Disney California Adventure, a second Southern California theme park meant to compliment Disneyland, opened in 2001 to universal yawns.
Built with an eye more towards budget than awing the crowd, the park fell well short of expectations, both at the corporate finance level and at the customer enjoyment level.
To his credit, Disney Chairman Bob Iger accepted that the company had tried to do something on the cheap, admitting in 2007 that "Any time you do something mediocre with your brand, that's a withdrawal. California Adventure was a brand withdrawal."
In 2012 an expanded and improved California Adventure was rededicated and "reopened" to record crowds. The park, lacking any kind of wow factor in the beginning was on track with the addition of Carsland and Buena Vista Street (both of which I personally love). Other lands were added to and improved, a project which continues to evolve -- this year they park remade and reopened the area previously called Condor Flats as part of the larger and more thematically cohesive Grizzly Peak.
Originally an "also-ran" park, DCA (as it is called in the 21st Century acronymic society) is now my second favorite Disney park -- next to Disneyland itself, both literally and figuratively.
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| Mickey's Fun Wheel and the California Screamin' roller coaster |
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