• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About | Press
  • Up the Waterfall
  • Media Kit

ZANNALAND!

Magical Adventures & Memories

  • Latest News
    • Top Stories
    • Disney News
    • Disney Movie News & Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • Places to Explore
    • Walt Disney World
    • Universal Orlando Resort
    • Disneyland Resort
    • Orlando Area Resorts
    • Disneyland Resort Paris
    • Disney Cruise Line
  • Things to Do
    • Disney Dining
    • Disney Special Events
    • D23 Expo
    • RunDisney
    • Travel, Theme Parks, and Resorts
    • Florida Theme Parks & Attractions
      • Universal Orlando Resort
      • Medieval Times
      • LEGOLAND Florida
      • Busch Gardens
      • Sea World Orlando
    • Orlando Area Resorts
    • Central Florida Family Entertainment
  • Up the Waterfall Podcast

World of Color

Disney California Adventure and it’s Crazy Past – Up the Waterfall Podcast

10 February 2020 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

Disney California Adventure has had quite the history in its short 19 years of existence. February 8th saw DCA’s 19th birthday, so to celebrate we thought we’d venture Up the Waterfall and discuss all the crazy changes this young park has experienced over the years. It’s definitely had some…growing pains. Special thanks to Yesterland.com for all the incredible photos from California Adventure‘s opening days.

Disney California Adventure mural

Personally, I did not get to enjoy Disney’s California Adventure in its original or even secondary “glory.” This was due to the fact that around the time it was built I was not only dealing with two kids under two, but I was still in California-is-a-foreign-country-I-may-never-get-to mode regarding Disneyland. (But once I did get to experience the Disneyland Difference, I fell head-over-heels in love!)

As a result of not visiting California Adventure for years, I missed a lot of the things we discuss in the beginning of the episode. Sure, I knew about Super Star Limo and the pun-filled Paradise Pier area, but that was sort of it. So this episode was really fun for me to discover some of these things for the first time too.

Disney California Adventure original entrance

In this episode, we start out with the history of a second park on the west coast; where and what could have been. Next we chronicle how Disney’s California Adventure first came to be. We cover all of the strange design and attraction choices that existed at park opening in 2001. Followed by the little changes and the major changes that followed.

Flik's Flyers
ARE Egg Rolls the fastest?

When I finally got to visit DCA in 2011, it was full of construction walls and not much else. Really, just Paradise Pier and World of Color were the highlights for me. Certainly, when I returned in 2012,  it was a whole new world. Cars Land, Buena Vista Street brought with it a new design standard. All the additions that came with those areas really improved the whole park, making it a must-see destination.

Rounding out the discussion, we share where we think the park will go in the future with the upcoming Avengers Campus. Above all, we ponder what will become of Disney California Adventure in the years to come. What do you think will happen?

We hope you enjoy this week’s episode of Up the Waterfall!

How to Listen to Up the Waterfall

You can listen anywhere you download and listen to podcasts, including: 

  • Apple Podcasts
  • Google Podcasts
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • I Heart Radio
  • Anchor

(If there’s a podcast service where you can’t find our show, let us know and we’ll get it added there!)

How to Watch Up the Waterfall

Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and some unique images of the Disney California Adventure over the years. Here’s the latest episode:

 

Feel free to comment below with your memories of Disney California Adventure, any questions or info you’d like to add, or if it’s easier, head to the Zannaland Facebook page and join the discussion there with fellow DCA fans!

How Can I Learn More About This Episode?

Here are some of the books we referenced for this episode (the links will go to the item on amazon.com and are affiliate links – meaning no extra cost for you but a small portion goes back to zannaland if you make a purchase – thank you for supporting our site!):

Disney California Adventure Imagineering Field Guide     Disney's California Adventure Detective    Michael Eisner Work in Progress

 

Zannaland and Up the Waterfall Community – Let’s Connect!

FOLLOW THE ZANNALAND FAMILY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WATCH OUR VIDEOS, VLOGS AND PODCAST TOO: 
  • Twitter: @zannaland, @otisney, @badgesickle
  • Instagram: @zannaland, @UpTheWaterfall, @otisney, @badgesickle
  • Zannaland’s facebook page
  • Zannaland on YouTube
  • Listen to Up the Waterfall podcast, subscribe on iTunes, or watch Up the Waterfall on YouTube

We thank you for your support and for sharing the love! 

