Recently, we visited California Adventure and I played the games in the Boardwalk area of the park with my family. This is something I’ve never let the kids do. In fact, my kids didn’t even know there were games to play anywhere at the resort. Up until this particular day I was always quite “bah-hum-bug” about the games. “We come here to go on rides and see the shows,” I would say. “I don’t want to spend our money on carnival games.” My husband and I would quickly avert the children’s attention toward some other landmark as we briskly walked them through the boardwalk area.
Truth be told, as a member of the press, we were given gift cards to play the games, otherwise this would have never happened. I guess I’m just way too cheap. As it turns out, the games were a lot of fun and one (maybe two–I can’t remember) even GUARANTEED a prize. And furthermore, the prizes weren’t that bad. Unlike a carnival or fair, the stuffed toys were a decent quality toy that I feel fine letting my kids play with. And…wait for it…I may let the boys do it again some time! They got a real kick out of it.
The boardwalk area is also home to the Toy Story Mania attraction. This is a very popular attraction with a very long wait. I will be honest in saying that I’m not this attraction’s biggest fan. I just don’t get it. My four year old really likes it, which is what it’s all about. I guess that it’s lost on me because I’m not into video games. Basically, guests ride through this attraction shooting at targets in different 3-D scenes along the ride. If you are competitive, you’ll love it. Unfortunately, the 3-D glasses gave me a little bit of a headache. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Worth a 10 minute wait? Yes. Worth a 45 minute wait? Not in my book.
If you are looking for some really unique Toy Story merchandise, this area of the park has got it.
