Went to DCA again for the first time in nearly two years! My last time at the park was back when Avengers Campus had just opened. Decided to use my second SoCal Ticket day to go to DCA. Here are some takeaways from my trip:
-Food and wine and some really good stuff. I got the smothered pork belly with macaroni salad (Which was my favorite), the angus mashed potatoes with garlic aioli, tiramisu churro, the chili relleno empanada, korean burrito, korean chicken sliders, mini raspberry cheesecake, amd and mini blueberry pie. With the exception of the korean chicken sliders and the burrito, I was pretty impressed with the food offered at this year's food and wine. In terms of drinks all I tried out was the Aztec stout from Hollywoodland. That was pretty good. The pie was absolutely killer and the angus steak and empanada were both very delicious as well. The tiramisu churro was okay. I personally don't think the cinnamon sugar meshed well with the tiramisu flavor. I hope they bring back the pork belly because that was incredible. If there's one dish you have to get if you make it to food and wine, make it that one. They were no longer selling the tasting cards for the remainder of the event's run so keep that in mind.
In terms of rides, Basically rode everything except Monsters Inc and Goofy's. Swings was down for refurb (Which kinda hurts cuz I think it's the best swing ride in SoCal) and I could care less about the Jellyfish ride, the Carousel, or the Inside Out ride. Also rode Guardians twice. Overall pretty satisfied riding everything. Glad to see Soarin' Over California be back. Unfortunately RSR was fairly broken when I was there. The Sheriff wasn't working well and the second Mater AA that comes out of the bushes was stuck. That ride needs some TLC. Also, it looks like my days of being able to ride the Fun Wheel....er, excuse me, the Pixar Pal-Around in the swinging car may be behind me. I rode the swinging car and I felt a little queasiness. I don't normally get queasy on rides (Not even on FJ!), but this ride did it for me. I guess I'll have to ride in the stationary car from here on out. It was fun when I could do it.
Being that it was only my second time ever back at Avengers Campus, I honestly enjoyed the land even less than my first time. After my second ride on Web Slingers, I think it may be one of the worst rides Disney has done. It's exhausting, I have no idea what I'm doing, it's boring, and it.....just sucks. Say what you will about It's Tough to be a Bug but at least that was a unique show with some cool effects and some solid AAs. This ride was a big downgrade. Heck, the whole land is a big downgrade.
Saw World of Color One. Last time I saw WoC was before Rise opened, so I'm overdue to see it again. Got to see it in the front row so it was great to finally have that vantage point. If you're worried about getting wet, don't be. Unless it's really windy, the worst you'll get is a little thick mist. You'll dry off before the show is even over. It's a cool show with some impressive visuals, but I still prefer Fantasmic. Sucks that the fire effects were turned off.
Overall had a really good time being back at DCA. Sadly, I think the park reached its prime back when Cars Land open. Ever since Mission Breakout happened (Though I like the ride), the park started taking big steps backwards. Tough not perfect, they finally had some cohesive lands that made the park feel connected and look great. Then they started forcing stuff on us we didn't want. We got GotG:MB, then they forced Pixar Pier on us, then Avengers Campus was a downgrade from Bug's Land, now they're going out of their way to retheme the Bay Area to Big Hero 6. Anything that looks nice has to be ruined by MOAR PIXAR. I hate Pixar Pier. DCA from 2012-2016 was way better.
Sorry about the long post, I just had to get that off my chest.