Disney's California Adventure 25 Years Later: Reflections from an Opening Day Cast Member
Twenty-five years ago, I had the honor of being part of the opening team for Disney’s California Adventure. I will never forget walking into the park for the first time through a backstage entrance near Hollywood & Dine and realizing that I was stepping into a brand-new Disney park as a cast member. As part of my training, I met an incredible group of cast and Imagineers who were working tirelessly to bring Anaheim’s second gate to life.
Despite my deep nostalgia for the place, I can admit that the original version of the park had some significant flaws. That reality, however, does not diminish the fact that the people working there poured their hearts and souls into it. I think about that often when we encounter a new experience, film, or show that does not quite land. A project falling short does not mean the team behind it failed to care or to try.
What I remember most from the early days of Disney California Adventure is not Superstar Limo or Eureka, but the team I opened the park with. I have always told cast members that if the opportunity ever arises to be part of an opening team, they should always say yes. The teamwork and camaraderie forged during that time can last a lifetime, and the countless hours spent getting everything ready somehow fly by.
When I opened DCA, I was also a full-time student at UCLA. To this day, I am not entirely sure how I made it work. I was scheduled five days a week through all of the previews and still managed not to drop out of college, despite not having a car. My commute involved taking a bus from UCLA to LAX, followed by a Super Shuttle ride to the Anaheim area. Looking back, it feels almost impossible, yet somehow it all held together.
That does not mean opening the park was easy. My first costume pickup took four hours because the costuming building simply could not keep up with the demand of the entire opening team collecting their costumes for the first time. The schedulers, working with the then-new GEMS system, repeatedly lost track of me and forgot to schedule me altogether. I vividly remember running into Disneyland Resort President Cynthia Harriss and joking that I was starting to think costuming and scheduling did not like me and might even be conspiring to get me to quit.
Those early hurdles were eventually overcome, even as guest reception to the park was lukewarm. Low attendance was frustrating, but it did not break our spirit. In an effort to turn things around, marketing stunts were attempted, including Disney’s Cal Adventure and Farmer Day, and operational tweaks were made, such as the introduction of Playmosphere and the addition of much-needed shade. Everything changed seven months after opening, on a day when the park itself did not open: September 11, 2001. Far from my family, I leaned on my Disney California Adventure family for support as we all struggled to process that unimaginable day.
Years after I left the park for other roles within Disney, Bob Iger invested heavily in reimagining the park to make it feel more unmistakably Disney. There is no question that the Disney California Adventure of today is superior to the one I knew. Still, I cannot help but feel nostalgic for the version I opened, with Bakersfield Bakery, the sound of Eureka rolling by, and the unmistakable scent of roasting coffee filling Sunshine Plaza.
As beloved franchises were introduced, the “California” in Disney California Adventure gradually gave way to a park that celebrates The Walt Disney Company itself. In that same spirit, the park now prepares for its next major transformation by welcoming Coco and Avatar — two franchises famously set far from California. Even so, I hope the original park is never forgotten.
To my former teammates, please know that I will never forget you. You laid the foundation for my Disney journey, and for that, I will always be grateful.