Kenversations™ - Mar 12, 2001

Kenversations™
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The Second Gate
Early on, "The Second Gate" was what people called Westcot, and then Disney's California Adventure park. It isn't meant as a slight. Rather, it is used because Disneyland has been around for almost forty-six years. A new theme park with a new gate (costing a separate day's admission, of course) is a "second gate". Twelve years after the first public statement that Disney was seriously considering giving Disneyland Park a neighbor, the time to open up to the world finally came.

Now, when I say that the new hotel is the best thing about the expansion, I'm not saying I don't enjoy DCA. I will spend much more time in DCA than I ever will the GCH. What I mean is, the GCH is the aspect of the expansion that appeals to me the most, that I feel was done the best. DCA isn't the park I wanted to see next to Disneyland, but then I'm not the target audience.

The park was busier during previews than since the grand opening festivities. Indeed, the very day of the grand opening, heading into a holiday weekend, was predicted to be a madhouse but turned out to be very mild, which was for the best anyway.

Disney had opened seven major theme parks before, and that isn't including the two large water parks at WDW. That experience helped Disney open DCA fairly smoothly.

So much has been said about DCA already, so I'm not going to dwell on detailed descriptions of everything.

Superstar Limo -I don't mean to shock you, but I actually enjoyed this attraction. Perhaps the people so quick to trash it were expecting something else? If you go in knowing it is going to be a "dark ride" along the lines of Toad, and not something like Indiana Jones or Haunted Mansion, you should do okay. Speaking of scary, what about that Joan Rivers puppet and the "agent"? At least those are in the videos and can be changed, as can the less-than-A-list celebrities featured in three dimensions in the ride. The announcements in the queue are a little too cynical, but for some star-struck Hollywood insider wanna-be from out of state, Limo can be over-the-top, wacky role-playing fun.

Muppet*Vision 3D - I loved it at Walt Disney World, and I'm glad it ended up in DCA instead of Disneyland Park. This attraction features one of the few elaborate waiting areas in the park. The pre-show and show are so filled with jokes, gags, and details that you have to see it over and over again, and I actually try to wait through a whole pre-show cycle. If you find out that it is ten minutes until the next show, don't leave to come back in nine minutes - go inside and enjoy what there is to see! Even though I've seen this same attraction at Walt Disney World many times, I still like to see it again.

Disney Animation - If I was going to meet someone at the park, and wasn't sure how long it would take them to get there, I'd ask to meet inside the main room there. I love animation in the Disney feature style, as you might have been able to tell from my previous columns. I could sit inside that central room and kick back for a long time. What are also nice are the interactive activities like voicing a Disney character and animating. When are we going to get to voice and animate an audio-animatronic character? That would be something! Maybe Disney can add an Imagineering lab to DCA?

It's Tough to Be a Bug - Wear as few layers of clothing in this attraction as possible. Your first time experiencing this will be the best. After that, the best thing to do is drag along friends and family who haven't seen it yet each time you see it. I love the audio-animatronics.

Free Food! - Tortillas straight from the machine, bread baked in front of you, there's even wine nearby (though it's not free). Now all they need is real California cheese in that corner of the park. I can see this area of the park being a favorite hangout for some of us regulars. Maybe there'll be a limit placed on how often we can go through those places in a visit.

Golden Dreams - This kind of attraction is very, very hard to do. It is a look at the history of California, focusing less on events and more on the different people who've contributed to creating the state as it is now. You're never going to please everyone with something like this, because someone will always feel like something was left out, underrepresented, misrepresented, overrepresented, or whatever. Early on, this was one of the two attractions I was looking forward to the most. Unfortunately, I wasn't as excited about the finished product. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't seen the American Adventure at EPCOT Center. It would also have been nice to have a pre and/or post show with displays to augment the film.

Soarin' over California - This was the other attraction I was eager to see. As Golden Dreams gave an overview of California's heritage, this would be a survey of California's landscape. It provides some nice views and pleasant music, but I was expecting more of a simulation with some continuity and less of a travelogue for the MTV generation. Nonetheless, it is enjoyable.

Grizzly River Rapids - Haven't ridden it, though I would have if there was more show to it. Should be very popular in the Summer. Nice to look at.

California Screamin' - I'm somewhat acrophobic, so this coaster is a lot of fun for me. It allows me to ride a coaster with a launch, a couple nice drops, a loop, and come minor camelbacks without totally freaking out with fear. I've ridden twice, and haven't looked down while on the lift. The half-tubes were a help for me. The music and the smoothness of the ride help make it a very enjoyable experience. There isn't anything else in Paradise Pier I bother with. I'd probably have a heart attack if I tried to force myself on the Maliboomer. Then again, I love Tower of Terror (Walt Disney World).

There is some really cute nomenclature for the attractions, shops, and restaurants in this park. "Disney Animation" is too generic, but at least it is descriptive of what is inside.