Talk to me about Disney's California Adventure (1 Viewer)

[nirad3]

Did a search, came up empty.

And who woulda thunk it.... a native SoCal guy asking for advice about something in his own backyard. But yeah, never been. Been to Disneyland itself more times than I can shake a stick at, can walk around that place like I own it. But it's neighboring California Adventure? No clue.

I've heard it's more rollercoasters than D-Land? Bad news for my 10 year old son, who isn't into them.

Any must-see/do's?

Going on Wednesday with my kids and need a good idea of what to focus on. TIA

 

[El Floppo]

there's an enormous Disney thread. you should ask in there

 

[tommyGunZ]

Disneyland/CA Adventure expert here .

Immediately upon entering the park, go to the "Radiator Springs Racers" ride, assuming you are hitting the park early. It's not a roller coaster but is the most popular ride. If your son likes the Cars movies, he'll love it.

"Midway Mania" is fun for the everyone - my kids love it. The line gets really long for this as well, so go early.

"Soarin' around the World" is awesome. It may be my favorite rid in either park. It is not a roller coaster. My 10 yr old son hates roller coasters. He loves Soarin'.

"Grizzley River Run" is great as well, but you will get wet. Fortunately, the lines rarely get long, so you don't have to prioritize it. We often hit it toward the end of the day.

BEER! There are several places to get beer and wine throughout the park. Enjoy. We often do lunch at the "Wharf" area, though I believe it was recently renovated. Usually there is a Karl Strauss truck selling beer there amongst the lunch options. Perfect.

We usually hit the Monsters Inc ride and the Little Mermaid as well when the lines are short for those two. They aren't great, but if you know and like the stories as my kids do, they enjoy the rides and the lines go quick as its a conveyor belt ride constantly moving.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Been a zillion times. But it’s been a while. 5 years? Radiator springs great. monsters Inc is fun if your kid likes that movie. goofy flying school is hysterical. It will put your kid on the edge of his comfort Zone. Soaring Is fun. The big coaster and tower of terror(guardians) are great, your kid will hate them. Ariel is lame but nicely air conditioned.
beer. One can also go into the grand Californian and get a cocktail.

 

[ChicoCat]

I'll get flamed for it.... but Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout is, on certain days, better than The Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios. Much different vibe and more fun.

 

[nirad3]

there's an enormous Disney thread. you should ask in there

I checked in there but it seemed mostly about Disney World and the OG Disneyland. I guess I should peruse a bit more.

 

[El Floppo]

there's an enormous Disney thread. you should ask in there

I checked in there but it seemed mostly about Disney World and the OG Disneyland. I guess I should peruse a bit more.

that thing is bottomless... seems like you had the right idea here.

 

[glvsav37]

@tommyGunZ advice is spot on.

The best ride in the park is Radiator Springs racers. The whole Carsland is amazing. There are other smaller rides there to ride there as well.

Next, I would hit the Avengers Campus. The Tower of Terror Ride has been rethemed to Guardians of the Galaxy. It might be a little much for the 10year old, so check before riding. There they also have Spiderman web slingers there which may be more his speed. Hang around the area and try and catch Spiderman fly between buildings.

After that, check out the rethemed Incredibles area at Pixar Pier. Right now some of that area is under construction as they transform the wharf into San Fransokyo from Big Hero 6. There you'll find the big coaster at DCA, the Incredicoaster. The Toy Story Midway Mania Ride is also here and its a lot of fun. This is also where you will catch the nighttime show World of Color if you stick around that late.

THen there is a long list of rides you should check out like said above, Soarin, and Philrharmagic, etc.

Now the dirty dirty.....since you've been last, there they have dramatically changed the way you get on rides most efficiently. They now have a pay for access system called Genie+. Disney Genie is a free service on your phone that tells you the best time to hit certain rides, or you can upgrade to "Genie+" for about $15 per person and that will allow you to reserve ride times, then enter a special shorter line (called Lighting Lane) at your reserved time. But to make things better, the really good rides are not part of that system, you'll need to buy them individually if you want that LL access. It can get pricey, but depending on the crowd size, you may want to factor that into your budget.

Here is a video that reviews a DCA day using Genie+
Here is one without using it

 

[FiredMartz]

Lamplighter Lounge for Lobster nachos

Carthay for great old fashions

 

[nirad3]

@tommyGunZ advice is spot on.

The best ride in the park is Radiator Springs racers. The whole Carsland is amazing. There are other smaller rides there to ride there as well.

Next, I would hit the Avengers Campus. The Tower of Terror Ride has been rethemed to Guardians of the Galaxy. It might be a little much for the 10year old, so check before riding. There they also have Spiderman web slingers there which may be more his speed. Hang around the area and try and catch Spiderman fly between buildings.

After that, check out the rethemed Incredibles area at Pixar Pier. Right now some of that area is under construction as they transform the wharf into San Fransokyo from Big Hero 6. There you'll find the big coaster at DCA, the Incredicoaster. The Toy Story Midway Mania Ride is also here and its a lot of fun. This is also where you will catch the nighttime show World of Color if you stick around that late.

THen there is a long list of rides you should check out like said above, Soarin, and Philrharmagic, etc.

Now the dirty dirty.....since you've been last, there they have dramatically changed the way you get on rides most efficiently. They now have a pay for access system called Genie+. Disney Genie is a free service on your phone that tells you the best time to hit certain rides, or you can upgrade to "Genie+" for about $15 per person and that will allow you to reserve ride times, then enter a special shorter line (called Lighting Lane) at your reserved time. But to make things better, the really good rides are not part of that system, you'll need to buy them individually if you want that LL access. It can get pricey, but depending on the crowd size, you may want to factor that into your budget.

Here is a video that reviews a DCA day using Genie+
Here is one without using it

We went to Disneyland a month or so back so I know all about the Genie. I didn't end up getting it for us (was $25/person) because the lines for the big rides were actually somewhat manageable.

Appreciate the info!