Journal: Our California Adventure - Part 6

We did need to split off from the group briefly so that we could run into the Downtown Disney district before then meeting back up with the group outside Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. We were going to be using the far less busy and convenient entrance direct from the hotel into the Disney California Adventure park. Our destination for today's adventure.

We had stayed in this beautiful hotel on a previously location so it was also nice to have a very quick wander around it again, refreshing some memories. Designed to reflect and celebrate the early 20th century arts and crafts movement it features the architectural style of Northern California. The craftsmen’s homes would often have a garden feel, the Imagineers took that idea and scaled it up to a hotel so that the garden is more like a forest. For instance, the lobby is designed as an immensely up scaled living room, complete with arched wooden beams and a giant fireplace. It feels so homely here, despite being vast with 948 rooms, 44 suites and 71 villas!

The rest of the ABD group arrived and we made our way through the security point. I will say this here, as I had noticed it as a general theme across the resort but the security teams which check all your bags were all very friendly and welcoming. This was unlike any other tourist destination I have ever visited. Usually, I find that nine times out of 10, the security staff are brash, very grumpy and often quite rude. I am not sure how Disney have managed it but they seem to be bucking the trend and making sure that what is probably some guests first cast member interaction of the day is a pleasant one. (Security teams are often outsourced to private firms for visitor attractions so I can only imagine Disney are hiring their very own and training them in the Disney way. Either that or they were just incredibly happy to be maintaining security at the happiest place on Earth.

With everyone now together, the group began making it’s way over to the first stop on today’s tour which was Toy Story Midway Mania! Opening in 2008 this is a relatively new attraction for the Disney resorts in general but one common theme at each location it exists is its immense popularity. Queues are always sufficient enough to definitely consider a fastpass!

Toy Story Mania is a ‘shoot-em-up’ style attraction. The theme here is that you are working your way through a collection of classic carnival midway games. The vehicles manoeuvre around what could be considered virtual environments playing five different games. Each of the games, such as firing darts at balloons is played out on a 3D screen. It is very much like playing a video game but with additional physical involvement from the riders.

Usually I am actually fairly good at this style of attraction, always managing to best Marc in the total scores but for some reason, I can never quite get the knack of Toy Story Midway Mania with Marc managing to comfortably beat my score on every previous ride. Well today I was sure that we were in the company of some real pros, particularly our Adventure Guides who are frequent visitors to the attractions. I asked Michael if he could ride with Marc, just so Marc didn't win again. Of course, this was all with a sense of humour before you all started thinking I'm a horrid childish person ha-ha. Michael was happy to take up the challenge and I would be riding with Josh.

I just want to reiterate how valuable the fast pass system is at a Disney resort for those of you who may have never visited the parks. This is another of those attractions that is incredibly popular and frequently has long queues. Fast passes will enable you to get more out of your day and free you up from being in the long Standby lines. I should also point out that a fast pass does not mean you will have no queue at all. There will be a bunch of people all with the same time slot as you. However, I am sure you can appreciate the difference between a 15-minute wait and that of the 2-hour line. Thankfully Disney Attractions have very high throughputs so queues move quickly but they do happen.

As part of the ABD we were able to fast pass the line here and it was pretty swift getting onto the ride. The contraption that you must use to fire at the targets always amuses the smutty 13-year-old boy in me. Situated on the front of the ride vehicle there is what looks like a cannon for each rider. To use the cannon, you have to tug on the rope and ball that is hanging from the cannon. Obviously the faster you tug on the ball, the more ammunition you fire at the targets and then the higher your score could be. I will not be so crass as to describe precisely what it looks like but I am sure your imagination can fill in the gap. Josh and I were certainly amused before the ride got going.

Woody, Buzz and the gang guide you round this 'firing range' in challenges where you are throwing darts at balloons or tennis balls at plates for example. The attraction is great fun with that added value of being competitive as each player tries to best his or her riding partner and the wider parties’ scores. For those who have ridden before it can also be about a personal best. The only thing here is that there is no On-Ride photo that can be purchased for that permanent reminder of your score which is a shame.

