Disney's California Adventure is in the Disneyland Resort with Downtown Disney and Disneyland. The park opened early this year and is Disney's Newest Park. Combing State of the Art thrills with classic rides and the magical Disney Themeing this is a park that celebrates all of California.

There is plenty to do what with the rides, shows, and attractions and the large shopping and eating areas your visit to Disneyland now needs two days so you can visit this new park!
Paradise Pier, Sunshine Plaza, Golden State and Hollywood Pictures Backlot are the 4 of areas, which this new park is split into, each with their own theme following along the traditions of California. California Screaming, It's Tough To Be A Bug, Grizzly River Run and Soarin Over California are just a few of the astounding attractions within the park. Don’t worry, I’ll be reviewing them in a minute but I must tell you about Fastpass first!

Disney's Fastpass has been introduced at the Disney's California Adventure Resort and is the innovative timesaving service, which has changed the way guests, enjoy the Disney Parks. California Screamin, Grizzly River Run, Soarin' Over California, It’s Tough To Be a Bug, Mullholland Madness and Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3-D all feature this time saving device. Fastpass allows you to collect a voucher, which gives you a time. Then you can go experience the rest of the park and turn up at your attraction at the time said and ride! The idea is brilliant, and it works in practice. I would recommend you getting a Fastpass, then doing a non-Fastpass ride while you wait for your allotted time slot. When that slot does come around, before you ride go and pick up another Fastpass for another ride, this way you’ll miss out huge lines for the huge rides!

With 22 shows, rides and attractions the 55-acre park is very different in design and concept to Disneyland. Highlights include a 120-foot-high wonder wheel churning around a gigantic metal sun face, and eye-catching, high-speed rollercoaster, a granite mountain peak shaped like the head of a Grizzly Bear and a "Golden Gate Bridge" with Disney monorails speeding across. The bridge is part of a kinetic entranceway resembling a giant picture postcard overlaid by 11.5-foot high letters spelling CALIFORNIA.

Entering the park though you go through Sunshine Plaza the portal to all the major areas of Disney's California Adventure park, the Sunshine Plaza is also a prime location for guests to rest or catch a parade. As you walk down the plaza you’ll hear classic Californian tunes pumping out, which will you’ll humming all day long! Those tunes build up the atmosphere of the park, and a very relaxed one it is, unlike the rushing atmosphere at Disneyland across the way. Maybe due to the small amount of rides or due to the large open and themed spaces but you’ll find the park very relaxing, and very different to Disneyland.  The plaza's centerpiece is a 50-foot-tall sun (sitting atop a perpetual wave fountain), which glistens during the day and is lit by a dazzling spectacle of red, orange and yellow lights at night. At night the Plaza gets very busy, and full of people sitting and watching the magical “Disney’s Electrical Parade.” This long parade features all your favourite Disney characters and puts them on brightly light floats covered in colourful blinking light bulbs. Trains and Dragons are just two of the different things, which these lights turn the floats into. The parade is a big long however and mainly there for kids, but its rather stunning to see.

Golden State surrounds the Plaza and is home to lots of little areas, " a land celebrating the richness and diversity of California; its natural resources; and pioneering spirit of its people -- past and present. The six unique areas of the land: Condor Flats, Bountiful Valley Farm, Pacific Wharf, Bay Area, Grizzly Peak Recreation Area, Golden Vine Winery serve as a backdrop for a look at the unique blend of commerce, industry, and agriculture that have helped develop over the years.” The land features many large open spaces where you can have a nice rest, and eat some lovely food from the huge variety of different food outlets. The large areas all feature brilliant and varied attractions. In fact all the attractions within the park, are great fun, and either thrilling, or gentle. There are lots more thrill rides than in Disneyland, which will please the older visitors, but the younger visitors don’t miss out due to the gentle rides.

Grizzly Peak is truly a slice of California’s natural resources -- representative of Yosemite and the California Redwoods; this eight-acre mini-wilderness contains a number of hiking, climbing, and exploring opportunities for those seeking adventure. The main attraction within this area is Grizzly River Run, an adventurous raft ride through the Grizzly River. You climb up on in your raft on a large lift to the top of the mountain, which can be seen throughout the park and is recognizable with the top of it looking like a howling wolf. You don’t have much time to admire it from the ride as you start careering you way down the mountain, and encountering some vicious rapids, and drops which all play their part in soaking you! The finale however is a large spinning drop, which means as you splash down everyone gets soaked! Getting wet isn’t a problem in the Californian heat, and I couldn’t think of a more exciting way to get wet than this.

