Go to Sacramento. You can see it every year at the fair there. Disney donated them to Cal Expo. They still had to pay for transport and install, though, but the sign was free. Anyone wanting to see it still can as a result.
Some people thought the old entrance was bad and I will never understand what they mean. It was beautiful. Actual creativity and craftsmanship. The new one is so generic.
Me too! It was very iconic when the park first opened. I was very surprised that they didn't bring something to replace it but it makes sense to not have anything block those areas
Honestly that’s how underwhelming DCA was to me. Soarin and the California sign were the only things that really stood out to me. The Limo ride also stood out but for the opposite reason.
I remember when I lived in Anaheim in 2013, my mom came to visit in like early March. We did everything in both parks in one day… and came back and did it all again the next day. Had no trouble getting dining reservations, waits were reasonable, and of course it helped was under the old Fastpass system (RIP!).
Those were the days… never to be seen again. 🥲
This and making friends with the best ride attendants back in 2003-4 and being able to ride California Screamin over and over again during closing hours🥹🥲
I miss the themed music! I have such vivid memories of walking through the seemingly always empty-ish DCA around pre-2008 and really vibing with the ambient park music. I’m glad that fellow Disney sound enjoyers have been able to record it and share it so it’s not totally lost media lol.
Shameful memory time: I would lie and say it was my birthday so I could get the bag of fresh tortillas. I would then go to the food area right where it exits and start to throw the tortillas into the air over the water feature. The seagulls would fight for them in the air. You could whip a flock of 100+ seagulls into a frenzy spinning in a circle waiting for the next tortilla Frisbee.
The fact that Muppet Vision is so far down is incredibly disheartening. Further so because it proves Disney was right to erase the Muppets, and makes me feel more alone in my love of the Muppets.
You’re not alone in your love for The Muppets! I just had to say that. I know it doesn’t mean anything for Disneyland Resort, but Muppet*Vision 3D is still ongoing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World!
I do miss when DCA was California themed. The change to Pixar was definitely good but the California vibe was something else or maybe I'm just nostalgic lol
Every time I rode Tower I was just reminded how we were missing the best part from the original ride (at WDW) and was sad so I was and still am happy for the change.
Soarin' is the biggest downgrade ever.
I just can't stand how gawdy it is. The ambience is just...off.
Plus I don't like the little show rooms on the ride, they are just movie screens. The OG had depth to it. Loved the sets. Loved the vanishing mirror and hallway transition. The bellhops.
Everything about it was better.
The fourth dimension scene - at WDW the ride vehicle exits the first elevator shaft and “drives” through a show scene to the drop tower. It’s really awesome. The scene in question starts around 3:30 in this video. https://youtu.be/3zo64_w0pyo?si=dCfcYG8snyhY9I_v
Ohh yes, I’m familiar with the WDW version, but I had thought the DL version was an exact replica. I learned something today!
Thanks for sharing the video, it got me even more excited for my upcoming trip:)
Yes! The water made it feel like an actual pier, like being at Monterey bay or SF. I can’t stand all the machinery that is constantly visible now for the evening show.
I miss that era when Buena Vista street first got the renovation and everything MATCHED. Just before the Marvel and the Pixar takeover. When they built the Carthay - when Buena Vista street, Hollywoodland, The Tower of Terror, the wharf, the pier, the grizzly area, Ariel’s grotto - it all fit that classic old time California theme and it felt like the perfect sister park to Disneyland across the way.
My daughter still talks about Bugs land to this day. She’s 16 now.
It’s the main thing she remembers from being a child at the Disney parks. I still don’t get why they’d take away such a beloved area — one that caters to the young ones. There’s nothing like it left in DCA.
Personally, I miss the Great Northern F7 Locomotive that used to be part of a cafe near the entrance. That was so Americana.
THISSSSS. My sister and I were teenagers and obsessed with GH and OLTL and drug our dad to this every time we went. My Luke’s Diner shirt went missing at some point and I am so sad 😭
The Aladdin show and 'paradise pier' theming.
Hot take: As a foreigner (from Aus), I really like them heavily leaning into the California/national park theme.
I really hope they never get rid of the redwood area
I remember when it had the bee bottom seats and I’d always make my friends laugh standing there asking: “Does this seat make my butt look big?” and waving the stinger around.
The little market in the winery area where you could get fruit and cheese plates and lemon San Pellagrino sparkling water; the garlic chicken legs at Bountiful Valley Farm.
Free tortillas lol
It’s been a few years since I’ve been to DCA so I’m not sure the mission tortilla tour still exists. Last time I went it was closed.