Back to the real competition though, Michael did beat Marc's score. YAY. There was much amusement from the group when he blamed his loss on the fact that his hand kept coming off the ball as he was yanking it... which was even more amusing to myself and Josh...

Childish behaviour (on my part) aside, Toy Story Midway Mania is hilariously good fun and will certain be a talking point for the whole family.

Making our way back past California Screamin’ and out of Paradise Pier, we were heading over to Cars Land. Marc and I had been looking forward to this long before we even booked our trip as they had actually started construction not long after our last visit in 2008. We had followed the construction in awe of what was being done but nothing could prepare us for just how good it is.

If you like your themed lands to be totally immersive (perhaps you are a fan of the Wizarding World in the Universal Theme Parks) then Cars Land is a must do. It is all set in the sleepy town of Radiator Springs, directly lifted from the movie Cars in every possible sense. In the movie, which is in turn inspired by historical events, each of the inhabitants has a business that they operated for the once passing trade of Route 66. The beginning of the end for Route 66 began in 1956 when President D. Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act which had a dramatic effect on local business as they were bypassed in favour of the quicker interstate route. The proprietors of Radiator Springs still muddle along with very little business until a race car called Lightning McQueen puts the town back on the map. Go watch the film if you aren't familiar!

As well as the businesses (each of which selling relevant products), there are three attractions to enjoy as well as the incredibly built Cadillac Range Mountains, whose jagged peaks resemble the tail fins of six Cadillac models from 1957 to 1962, which is a reference to a Cadillac Ranch public art sculpture in Texas. The main attraction is Radiator Springs Racers which again, I was ridiculously excited to try. I was going to have to wait a little longer though, as we were heading off backstage again.

The Cadillac Mountain Range

It was a fair walk round to the maintenance bay of the ride as we had to walk along the back side of the mountains that run the attractions perimeter. Once there we were once again given an in depth talk about the attraction. The fact it was part of a $1.1 billion expansion for the park is no surprise when you find out that each of the cars themselves costs just shy of $1 million (£779,970 based on current exchange rates).

From here they spoke about the rigorous maintenance cycle that each of them goes through and they showed us the extensive safety systems that are in place. Every last movement of every single vehicle is tracked and is constantly feeding back data to the main the computer. If there are any anomalies, the ride will shut down. The maintenance team were also very proud to point out that the rumours about the ride’spoor reliability were grossly exaggerated and in fact, Cars has one of the best uptime records at the park (downtime is when the attraction has to shut down or pause during scheduled opening times which is the Uptime).

Another little fact that appealed to the rollercoaster enthusiast in me was that underneath the slot-car (Scalextric for us Brits) looking track, is essentially a set of rollercoaster tracks which the cars run along. Obviously, it would be a stretch to classify this as a powered coaster, but it does share the same principles.

After all this talking about it, I was absolutely itching to finally have a go myself and thankfully we would be. The only downside was that we had to walk all the way back around the back of those mountains. 

The ride itself is another fantastically well executed family dark-ride with added thrills. Essentially the story sets out that Radiator Springs is hosting its own race and you are taking part, coached by the residents of the town. It is filled with wonderful moments, such as when you pass under the rock work to reveal a waterfall and distant road bridge, just like in the movie. Accompanied with some uplifting on-board audio it gave me goose bumps each time, long before the race itself gets underway. This is a must do attraction!

I could not possibly sum up just how immersive this land is, how much it feels like you are walking around the real Radiator Springs but after we got off the ride we heard a kid of around 5 or 6 turn around to his mother and say, "Mum, is this where they filmed Cars?" Considering Cars is an animated movie, I thought this was very fitting and high praise for what Disney have achieved here. High praise indeed. We revisited Cars Land several more times throughout the rest of the trip.