Up the Waterfall logo

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

Filed Under: Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment, Disney Past, Disneyland Resort, Up the Waterfall Podcast Tagged With: Avengers Campus, Buena Vista Street, California Adventure history, Cars Land, Carsland, DCA history, Disney California Adventure, Disney California Adventure entrance, Disney's California Adventure, original DCA, original Disney California Adventure, Up the Waterfall, Up the Waterfall podcast, World of Color

VIDEO: Magical Disneyland Memories (and a little D23 Expo too)

29 August 2011 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

I mentioned before as a preface to my D23 Expo Primer guest post by Carrie Hayward that I was visiting Disneyland for the first time during our journey out west to see the Expo. Not only was it my first time visiting California and the Disneyland Resort, it was my first time flying since 1997! So, I was a bit nervous, but I survived and actually liked it!

Now usually, I am a photo-holic and take pictures of any and everything when I visit a place for the first time. However in this instance, I was so completely overwhelmed by the experience, that I found myself without photos of a lot of what we saw when I returned home. (I still have quite a few, and I’ll be posting them over the next few weeks.)

Nicole and Zanna on Small World
Nicole and I on "it's a small world" Where else but Disney could we get away with those hats?? (photo by Becky Staudt)

That said, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ve seen tons of photos of Disneyland, even ride videos, but nothing compares to walking down Main Street, U.S.A. that first time and seeing it all before you in living, breathing color. So while I’m still sharing our memories here with you, my real purpose in writing this post is to implore, even beg any Disney fan that has not yet made the pilgrimage to the “motherland” to do so. If you’re anything like my friends and me, it will change your life.

Now first, a little backstory. I decided to make this journey westward thanks to an amazing friend of mine, Nicole Siscaretti. She is not only a wonderful, caring person, but she’s also going to be a star some day, so you can watch these videos and say later, “ahh, I knew her when…” Nicole was part of our team for the D23 WDW Scavenger Hunt we did a few months back and it was then that I really got to know what a special person she was. After spending the last few months hanging out and “planning” our conquest of Disneyland (I say that in quotes because this was probably the least planned trip either of us had ever taken), she is like a little sister to me. In addition, she loves making fun videos on her iPhone andlooks WAY better on camera than me, so I’m pleased to be able to share a highlight reel of our Disneyland adventures thanks to her.

Before sharing her Disneyland video, I must explain one other thing. Nicole actually embarked on a quest that most people don’t even dream of – visiting all 6 Disney Parks in the US in one day. Nicole had asked me to join her and I was all set to do so before a last minute meeting had to happen at 9 on the morning we left for California. So I got to take the easy way out and only went to the 2 west coast parks. Nicole persevered and accomplished her goal. You can see her Six Parks One Day adventure on YouTube!

And now, without further ado, here are just a handful of our amazing Disneyland memories, shared with local Florida friends, west coast friends and new friends from all over! Disney fans may recognize the famous Scott Otis (@otisney on twitter) and the equally famous Michael Crawford from ProgressCityUSA.com (@ProgressCityUSA on twitter), two great friends from whom we were lucky enough to get amazing Disneyland history and backstory as we toured the lands!

I hope you enjoyed our video and if you’ve never been, do make plans to get to Disneyland some day soon, it is simply incredible!

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

Filed Under: Disney Attractions, Disney Planning, Disneyland Resort, Guest Authors, Walt Disney World Tagged With: #6parks1day, 6 parks one day, California, D23, D23 Expo, Disney California Adventure, Disney videos, Disneyland, Disneyland memories, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland videos, ElecTRONica, expo, fan videos, Fantasmic, first visit to Disneyland, Magical Fireworks, Nicole Siscaretti, njoysiscaretti, Storybook Land Canal Boats, The Magic The Memories and You, World of Color

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe to Our Up the Waterfall Disney History Podcast

Up the Waterfall podcast

Get Some Park Candy!

Park CandyUse code ZANNA at checkout for 10% off your entire order!

FAVORITE VLOG

https://youtu.be/jUQvxcguh9o

Click below to SUBSCRIBE to our latest Vlogs & LIVE Shows!

Recent Posts

  • Disney On Ice presents Let’s Dance! at the Orlando Kia Center-Discount Code!
  • Disneyland Theme Park Offerings for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event
  • Shopping and Exclusive Merchandise at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event
  • Disney’s Treehouse Villas: Original WDW to Today
  • Disney Announces Programming and Show Floor Lineup for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event
  • Disney Launches Sweepstakes with D23: The Ultimate Disney Sweepstakes – FANtastic Prizes
  • NEW Wicked Feature Film Featurette
  • New Disney Cruise Ship Named “Disney Destiny” Arriving 2025
  • D23 Expo 2024 Ticket Pricing and Levels Released
  • Disney Treasure Cruise Ship Reveal! Photos and Details of New Spaces and Sailing Info

Zannaland Archives

Recent Vlog

https://youtu.be/aRB70OJelLc
DisneyStore.com

Subscribe to our podcast

Free Shipping on New Kate Spade Collection now at shopDisney.com!

Copyright Zannaland © 2025