California Adventure Reopening Day!

**dizfan** · 06-18-2012,08:41 PM

June 15, 2012 was really an amazing day to be at California Adventure. For the most part I was very pleased with how the throngs of people were handled with.

I arrived at about 5 AM to the front gates to a line that was no where near as long as I was expecting. We were all given wristbands before being led into the queue.

I asked CMs what the wristbands were for, and they told me that each color represents a different section of the queue. i.e if you got there first you would be red, second is blue, etc. I asked why would we need wristbands? It turns out Disney let people spend the night in front of California Adventure, and the wristbands were for people who needed to return to their hotel rooms or cars and could then come back and be admitted to their general place in line. The parking lot trams and some Downtown Disney restaurants ran 24 hours this day to accommodate these overnight guests.

The park's posted opening time was at 9, so that is what I was expecting. Disney, however, decided to let as many people as could fit onto Buena Vista Street view the reopening dedication with Bob Iger. So they opened the gates at 8 to let this happen. Once the street was full they closed the gates until 9, presumably.

I didn't make it in

, but they did have a big screen in the entry plaza to view the entire ceremony which I thought was great on Disney's part to do. After the ceremony ended, maybe at about 8:40ish?, Bob Iger and Tom Staggs walked down the street to personally open the gates into California Adventure for everyone outside.

At this point, it was amazing to watch. All the ticket takers were working at full speed, gobbling up the thousands of people waiting outside. The line just kept moving and moving and we were in a lot faster than I could have expected.

Park CMs and suits were lining Buena Vista street to greet us, practically funneling us into Cars Land. The area for Fast Passes for Radiator Springs Racers was clearly marked, using the queue for it's tough to be a bug (probably the first time that queue has been used for anything). CMs were putting tickets in the machines for Guests which kept the line moving quickly.

We got our fastpasses for Racers, so we went to ride Mater's before that line got out of control. It was probably 20 minutes long at that point. It is a fun little ride. More fun than you could imagine from watching it on you tube.

This was my first time experiencing Cars Land with the general public, so it was fun to watch reactions. Indeed the mountains and canyons alone are the most impressive aspect of the land when approaching it. It's easy to believe the fact that it is the largest Disney mountain in America.

Our main goal on this day: do everything that is new.

So after walking around Cars Land, we went to try out the new Fidler, Fifer and Practical Restaurant of Buena Vista St aka Disney's first Starbucks. The sausage wrap and the Mocha Coconut Frappachino were good but the real star of the place is the back story the imagineers created: The Silver Lake Sisters, once a successful trio of singers, now restaurant owners. One played the Fiddle, one the Fife and the third was the practical one who played the piano. Sounds parallel to Walt's three little pigs. The entire restaurant is covered with old photos, posters and memorabilia of the girl's hey dey.

After that we strolled though the new shops at Buena Vista St. taking in all the little details. From the Nine Old Men's Art Class Studio to a Help Wanted Ad from the Disney Bros. Studios ("When applying, ask for Roy") References to Roger Rabbit and the Rocketeer were sprinkled throughout.

I'll continue later but needless to say the entire day was fantastic!

I'll be back with my thoughts on the Carthay Circle Restaurant, and the three new shows that I saw last Friday for the first time, the chaos at Racers Fastpass Return as well as the "Brave" addition to World of Color!

**idratherbeinwdw** · 06-19-2012,11:50 AM

Thanks for the report. It sounds like you had a great experience. Looking forward to the next installment.

**denlo** · 06-19-2012,07:10 PM

You make it all sound so interesting dizfan. Thanks for the TR. Can't wait until we travel to DLR.

**dizfan** · 06-20-2012,09:37 PM

Thanks for the replies!

My reservation at the Carthay Circle Theater Restaurant was at 2:35, but we decided to check in early to tour the building and try out the new lounge on the first floor. The building is divided into three sections: before entering, to the right is the doorway to the Club 33 member exclusive 1901 Lounge; if you walk straight into the Theatre, the first floor is taken up by the public lounge and the second floor is the restaurant which its self is divided into indoor and terrace dining.

Since Carthay was host the Snow White Premiere in 1937, much of the decor is inspired by Snow White including beautiful background paintings on the ceiling. We were seated away from the main dining room, in a more quieter area that was lined with photos of many Disney related celebs receiving Academy Awards, adjacent to the Terrace.

When you dine at the Carthay you have the option of receiving World Of Color Tickets if you order an entree and dessert. Since the "Brave" segment was debuting that night, I opted for that. For the main meal I had Chicken Meatballs with Pasta which was very very good and for desert the Banana Monte Cristo which was great.

We stepped out to the Terrace to see a really nice view of Buena Vista St from above. From here, you can truly appreciate the transformation of the park. What used to be a mish mash of themes competing for your attention is now a fully fleshed out 1920s environment. And what used to be a bland metal Sun Sculpture fountain, was now an elegant recreation of a building that means so much to Disney history.

I'm really happy I got to eat there on opening day!