It goes without saying that our next stop had the whole group buzzing like little 5 year olds loaded up on sweets and sugary fizzy drinks, especially considering we had been told that Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout probably would not be on the tour owing to the fact it had only opened recently and was incredibly popular. The excitement was palpable!

Now, Guardians has not arrived without its share of controversy, essentially replacing The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction with a complete re-theme. Many die-hard fans were absolutely livid when this was announced and took to social media to voice their anger. Discussions around how the building is now an eye-sore and doesn't fit the California Adventure Theme were at fever pitch during the construction phase. There was also a lot of upset over the fact they were changing Tower of Terror full spot, since it is a massive fan favourite. I can certainly attest to that, with the original Tower of Terror in Florida being my number one favourite Disney attraction. I point out that the Florida version is my favourite because it was not exactly the same. The version over in Disney's Hollywood Studios was the first built and by quite some years too. The Florida ride itself is better executed and more extensive. Disney later simplified the layout of the attraction for the California and Paris versions each opening in 2004 and 2007 respectively. Some of the changes they made in the newer reiterations of the attraction always jarred with me because they broke the story.

One example is that when you are about to board the elevator as part of the story, you are waiting in front of the maintenance elevator door. When the door opens (as you would expect an elevator door to open) you discover that you actually have to cross the chasm of a corridor before you are in the elevator ride vehicle. I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure that I have never seen an elevator where the lift isn't behind the door? It may seem like a very trivial thing but for me I felt it breaks the story, because it becomes abundantly clear you are not actually boarding an elevator but instead boarding a ride vehicle. Of course, that is the reality, but Tower of Terror along with many other Disney attractions, have a knack for getting the audience wrapped in the story so it becomes the reality, even if it is on a subconscious level perhaps. Perhaps I am just being really picky about what some would think is a minor issue and I will accept that, but for me, along with some of the other missing elements in the newer version it made the California and Paris versions still great to ride but ultimately inferior to the Orlando version. Disagree and want to discuss? Be sure to pop it in the comments below...

So yes, I was never particularly phased by the fact they were changing Tower of Terror (just please don't touch the Florida version ok Imagineers?). I welcomed the change and I was even more excited to hear that legendary Imagineer Joe Rohde was heading up the project. Joe is an incredible artist and storyteller devoted to providing the absolute best in immersive experiences. You only have to look at his work on Disney's Animal Kingdom overall and subsequently Pandora, the world of Avatar to know why I believe that this guy is a bonafide Imagineering genius. Seriously, I truly couldn't understand why everyone was so worried that this revamp was going to be anything other than incredible.

Again, we were able to jump the queue and go straight into the main building itself. The story now being that you are visiting the Tivan collection. It is extensively set up throughout the queue video what the building is, who Tivan is and what are the fundamental elements of the story. I am not massively familiar with the character of Tivan having never read the comics and having only seen the movie once, but this didn't make the slightest bit of difference to my understanding of the story and what was going on. It is very clear that this redevelopment was designed knowing that not everyone was going to be familiar with the characters and they have done a fantastic job at ensuring everyone is up to speed and that it is not essential to have seen the movie or read the comics. That isn't to say there isn't a tonne of Easter-eggs for those who are more familiar with the Marvel Universe because there are loads of them in this room alone. Don't blame me if you find yourself hoping the queue doesn't move too quickly so that you can spot them all.