Bountiful Valley Farm is a tribute to the abundance and diversity of agriculture in California, the nation's #1 farming state. Here you can take a stroll through citrus groves, drop by the "It's Tough to Be a Bug!" attraction for a humorous look at insect life, visit the Farmers Expo, do some shopping at the Caterpillar Cart and much more! Shopping and eating play a prominent part within Bountiful Valley and Pacific Wharf, so its your best place to end up and lunch time for a varied selection of different foods. It’s Tough to Be a Bug is also the perfect attraction for after lunch since you can sit down, become honorary bugs and see a display of insect life from the stars of “Bugs Life.” Be warned though, the bug eyes are really 3D glasses and this isn’t any ordinary 3D film, be prepared to enter the 4D age as water, animatronics, air and other effects bring the show and bugs to life! Great fun, if not a little scary for the younger bugs!

Then you can discover Pacific Wharf, an exciting waterfront district within the Golden State land where you can soak up the charm and character of a diverse seaside town -- and where you can tour two working food factories, savor authentic Mexican, Asian and Continental cuisine! Why not visit Condor Flats located within the Golden State land, Condor Flats is themed as a high-desert airfield dedicated to the wonder and ingenuity that helped spawn California's legendary aviation industry -- from age of the first hand-made flying contraptions to the space age. Condor Flats is home to the most amazing Disney attraction to be built, in my opinion! Soarin Over California is one ride you’ll never forget! You board hand-gliders and through Disney magic you fly over the most famous sights of California, with exquisite music and smells, which reflect the flying zone, for example oranges in orange groves. This ride is worth your entrance fee alone; don’t miss it for the world.

The Bay Area inspired by the cosmopolitan elegance of San Francisco, the Golden State district's Bay Area is replete with expansive gardens, Victorian architecture, Art Deco styling and winding pathways. A romantic walkway borders the waterfront; and for great entertainment, check out the artists and musicians gathering at Golden State Park, and the evocative Golden Dreams film attraction showing at the Golden Dreams Theater nearby. Then to finish the day have a glass of wine from the Golden Vine Winery, hosted by Robert Mondavi, where we celebrate California's Wine Country. You can stroll through our vineyards, experience new vintages at the daily wine-tasting's while you sit under the trees partaking of gourmet "take out" items from the Wine Country Market or retire upstairs to the Vineyard Room for a more elegant meal. Either way you will be intrigued by the possibilities of blending food and wine in the overall dining experience.

Paradise Pier is the ultimate beachfront amusement zone decked out in spectacular lighting and elegant graphics associated with the heyday of the great amusement park piers. With California Screamin' a rollercoaster featuring a loop around Mickey Mouse's head! The Sun Wheel, King Triton's Carousel, Golden Zephyr, Mulholland Madness, Orange Stinger and Maliboomer Paradise Pier is ride-tastic!

The pier is great fun to walk around especially at night, when it has a whole new life! The Maliboomer gives a stunning, if not quick view of the park as your launched to the top of the tower. For something which is a bit longer yet still thrilling, catch a ride on Californian Screamin’. This ride is so long, and so smooth, a thoroughly enjoyable coaster! With its onboard soundtrack as well you’ll fall in love with this ride, I did! The brilliant launch, which catapults you up a hill, is followed by non-stop moments of Airtime, helixes and a loop, which allows you to clearly see the whole park….upside down!

Hollywood Pictures Backlot celebrates the magic of the movie business and culture, fame and celebrity atmosphere that surrounds it. Guests enter through the majestic studios gates and discover a place where reality blends seamlessly into illusion. The Art of Animation is where guests view pencil test scenes from animation features that are still in production. You can catch a show at the Hyperion Theatre see Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3-D, take a ride in Superstar Limo or enjoy a meal at Hollywood & Dine or the ABC Soap Opera Bistro.

You could spend an age in the Art of Animation, with all the different options to choose from in there. I most enjoyed the section where you can add your voice to a famous Disney Film scene! The stunning lobby of this attraction is also worth standing in for a few moments, with its ever-changing walls to fit in with the clips from the films. Muppet Vision, is just fun fun fun, with laughs laughs laughs! Join the gang from the Muppet Show in a 3D spectacular, with real life Muppets in the audience!

The whole park was truly relaxing, with the staff going out of there way to help you. Many bad things have been said about the park, which are undeserved. It is a beautiful park in areas, with some praiseworthy attractions, true there could be a few more but you have to not compare California Adventure to Disneyland. Disneyland is an institution, packed full of rides, California Adventure is new, and as a single park its brilliant. A few more rides could be added, but for now, with the shows, dining areas and rides you’ll have an enjoyable and relaxing day at the park.

Park Images, Click to enlarge in a new window

Entrance to the Park	Grizzly River Run
Orange Stinger	Mailboomer!		Paradise Pier
California Screamin		Pacific Wharf	Hollywood Pictures Backlot
Pacific Wharf	Soarin Over California	Condor Flats

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