{"id":22083,"date":"2012-09-21T10:56:36","date_gmt":"2012-09-21T17:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/?p=22083"},"modified":"2016-05-30T19:35:49","modified_gmt":"2016-05-31T02:35:49","slug":"disney-california-adventure-park-2012-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/disney-california-adventure-park-2012-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney California Adventure Park (2012 Update)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This past summer, on June 15th to be exact, Disney California Adventure Park<\/a> reopened as a full-fledged family hotspot, as opposed to the half-day time-filler it once was. This included the renovation of Paradise Pier and Buena Vista street, as well as the much-anticipated Cars Land. My family and I visited a couple of weeks ago to see if the park is worth our pretty Disney dollars. Was it? Oh, yeah, baby!<\/p>\n

The major changes start at the entry area. The oversized C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters are gone and a bold retro design took its place. We missed the letters but this new look is a fantastic improvement. Loved it!<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/p>\n

It just got better from there! All the building and streets were built to look like it did when Walt Disney first arrived in the area. The buildings were beautiful and it all had so much character! The\u00a0bright yellow and red gas station, named Oswald’s (the long-eared predecessor of Mickey) immediately drew us in. When was the last time you could describe a gift shop as cool? It was a total blast the past with classic gas tanks and a Rolls Royce parked on the side. We had to restrain ourselves from spending our entire budget on the unique items they offered there.<\/p>\n

The open market and running trolley were great but I was a bit distracted when I saw “STARBUCKS” displayed outside the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Caf\u00e9. My desire for a Frappuccino was greater than my desire to window shop\/explore. Before moving on into one of the eight lands, don’t forget to snap a family picture at the fountain with Carthay Circle\u00a0restaurant\u00a0in the background – it makes for a super photo op!<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/p>\n

Obviously, we HAD to head straight for Cars Land. The photos I’ve previously seen of the area were nothing compared to actually being there. Wow, they did a fabulous job! It looked just like the main street of Radiator Springs, straight from the first Cars movie! There were so many details from the tail light flowers at the Cozy Cone Motel to the leaning tower of tires at Luigi’s. Even the\u00a0souvenir\u00a0shops were perfectly themed with Route 66 signs (complete with Mickey heads) and aged wooden siding. It even got better at night when the neon signs were glowing. Oh, and you may get a photo op with one of the movie’s main stars! Too bad we couldn’t get Lightening or Mater to sign my daughter’s autograph book…<\/p>\n

Do not miss the rides here! There are only three but the whole family will enjoy them.<\/p>\n