I got a feeling...

Sometimes I get a vibe about a place and decide ahead of time that I won’t like it. Disney California Adventure (DCA) is one of those places. I don’t know what it is but I have never had the desire to go. It gives off Hollywood Studios vibes and that is my least favorite park at Walt Disney World. When we booked our November 2023 Disneyland vacation, I reluctantly agreed to visit the park. We were driving in from San Diego that morning so I knew I would only have a half day at the park. Brunch, pool time, and a nap put us at about a 7:30 pm arrival to DCA. We didn’t have a ton of time - the park closed at 10pm that night - but we managed to squeeze in a few attractions and some yummy food. 

Here are the attractions we were able to take in while at DCA:

The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure - This ride is a slow-moving, dark ride where you ride in a clamshell and watch animatronics tell the story of the Little Mermaid. You even get to experience Ariel’s under the sea world with a little help from some clever Disney magic. If you’ve been on the ride in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, it is the same one. The clamshell ride vehicle is comfortable for two Pooh size guests and the lap bar doesn’t squish. The area for your feet is a little small, especially if there are two pooh-size adults plus a bag of some sort. There is an accessible queue for wheelchairs and ECVs. It is a short walk on a moving sidewalk to transfer to your ride vehicle. I really love this ride at Magic Kingdom and it is exactly the same at DCA.

Soarin’ Around the World - Another ride that has a counterpart in Disney World is Soarin’ Around the World. In this case, the DCA version is the original. It started as Soarin’ Over California but recently expanded the experience to the world. Meant to simulate being on a hang glider, guests are seated in individual seats in a row of 10 riders. Because of this, you need to transfer out of a wheelchair or ECV. The seats are a little snug, especially if you have another pooh-size person in your party. Each seat has a seatbelt that is required in order to ride. 

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Pooh tip - Pull the seatbelt all the way out before you sit down. You’ll get a few more inches of belt and it will be a bit easier to buckle. 

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Mickey’s Philharmagic - The attraction is a 12-minute, 3-D movie musical adventure starring everyone’s favorite angry duck, Donald. It is theater-style seating with the interior looking like a typical performance hall. You can stay in your ECV/wheelchair for the entire show. Because of this, I didn’t try the seats in the theater. It did look like it might be a tight squeeze though. It’s also important to note that this attraction uses 3D glasses. I’m a glasses wearer and these never seem to sit right over my own specs.

World of Color - This is DCA’s nighttime show. It is similar to Fantasmic in that it uses water to show projections. In all other aspects, this show is completely different! It is a show of water jets that are choreographed to Disney music. We saw the holiday themed version called "Season of Light". There are NO seats for this show unless you pay for one of the dessert parties in a reserved area. It is really a spectacular show that you don’t want to miss! My suggestion: get there early to reserve your spot to stand in.

We didn’t do much else during our time there other than eat. Because we were there during the holiday season we were able to participate in the Festival of Holidays. There were booths set up around the park where you could try traditional holiday food with a twist! We had brisket sliders, kugel mac & cheese, and Thanksgiving dinner empanadas. Everything was delicious! For a full description of these yummy foods and to see what else was being offered during the Festival of Holidays check out the Disney Parks Blog here.

One thing I will say about DCA is I’m sure it’s better during the day. I think I really did a disservice to my first time there by going at night. The Disney parks aren’t the most well-lit places at night and it was hard to get a lay of the land when I couldn’t even see things around me. Do yourself a favor and set aside a whole day for DCA. I think next time we go to DLR we’ll do a full day at DCA. That way I can really get a feel for the place before I make a final judgment call on it.