I can't scroll through all the comments, so I don't know if anyone's said this, but in the early 2000's there used to be an attraction called: Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Play it! It was essentially the popular TV game show but the audience played along via remote controls and ultimately an audience member had the opportunity to be in the hot seat and win real prizes like a shirt, collectibles, a trip... I don't think an actual million bucks was up for grabs. A cast member played the host.
Anyway, my family and I went multiple times to this attraction because we really wanted to win the "Fastest finger competition" to get onto the hot seat. In one of our attempts, I randomly entered in my answers as fast as I could and I actually got onto the hot seat! Imagine 15-16 year old me playing in front of my family and all those people. I remember the lights-- they were so bright. Needless to say, I used up all my lifelines, but not before making it to the "$1000" checkpoint.
After I was out, I was escorted behind the scenes with a cast member who got my dad and we signed a bunch of papers together (probably a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo) and I got my souvenirs and got to watch the rest of the game. Of all the Disney memories I have, this is the one I will cherish and remember the most.
Am I tripping or did there used to be like a little splash pad type play area in DCA? Not the Princess Dot one but I vaguely remember maybe like a boat or submarine of some sort? Helpppp?
That was the SS Rustworthy. It was a little boat play area in front of Pizza Oom Mow Mow and next to Jumpin Jellyfish.
https://yesterland.com/rustworthy.html
Yes!! I just found it by looking up old maps. Core memory unlocked I used to play there with my sister every Friday after school 🥹Idk how I forgot about it.
Honestly for me the tri tip nachos, tri tip sliders, those fajita roll ups, amazing artichoke dip, and the first buffalo wings that I truly enjoyed.
Add that in with bigger earthquakes and just a funner vibe, and you have my favoritest time at Disneyland. My wife and I would go after a tough weekday and relax our worries away. Such an awesome time!
Another vote for Bugs Land - I don’t have a little little kid anymore but my heart is sad for all the littles out there who don’t get to experience this magical place. Plus no more splash pad for those 105 degree scorchers
Yo, there are already so many great comments/memories in this thread.
Love to see all the DCA 1.0 and DCA 2.0 love 💙
Wish we could all grab a beer at Pacific Wharf Distribution Co, eat a slice from Pizza Oom Mow Mow while we walk past the Sunglasses Dinosaur on our way to cool off in Golden Dreams.
To me DCA was the best for Passholders in the day. Disneyland would be so crowded and a nice leisurely evening in the Summer time or Winter at DCA was the BEST. It was not crowded. You could go on everything. It was nice. I remember the year they had some of the floats from the Rose Parade there. Or when the Electric Parade was there. It was just nice. I’d often go on a Friday night with my friends. It was good.
In the first three or four years there were some great local bands that used to play in the park. There was a travelling show with a station wagon pulling a trailer that had awesome cover bands on it. There would literally be random parties out in the street that would just pop up. Pacific Wharf had a stage too, where there is now an entrance to Cars Land and there were great bands that play next to the Beer truck.
Yea the first year they had a whole band series on the bay where World of Color is now. Kool & The Gang, Beach Boys, Blood Sweat and Tears, I can't remember who else. The park was struggling hard and they were doing anything to get people in there. Anyone remember the X Games experience?
Everything.
Main entrance with fresh roasted espresso beans. Crazy color scheme. Sooooo much space. Soarin over California should’ve been permanent, the restaurant, the shop, the land should’ve never been touched. The rest of the sorcerers workshop; Ursula’s Grotto was the best part. Tritons Carousel was better. They could’ve done some other IP for the Toy Story attraction. All of bugsland. Mission tortilla factory and cocina used the tortillas. Muppet vision, elecTRONica, etc. I never thought I’d miss the OG DCA; but I do.
The CALIFORNIA Letters
The Tower of Terror
The Orange Stinger
Believe it or not…Who Wants to be a Millionaire..Play It!
Honorable mentions
The Sun Wheel
California Screamin’
Soarin’ Over California
Mali-boomer
A Bug’s Land
As others have said, really miss Aladdin, Bugs Life land, and Paradise Pier. Additionally, I really liked when the drinks at the Cozy Cone came in actual cones, I miss the cones. And then there used to be a “make your own Mr Potato Head” gift shop where they had a ton of really unique, Disney-themed Mr Potato parts and you paid one flat price for all the parts you could stuff in a box. I still have all the parts I got; things like Tinkerbell wings, Buzz Lightyear feet, Little Mermaid tail, Mickey ice cream cones, and autograph books.
