Disney California Adventure Park Adds More Fun and Attractions

Cars Land and Buena Vista Street made their  debuts in 2012 at the newly expanded Disney California Adventure Park, adding more fun and attractions such as Radiator Springs Racers and the Carthay Circle Theatre. These new lands capped a 5 year expansion at the Disneyland Resort.

“From the thrills of Cars Land to the romance of Buena Vista Street, the work that’s been done throughout this entire expansion is extraordinary,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. “Disney California Adventure is a testament to what we at Disney Parks do best – connect our guests to the iconic stories, characters and music they love, helping them make shared memories to last a lifetime.”

There are 4 new attractions, Radiator Springs Racers, Luigi’s Flying Tires, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and the Red Car Trolley, 8 new food locations including Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, 9 new shops and more than a dozen new entertainment experiences along Buena Vista Street.

The 12-acre Cars Land is a fully detailed, three-dimensional re-creation of Radiator Springs, known to fans of the Disney●Pixar movie “Cars” as “the cutest little town in Carburetor County.” Cars Land has 3 new attractions: Luigi’s Flying Tires, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and the thrilling  Radiator Springs Racers. This addition is one of the largest and most elaborate attractions created for a Disney theme park.

You can now enter Disney California Adventure through Buena Vista Street. The newly themed entrance brings the spirit of Walt Disney into the park as never before, immersing guests in a locale reminiscent of Los Angeles in the 1920s, a time and place full of hope and optimism. With its familiar shop names, period costumes and architecture, Buena Vista Street is inspired by the “city of dreams” Walt Disney found when he arrived by train in California.

Theicon of Disney California Adventure, the Carthay Circle Theatre, is a majestic building at the end of Buena Vista Street that recalls, in name and architectural style, the great California movie palace where “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” premiered in 1937. Carthay Circle Theatre, home to the Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, anchors the newly designed plaza from which guests set out to experience all the thrills, excitement and wonder of Disney California Adventure. Upstairs, guests enjoy Southern California cuisine and the ambience of a post-gala party at Carthay Circle Restaurant, while the ground floor Carthay Circle Lounge offers appetizers and bar service, along with historic photographs and exhibits.

The Red Car Trolley is based on Los Angeles’ historic Pacific Electric Red Car Line, transports guests from Buena Vista Street down Hollywood Boulevard, to the footsteps of the famed Hollywood Tower Hotel, home to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  Street characters and entertainers such as the “Red Car Trolley News Boys” and “Five & Dime” add to the fun along Buena Vista Street.

The expansion of Disney California Adventure has produced a lot of new things to do:

• Toy Story Mania! opened in 2008, inviting guests into an interactive, ride-through, attraction where they enter a 4-D carnival midway hosted by characters from the Disney●Pixar movie “Toy Story.”

• “World of Color,” the nighttime water spectacular, debuted in 2010 and the popular show has been seen by more than 5 million guests.

• In 2011, the park reached its next milestone with the premiere of The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, a ride-through attraction based on the Disney animated classic movie.

• Additional highlights include new entertainment such as “Phineas & Ferb’s Rockin’ Rollin’ Dance Party,” new restaurants such as Paradise Garden Grill, and the enhancement and re-theming of such attractions as Mickey’s Fun Wheel, Games of the Boardwalk, Silly Symphony Swings and Goofy’s Sky School.

The transformation of Disneyland Resort began in 2001 with the opening of Disney California Adventure, the Downtown Disney district and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.  Since then, the Disneyland Resort has continued to grow with the addition of popular attractions and shows such as Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, now in 3-D; Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage; Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror.

In 2009, the resort completed a major expansion of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which included the first West Coast destination for Disney Vacation Club.  A magical renovation of the signature Disneyland Hotel was completed in early 2012, including re-imagined guest rooms, a new restaurant and bar, and a new pool with monorail-themed water slides.

What is your favorite new addition to the Disneyland resort?

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine