- Mar 16, 2010
- 11,087
- 2,883
CARSLAND REVIEWED
I FINALLY was able to visit the largest and quite possibly best expansion to date Carsland at Disney California Adventure earlier this month. I have to admit when I first heard about Carsland, I was like what? How the heck are you going to do this? I mean I could see the Test Track style ride but a whole land, I was very skeptical. Yeah its a billion dollar franchise but still I wasn't juiced about the project that would cap off a 1.5 BILLION dollar renovation and restructure of Disney's poorest performing North American Park. Over the years though I watched a flat piece of parking lot transform into what I consider the best skyline in any Disney park. Once I realized that this was anything but Test Track 2 and began to see the rock work grow to the heavens, I knew I had to plan a trip once it opened.
Well on October 5th that day finally came. Just to throw it out there the new entrance, facilities, entry plaza, and overall facelift that DCA received is over the top good. How a park that was essentially a clean Six Flags could transform into this over the past several years is amazing. I know it was an expensive project, but I can actually say WDI did a great job with the enormous budget. Alright back to Carsland. As you pass through the entry plaza and then past Bugsland you see a large painted bill board with Carsland on it. As you get closer you can't help but begin looking to your left in awe!
I was blown away by what Disney had accomplished. The overall environment is enormous, beautiful, and just over the top amazing. From the first shop I entered to the Mega E-Ticket attraction Radiator Springs Racers everything was executed on a level we haven't seen from Disney in what seems like decades. While it didn't have that emotional connection like I did at the Wizarding World, the presence and awestruck was on the same level. It was just something you wanted to experience for a few hours and apparently I wasn't the only one. Over the course of the weekend I experienced crowds on a level I hadn't scene at a Disney park here in Orlando in quite some time if not ever. I would compare the crowds to a sold out HHN's. Yeah it was that busy. At its peak I witnessed RSR's get up to a 210 minute wait. Luigi's at 90 mins, and Maters hitting 60 consistently. All FP's for RSR's were gone by 9:30AM and this was on days the park was open to as late as Midnight. Lines stretched out of shops and snack stands. Good luck getting food at Flo's! It was complete chaos, but I'm an agent of chaos! I thrive in it as a themepark guru. BUT IT's SO DAMN BUSY!!
Over the course of my three days at the DLR I was able to rack up three rides on RSR's and was able to hit up all the shops and watch the street entertainment. I didn't bother with Luigi's Tires or Maters due to crowds. Nor did I get to eat at Flo's which I really wanted to. I tried to just get in their and I knew it would of taken 60 mins to get my food. Your thinking 60 mins? Nah he's being sarcastic, uh no I'm not. I waited in line for 30 mins at the corn dog stand at 8:00 PM people. Were talking CRAZY BUSY! Anyways the shops and snack stands are awesome but VERY expensive. I usually get a t-shirt when I visit. So during this round I got a Jack Skellington shirt (shocker I know) I got for 19.95 which I expected to pay. Then I picked up multiple Carsland shirts, 27.95 AND UP! While I did snag one I almost didn't. I really had to think about it and really tried to talk the cashier into giving me a discount. I tried a couple of random snacks but totally forgot about the special drink. Although that didn't matter since I was able to try it at the FLE softs within the same week. Inside each store, around each corner, and with every step you took you found something new that WDI wanted you to look at. They truly did an amazing job creating this land, and outside of Mr Potter its hands down the most immersive land in a theme park you will find.
Last but not least is the main reason your reading this. As I mentioned I took three spins on RSR's during my three days at DLR. I battled with gigantic lines each and every day for all the rides but none like this bad boy. It almost seemed like it didn't matter how long the line was people were still willing to wait even longer. Ehh 180 mins no big deal, there's me uhh no I will come back a little later. 9PM rolls around, 150 mins WHAT THE HELL MAN! So I did what any theme park fan would do, GO FOR SINGLE RIDERS! Each time I waited in singles I waited no less than 45 mins and as much as an hour. The queue is very cool as it intertwines through rock work as well as shacks and the actual ride track. The station they have worked out is very well done with 8 cars loading at a time as well as a separate bay with two additional ride vehicles for handicap passengers. Just like Test Track once on board the vehicle begins moving before seatbelts are secure and you approach a check just outside the station to speed up the process. It works very well and allows them to keep vehicles moving very efficiently.
The ride overall is very very good. Without a doubt the best thing from Disney in a VERY LONG TIME! The Pro's of the attraction are the visuals, AA's, and race segment. The con's include the length, a an even shorter dark ride section, and a true wow moment. The ride weaves in and around the massive rock work which just adds to the realism of such a massive looking attraction. The forced perspective makes it even appear larger and you believe it. Everest would pale in comparison next to this beast. Then you have the Audio Animatronics which were arguably the best I've ever scene anywhere. From the character movement to the facial expressions they were flawless and probably my favorite part of the attraction. On the other side of things this ride IS SHORT! From the moment you enter the mountains til you cross the finish line is just over two minutes. The dark ride section doesn't last but maybe 75 seconds. All in all the ride is right at the 4 minute mark. While those two minutes of the bulk of the ride are amazing it does leave something to be desired. Its also missing that never been done before WOW moment. You know like 5th dimension in ToT, ending in Indy, the first screen in Spiderman, the FJ ride system, and so on. I'm not harping on the ride by any means as it is an amazing attraction and easily the best thing to come from WDI stateside since the 90's. So yes its awesome, is it the best attraction in the park yes. Is it the best attraction at DLR, no. That title still belongs to Indy. If I was to place RSR's in my top ten dark rides which I obviously would it wouldn't make the top 5 but then again that list is damn hard to beat.
So in closing I highly recommend you take a visit to Radiator Springs. It has everything you would expect to find in a massive multi multi million dollar Disney experience and delivers in all categories. Its easily the best Disney "land" to be built and offers something for everyone including an amazing Eticket experience. Finally here are some photos from my recent visit and I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did taking them.