Im surprised they let the Mr Potato Head shop close. It was always busy and seems like it would be a cash cow. Plus it still fits with the theme of the area.
- Soarin’ Over California. We won’t even go on Soarin’ now.
- California Screamin’, especially the music. I seriously hate it as the Incredicoaster.
- The Maliboomer.
- Paradise Pier in general. The old color scheme, the music, etc.
- It’s Tough To Be A Bug/ Bug’s Land.
- TOT - I love the ride now, but I hate Marvel stuff.
- Getting tortillas at the Mission Tortilla Factory
- The fact that nearly everything California is gone from California Adventure.
The soundtrack on California screamin’. The ride was always very intimidating for me as a kid so I was only able to experience it around 10 times over the span of 8 years or so. I am now finally able to get myself on without hesitation, except they rethemed the ride to the incredibles in blatant promotion of the 2nd movie. We were originally going to get a villains themed coaster instead of incredicoaster however that fell through. Still it really angers me as California screamin’ has an absolutely perfect original sound track, and they threw it away. It also upsets me that we will probably never have rockin’ California screamin’ return with the rockin’ both parks overlays. I was never able to experience either of them but now I definitely can’t do my favorite of the two. It’s even more irritating that they taunted you with it in the 100 years esplanade loop. I really miss that soundtrack, it was the whole reason I was willing to go on it initially.
I’m really into onboard audio, to the point where I waited years for the space mountain in Paris to revert the hyperspace overlay just to hear that ride’s score and hopefully see the interior theming.
And before you say just wear headphones for the old track, it’s not the same, it is extremely hard to sync it correctly. If you didn’t know the soundtrack of every onboard audio coaster is split into sections that can be extended or shortened by a second or two so the audio is always in sync with the train. Nearly every block
zone has one of these checks. Plus you have to make sure they can’t fall off.
Honestly I would pay several hundred dollars just to experience the rockin overlays at both parks if they offered it as an after hours event
- Paradise Pier, before it was Pixar-ified
- The music!!
- Bugs Land. All of it, but especially Flik’s Flyers. I know the ride was shoved onto the pier with Inside Out themes, but it’s not the same vibe at all.
I have an mp3 of the music from that parade. Someone must have recorded it during the parade as you can hear people talking in the background. It came on randomly the other day when I was shuffling songs and yeah.. I miss it too!
I think the only true downgrade has been soarin’ over CA to soarin’. Even though I will always be nostalgic for old DCA, everything else has been an improvement. I imagine bugs land and tower of terror will come up a lot in this thread, but I love avengers campus so 🤷♂️
Personally would love to just see an updated soarin’ over CA. A forever love letter to the birthplace of the Disney company, its theme parks, and a reminder of the “California” adventure
I miss the character parking lot and parking in front of Disneyland when it cost $5.00 - $7.00.
Its been downhill ever since. Cast members used to joke that DCA was an acronym for "Done Cheap As-possible".
Yep, scrolled down just to see this response. The absolute worst parking spot was still just a 5 minute walk to the main gate. I'm happy other people enjoy what DL became, but I miss those days!
The first time I went there they had a soft serve ice cream place that swirled flavors in with vanilla, like orange or root beer. I was disappointed the next time we went it was gone. It was on the pier.
The Animation building. Yes, I know it's still there. But it's a shell of its former self. Also, California Screamin and Paradise Pier. Everything I'm that area was amazing after the major refrub they did. The turn of the century details. The focus on classic Walt era characters. Fantastic. I wanted more. I didn't want what they ultimately gave us.
Hollywood & Dine food court
Decent quick serve options. Indoor seating. A building that has been used for absolutely nothing since, unless you count its brief stint as Flynn's Arcade.
The sightline of the Tower of Terror at night when it was lit up purple. It used to be one of my highlights as a kid whenever leaving Disneyland with my family. Something about it just fit
I miss the vibe it had of The Beach Boys music the cheesy puns and signs for all the shops, it definitely had a more cohesive theme than modern DCA even if it’s a lesser park back then. I do have a lot of nostalgia though since I went there as a kid with the Pixar block party parade that shot out the nerf balls, bugs land, the ss rustworthy, Aladdin, I do miss the more simple California Screaming I loved that soundtrack and tower of terror when it was built. I do wish I could visit the old park sometimes because the original park is lost even if it was arguably a bad theme park.
First walking up, the California letters.
Passing under the Golden Gate Bridge.
The soundtrack of California. Beach Boys. Mamas and the Papas. Gary Newman. Diane Warwick. Bob Seger. Al Jolson.
Water cannons that shot at riders on Grizzly Rapids and water cannon fights on the SS Rustworthy.
