http://www.descope.com/features/fdt.html
Not having visited any of the parks in a long time I can only assume that if they’re running them the same way they’re running their animation division, it could be a long ride down to hell.
Well, coming from the Disneyheim area, I have a few friends who work at Disneyland (I, personally, worked at “Mrs. little berry place” for a few summers), and so have had the pleasure of visiting California Adventure without wasting any of my hard earned money.
It is crap. It costs more to get in there than it does to get in to Disneyland. Their entrances are right across from each other. Face the entrance gate to Disneyland, turn around 180 degrees and walk 100 yards and you are at the gate to California Adventure. Here’s the best part, you have to buy SEPARATE ADMISSION to each park. No discounts for buying both. If you do end up buying a ticket to California Adventure, you get the desparate feeling of having just been ripped off. It has zero atmosphere. The rides are really just cheap knock-offs of Knott’s and Six Flags rides (with a few exceptions). And it’s extremely small, you could walk around the whole perimeter in about ten minutes.
The best part is that while the normal park closes at midnight or 1am, the California Adventure closes at 10 because of low attendance and they don’t want to pay the workers to sit around and do nothing at night. I love it.
I will admit, however, that I always have fun in DCA, but I guess, having an annual passport, you don’t think about how much the paying public gets ripped off… 
Esprix
What the hell is the “Hall of Chemicals”?
“We used to not let people into Disneyland because they had long hair”
For real?
Well, I know they used to measure hemlines and if it was too far above the knee you didn’t go in. Never heard the long hair thing though.
Zweibelesque!
Annual Passport holder checking in…
Yeah, CA Adventure pretty much sucks, if you compare it to D-Land proper.
I like the new Tomorrowland look, as it is closer to what Walt envisioned, if I’m not mistaken (a very Jules Verne-type thing). I loved the People-Mover, one of the best makeout rides ever, never even got to ride the Rocket Rods before they ripped 'em out. Bug-ridden from the get-go, apparently.
I agree with Esprix- we don’t usually pay attention to how badly the general paying public is being bent over the barrel.
Bottom line- I have a two year old who thinks Disneyland rocks, so I love it! I don’t even have to buy him anything, because we are there so much. I think my pass plus parking cost about $200, so it paid for itself after about 5 visits.
That sucks! What a bunch of hypocrites. “The Happiest Place on Earth…as long as we’re happy with you.” :P:
That’s right. They also used to prevent same-sex couples from dancing on the dance floors.
But then again, speaking from the other side of the fence (as it were), guests to the park aren’t any picnic, either.
And those who get in on any sort of discount were (in my experience) the worst of all.
That said, DCA isn’t much right now. There are plans in place to expand it, to add rides and add value. Yes, the decision to open it at the same price as entry into DL proper was a stupid one. But we’ve covered that in other threads. In fact, it seems to me that when attendance was down at both parks this summer they discounted the price down on DCA so an adult entry cost what a Child entry into the other park cost. But that wasn’t enough, either.
Yes, Superstar Limo sucks. I have repeatedly told people to skip it. Know what? DCA authority knows it sucks, too. Of course, they can’t be bothered to do anything original with it - they’re going to tear it out and replace it with Tower of Terror (as at Florida) - but it will still beat all out of that lame ride that’s there now.
You see, the problem isn’t particularly Paul Pressler. It’s the fact that fucking Eisner has decided that the California parks should net him exactly the same sort of revenue that the Florida parks do. The FL parks are a year-round tourist attraction. The same can absolutely not be said of CA.
However, if all you people bitching about what’s wrong with DCA had been around in 55 when Disneyland was built & opened, you’d probably have been just as negative about it. “Too expensive” “not enough to do” “the damn asphalt isn’t solid yet” “there aren’t enough water fountains.” For Walt’s sake, DCA is a freaking newborn - give it a chance to become an adolescent before you start beating it down, willya? :rolleyes:
Oh, and as for Rocket Rods? The main “bugs” were twofold - 1) the track was never meant to support vehicles travelling at 35 mph, and 2) the cars were supposed to be built out of light materials, not steel & iron, so the brakes wore out too quickly. However, the flaws keep getting laid on the shoulders of the computer guys somehow.
Did I mention that you should never get me started on this stuff?
in point of fact, I get my knickers in such a twist over this stuff that I completely forget to turn off the bold code.
Sigh.
And now, Things You Never Really Needed To Know About Monsanto’s Hall of Chemistry:
[ul][li]Opened July 17, 1955, closed 1966[/li][li]Located in Tomorrowland[/li][li]From http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/media/99/99oct1_disney.html:[/li]
[li]From http://disneylandsource.com/tom/chem.html (including picture):[/li]
[li]From http://www.pacificsites.com/~drhoades/trivia.htm:[/li]
[/ul]
Your ever-loving Disney freak,
Esprix
And dammit, when are we having a Disneyland Dopefest?
I tried once…
Esprix
Well, 'Sprix, honey, my mom’s taking us to the Cast Member Christmas Mix-In on November 25, but somehow I think I might have trouble meeting other Dopers on what’s supposed to be a “family day”…
Otherwise, let me know when & I’ll try to clear my sched. I want to get to the park before the Nightmare before Christmas remake of the Haunted Manse, anyway. 
What kind of Disney freak are you? I’ve already ridden the thing like six times. Sheesh… 
Esprix
So it turns out that Esprix and SisterCoyote are both self proclaimed “Disney freaks”…
I used to have so much more respect for the both of you
I’m a full-time student (and full-time employed person simultaneously) no longer working for the park and living in Thousand Oaks. That’s what kind of Disney Freak I am. 
And Neurotik, BTW, I meant to mention earlier that there is a two-park pass. It’s not quite as much as buying two separate park passes, either, but it’s only for two or more days, IIRC.
As far as respect…I don’t know what Esprix’ problem is. I used to work for them. It gets in your blood, like a disease. (Disnease?)
Yes, I’ve noticed the Disnease phenomenon myself. One of my friends who works there has suddenly become a Disney freak herself after spending 17 years not really caring too much about it.
I think there is something fishy going on there.
Not a Disney freak, myself, but my family has held annual passports for a couple of years. My sister, on the other hand, qualifies for the title. Direct quote from the annual family newsletter three years ago (written by my brother-in-law)…
Just thought I’d share that.