(Okay, it has taken me a while to get around to the final part of our less-than-epic instalment, but occasionally work does have to take precedence 
PS: Usual disclaimer rules apply!).
Having partied the party until gone 2am, it was a very shaky and bleary-eyed journalist who emerged into the cold morning sunlight at around 6.45am for the official dedication of the new park, due at 8. Somewhere, someone stole the few precious hours of sleep I should have had and I feel as if I have fallen asleep in a drain for half an hour. Comfortable, I am not. It is also cold. No. It is COLD. Like it is still hovering around 40 degrees and, even wearing about every article of clothing I have brought with me (oh, for a pair of gloves!), I am still shivering my wotsits off. Thankfully, one of the Disney reps who (god bless her) is still in possession of functioning brain cells, has the foresight to bring me a large cup of coffee. I donâÂÂt want to drink it, just stick my hands in it to see if they will thaw. I mean, this is California in the sunshine (?), and I am seriously worried about frostbite.
However, once we get moving it is not too bad, and we take the stroll up through DD to the main entrance plaza for the two parks. It is just 7am, but already much of the seating set up in front of the DCA gates is occupied and the banks of temporary bleachers are full of cameramen.
The next hour passes terribly slowly, but at least we are gradually being warmed up by the sun. 8am passes and still we wait. The clock has ticked on to 8.15 before something (anything, by this time, please!) finally happens and the dynamic duo of Michael Eisner and then Roy Disney take to the stage, and both men are very impressive as they make relatively brief but pertinent speeches before being joined by a certain Mouse.
An off-stage announcer then introduces a string of past Disney and media celebrities, who all had a hand in the original DL opening. I have to confess that the names and the people actually meant little to me, although the emotion of the occasion was tangible. Finally, they came to the first guests for DCA, the Klepper family from Los Angeles (I think). Here it really does start to tug at your heart-strings as daughter Nicci Klepper is a member of the US Paralympic team, but is clearly so thrilled to see Mickey that he is all she can see as she runs up and gives him a huge hug. Then it is time for all the guests to stand aside and the show to start.
In true Disney style, nothing is quite what it seems. Here, a seemingly solid sky-blue backdrop has magically appeared where the stage was for the VIP speeches, and it starts to shimmer as a host of vividly costumed dancers take to the new stage area. The central character is a âÂÂsun goddessâ at the centre of a huge and ornate golden globe that seems to float with her movements. To me, it looks like the meeting of the sun and the sea as more dancers run on in glistening, tight blue costumes. Flags and streamers wave, and, as the finale, our sun goddess slowly rises up above the backdrop to an outbreak of fireworks from behind the main entrance to the park. This far after the event, I honestly canâÂÂt recall much of the music, but the visual impression was truly awesome and it served as a most fitting commemoration of the new park.
With the opening show complete, all the gates are thrown wide open for the crowd of Cast Members, VIPs and media to pour through. DCA is officially open!
Now, it may sound like sacrilege but I think I have seen enough for now. Wandering through the Sun Plaza and Condor Flats areas is a bit of a shambles with so many people all meandering in roughly the same direction, and I have already had a good look at the attractions, so, after a final look around the picturesque Grizzly Peak area, I head for the Grand Californian exit with one thing in mind â breakfast at the Storytellers Café!
Having only peaked in through the windows before, I am keen to spend some time in here, as it looks just fabulous. There is only a 10-minute wait, so four of us decide to give it a try. Chip (or is it Dale?!), greets guests just past the podium and we are shown to a corner table. The décor here really is magnificent, a combination of many rustic elements and an overall feeling of sitting in front of your favourite fireplace. The character interaction is good (Chip, Dale and Pluto â in fact, Pluto has found a three-year-old âÂÂlimpetâ who has latched on to his favourite friend and is now following him all round the restaurant! So cute) and the buffet breakfast is excellent, with a range of the usual goodies plus several different dishes, like a sausage and potato hash which is wonderful. Service is good and the whole ambience feels right; a real winner for the character dining experience (and SO much better than the Paradise Pier).
We linger for more than an hour over breakfast before it is time to head back to the PP to check out at 11am. Here, there are some VERY tired members of the UK media (myself included) and there is little inclination to do more than take a short stroll to DD and back. This turns out to be a good idea on my part as I manage to do some serious shopping for my DW (including a ValentineâÂÂs gift. Yes, I know, IâÂÂm still an old romantic at heart
). Hoypoloi is a real favourite with me (some fabulous, eclectic artwork, including the kind of unusual glassware that really catches my eye. Sadly, I wouldnâÂÂt want to risk any of it on a transatlantic flight!), as is Illumination (nothing to do with Epcot in WDW, , this is a candle and lighting store, and a very good one, at that) and Island Charters, an eclectic apparel store with a nautical/aviation theme (and some wonderful aircraft models. A young CM tells me he has to learn a new fact about each model every day!). I easily pass an hour wandering between these three and also walk away from Hoypoloi having bought two CDs by a group called Mythos, which is really original instrumental/New World-type music.