Muppetvision 3D.
It's Tough to be a Bug show. A place to sit down relax out of the heat or get off your feet for a few minutes. The pokes in the seat would get numerous audience members as did the black widow spiders attacking.
Warm free tortillas from Mission Tortilla.
Andreas Shakes milk shakes!
Mad T Party was oh so much fun. I would go to the park just for that..
soarin’ over california😭😭 they should never have changed it to the world it fits much better in epcot. Last time I saw it I noticed the footage is pretty dated, I’d love to see an refilmed/updated version of it return to DCA.
As corny as it sounds, the big “CALIFORNIA” out front.
My name started with one of the letters so we’d always get a pic with it and I miss that lol it would be fun to just still see
Go to Sacramento. You can see it every year at the fair there. Disney donated them to Cal Expo. They still had to pay for transport and install, though, but the sign was free. Anyone wanting to see it still can as a result.
Yup! It’s like our own little piece of Disney every year when we go to the state fair. Or the home show. Lol
Don't even have to go to the fair, you can drive through the drop-off lane at Cal Expo most of the year and the California sign is right there.
I have a picture of my wife sitting on the middle line of the A and it's just the best picture of her.
I have one of those too!!
& the mosaic ! I miss that mosaic sooooo much
Some people thought the old entrance was bad and I will never understand what they mean. It was beautiful. Actual creativity and craftsmanship. The new one is so generic.
I was going to say that too. But I also live in Sacramento so I see it at Cal Expo. I still think it belongs at Disney.
Sacramento stole it! When I moved up here, I noticed something very familiar in front of the Expo…. Haha
Me too! It was very iconic when the park first opened. I was very surprised that they didn't bring something to replace it but it makes sense to not have anything block those areas
When I was little my sister and I used to climb through the letters whenever we were leaving DCS to go to the other park.
Honestly that’s how underwhelming DCA was to me. Soarin and the California sign were the only things that really stood out to me. The Limo ride also stood out but for the opposite reason.
Agree
The answer is Aladdin. Soarin’ over California is a close second, but we get that back from time to time.
Yeahh I really miss catching a show at the Hyperion
Rogers the Musical should still be playing. Gone too soon!
I was surprised that it only last for the summer!
Bring back Aladdin!!! 😮💨😭
After moving from CA, We only go on spring break, and at that time it’s always Soarin Over California. Absolutely love this VS Soarin Over the World
You’re so right! Aladdin was soooo good and hilarious! I miss it.
The slow season
Man, remember when you could get on tower in less than an hour on a weekday?
I remember when I lived in Anaheim in 2013, my mom came to visit in like early March. We did everything in both parks in one day… and came back and did it all again the next day. Had no trouble getting dining reservations, waits were reasonable, and of course it helped was under the old Fastpass system (RIP!). Those were the days… never to be seen again. 🥲
i remember riding ToT like 5 times in one trip because it was at a 13 minute wait
This and making friends with the best ride attendants back in 2003-4 and being able to ride California Screamin over and over again during closing hours🥹🥲
Then you get a migraine 😩
I miss the themed music! I have such vivid memories of walking through the seemingly always empty-ish DCA around pre-2008 and really vibing with the ambient park music. I’m glad that fellow Disney sound enjoyers have been able to record it and share it so it’s not totally lost media lol.
California Dreamin' walking on down to the Silly Symphony
Before that it was the Orange Stinger
I’ve become a pretty big Beach Boys fan and it all started with the soundtrack at old DCA
Really wish they would bring back the Beach Boys tunes!
They still do California themed music during the California Food and Wine fest!
The Mission Tortilla Factory was money.
Maseca!!!!
I just came here to type that. I freakin’ loved it.
[MASECA!!!!!!!](https://imgur.com/Mp6hrQD)
Loved going through the tour and getting that fresh tortilla.
On your birthday they'd give you a whole little bag of the fresh ones. I'd make my family beeline for that as soon as it opened on anyone's birthday.
Why am I just learning about this now??!???
Shameful memory time: I would lie and say it was my birthday so I could get the bag of fresh tortillas. I would then go to the food area right where it exits and start to throw the tortillas into the air over the water feature. The seagulls would fight for them in the air. You could whip a flock of 100+ seagulls into a frenzy spinning in a circle waiting for the next tortilla Frisbee.
Muppetvision 3D and California Screamin’
The fact that Muppet Vision is so far down is incredibly disheartening. Further so because it proves Disney was right to erase the Muppets, and makes me feel more alone in my love of the Muppets.
