Your first time in DCA

[DarthDucky]

What was your first time in DCA like and how has it helped shape your opinion of the park?

My first time in the park I was 11 and very excited about going. My trip was supposed to be 2 days but at the last minute my parents thought that 1 day was enough time for both parks in the first summer of the parks operation. When I went I only got on 2 rides (GRR and Soarin) and saw very little of the park. I also had the feeling that the park was real glamorous (Hey I was eleven) and the lack of experience in the park added some mystery to it, and I believe that these two factors were the start of my love of DCA.

[Dan - Tasmic!]

First time I was in DCA was during my Traditions class when I hired into Disney. We went on California Screamin' and Soarin Over California. I thought it was cool!! We went through the exit and Emergency Exit

[k_peek_2000]

My first time in the park was a few days before it opened, I think it was feb 4, it was for one of the CM preview days. I loved it before I realized how much of a poohole it was.

[InnerSpace]

My first time was May of 2001 when my brother came for a visit from the Navy. We were thrilled at the place. We did everything and have since enjoyed ourselves everytime we've gone. Everyone we'd spoken to, friends relatives, all had the same compliments to where I didn't think anyone could hate the place.

Then I discovered this site...

[tory_c]

my first tiime waas in 03,we only went on soarin and grizzly cause it was already closing by the time we got off soarin,so i didnt see much at all,seemd nice.

[almandot]

I boycotted the park when it opened because I felt it was ridiculous that they refused to offer a park hopper pass and expected us to pay the same full price admission for it as the cost of a ticket into Disneyland... And since I usually used a comp pass to get into the park, I didn't feel at all like wasting one to try out DCA for one of my trips(I went like once or twice a year back then). Afterwards, even when they did finally offer a park hopper, I'd heard how bad it was and had no interest in paying the extra price to go into it. But while my cousins were visiting in 2003 or so they were staying in the GCH and one of my cousins and my mom wanted to go take a nap upstairs so the rest of us decided to go into DCA real fast, I used my cousin's ticket, lied about not getting a hand stamp, went on Grizzle, and then afterwards went back out to the hotel. I didn't go back in for another year or so until Tower was already open.

[TDR_Fan]

Having visited all the parks in Walt Disney World before going to Disneyland's newly opened second gate, I was disappointed. The only unique E-ticket attractions were Soarin' Over California and Grizzly River Run. And for the coaster fans, California Screamin' qualifies as an E-ticket I suppose. I didn't like the tacky carnival style attractions in Paradise Pier, nor did I like the cloned 3-D shows from Walt Disney World. I also thought that the park lacked the Disney magic and was not very well themed at all. The only exception was the Grizzly Peak Recreation Area, which I loved since it was nicely themed and detailed.

[MollyTrolly]

I had a period of about 6 years where I didnt visit DL (getting married, buying a house, having kids...no time or money I guess). We first visited DCA in October 2005 with my daughter who was almost 2. We only went to the playhouse Disney show and a few rides in Fliks Fun Fair so thats all we saw of the park, and I thought it was really nice, small and not a lot for really young kids, but we had fun.

It wasn't till last year and more this year when I have really been able to explore DCA but I still enjoy going there, its not more than a few hour visit at the most, but GRR, Soarin and ToT are still worth the time in the park...and I actually enjor a lot of the decor (minus most of the pier area --cant wait for that to be changed)

[SCUBAbe]

I went the year it opened. My daughter went first for the previews and loved it. Then we went together and loved it. We still love it. The reason we got AP's was because of DCA. I would not by one just for DL.

[GrimmGreen]

mine was in January of 2004 , it was my first time back to Disneyland since about 1998 , it was my brother and i and we have it on video of me saying " so you want to go over and check out stupid california stupid adventure ?" clearly i was pessimistic about it , and then the camera cuts to us over in the Hollywood back lot area with my brother saying " so what do you think?' and i reply " i think this is really cool " , i have never disliked DCA though it could have been so much more

[Uzmati]

December 2002. We stayed at the GCH and fell in love with the pocket park despite it's being a little underwhelming. We have gone to the resort more than once and not even gone into DL we were having such a blast at DCA.

I keep looking back at pictures of DL, WDW, DLP at 5 and they were a bit underwhelming as well. I'm truly enjoying watching DCA grow into something bigger and better and probably feel about it the same way my folks did as they watched DL growing in the 50's, 60's and 70's. You love it despite what some might call flaws.

DL is classic and fantastic and I'll always love it but it's a park from a different time hbuilt by a different class of dreamer how wouldn't be restricted by cost and technical dificulties, simply overcome them. DCA was built by limited dreamers on a limited budget more to increase quarterly profits than actually entertain so, yes, it has it's flaws.

I truly believe that demand will increase quality. But as much as some folks belly ache about it I for one am very happy it's nothing like it's big sister across the esplanade and never will be.

[sunnygirl]

Actually my first time in DCA was 3 years ago when the kid and I got our first AP's. We went on ToT, California Screamin, and Soarin. And I was amazed. I love love LOVED it. We had a blast.

[zeppelindude]

i went the first year DCA opened (before bugs land) i was a total sissy for anything that went remotly fast, but i was into all the colorful pictures at the top of the fastpasses. so i went to CA screamin and tried to get an expired fastpass becasue i thought we had GRR fps. well our rollover had just begun and out popped a real fastpass. my mother made me get two more and i loved it! after that i have gone on everything at Magic mountian and Knott's (not including X, or Deja Vu). that marked a big day in my life

[PirateMickey]

We first entered DCA for the AP preview weekend.

We had tix for both the sat and sunday.

It was the first and last time that we saw sell-out crowds in DCA.

On saturday, it was a four hour wait for Soarin. We waited to avoid the line, and by the time that we got into it, they were closing the line down. After a few minutes of begging, they let us in, and we saw that we were the LAST ones in line for it that night.

Our first snack meal were the corn dogs. $20 bucks for corn dogs, chips and soda's for two people! I think that we had an "appetizer" with them too. A zuchinni or something??? Anyway $20 bucks!

On sunday, we enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner at Wofgang Puck's place. A great meal, but it was a hundred bucks for the two of us. $8.95 for the "cup" of clam chowder!

Good times!

[CaitlinMcFly]

I went for the first time in the end of the perview days in '01. I was with family--I think the first and last time I went with my whole extended family. I don't remember much about that night other than Superstar Limo's horribleness and my stepdad buying me a bucket hat as a birthday gift...After that, I actually didn't go too often. Once in a while, but only if it was like a rainy day or something, or if Disneyland was really really crowded. Then, for a while, I wasn't going to DLR at all, so I missed out on Tower's opening and a few other things. I finally went with my friend last July (and only to DCA if you believe it because that's all we got signed in for) and it was like my first time there all over again. So much had changed. I went on Tower and fell in love (in more than one way, actually, that's how I met the guy who bestowed the title of "bellhop princess" upon me) and I generally had a blast. I have loved DCA since.
Okay, not as much as DL, but I keep an open mind. DCA is just a misguided little Disneyland, and if everyone rejects it, it'll go postal and murder another parking lot. So show it some love, eh?