually kick you out till after the parade if you are staying to watch but why do they have the closing and parade at the same time? Has anyone been there when something like this was going on?
We were there in July when the parade started at 8:45 and the park closed at 9:00. I wanted to see the parade (even though it annoys me that it is in DCA and not Mainstreet where it belongs but that's another story) Anyway, if you want to see the parade ,watch from as close as possible to the entrance as you can. That way you can run out and over to DL in front of most of the crowd who will still be watching the end of the parade. If you are further down the parade route, you'll get crushed.

Dory
08-10-2004, 06:13 PM
We were there in July when the parade started at 8:45 and the park closed at 9:00. I wanted to see the parade (even though it annoys me that it is in DCA and not Mainstreet where it belongs but that's another story) .

I agree, they should move the Electric Parade back to Mainstreet. Thats the place it should be.

Heres my idea...

1. Move the Electric Parade back to Mainsteet. That gives Disneyland the Electric Parade, the fireworks, and the early evening Snow White show as entertainment.

2. Like CoasterChickie said, pipe the music in from the fireworks show into CA Adventure. Shoot the fireworks off a little higher so they can be seen from there.

3. Create a new nightshow over at CA Adventure or a more controversial idea - build a venue to host Fantasmic there. An actual theatre-type venue with bleachers where people can sit and watch. They could even upgrade/change the show a little if they chose to.

That would not only give CA Adventure nighttime entertainment - but it would solve the problem of severe congestion around Tom Sawyer island. I don't know about other people but on my last trip that whole area around the island was impassable between the times of the first Fantasmic show and second one.

The crowds are so large now during summer, its gotten to the point where its almost dangerous. People were stampeding to get out after the first show and at the same time people were rushing in to get a seat for the second. It was crazy!

Forget about going to Pirates or any of the rides on that side of the park cuz it becomes a zoo.

On top of that there were people with strollers in the crowd. I feared some little kid was going to get stampeded.

IMO Fantasmic is so popular now that it needs its own venue - i think they have space to build one in CA Adventure.

Thats my opinion at least.

JEFFJAGUAR
08-10-2004, 06:16 PM
I don't know....MSEP (which it will always be to me) goes off at 2045 and we try to watch it right along the gift shoppe just after its start. To Honour America goes by at about 2100 which leaves us plenty of time to get out and over to DL and walk up Main Street to have a good view of the fireworks which in the summer go off at 2125.

Getting out of DCA is a breeze compared to Epcot Centre in Florida where the fireworks on the lake end the day and then the crowds and I mean crowds have a long walk to the entrance and of course for those going over to the Magic Kingdom, they have to contend with very crowded monorails and it may take a good 45 minutes to get over to the Magic Kingdom including the monorail to the TTC and then to the Magic Kingdom a real pain in the fanny.

I don't have any real problems with DCA closing at 2100.

BJW
08-11-2004, 01:31 AM
Since this was something enacted by previous management maybe Ouimet will have the sense to change this. I hate the crowd congestion at Disneyland at night because DCA closes three hours early. Since DCA doesn't have any good breakfast places or any big "rope drop" rushes I think they should hold it's opening til 11 or 12 like someone else mentioned and close at Midnight.

Maybe if we all petition Ouimet (or CM Matt to his fans ;) ) he will change DCA's hours. This park is a lot better at night anyway and we all wouldn't feel so rushed to see everything in the daytime.

spectromen
08-11-2004, 07:59 AM
I agree it's prettier at night at DCA. I'd almost be happier with a noon opening for a later (10-11pm) closing. And I'd much rather see MSEP at Disneyland too. Perhaps if the new DCA parade does well, it can run twice a day, once in daylight, once at night like Eureka originally did, making way for MSEP to come back to MS. Assuming the crowds at DL will substantially increase next year for the 50th, it might be a good idea to have more nighttime entertainment there besides fireworks, Fantasmic, and (probably) two showings of the new day parade.

I recently watched my home video of Beauty & the Beast Live. For a time, the entertainment included that, MSEP twice nightly, Aladdin parade twice daily, Fantasmic 3 times nightly, AND Hunchback Festival of Fools 4-5 times daily! Not to mention, the last showing of B&B was at 9PM!!! What a dream schedule that was!! Sigh.

danyoung
08-11-2004, 10:00 AM
...maybe they should think about doing a nighttime water show of some sort with that big pool in front of California Screamin. Something like Fantasmic but different..

They tried this a couple of years ago. There are hard limits to how big they can get with the fireworks in such a tight location. They came out looking really weenie. Plus the smoke cloud engulfed about half of the crowd, choking them severely. It seems like they could put something in, maybe a fountain/lights show with limited fireworks.

danyoung
08-11-2004, 10:02 AM
How do they actually work closing the park and having the parade at the same time? I know they won't actually kick you out till after the parade if you are staying to watch but why do they have the closing and parade at the same time?