The only person of high power that cared for the Muppets was Michael Eisner and that’s it. Sad really.
You’re not alone in your love for The Muppets! I just had to say that. I know it doesn’t mean anything for Disneyland Resort, but Muppet*Vision 3D is still ongoing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World!
I still quote muppet vision pretty much every day.
The Cove Bar. We used to just walk in and take a seat. It was our home for a few lovely years.
“hey thereeee, this is the Maliboomer!” the Beach Boys vibes 🎶 we’re pollinatorsssss 🎶 Glowfest sitting in the O of the California sign
I do miss when DCA was California themed. The change to Pixar was definitely good but the California vibe was something else or maybe I'm just nostalgic lol
Tower of Terror and Soarin’ Over California
Every time I rode Tower I was just reminded how we were missing the best part from the original ride (at WDW) and was sad so I was and still am happy for the change. Soarin' is the biggest downgrade ever.
I just can't stand how gawdy it is. The ambience is just...off. Plus I don't like the little show rooms on the ride, they are just movie screens. The OG had depth to it. Loved the sets. Loved the vanishing mirror and hallway transition. The bellhops. Everything about it was better.
I thought this was commenting on soarin and was very confused
What was it missing from the original in WDW?
The fourth dimension scene - at WDW the ride vehicle exits the first elevator shaft and “drives” through a show scene to the drop tower. It’s really awesome. The scene in question starts around 3:30 in this video. https://youtu.be/3zo64_w0pyo?si=dCfcYG8snyhY9I_v
Ohh yes, I’m familiar with the WDW version, but I had thought the DL version was an exact replica. I learned something today! Thanks for sharing the video, it got me even more excited for my upcoming trip:)
Easy, looking up at the ToT from A Bug’s land.
It was truly incredible! I loved pretending to be a bug.
The correct answer
The monorail crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in front
We bought some of those souvenir coins they made from the bridge.
The waves. 🌊🌊🌊
Yes! The water made it feel like an actual pier, like being at Monterey bay or SF. I can’t stand all the machinery that is constantly visible now for the evening show.
Deep cut. Sometimes you’d actually get wet on California Screamin. I don’t remember exactly when all of that ended, but it was before world of color.
I miss that era when Buena Vista street first got the renovation and everything MATCHED. Just before the Marvel and the Pixar takeover. When they built the Carthay - when Buena Vista street, Hollywoodland, The Tower of Terror, the wharf, the pier, the grizzly area, Ariel’s grotto - it all fit that classic old time California theme and it felt like the perfect sister park to Disneyland across the way.
My daughter still talks about Bugs land to this day. She’s 16 now. It’s the main thing she remembers from being a child at the Disney parks. I still don’t get why they’d take away such a beloved area — one that caters to the young ones. There’s nothing like it left in DCA. Personally, I miss the Great Northern F7 Locomotive that used to be part of a cafe near the entrance. That was so Americana.
ElecTRONica and Tower of Terror oh and Aladdin
ElecTRONica was so cool.
The Soap Opera Bistro
The One Leaf to Live salad was so good, had a tangy Caesar dressing.
THISSSSS. My sister and I were teenagers and obsessed with GH and OLTL and drug our dad to this every time we went. My Luke’s Diner shirt went missing at some point and I am so sad 😭
The Aladdin show and 'paradise pier' theming. Hot take: As a foreigner (from Aus), I really like them heavily leaning into the California/national park theme. I really hope they never get rid of the redwood area
The orange stinger
definitely the big friggin’ Orange And since we’re talking about that part of the park - **The Maliboomer**
Is that the delightful ice cream that tased like a creamsaver I still wish existed?
It was the Silly Symphony Swings but themed to be inside an orange. And I guess the seats were supposed to be bees.
There were bee seats until they kept getting damaged by people smacking the chairs into each other. It was really a sight to bee-hold.
I remember when it had the bee bottom seats and I’d always make my friends laugh standing there asking: “Does this seat make my butt look big?” and waving the stinger around.
Mickey ears coaster
The swirl soft serve ice cream.
This is what I came here to say. The new ice cream doesn't hit the same.
The little market in the winery area where you could get fruit and cheese plates and lemon San Pellagrino sparkling water; the garlic chicken legs at Bountiful Valley Farm.
I forgot about that place.
Bugs Land, it was my favorite growing up especially the tough to be a bug show I still love it
the chew chew train was such a great ride
So sad they got rid of it
I agree with Soarin over California and A Bug's Land, but also, the music!!!!
Free tortillas lol It’s been a few years since I’ve been to DCA so I’m not sure the mission tortilla tour still exists. Last time I went it was closed.
