As an avid Disney World fan, I had my doubts that Disneyland could compare. I finally got a chance to visit this last week with my wife and two year old son, and it was definitely a different experience. We went to the both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland, so I'll give you my thoughts on how the experience compares to Disney World.
Disney California Adventure
First off, we all enjoyed this park very much, but compared to Disneyland, or any of the parks at Disney World, it's not great. DCA doesn't have the same feeling of immersion that the other parks give you. You can actually see the outside world and it kind of breaks the Disney magic. While some of the theming in the park is really good, the overall feel of the park is a hodge-podge of ideas. Basically any ride that wouldn't make sense in Disneyland or couldn't fit, was in this park. Cars Land is probably the best area of the park in terms of immersion and theming. Other lands either were under construction (thanks Pixar Pier), or didn't utilize their theme to its full potential. About the only other area that stays cohesive is A Bug's Land, though it takes up a very small portion of the park and is directed at small children. We were lucky enough to go during the Food and Wine Festival, something we enjoyed while in Epcot in 2014. Lots of great food, but definitely not as many options as Epcot. Here area few thoughts on some of the rides:
Guardians of the Galaxy-Mission:Breakout!
I love the Tower of Terror, so I was marginally disappointed that I wouldn't get a chance to ride it in California, but I have to admit that Guardians of the Galaxy is a great time. I've heard that it's a more intense ride than Tower of Terror, and I believe it! The overlay doesn't make much sense at all, but they took enough care with it to make it an enjoyable experience. Plus, there's always the Tower of Terror in Florida if you really want to ride that version!
A Bug's Land
I unfortunately missed this entire area, as I was in line for Guardians of the Galaxy. Goober (our affectionate nickname for our son) was thoroughly bored with Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, so my wife and him rode Flik's Flyers three times and a row. We attempted to circle back to this area later in the day but Goober ran out of steam.
Toy Story Midway Mania
Nestled in the back of the park surrounded by construction, this ride will later be part of Pixar Pier, but at the moment it looks a little out of place. The ride itself was a lot of fun, though Goober had a bit of trouble operating the controls, as you would imagine. He had a blast, though, and of course wanted to go again. The wife and I haven't been on the Hollywood Studios version, so I can't say if they are any different, but I'm sure the queue must be, as this one seemed to be uniquely themed to the surrounding Paradise Pier. This is a must ride if you have smaller children, but maybe not toddlers.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure
I didn't know this until recently, but this ride gets a lot of hate from the Disney elite. The main complaint is that the omni-mover ride system doesn't benefit an attraction that just does the main songs from a movie. You can look into all the arguments yourself, but I honestly didn't mind it at all. I haven't been on the Disney World version, so this was my first experience. Was it the best dark ride I've ever been on? Not by a long shot, but it's still a lot of fun and Goober loved it so much we rode it three times in a row. Thank God the ride literally had no line.
Soarin' Around the World
My wife doesn't care for Soarin' and I can definitely see why. It's a short, moving IMAX film with smell-o-vision, but I can't help but be tickled by it. We had previously rode Soarin' Over California in Epcot and it was OK. I rode this alone and had a great time! Patrick Warburton's voice is always welcome and the ride has been improved from the original version. The only thing that I would complain about, and I don't know if the Epcot version is the same, is that people's feet were dangling in my view the whole time! I'm gliding past the Sahara desert and there in my peripheral vision is a pair of stinky Reeboks.
Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sully to the Rescue!
A re-skin of the much maligned Superstar Limo, this ride was a good time, but I wish they weren't limited by the old ride system. About the only part that really made me look around in amazement was the door transport room near the end. Goober loves Monsters Inc, so this was his jam, but unfortunately by this time he was getting super grumpy, so the wait to get in was not great. He was also not pleased when we did not go back in for a second time, because there was no way I was waiting another 10-15 minutes with Grumpy Goober.
Radiator Springs Racers
While I had a good time in California Adventure, for the most part the rides had all been nothing special, or didn't have that special Disney magic that I was used to seeing. That all changed with Radiator Springs Racers. This ride is a ton of fun, and I am very disappointed that I had to go by myself. Part dark ride and part Test Track, this ride is a joy from start to finish. I'm not the biggest Cars fan, but they did such a good job with the story and execution for this ride that I can't help but love the dumb movie. The racing part was faster than I thought it would be and was a thrill, to say the least. This would have been the ride that I would have jumped back into the line again if I had the time. Just ride it for yourself and you'll understand!
We didn't get to the whole park, unfortunately, and there were some rides that we had no interest in, like Grizzly River Run, which incidentally was fun to watch, but kept breaking down. We didn't have time for the rest of Cars Land, as once we stopped for ice cream, Goober conked right out. So, can I make a complete review of Disney California? No, but I really think we hit the main spots and we had quite a full day. Definitely a lot of fun, but doesn't have the same Disney Park feel that the other ones give you.
I unfortunately missed this entire area, as I was in line for Guardians of the Galaxy. Goober (our affectionate nickname for our son) was thoroughly bored with Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, so my wife and him rode Flik's Flyers three times and a row. We attempted to circle back to this area later in the day but Goober ran out of steam.
Nestled in the back of the park surrounded by construction, this ride will later be part of Pixar Pier, but at the moment it looks a little out of place. The ride itself was a lot of fun, though Goober had a bit of trouble operating the controls, as you would imagine. He had a blast, though, and of course wanted to go again. The wife and I haven't been on the Hollywood Studios version, so I can't say if they are any different, but I'm sure the queue must be, as this one seemed to be uniquely themed to the surrounding Paradise Pier. This is a must ride if you have smaller children, but maybe not toddlers.
A re-skin of the much maligned Superstar Limo, this ride was a good time, but I wish they weren't limited by the old ride system. About the only part that really made me look around in amazement was the door transport room near the end. Goober loves Monsters Inc, so this was his jam, but unfortunately by this time he was getting super grumpy, so the wait to get in was not great. He was also not pleased when we did not go back in for a second time, because there was no way I was waiting another 10-15 minutes with Grumpy Goober.
While I had a good time in California Adventure, for the most part the rides had all been nothing special, or didn't have that special Disney magic that I was used to seeing. That all changed with Radiator Springs Racers. This ride is a ton of fun, and I am very disappointed that I had to go by myself. Part dark ride and part Test Track, this ride is a joy from start to finish. I'm not the biggest Cars fan, but they did such a good job with the story and execution for this ride that I can't help but love the dumb movie. The racing part was faster than I thought it would be and was a thrill, to say the least. This would have been the ride that I would have jumped back into the line again if I had the time. Just ride it for yourself and you'll understand!
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