But I don't wanna go to DCA!

I have special memories of DCA. I was there when MickeyLumbo lost his GRR cherry.


(Not to be confused with losing his cherry on GRR. I'm pretty sure that notable event happened on the Matterhorn....rumor has it there was a third man on the mountain that day.)

I actually like DCA. Not as much as Disneyland but to not like something as much as Disneyland is not the same thing as hating something.

My view is in comparison to The Phantom Menace. There are some things in there that I love (podracing sequence, Darth Maul battles, Qui-Gon Jinn, Ewan as Obi-Wan) but on the whole it's crap and a damned shame that Lucas couldn't do better. Same with DCA.

That's fine. I'm not trying to convince anybody to like DCA, just stating my opinion. In my opinion, DCA is the third best park (behind DL and Sea World) in Southern California and that isn't bad.

But people who disagree can make a compelling case.

As for Phantom Menace (or any of the other prequels), I can't even think of a single thing I liked in them so I'll agree with you on those.

I've always liked DCA. But as I've thought about it, there's only one reason....it isn't ever crowded.

One very family trip we've taken over there, we play at DL until it is too crowded for us, then we go to DCA, where there are wide open walkways and limited lines for the things we want to do.

Ambience wise and over all attraction wise....eh, some things I like. Much of it I don't care for at all. The only part I really don't like at all is the Paradise Pier area around the circle over to Golden Dreams. Kind of ugly. But an uncrowded ugly.

Whether you like the place or not, I think the question pertinent to this occasion is whether you like it better than you did five years ago. In other words, has the place improved during it's important infancy? Has it improved to your satisfaction? Was it just fine "as is" with no improvement needed?



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Imo, the place is actually WORSE than it was five years ago. Back then, I very much enjoyed a couple of the entertainment offerings - namely, Eureka and Blast! Nowadays, zilch. Back then, I couldn't get enough of Soarin' Over California. Nowadays, once a year is enough for that tired, old film. Tower of Terror provided a solid month of fun ... and now I can't be bothered to walk all the way back there for that 10 second thrill.

They have removed the comfy sofas from the park's most amazing environment - the lobby of the Animation Building. Bah. The food quality and availability at this park have gone steadily downhill from its original superiority to a level on lowly par with, well, Disneyland.

OMG, the place is suckier than the suckfest is was when it opened. My God! It's like a tumor on Disneyland's neck.

Well, you speak as a local. I speak as someone who goes over to Anaheim with the family two or three times a year.

From a two or three times/year standpoint, I think it has improved drastically. Adding the ToT, Monsters Inc (haven't had a chance yet to ride it, of course), changes in the Animation building make it always different than the last trip for us, Soarin' hasn't become old to us, etc, etc, etc.

Granted, I think the food offerings there stink. But I'm no fan of the majority of food offerings at DLR, either. With small children we don't do things like sit down meals in the Blue Bayou or any place at DCA.

So, for me, the curve of improvement is fine. I see things I'd like to change, of course, as does everyone. I just come from a non-local perspective.

Happy 5th Birthday, Disney's California Adventure!
Thanks for five years of great fun in the countless hours spent there, and special memories created there with friends and family. Best wishes for you to make it to your own 50 magical years celebration 45 years from now!

So it is a suckfest if you visit every week. Most people only visit every few years or even longer.

If I watched the same episodes of Firefly every weekend, it would start to suck as well.

This is why I don't really go on rides, for the most part, none of them have repeatability for me. Even my favorites (PotC) I'm fine with riding every couple years. Most visits to the park involve no rides unless I'm following other people.

Most of the people I know who visit a lot don't really care for DCA, most of the people I know who visit once a decade enjoy it quite a bit (they're the ones who come back and ask me if I knew Disney'd built a new park and that Country Bear Jamboree is gone). For the way I experience the parks, DCA is just fine.

And no, DCA isn't better than five years ago for one simple reason: It has the most annoying parade of all time (and I'm not talking about Block Party Bash).