By now, our coach awaits back to the airport, and, sadly, this is where the real world intrudes on our wonderful five-day stay in the Magic.
Los Angeles airport is a s**thole, pure and simple. IâÂÂm sorry LA people, but there is no other way to put it. IâÂÂve been in cleaner sewers than the menâÂÂs restrooms here (actually, thatâÂÂs a slight exaggeration
IâÂÂve never actually been in any sewers, apart from the archaeological remains in Pompeii in Italy!!), which are plagued by broken and unlockable doors, filthy floors, dirty hand-basins and just mess everywhere you look. You feel unclean just walking through (and walking right out again. IâÂÂm not that desperate!). But it doesnâÂÂt get much better. There is virtually nowhere to sit in comfort, and the few food/beverage outlets look as if they havenâÂÂt been cleaned in weeks. Dirty plates are piled up on the only free table in the laughably-named Cheers bar, and the only way youâÂÂll ever clean some of the grime on the floors and around the bar is with a flame-thrower. The bar itself is a mess of discarded till receipts, loose change and spilled beer. This place is a M-E-S-S with a capital M, and then some.
The flight canâÂÂt come round quickly enough. One of the group decide to have a look round the duty free store but, No. This closes at 5pm and thatâÂÂs it folks. ThatâÂÂs all there is. There is a Wolfgang PuckâÂÂs Express and a Burger King that look marginally better than the Cheers bar, but both are full to overflowing and it is too disheartening to try to elbow a way in.
By 6.45 we are all desperate to get out (the idea of a flight being delayed or â horrors! â cancelled on you is too much to contemplate), and luckily our Virgin flight is on time.
So, itâÂÂs farewell DCA, good riddance to LAX, IâÂÂm afraid. The only other incident worth recording was my impression of a dying swan in mid-flight. I can only put it down to the lack of sleep {Hah! â Ed}, but I am suddenly overcome by a horrible, hot, nauseous feeling after the main meal that impels me to seek the restroom, urgently. I never made it. Apparently, I got up in the aisle and promptly keeled over, face-first, down the length of the aisle. And I have the bruised chin to prove it! So, let that be a lesson to any would-be journos out there. ItâÂÂs a tough old business at times
Now, looking back at the DCA experience, I can draw a few, mainly favourable conclusions.
1) The park WILL be a hit with the majority. There is a lot to see and do, but there will be some, brought up on the DL style, who just donâÂÂt get it or wonâÂÂt like it. In some places there is too little theming (Mulholland Madness, Superstar Limo), while in others there is too much that will go unnoticed (witness the main entrance hoardings to either side, which look like large sheets of garishly-painted cardboard but are, in fact, wonderfully clever mosaics which you can only appreciate up close.
2) Much of what is there is designed to appeal to adults and older children. There is little that seems ideal for under 6s and pre-schoolers will almost certainly feel left out. Adults, however, should revel in facets like Downtown Disney, the food outlets like the Golden Vineyard and Avalon Cove by Wolfgang Puck.
3) Soarinâ Over California is a Must See At All Costs attraction, and will make most peopleâÂÂs day.
4) If anyone pays $2 a time for the side-stalls in Paradise Pier, they are crazy. That is just too much, and Disney ought to rethink some of their pricing policy here.
5) The longer you spend here, the more it grows on you and the better it gets. There is as much to do here as MGM Studios in WDW, but DCA looks better, tastes better and smells better, and has a far more artistic touch, almost on a par with Animal Kingdom.
6) Disney Animation is a real and surprising show-stopper. Spend a good deal of time here and try to absorb as much of the wonderful interior design as possible.
7) I like DCA. It is different from any other Disney park (that IâÂÂve seen; which only excludes Disney Tokyo) and provides a complementary experience to DL next door.
8) Disney WILL add some more attractions in the next year or two, which should provide the finishing touches. CMs are already talking about an Armageddon-themed show in the Hollywood Backlot and even a version of the Tower of Terror. There is a large parking lot behind Hollywood to expand into, and it would make sense.
9) If, as the early signs indicate, there are only light crowds at the moment, donâÂÂt hesitate. Go to DCA and revel in this new park!
I sincerely hope everyone has enjoyed reading these often rather rambling reports. I have thoroughly enjoyed putting my thoughts down and working out what I like and what I donâÂÂt about the new park, and all the feedback so far has been immensely gratifying.
But, now youâÂÂve got to get out there â and write your own Trip Reports!
