The World Report
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In the Golden State Area of the park you encounter some interesting options in the park. You can visit Bountiful Valley Farm. It is…a farm. Think Land Boat Ride without the boats or the ride or a narrator. Plants, tractors and more plants. It’s Tough To Be a Bug is also in this area. An exact copy of the one at Animal Kingdom with the exception of the animatronic figure that gets zapped (behind glass at Animal Kingdom but 3D at DCA) by acid. Cute at Animal Kingdom and cute at DCA.
The one thing that Disney has always done well in its parks are films and Golden Dreams is a nice look at some high and low points in California’s history. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg (does she own DCA stock?) the film does a nice job balancing history with entertainment. The day I visited the laser effect at the beginning of the show was not working but it did not distract from the movie. While Golden Dreams was nice I would expect that its repeatability would be low. Think any World Showcase movie and how many times you go back to see them again. I took in the Mission Tortilla Factory (they actually had someone tour us through) and enjoyed the free Tortilla (they gave me 2) as well as the Boudin Bakery. In my opinion these two locations act as filler. Not much to bring you back a second time except the tastings. This area would have been better if they could show how the food grown is then made into other great food items. The evening I was there Golden Vine Winery was closed for a special event so I didn’t get to see Seasons of the Vine. But I did get an opportunity to see Grizzly River Rapids. This raft ride is what Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom should have been. Well themed (except they really could use some Animatronic bears a la the Norway boat ride) and very high on excitement. Expect to get wet. It is wild and fun and one of the better rapid rides in the country. Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is an outdoor play area that has activities for the family. If you like to climb in those tall web things then this is the place for you. You can also take a ride down a small hill on a tire. Lots of fun. My 12 year old son loved this area. Think Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground themed mountain/forest.
The highlight of this area and indeed the park is Soarin Over California. A hang gliding experience through various locales in California. Using an ingenious ride system in front on an IMAX type screen you really feel like you are soaring. Add to that the smells that are sprayed in the room you can really get the feeling of being there. I expect that we will see more Soarin type attractions at other Disney parks. This is one of the attractions that can have a long line so you can use FastPass but my favorite thing was the single rider option which allowed me to ride the attraction 4 times, each with a less than 5 minute wait. Think Back to the Future at Universal without the car and your feet hanging from a glider.
Paradise Pier
That brings us to one of the most controversial areas of any Disney Park: Paradise Pier. Themed as a California seaside resort this area has several rides, shops and restaurants. There are some who question Disney’s decision to put in an area that has familiar rides that can be found at other theme parks. And while I enjoyed the area a lot (it is the prettiest place in the park at night) I can honestly say that it is the area that turned my Disney world upside down. Fun rides, well themed and lots of things to do but it still seemed out of place for me in a Disney park. Having said that I would also have to say Disney themed that area well. One of our favorite things at DCA was California Screamin’, a roller coaster that looks like it is made of wood while all the time being made of metal. It’s a great coaster with some nice air time. The Sun Wheel scared the devil out of me each time it traveled along the rail to either the inside or outside of the Ferris wheel. The highlight for my son? Watching his father who is afraid of heights turn all shades of green each time the car moved. I enjoyed the Golden Zephyr and Orange Stinger and the King Tritons Carousel. But the highlight in this area for my son was Mulholland Madness, a wild mouse attraction. We rode it three times and each time he wanted to ride it again. One thing I can say for Paradise Pier is that it reminded me of my childhood visits to Atlantic City and Seaside Heights in New Jersey. It was fun to be able to share some of those memories with my son.