| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 19/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 41 |
| Copyright: Other |
Pow wow: Theme parks
Disney makes ready for Adventure experience
DISNEY’S California Adventure, Walt Disney Attractions’ newest theme park in Anaheim, southern California, opens on February 8 next year as part of a $1.4bn expansion.The new 55-acre park will sit alongside Disney’s 750-room Grand Californian Hotel, opening on January 2, and the Downtown Disney entertainment, dining and shopping centre, opening on January 12.
Three main areas dominate the new park. They are Paradise Pier, a beachfront amusement zone reminiscent of seaside piers, Hollywood Pictures Backlot featuring famous shows and movie-making, and The Golden State, reflecting California’s great wilderness area.
Downtown Disney connects Disney’s California Adventure with the original Disneyland Resort theme park. It includes a 12-theatre complex, House of Blues, Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen, a Rainforest Cafe, and Y Arriba! Y Arriba!, a Latin-themed dining and night spot.
Disneyland Resort president Cynthia Harriss said: “Together with the city, nearly $4bn has been invested to establish the Anaheim resort area as a hub of California tourism.
“Landscaping improvements are transforming the resort into a pedestrian-friendly garden district with 15,000 new trees and shrubs and an extra 78,000sq ft of promenades.
“Most amenities will be just a short walk or tram ride away, while the Interstate 5 Freeway has been expanded from six to 12 lanes. There is an elevated exit ramp from the main freeway leading directly to Disneyland Resort parking facilities catering to 10,000 vehicles.”
On the accommodation front, she said Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel is the first Disney-designed hotel on the West Coast and the first to be located inside a theme park.
The existing Disneyland Pacific Hotel has been renamed Paradise Pier Hotel, with some areas redesigned to blend in with the new pier attractions.
n Anaheim and Disneyland Resort have been chosen to host Pow Wow in 2007.
California dreamin’: almost $4bn has been invested in Anaheim, the hub of the state’s tourism