Finally! After many months of eager anticipation, we finally got to experience the brand new Cars Land addition to Disney’s California Adventure Park. Cars Land has been kept under wraps during its 5 years of planning, imagineering and construction. This adventure was a bit of a dream come true for us. The original Cars movie was released the same year our son was born, and it has been a huge part of his early life. My husband is an absolute gear head, so getting into the movie and all the associated hardware (read: toys) was not a hard sell for him. We have been eagerly anticipating the opening of Cars Land since we first heard about the construction over 5 years ago. Ka-Chow!
The perfect reproduction of Radiator Springs in Cars Land really has brought the movie to reality. It is uncanny how realistic it is even though the movie is animated. How do they do that?
Here were some of our favorite features at Cars Land:
Cozy Cone Motel:
The Cozy Cone Motel was one of the coolest features in Cars Land. Here we found a variety of cone-themed snacks including ice cream cones, chile “cone” queso, pop “cone” and other “cone”-coctions. And yes, everything was served in a cone!
Fillmore’s Taste-In:
Fillmore’s Taste-In hippie food and beverage kiosk was where we found the “high-octane” natural healthy choice of fresh fruits, bottled water and juices. If you are craving an apple or banana of course, Fillmore would be the one to have them.
Luigi’s Flying Tires:
On Luigi’s Flying Tires ride we got a chance to test-drive Luigi’s very own Fettucini-brand “Cuscino D’Aria” tires that floated on air. It was like being on a massive air hockey table. By leaning side to side we could move the tires to bump into others while tossing massive inflatable balls in the air. It was sheer fun topped with a dose of silliness.
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree:
This was my son’s favorite ride in Cars Land. I think partly because Mater is his favorite character in the Cars movies and he loves whippy-spinny rides. The tractors danced to Mater’s hoedown tune, swinging us around in their trailers.
Radiator Springs Racers:
Radiator Springs Racers is the hottest new ride at Disneyland. It is by far the best ride I have ever been on. On the opening day the Fast Pass ride reservations were gone in 40 minutes for the entire day and wait times were up to 6 hours. Can you imagine? Waiting in line for a ride for 6 hours? Although crazy as it seems I can assure you those dedicated enough to stay in line were not disappointed. The ride was truly spectacular. If there was ever an experience where you felt like you were right in a movie, it was this ride. We loaded up in our car and enjoyed a winding tour through the gorgeous topography of Ornament Valley. We stopped for a new paint job at Ramone’s House of Body Art (and you can even smell the paint). After getting some final racing tips from Doc Hudson (which made my husband a little emotional), we started our high-speed race to the finish line, competing with another car beside us.
Take a peek for yourself what it was like to ride the Radiator Springs Racers:
Cars Land was truly an amazing experience. We can’t wait to go back and we are counting the days until we can visit it again.
