Disney’s California Adventure Park, the second park at Anaheim Disneyland Resort, opened in 2001 and is inspired by California. However, visitor turnout has not met expectations, leading to a major overhaul in 2007. The park features different areas, including Sunshine Plaza, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, Golden State, and Paradise Pier. The park’s most popular rides are Grizzly River Run and Soarin’ Over California. The park is undergoing expansion, including the addition of Toy Story Midway Mania. Single-day prices start at $56 USD for children and $66 USD for adults, with Park-Hopper tickets available.
Disney’s California Adventure Park, often called DCA, is the second park at the Anaheim Disneyland Resort. Part of a major resort redevelopment, Disney’s California Adventure opened in early 2001, inspired entirely by the state of California. Visitor turnout has never lived up to administrative expectations, however, and in 2007, officials announced a major multi-year overhaul of the entire park.
In the early 1990s, Disneyland park officials planned to build a second theme park in the parking lot adjacent to Disneyland. After several ideas were rejected, the administration settled on Disney’s California Adventure, in honor of Disneyland’s home state. Construction began in 1998 and the park opened in February 2001. Due to budgetary issues from lower film sales and the lackluster success of Euro Disneyland, the budget for DCA was drastically cut during construction. The park’s original construction cost approximately $600 million United States Dollars (USD), just over 1/8 the cost of the $4 billion Tokyo DisneySea park, which also opened in 2001.
The entrance area to Disney’s California Adventure is called Sunshine Plaza. It features huge murals of California landmarks, a large replica of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, a large fountain, and several gift shops. It also contains part of the show corridor for DCA parades. This area serves as a gateway to the rest of the park and is one of the areas that will be heavily redone during the expansion.
The Hollywood Pictures Backlot area of Disney’s California Adventure is meant to mimic the look of the early 20’s movie town. The Backlot section features several shows, including Turtle Talk with Crush and Muppets 3-D. Top attractions in the area are the family-themed Monster’s Inc: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! and the haunted hotel’s thrill ride, Tower of Terror.
The Golden State park area is divided into several subsections, each of which mimics a specific portion of California’s natural features or historic sites. The Bay Area section features Golden Dreams, a film starring Whoopi Goldberg that tells the story of the state. The Pacific Wharf area is modeled after the coastal city of Monterey and has several restaurants. Golden Vine Winery celebrates California’s famed Wine Country and contains two upscale Italian restaurants and a wine tasting bar.
The Golden State section contains two of the park’s most popular rides. At Grizzly Peak, a dedicated section of California wilderness, the Grizzly River Run is a fast-paced ride through rapids on which most, if not all, patrons emerge soaking wet. The Condor Flats area contains what many fans believe is DCA’s best ride, Soarin’ Over California. This innovative ride is a simulation of hang gliding through parts of California, including San Francisco, Napa, Monterey, the Anza-Borrego Desert, Yosemite State Park and, of course, Disneyland itself. Guests “fly” in a three-row carriage, several feet off the ground, and are even treated to scents appropriate to the area, such as oranges and fir trees.
The waterfront cities of Santa Monica and Santa Cruz were the inspiration for Paradise Pier. The area is filled with carnival-style rides, games, and shops, including the park’s largest coaster, California Screamin’. Paradise Pier will be the recipient of much of the park overhaul, as guests have consistently been dissatisfied with the lack of theming and cohesion in this section of the park. Work has already begun on the construction of Toy Story Midway Mania, a 3-D ride that will open in 2008.
Disney’s California Adventure is an excellent place to spend a day on your trip to Disneyland. With the addition of kid-friendly Bug’s Land in 2003 and expansion planned in the early 21st century, DCA looks poised to become a top-notch theme park worthy of its adjacent neighbor, Disneyland. As of 2008, single-day prices at DCA currently run at $56 USD for children under nine and $66 USD for visitors ten years and older. For a great deal, you might also consider purchasing a Park-Hopper ticket, which starts at $81 USD for children and $91 USD for adults and offers same-day admission to both Disney’s California Adventure and at Disneyland.
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