You know how Disney parks always leave the stores open as the crowd is leaving? That's how they do it. The closing time just means that the attractions are closed, but you can still shop till you drop for at least another hour. It does make for a pretty huge mob racing for the exit after the show. But if you have some patience, just stake out a good sittin' spot and wait 15 minutes or so. It'll be much less hectic getting out.

danyoung
08-11-2004, 10:05 AM
At this point the breakeven factor grows. For the park to break even, those 8k need to spend the money of 16k, which does not happen.

Yeah, but this is true in any park - you'll lose the people that have been there since the crack of dawn, but you pick up more people in the late afternoon and evening. That's if you give them something to do during the evening. So far, beyond rides, there just isn't much of a late night attraction past the Electrical Parade. Maybe there will be someday . . . . .

soccerlady16
08-11-2004, 02:31 PM
When we go in September, DCA is scheduled to close at 8pm and the Electrical Parade is also scheduled for 8pm :confused: I guess there is no avoiding the mass exit at the end of the parade, that is if they don't kick you out first :eek: .

How do they actually work closing the park and having the parade at the same time? I know they won't actually kick you out till after the parade if you are staying to watch but why do they have the closing and parade at the same time? Has anyone been there when something like this was going on?
I don't know why they close and have the parade @ the same time but they do shut down the rides at closing time. So you have nothing else to do but watch the parade or shop.

sediment
08-11-2004, 02:37 PM
Maybe if we all petition Ouimet (or CM Matt to his fans ;) ) he will change DCA's hours. This park is a lot better at night anyway and we all wouldn't feel so rushed to see everything in the daytime.
There's a place right here to state your case.
(No guarantees of his reading, though.)

soccerlady16
08-11-2004, 02:42 PM
Now that they have parkhoppers, it's not like they need to close due to lack on interest. We've been there at night and wanted to experience the coaster and GRR at night--but had to leave because it was closing time! so we did end up waiting in line--one to get out of DCA and one to get into DL; this made DL extremely crowded and not much fun...
I totally agree. There's been times that after work we want to go to DLR to ride TOT or Screamin'. We have to rush to DLR, park, take the tram and try to make it to DCA before they close. We only get to go on the ride once before the park closes and because the night is young we head over to DL, which is really crowded because of Fantasmic, and all the good rides are on that side. It would be way better if DCA would close at 11 like it used to.

Pedro2NR
08-11-2004, 02:43 PM
I've always thought they closed at different times to lighten up traffic when people leave. If DCA closes an hour earlier than DL than this still creates traffic which includes the walkways, trams and parking structure. I thought they give it a 2 hour difference should help spread out departures.

jasonpbyu
08-11-2004, 02:46 PM
I've always thought they closed at different times to lighten up traffic when people leave. If DCA closes an hour earlier than DL than this still creates traffic which includes the walkways, trams and parking structure. I thought they give it a 2 hour difference should help spread out departures.

but if everyone heads over to DL, then it does not do much as far as cutting down traffic, just makes DL more congested.

Pedro2NR
08-11-2004, 02:56 PM
People leave DL at different times(even those who came from DCA), which means it still spreading out traffic.

Tigertail777
08-11-2004, 11:07 PM
In my opinion, if there is one thing DCA desperately needs its some night time clubs, something very simular to wdw's pleasure island. California ADVENTURE could use a ADVENTURERS club. :fez: It seems to be a no brainer to me; they already serve alcolhaul, they wanted it to be an adult park, they already have the overall design done and tested at wdw and they know it draws crowds. And if there were dance clubs as well, that would draw a larger young adult audience that they are looking for, especially if they could make a venue for live band performances, and constantly have fresh live bands come.

As for Fantasmic at DCA, sorry that would NOT work... first off Fanasmic does use a fair amount of pyro, and we already know that pyro doesnt work over there from the christmas show they tried to do... people practically choked to death. Secondly, the biggest parts of Fantasmic are the columbia becoming the peter pan ship, and the mark twain finale, there is no way you are going to fit anything even remeotely as big as those ships over at DCA's lagoon, or any other newly built venue. I have heard this is the very reason that the wdw version of Fantasmic pales in comparison; because they have a tiny cheap boat instead of the Mark Twain.
However... I think it would be very cool if they could make a ALL NEW show over at DCA themed to california, perhaps a water show like the dancing fountains in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas?

danyoung
08-12-2004, 05:16 AM
However... I think it would be very cool if they could make a ALL NEW show over at DCA themed to california, perhaps a water show like the dancing fountains in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas?

That was my thought as well, like the Bellagio or even more like the old but still fun water show at the DL Hotel. More fountains and lights, and maybe a few well placed fireworks at the end for impact. It wouldn't be as grand as Fantasmic!, but it could still be very cool.