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Games of the Boardwalk
I am not happy counting these as attractions really as they are
simply an excuse to part you with even more money. I did not even stop
to look at them as I walked by. If you enjoy playing games to try and
win a small prize, why not have a go.
Sun Wheel
Basically a Ferris Wheel with some fixed and some swinging cars. You
spend a long time on this attraction, but still only manage to go around
twice, once during the loading and once without stopping. The views are
great from the top, and the fixed cars usually have a short line. Worth
a visit for the view alone.
Orange Stinger
This has to be the most ugly and badly finished attraction in the
whole park. It looks just like what it is a cheap off the shelf ride,
placed in an unpleasant structure. I had no confidence on the ride, the
chains supporting the passenger seats seemed thin and unsubstantial. In
fact there is a weight restriction on this ride of 200lbs, I only wish I
was too heavy then I could be banned from riding it.
Maliboomer
This ‘space shot’ type ride has all the makings of a thrill ride,
but just falls short of the mark due to the limited height of the
attraction. Most other rides of this type are much taller, some nearly
double. The acceleration is therefore limited and the thrill reduced.
It is worth a visit though to get a brief but excellent view of the
park.
Jumpin’ Jellyfish
This is attraction is designed for children, but even they seemed
bored by the slow and unexciting ride. In fact the Jellyfish seem to
crawl rather than jump.
Golden Zephyr
This was a difficult attraction to get on, as it is often closed.
This is due to wind speed problems; anything above 10 MPH make this ride
inoperable. I did manage to eventually ride this simple spinner ride,
make the most of it because you are not on long. We made a total of 8
revolutions from start to finish, do this at your local carnival, I’m
sure it will be better.
SS rustworthy
A small land bound boat that doubles up as a water play area for the
kids, looks like fun and seemed popular. It was decorated with the
McDonald Golden Arches, which seemed a bit much.
Mullholland Madness
The ‘mad mouse’ ride was closed due to design changes to improve
it, so there's nothing to report here about it. I do have to say though
that it is one of the most ugly attractions in the park and the view
from the $300+ a night Grand Californian Hotel is even worse, mountains
of plain green steelwork, with no attempt to hide it.
Shopping and Eating
Food is in plentiful supply and range from McDonalds to Wolfgang
Puck. I had an excellent lunch at Avalon Cove (Wolfgang Puck), we had
the whole interior dinning room to ourselves, we got great service.
Summary
So overall my review probably sounds very negative, more bad
attractions that good. What I do have to say in the park favor is I did
enjoy walking around and having such nice big open spaces compared to
Disneyland next door. I also liked the Eureka parade, which is lively
and colorful with energetic performers.
It does get very quiet in the park after the last parade, usually
around 6:30 pm, which makes riding even the most popular attractions a
pleasure. I would say that there are the makings of a good park, but it
will take a number of years (probably 10) and considerable investment,
before DCA becomes a great park.
You can drop Ian a line at parky_in_paris@mac.com
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