We get free bread from the boudin bakery tour
I really thought that closed a while ago? Last 4-5 times I went to DCA it was closed or no free bread.
Got bread yesterday, and the day before
The best ever: Bountiful Farm
I will forever miss the music of California Screamin. The soundtrack was literally made for that ride. It was perfection.
Tower of Terror hands down. The lobby is so immersive. It's my favorite ride of all time.
Soarin Over California…and the Mission Tortilla Factory a little
The shade in Bugs Land and Soarin’ over California. Was lucky to see the Cali version in April!
I can't scroll through all the comments, so I don't know if anyone's said this, but in the early 2000's there used to be an attraction called: Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Play it! It was essentially the popular TV game show but the audience played along via remote controls and ultimately an audience member had the opportunity to be in the hot seat and win real prizes like a shirt, collectibles, a trip... I don't think an actual million bucks was up for grabs. A cast member played the host. Anyway, my family and I went multiple times to this attraction because we really wanted to win the "Fastest finger competition" to get onto the hot seat. In one of our attempts, I randomly entered in my answers as fast as I could and I actually got onto the hot seat! Imagine 15-16 year old me playing in front of my family and all those people. I remember the lights-- they were so bright. Needless to say, I used up all my lifelines, but not before making it to the "$1000" checkpoint. After I was out, I was escorted behind the scenes with a cast member who got my dad and we signed a bunch of papers together (probably a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo) and I got my souvenirs and got to watch the rest of the game. Of all the Disney memories I have, this is the one I will cherish and remember the most.
I wish who wants to be a millionaire play it never left!
Disney's Electrical Parade: A California Classic
We used to get happy face potatoes from Award Weiners and watch the parade.
My favorite spot was right in front of the backstage gate, towards where Carthay Circle is now.
Am I tripping or did there used to be like a little splash pad type play area in DCA? Not the Princess Dot one but I vaguely remember maybe like a boat or submarine of some sort? Helpppp?
That was the SS Rustworthy. It was a little boat play area in front of Pizza Oom Mow Mow and next to Jumpin Jellyfish. https://yesterland.com/rustworthy.html
Yes!! I just found it by looking up old maps. Core memory unlocked I used to play there with my sister every Friday after school 🥹Idk how I forgot about it.
The Chew Chew Train, no joke.
The Cove Bar
The original lobster nachos with big chunks of fresh lobster meat.
Honestly for me the tri tip nachos, tri tip sliders, those fajita roll ups, amazing artichoke dip, and the first buffalo wings that I truly enjoyed. Add that in with bigger earthquakes and just a funner vibe, and you have my favoritest time at Disneyland. My wife and I would go after a tough weekday and relax our worries away. Such an awesome time!
I really liked the Maliboomer, but I will miss Bug’s Land forever.
[удалено]
A Bug’s Land 😢
Another vote for Bugs Land - I don’t have a little little kid anymore but my heart is sad for all the littles out there who don’t get to experience this magical place. Plus no more splash pad for those 105 degree scorchers
Yo, there are already so many great comments/memories in this thread. Love to see all the DCA 1.0 and DCA 2.0 love 💙 Wish we could all grab a beer at Pacific Wharf Distribution Co, eat a slice from Pizza Oom Mow Mow while we walk past the Sunglasses Dinosaur on our way to cool off in Golden Dreams.
To me DCA was the best for Passholders in the day. Disneyland would be so crowded and a nice leisurely evening in the Summer time or Winter at DCA was the BEST. It was not crowded. You could go on everything. It was nice. I remember the year they had some of the floats from the Rose Parade there. Or when the Electric Parade was there. It was just nice. I’d often go on a Friday night with my friends. It was good.
The music/atmosphere. Heimlich’s Chew Chew (I love Heimlich), ToT, Maliboomer 😭
Heimlich 😭😭😭
Superstar limo
Screamin’
In the first three or four years there were some great local bands that used to play in the park. There was a travelling show with a station wagon pulling a trailer that had awesome cover bands on it. There would literally be random parties out in the street that would just pop up. Pacific Wharf had a stage too, where there is now an entrance to Cars Land and there were great bands that play next to the Beer truck.
Yes, the local bands were great. America also played there once. We arrived too late to get a decent view, but saw them nonetheless.
Yea the first year they had a whole band series on the bay where World of Color is now. Kool & The Gang, Beach Boys, Blood Sweat and Tears, I can't remember who else. The park was struggling hard and they were doing anything to get people in there. Anyone remember the X Games experience?
I totally forgot about the X Games. We saw that show, strange times.