I won't go into too much detail of the attraction itself but I did want to touch upon something that not only gives this ride a greater re-ride opportunity but in my opinion, it also opens up the attraction for more guests to ride. The name itself Tower of Terror tells you all you need to know and for me, the ride, even after years of riding it, always managed to make me very nervous, the theming being so well executed that it always put me on edge in the very best possible way (hey I like to be a bit scared sometimes!). I am not saying I was absolutely terrified of the attraction but I'd definitely bill it as a 'frightening' experience and I certainly know enough people who avoid riding it for that reason. Mission Breakout removes that element. The story itself is not designed to put you on edge and fearing the ominous Twilight Zone. Instead, the story now has a strong sense of adventure. To begin with you are just visitors at a museum exhibition but you get wrapped up in helping Rocket release the rest of the Guardians (oops, spoilers?). Of course, being a drop-Tower type experience is always going to generate an element of nervousness or outright fear but Mission Breakout minimises all that and makes the whole experience even more fun. Part of that is the soundtrack. It is indicated that Starlord loves a bit of retro music (he still uses a cassette Walkman), which Rocket gets his hands on and at the beginning of the ride hooks it up to blast the audience with some 'retro' classics. Each of the different soundtrack songs is paired with its own ride experience, meaning that you can get different experiences with each ride. Summer-Rose mentioned before boarding that she really wanted the Jackson 5 'I Want You Back' experience. There was a lot of excitement when the ride started and out blasted that very song, adding to our excitement which carried throughout the whole ride experience.

There was so much more laughter than I was used to from Tower of Terror that was for sure. I do just want to be clear, I am not writing off or dismissing potential scare attractions because they do have their place in a theme park. I love the fear and nerves I get on Tower of Terror and it is one of very few attractions that genuinely achieves that. It gets my adrenaline pumping. I mean, if you don't have some kind of ghost train or haunted house, are you even a theme park? However, I think Mission Breakout is actually a better ride experience overall - and they fixed my gripe too. You are no longer waiting at a lift door that isn't a lift. Now it is a 'security checkpoint' to the gantry lift. For those that don't like 'scary' themed attractions, or had been previous intimidated by the Tower Of Terror, I'd strongly tell them to consider riding. It really is a treat! We went on to ride this several more times before the end of the holiday.

After the literal ups and downs of Mission Breakout, it was time to ease the pace a little and head back down the Hollywood Town Street towards the Carthay Circle.

Obviously, this is not the actual Carthay Circle theatre, where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was premiered in 1937. It is however, a stunning building that sits to the left at the end of what you could consider the Main Street and hub of this park. Much like the now retired Great Movie Ride in Disney's Hollywood Studios, Florida, is housed in a replica of the Chinese Theatre, this is a very clear replica of the original building which was built in 1926 and later demolished in 1969 and rather than be a ride attraction, this is a restaurant.

Throughout the tour it was absolutely clear that the designers wanted this to be a grand establishment. The downstairs was very much a swanky waiting area come lounge bar with a full restaurant upstairs, with private booths and rooms for those with lots of cash to burn.

The decor and pictures hung on the walls all evoked the time of the Hollywood Golden era. One minor detraction was pointed out to me though, that they had almost tried too hard to make it feel like it was actually from the Golden age, when it clearly wasn't. To that person it felt disingenuous. I can't say I agree but I understand the sentiment. To me it was just an incredibly well themed restaurant rather than an attempt at being an historical building. 

After we were done here we were led outside to be taken somewhere even more special in the same building. When we entered I saw the Club 33 logo on the check in desk!! Club 33 if the name of the very exclusive private members club over in the main Disneyland Park. This was actually another private members club called ‘Club 1901’, named after the year in which Walt Disney was born.

At the bar, there were 4 bar chairs, each with a name on the back, Walt, Lily, Roy and Edna, after Walt and his brother and their wives.

There was also countless pieces of memorabilia and references to the Walt Disney history. This place certainly had an air of exclusivity about it, not that we had too long to start having notions of grandeur. As soon as we had done with photos it was off to our next stop in what I can only describe as an old-time airport hangar.

Once the group was assembled we made it into the Soarin' Around The World building. Comparing this to Florida (a habit I try to avoid) there is far more detail in the queue here. The queue is very much an exhibition showcasing the history of American aviation and a lot of the features are fascinating. It is a cool and subtle way of teaching people, for those who are receptive of course. We got through this area very quickly as we were all taken through the fastpass line and straight into the loading bays.

