Howdy y'all! I was lucky enough to get to go to DCA last week, so here's my trip report from my adventure! It was a blast, even though the park hit capacity several times throughout the day, so please enjoy "Disney California Adventure Hits Capacity- a Trip Report"
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Incredicoaster (2x): A very fun attraction! Definitely better than California Screamin' at night, however, it's a toss up during the day, although I think it slightly edges out the competition! Here's my part by part breakdown of the new experience below:
Queue/Entryway- Woahhhhhh. A definite upgrade from California Screamin', it actually looked super super cool, and I LOVED the archway with graffiti art.
Preshow- While attempting to build a storyline is good, this is certainly an example of what to not do. The preshow (per my estimates) was roughly 3-4 minutes long, however, the only place you could view it was on the bridge over the left side of the double station, and with how fast the ops are, you were never up there for a minute or two. This means that most folks didn't get to view the entire thing, leading the story to be lost on them, even though it could be condensed to "Incredibles are getting a rollercoaster dedicated to them, but Jack Jack escapes so they have to save him." Which brings me to my next point, there were too many things going on to properly develop any of them. In my opinion, Disney should have picked "Incredibles are getting their own rollercoaster, please come test it along with them" or "Jack Jack escaped from Edna, lets go save him" as the first one is only used till the ride starts, and the second one is used only after the ride starts. Condense and clarify, and they'd have an amazing preshow experience.
Station- The station was definitely in need of an upgrade, but I thought this was more of a downgrade than anything else. The styles meshed horribly (modern graphics, geometric patterns, colors all clashed) but functionality wise was just as good as always.
Trains- They look awfulin photos, yet were decent in real life, and the snap shut pouches were a nice upgrade over the old, tarnished velcro
Prelaunch Scene- Pulling out the station, you'll pass by the Incredibles' house with a stagnant Edna, dubbed over without moving and screens showing Jack Jack bouncing around, and with little explanation you're off to the launch
Launch- Dash counts you down and off you go! Shooting down the track, water cannons with red lights fire to simulate you racing Dash, which was an amazing touch
Tunnel 1- Jack Jack has lights shooting out of his eyes! Ahhhh! Anyways, that's all. After this you follow the same track layout as CA Screamin' as you head towards the next tunnel
Lift Hill Tunnel- In this tunnel, you'll spot ElastaGirl attempting to catch Jelly-mode Jack Jack before you peak the lift hill and spot Mr. Incredible bribing him with a cookie. Fun fact, during this part, the cookie smell is pumped out of the ceiling so it smells like warm, gooey, homemade cookies, which was a fantastic upgrade
Tunnel 3- You start as demon Jack Jack is molten lava-ing the walls before the teenage girl person (don't know her name) turns the walls purple as a force field
Jack on a Stick- Jack Jack then appears on several sticks over the lift hill, which makes no sense during the daytime, however, with the accompanying lights at night, they attempt to pull off him looking like he's teleporting, which was... good?
End- Jack Jack is back home, roughly 12 feet tall, and has a cookie! Yay! Now get off
Overall, Incredicoaster was a very mixed bag. The strengths of the special effects and popular IP get masked by the lack of attention to detail (such as the unpainted track) and the confusing storyline. I would say that there's really no way you could argue that California Screamin' is better, except for possibly the soundtrack, and I'm definitely on team Incredicoaster for this one. OneĆ SUPERimportant thing to note however: GET A NIGHT RIDE! The ride is decent during the day, however, it truly shines at night (pun slightly intended) and looks beautiful.
Score:
Day Ride- (5.5/10)
Night Ride- (9/10)
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Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout (2x):
I LOVE this ride! After 2 trips on it this visit, I can definitively say that it is still my favorite theme park attraction ever built, yes, I love it that much! The queue is extremely well done, with live animatronics in line to entertain guests, as well as a funny and engaging video in addition to other super cool touches. The pre-show is miles ahead of Tower of Terror, and from my experience, miles ahead of anything else I've experienced. Rocket animatronic is hilarious, fluid, and extremely impressive work, with the overall pre-show being light years beyond what I expected Imagineers could possibly dream up. The ride itself is far better than Tower of Terror for the sole reason of randomized drops, which I am a HUGE fan of, providing a unique experience every time as well as increasing rerideability. My first experience was on Burning Love ride sequence, which was okay, however, my second was on I Want You Back, which was absolutely amazing. For sure the most fun I've ever had on a theme park attraction, it was great! While this review may not sound like the greatest thing ever since I'm really tired of typing from Incredicoaster, just know that it is and still remains one of the best theme park rides this side of the Mississippi, and in my opinion, the best
Score: 10/10
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Soarin' over the World (1x):
Blah. Nothing has really changed outside the score and the movie they show you, so there's not a ton to comment on. The queue is fine, albeit a bit boring, and the pre-show is still the same as the classic you love. The ride's new score is a major downgrade from the original, and for whatever reason it really doesn't feel like it fits with the attraction. The 2nd biggest downgrade was the attraction's new film. For a park themed around California, it really doesn't make any sense that they'd change it from Soarin' over California, which still wasn't the biggest issue with the new film. Soarin' over California featured almost solely natural features, however, the new version doesn't. It's loaded with CGI as well as manmade monuments, that curve heavily (as they're not proportioned authentically) and look awful when you're sitting on the side like me. I was never the biggest fan of Soarin', and I'm certainly not now
Score:4/10 (That's being generous)
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And that was all! The park was mobbed that day and hit capacity, and since we only went from 9am-3pm we only had time for 5 rides. Overall, a decent day since I got on all my favorite attractions, however, it could have been a lot better! Hope y'all enjoyed! Thanks for reading!
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