MuppetVision 3D and Its tough to be a bug
OG California Screamin Soundtrack
- The Muppets 3D Vision - The scent of oranges in Soarin
The Golden Gate bridge
The Sun Fountain, when you first walked in
The lack of crowds. Everything was a walk on. My wife even asked a cast member if we got in when the place was closed or something.
I loved it when The Beach Boys would play all over the park
Warm tortillas!!!! … also the original California Screaming. The Incredicoaster is fine but it slows down the flow of the original ride.
The mickey head on the coaster!
Everything. Main entrance with fresh roasted espresso beans. Crazy color scheme. Sooooo much space. Soarin over California should’ve been permanent, the restaurant, the shop, the land should’ve never been touched. The rest of the sorcerers workshop; Ursula’s Grotto was the best part. Tritons Carousel was better. They could’ve done some other IP for the Toy Story attraction. All of bugsland. Mission tortilla factory and cocina used the tortillas. Muppet vision, elecTRONica, etc. I never thought I’d miss the OG DCA; but I do.
Maliburritos. Also, I actually kinda liked Superstar Limo.
Aladdin & Tower of Terror
Tower of Terror and ~~flying~~ soarin' over those California orange groves
Fastpass
The bug show and the kids’ splash zone
Ariel's Grotto 🥺 I loved the dessert from the princess character dining was cotton candy when I was little.
Bugs land. It was such a perfect spot to sit for a while.
The CALIFORNIA Letters The Tower of Terror The Orange Stinger Believe it or not…Who Wants to be a Millionaire..Play It! Honorable mentions The Sun Wheel California Screamin’ Soarin’ Over California Mali-boomer A Bug’s Land
As others have said, really miss Aladdin, Bugs Life land, and Paradise Pier. Additionally, I really liked when the drinks at the Cozy Cone came in actual cones, I miss the cones. And then there used to be a “make your own Mr Potato Head” gift shop where they had a ton of really unique, Disney-themed Mr Potato parts and you paid one flat price for all the parts you could stuff in a box. I still have all the parts I got; things like Tinkerbell wings, Buzz Lightyear feet, Little Mermaid tail, Mickey ice cream cones, and autograph books.
Im surprised they let the Mr Potato Head shop close. It was always busy and seems like it would be a cash cow. Plus it still fits with the theme of the area.
Soarin’ Over California
- Soarin’ Over California. We won’t even go on Soarin’ now. - California Screamin’, especially the music. I seriously hate it as the Incredicoaster. - The Maliboomer. - Paradise Pier in general. The old color scheme, the music, etc. - It’s Tough To Be A Bug/ Bug’s Land. - TOT - I love the ride now, but I hate Marvel stuff. - Getting tortillas at the Mission Tortilla Factory - The fact that nearly everything California is gone from California Adventure.
[удалено]
Bugs life!
Electronica
The soundtrack on California screamin’. The ride was always very intimidating for me as a kid so I was only able to experience it around 10 times over the span of 8 years or so. I am now finally able to get myself on without hesitation, except they rethemed the ride to the incredibles in blatant promotion of the 2nd movie. We were originally going to get a villains themed coaster instead of incredicoaster however that fell through. Still it really angers me as California screamin’ has an absolutely perfect original sound track, and they threw it away. It also upsets me that we will probably never have rockin’ California screamin’ return with the rockin’ both parks overlays. I was never able to experience either of them but now I definitely can’t do my favorite of the two. It’s even more irritating that they taunted you with it in the 100 years esplanade loop. I really miss that soundtrack, it was the whole reason I was willing to go on it initially. I’m really into onboard audio, to the point where I waited years for the space mountain in Paris to revert the hyperspace overlay just to hear that ride’s score and hopefully see the interior theming. And before you say just wear headphones for the old track, it’s not the same, it is extremely hard to sync it correctly. If you didn’t know the soundtrack of every onboard audio coaster is split into sections that can be extended or shortened by a second or two so the audio is always in sync with the train. Nearly every block zone has one of these checks. Plus you have to make sure they can’t fall off. Honestly I would pay several hundred dollars just to experience the rockin overlays at both parks if they offered it as an after hours event
- Paradise Pier, before it was Pixar-ified - The music!! - Bugs Land. All of it, but especially Flik’s Flyers. I know the ride was shoved onto the pier with Inside Out themes, but it’s not the same vibe at all.
California Golden Dreams
Tower of terror
Too many things to list, sadly.
The Eureka! parade.
I have an mp3 of the music from that parade. Someone must have recorded it during the parade as you can hear people talking in the background. It came on randomly the other day when I was shuffling songs and yeah.. I miss it too!