Soarin’ always sits quite highly in my regard. It is by no means a thrill ride in the conventional sense, instead it is a calm and relaxing journey. The concept being that you are on a hang glider device, soaring around the world, over some of the most beautiful landmarks the world has to offer. Despite it being such a peaceful and tranquil type experience I still find it thrilling. The feeling that you are really flying is wonderful.

After the amusing pre-show video and a challenge to spot the Hidden Mickeys during the ride, we were boarding. I always have a strange feeling of vulnerability when riding Soarin'. Namely because the safety harness is a seatbelt. When the ride begins and the bench of seats swings up to be in front of the huge 80ft concave 180-degree Omnimax Laser Projection Screen, I feel initially anxious. Those soon disappear as I am swept into the flight across the world on the screen thankfully. I thoroughly enjoy how the seats tilt and sway in relation to the movie, culminating in a flight up the main street of Disneyland right into the evening fireworks.

As the 4k film came to an end, the group were then called over to the control desk of the attraction and down a flight of stairs which were obviously not the exit of the ride. We were led to an open space directly underneath the huge screen. Standing here it became apparent just how far back the concave screen reaches in order to truly envelop the riders. We were actually allowed to stand under the screen whilst the ride was in operation. This was another incredibly surreal experience before we were then led further backstage to be told more about the attraction including an opportunity to have a good sniff of the scent canisters they use throughout the ride.

At this point it was still mid-afternoon so we made a quick dash to use a fast pass over at Guardians of the Galaxy before heading off to get changed and then back to Trader Sams for cocktails laid on by our adventure guides. Naturally, we wanted to freshen up first.

Just before the cocktails we got to sit and have a great chat with Bill and Sue. Talking to others about their Disney experiences and all the things they love and loathe makes me really happy. Being able to talk to people in person who share our love and passion for Disney is always a joyful experience. Before we knew it, everyone was there, cocktails in hand with lots of laughter.

With a sense of merriment, the group then made its way back into the California Adventure park and back to the Carthay Circle restaurant for a ridiculously nice three course meal. I am not going to lie, I do not remember what I had to eat but I remember having a wonderful time with Pete, Kevin, John, Josh, Sean and of course, Marc. Initially, it did seem a little odd when we didn’t receive any desserts though. That said, Marc, Pete and I were all desperate for a nicotine fix so made a run for the only smoking area in the park.

It is rather ridiculous that there is only one smoking area. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that people don’t want smelly smoke around them or their children. As an intended father, I absolutely agree. I wouldn’t want my kids around it either. That said, there are lots of areas which are not frequented by masses of people which could be used as smoking areas. Instead, in this case, it was on a main throughway of the park. This has never made any sense to me! Nevertheless, the view here is stunning.

Straight after that we had to re-join the group down on the Paradise Pier Waterfront area of the park for our viewing of World Of Color from a reserved space. I must admit here that it had been wonderful being able to see all the shows without having to stake out a place for an hour or so beforehand. I would definitely consider dining and reserved seating packages in the future to free up lots of time!

World of Color is an incredible production with 1200 water fountains as well as fire, lasers, fog and HD projections on mist screens! The way in which they make it look like the water is bending to the music is just fantastic. It is another beautiful kiss goodnight from Disney. It was made even sweeter with a platter of deserts and drinks to enjoy throughout the show. It was almost a fitting end to the day…

…Except we weren’t quite done. We still had a fastpass for Radiator Springs Racers and we were desperate to see Cars Land in the dark. The land really takes on a whole different life after dark with the buildings lit up with vibrant neon lights. We didn’t really have too much time to hang around at this point, as we wanted to get a ride on the Racers in before they closed. Much like the land itself, the ride was a whole new experience at night, racing around in the dark!

Now we were done! We knew we had one final early start in the morning so we called time on the day and made our way back to the Disneyland Hotel for our last night before the craziness that was going to hit us in the morning.