Radiator Springs Racers

California Adventure Magic Morning: Hurry in and wait.

My last trip to Disneyland having occurred over ten years ago, I was bound and determined to experience Radiator Springs Racers, the California Adventure ride that reportedly cost $200 million to build and opened in 2012.

[The wandering mind digresses: "bound and determined" may be too wordy in a 140-character reality, but who knows, in a 50 Shades world the expression may acquire a second life.]

Our three-day ticket allowed us to enter California Adventure an hour early ("Magic Morning"), but Radiator Springs Racers and the rest of Cars Land remained closed until the normal opening time of 8 a.m. "Magic Morning" didn't mean that the desirable rides started at 7 a.m., just that we had a 200-foot head start in the race to the Racers.

We speed-walked our way to the ride and were in our car by 8:10. Radiator Springs Racers was a unique combination of holography and audio-animatronics at the beginning, dioramas of circa-50's and 60's Southern California car culture in the middle, and a brief high-speed race through dry Southwestern hills at the end. I was glad to have experienced it, but once is enough.