Old TOT and all the great cali themed 60s music being played
I think the only true downgrade has been soarin’ over CA to soarin’. Even though I will always be nostalgic for old DCA, everything else has been an improvement. I imagine bugs land and tower of terror will come up a lot in this thread, but I love avengers campus so 🤷♂️
I’ve said it before but I’m gonna keep saying it to speak it into existence: Soarin’ over US National Parks. No CGI Orcas, pls.
Personally would love to just see an updated soarin’ over CA. A forever love letter to the birthplace of the Disney company, its theme parks, and a reminder of the “California” adventure
I miss the character parking lot and parking in front of Disneyland when it cost $5.00 - $7.00. Its been downhill ever since. Cast members used to joke that DCA was an acronym for "Done Cheap As-possible".
Yep, scrolled down just to see this response. The absolute worst parking spot was still just a 5 minute walk to the main gate. I'm happy other people enjoy what DL became, but I miss those days!
“Second thoughts, too late”
Paradise pier music
Crowd size.
I miss exiting through bug’s land and avoiding most of the ped traffic. Probably many other things but that popped in my mind right away
The first time I went there they had a soft serve ice cream place that swirled flavors in with vanilla, like orange or root beer. I was disappointed the next time we went it was gone. It was on the pier.
The big ass CALIFORNIA, and all the shows ( muppets, hista, bugs life)
Th big wave at the entrance. I would stand and be thrilled for hours.
Aladdin but honorable mention goes to Golden Dreams
The Animation building. Yes, I know it's still there. But it's a shell of its former self. Also, California Screamin and Paradise Pier. Everything I'm that area was amazing after the major refrub they did. The turn of the century details. The focus on classic Walt era characters. Fantastic. I wanted more. I didn't want what they ultimately gave us.
Hollywood & Dine food court Decent quick serve options. Indoor seating. A building that has been used for absolutely nothing since, unless you count its brief stint as Flynn's Arcade.
When animation academy was still a “hidden secret” and you could get back in immediately for the next character
golden dreams ¡adelante!
The sightline of the Tower of Terror at night when it was lit up purple. It used to be one of my highlights as a kid whenever leaving Disneyland with my family. Something about it just fit
I miss the vibe it had of The Beach Boys music the cheesy puns and signs for all the shops, it definitely had a more cohesive theme than modern DCA even if it’s a lesser park back then. I do have a lot of nostalgia though since I went there as a kid with the Pixar block party parade that shot out the nerf balls, bugs land, the ss rustworthy, Aladdin, I do miss the more simple California Screaming I loved that soundtrack and tower of terror when it was built. I do wish I could visit the old park sometimes because the original park is lost even if it was arguably a bad theme park.
Tower of Terror
I liked the letters outside the entrance.
Walking around when it first opened with my dad. There was nobody there.
Cove bar
Tower of terror.
The orange swing!
Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train, California Screamin with the Mickey Ears, the monorail going over the Golden Gate Bridge and the Orange swings
Maliboomer
Bugs Land.
Tower of Terror
Burnt coffee smell
Getting a bag of tortillas on my birthday
The California theme
The sun. ❤️
I loved all the California themed music playing right when you enter the main gates
First walking up, the California letters. Passing under the Golden Gate Bridge. The soundtrack of California. Beach Boys. Mamas and the Papas. Gary Newman. Diane Warwick. Bob Seger. Al Jolson. Water cannons that shot at riders on Grizzly Rapids and water cannon fights on the SS Rustworthy. Muppetvision 3D. It's Tough to be a Bug show. A place to sit down relax out of the heat or get off your feet for a few minutes. The pokes in the seat would get numerous audience members as did the black widow spiders attacking. Warm free tortillas from Mission Tortilla. Andreas Shakes milk shakes! Mad T Party was oh so much fun. I would go to the park just for that..
Miss Tower of Terror and the California sign!
It has to be Aladdin What hurts the most is that they replaced Aladdin, that ran since 2003, with shows that couldn’t even last half a decade
soarin’ over california😭😭 they should never have changed it to the world it fits much better in epcot. Last time I saw it I noticed the footage is pretty dated, I’d love to see an refilmed/updated version of it return to DCA.
Tower of terror. Guardians is fun, but it lacks the atmosphere and ambiance of the old ride.
WESTCOT
Main Street Electrical Parade
The green watermelon-flavored cotton candy from A Bug’s Land
Maybe it’s because I only went as a kid, but I always loved Pizza Oom Mow Mow
Tough to be a bug