Have a nice day, nowâ¦â¦..
simon.veness@virgin.net
PS: Usual disclaimer rules apply!).Having partied the party until gone 2am, it was a very shaky and bleary-eyed journalist who emerged into the cold morning sunlight at around 6.45am for the official dedication of the new park, due at 8. Somewhere, someone stole the few precious hours of sleep I should have had and I feel as if I have fallen asleep in a drain for half an hour. Comfortable, I am not. It is also cold. No. It is COLD. Like it is still hovering around 40 degrees and, even wearing about every article of clothing I have brought with me (oh, for a pair of gloves!), I am still shivering my wotsits off. Thankfully, one of the Disney reps who (god bless her) is still in possession of functioning brain cells, has the foresight to bring me a large cup of coffee. I donâÂÂt want to drink it, just stick my hands in it to see if they will thaw. I mean, this is California in the sunshine (?), and I am seriously worried about frostbite.
However, once we get moving it is not too bad, and we take the stroll up through DD to the main entrance plaza for the two parks. It is just 7am, but already much of the seating set up in front of the DCA gates is occupied and the banks of temporary bleachers are full of cameramen.
The next hour passes terribly slowly, but at least we are gradually being warmed up by the sun. 8am passes and still we wait. The clock has ticked on to 8.15 before something (anything, by this time, please!) finally happens and the dynamic duo of Michael Eisner and then Roy Disney take to the stage, and both men are very impressive as they make relatively brief but pertinent speeches before being joined by a certain Mouse.
An off-stage announcer then introduces a string of past Disney and media celebrities, who all had a hand in the original DL opening. I have to confess that the names and the people actually meant little to me, although the emotion of the occasion was tangible. Finally, they came to the first guests for DCA, the Klepper family from Los Angeles (I think). Here it really does start to tug at your heart-strings as daughter Nicci Klepper is a member of the US Paralympic team, but is clearly so thrilled to see Mickey that he is all she can see as she runs up and gives him a huge hug. Then it is time for all the guests to stand aside and the show to start.
In true Disney style, nothing is quite what it seems. Here, a seemingly solid sky-blue backdrop has magically appeared where the stage was for the VIP speeches, and it starts to shimmer as a host of vividly costumed dancers take to the new stage area. The central character is a âÂÂsun goddessâ at the centre of a huge and ornate golden globe that seems to float with her movements. To me, it looks like the meeting of the sun and the sea as more dancers run on in glistening, tight blue costumes. Flags and streamers wave, and, as the finale, our sun goddess slowly rises up above the backdrop to an outbreak of fireworks from behind the main entrance to the park. This far after the event, I honestly canâÂÂt recall much of the music, but the visual impression was truly awesome and it served as a most fitting commemoration of the new park.
With the opening show complete, all the gates are thrown wide open for the crowd of Cast Members, VIPs and media to pour through. DCA is officially open!
Now, it may sound like sacrilege but I think I have seen enough for now. Wandering through the Sun Plaza and Condor Flats areas is a bit of a shambles with so many people all meandering in roughly the same direction, and I have already had a good look at the attractions, so, after a final look around the picturesque Grizzly Peak area, I head for the Grand Californian exit with one thing in mind â breakfast at the Storytellers Café!
Having only peaked in through the windows before, I am keen to spend some time in here, as it looks just fabulous. There is only a 10-minute wait, so four of us decide to give it a try. Chip (or is it Dale?!), greets guests just past the podium and we are shown to a corner table. The décor here really is magnificent, a combination of many rustic elements and an overall feeling of sitting in front of your favourite fireplace. The character interaction is good (Chip, Dale and Pluto â in fact, Pluto has found a three-year-old âÂÂlimpetâ who has latched on to his favourite friend and is now following him all round the restaurant! So cute) and the buffet breakfast is excellent, with a range of the usual goodies plus several different dishes, like a sausage and potato hash which is wonderful. Service is good and the whole ambience feels right; a real winner for the character dining experience (and SO much better than the Paradise Pier).
We linger for more than an hour over breakfast before it is time to head back to the PP to check out at 11am. Here, there are some VERY tired members of the UK media (myself included) and there is little inclination to do more than take a short stroll to DD and back. This turns out to be a good idea on my part as I manage to do some serious shopping for my DW (including a ValentineâÂÂs gift. Yes, I know, IâÂÂm still an old romantic at heart
). Hoypoloi is a real favourite with me (some fabulous, eclectic artwork, including the kind of unusual glassware that really catches my eye. Sadly, I wouldnâÂÂt want to risk any of it on a transatlantic flight!), as is Illumination (nothing to do with Epcot in WDW, , this is a candle and lighting store, and a very good one, at that) and Island Charters, an eclectic apparel store with a nautical/aviation theme (and some wonderful aircraft models. A young CM tells me he has to learn a new fact about each model every day!). I easily pass an hour wandering between these three and also walk away from Hoypoloi having bought two CDs by a group called Mythos, which is really original instrumental/New World-type music. By now, our coach awaits back to the airport, and, sadly, this is where the real world intrudes on our wonderful five-day stay in the Magic.
