We like to approach all the different Disney Parks around the world here on DF'82, so today let's take a quick trip over to fashionable, trendy California! And specifically Disney's California Adventure.
If you are a follower of Disney theme parks, you will know that Disney's California Adventure (or DCA, as it is known) is undergoing some major renovations and updates. Once the Imagineers have finished spreading their Pixie Dust, the magic is going to be unbelievable!
But part of the Adventure has already been updated - some of Paradise Pier to be exact. And if you head towards that area of the park you will know right away one of the changes - the Sun Wheel has now became Mickey's Fun Wheel.
The centre of the Wheel no longer has the Sun (a symbol of Paradise Pier) but has the Classic Mickey-Head, as seen on original Walt Disney Mickey Mouse cartoons. 
If you are unfamiliar with the Fun Wheel, it is a great family attraction based on Ferris Wheels from fun parks and touring fairgrounds. It has two sets of cars - ones that are designed to swing around a separate track within the wheel, and the other set are 'stationary' which gives a more sedate ride on the wheel. The ones that move on the wheel can actually get surprisingly fast and brings a fantastic thrill-ride element to a notoriously 'boring' ride. This Princess, however, prefers to stay a little bit more fixed on this attraction...
This wheel is actually one of only three similar spinning wheels in the world today - the other wheels are in New York (at Coney Island) and in Japan. The Fun Wheel has a 500-foot circumference, with 24 gondolas each accommodating up to 6 people. A great hidden Disney detail is when you look at the wheel across the lagoon, it looks like Guests board the attraction underwater! Another great detail by Imagineers. 
As I said, the Fun Wheel is part of the regeneration programme of Paradise Pier. Along with this update, there has been extra attractions and games added to the Paradise Pier area! There are some great new games-stalls, which have fun, family friendly side-show attractions, like you would find in a traditional fairground area. We will have a look at this area in a future DF'82 post.
3 comments:
Nice pix! Do you know if the light-up Mickey head shape on California Screamin' is still there?
Thanks Scott! No, the Mickey head shape is no longer in the California Screamin' ride - you can kind of see it in one of the pictures. It now has just the sun in it - they kind of swapped!
That's what I thought I saw in the picture. (My kids really liked the Mickey head...)
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