Los Angeles airport is a s**thole, pure and simple. IâÂÂm sorry LA people, but there is no other way to put it. IâÂÂve been in cleaner sewers than the menâÂÂs restrooms here (actually, thatâÂÂs a slight exaggeration
IâÂÂve never actually been in any sewers, apart from the archaeological remains in Pompeii in Italy!!), which are plagued by broken and unlockable doors, filthy floors, dirty hand-basins and just mess everywhere you look. You feel unclean just walking through (and walking right out again. IâÂÂm not that desperate!). But it doesnâÂÂt get much better. There is virtually nowhere to sit in comfort, and the few food/beverage outlets look as if they havenâÂÂt been cleaned in weeks. Dirty plates are piled up on the only free table in the laughably-named Cheers bar, and the only way youâÂÂll ever clean some of the grime on the floors and around the bar is with a flame-thrower. The bar itself is a mess of discarded till receipts, loose change and spilled beer. This place is a M-E-S-S with a capital M, and then some.The flight canâÂÂt come round quickly enough. One of the group decide to have a look round the duty free store but, No. This closes at 5pm and thatâÂÂs it folks. ThatâÂÂs all there is. There is a Wolfgang PuckâÂÂs Express and a Burger King that look marginally better than the Cheers bar, but both are full to overflowing and it is too disheartening to try to elbow a way in.
By 6.45 we are all desperate to get out (the idea of a flight being delayed or â horrors! â cancelled on you is too much to contemplate), and luckily our Virgin flight is on time.
So, itâÂÂs farewell DCA, good riddance to LAX, IâÂÂm afraid. The only other incident worth recording was my impression of a dying swan in mid-flight. I can only put it down to the lack of sleep {Hah! â Ed}, but I am suddenly overcome by a horrible, hot, nauseous feeling after the main meal that impels me to seek the restroom, urgently. I never made it. Apparently, I got up in the aisle and promptly keeled over, face-first, down the length of the aisle. And I have the bruised chin to prove it! So, let that be a lesson to any would-be journos out there. ItâÂÂs a tough old business at times
Now, looking back at the DCA experience, I can draw a few, mainly favourable conclusions.
1) The park WILL be a hit with the majority. There is a lot to see and do, but there will be some, brought up on the DL style, who just donâÂÂt get it or wonâÂÂt like it. In some places there is too little theming (Mulholland Madness, Superstar Limo), while in others there is too much that will go unnoticed (witness the main entrance hoardings to either side, which look like large sheets of garishly-painted cardboard but are, in fact, wonderfully clever mosaics which you can only appreciate up close.
2) Much of what is there is designed to appeal to adults and older children. There is little that seems ideal for under 6s and pre-schoolers will almost certainly feel left out. Adults, however, should revel in facets like Downtown Disney, the food outlets like the Golden Vineyard and Avalon Cove by Wolfgang Puck.
3) Soarinâ Over California is a Must See At All Costs attraction, and will make most peopleâÂÂs day.
4) If anyone pays $2 a time for the side-stalls in Paradise Pier, they are crazy. That is just too much, and Disney ought to rethink some of their pricing policy here.
5) The longer you spend here, the more it grows on you and the better it gets. There is as much to do here as MGM Studios in WDW, but DCA looks better, tastes better and smells better, and has a far more artistic touch, almost on a par with Animal Kingdom.
6) Disney Animation is a real and surprising show-stopper. Spend a good deal of time here and try to absorb as much of the wonderful interior design as possible.
7) I like DCA. It is different from any other Disney park (that IâÂÂve seen; which only excludes Disney Tokyo) and provides a complementary experience to DL next door.
8) Disney WILL add some more attractions in the next year or two, which should provide the finishing touches. CMs are already talking about an Armageddon-themed show in the Hollywood Backlot and even a version of the Tower of Terror. There is a large parking lot behind Hollywood to expand into, and it would make sense.
9) If, as the early signs indicate, there are only light crowds at the moment, donâÂÂt hesitate. Go to DCA and revel in this new park!
I sincerely hope everyone has enjoyed reading these often rather rambling reports. I have thoroughly enjoyed putting my thoughts down and working out what I like and what I donâÂÂt about the new park, and all the feedback so far has been immensely gratifying.
But, now youâÂÂve got to get out there â and write your own Trip Reports!
Have a nice day, nowâ¦â¦..
simon.veness@virgin.net
It reminded me of a cross between MGM and Epcot more than AK, but with its own added dimension of the California theme and the Paradise Pier area. Great place to spend a day!
