"Are you ready screamers!? No? Too bad!"
Ride Notes:
Opened: Feb 8, 2001
Height: 120ft
Top Speed: ~60mph
Ride Type: Steel Coaster
Length of attraction: ~2:30
Height Requirement: 48"
Fastpass Available: Yes
With what is one of the smoothest and funnest rides around,
California Screamin' is firmly planted in our hearts as one of the best, Disney or not, coasters around. Whenever we happen to wander into Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure, you can probably find us hurrying over to the line for
Screamin'. This is one of those attractions that always has us craving more.
California Screamin' is unique among the coasters at the Disneyland Resort, being the only one featuring an inversion. Riders exit the dock to approach the launching point, where the
Screamin' launch system (with a little help from one Neil Patrick Harris) shoots riders down the track towards the first incline, moving them from a standstill to 60mph in a mere 4 seconds.
 |
| Ready to launch? |
 |
| Really hauling at this point... |
While much of the attraction is your typical roller coaster fare (rises and drops, hills and inclines, curves and turns), as mentioned before,
Screamin' boasts a single inversion roughly halfway through its two and half minute trek.
 |
| Screamin's lone (and thus best) upside-down moment |
One of the biggest selling points of
Screamin', though, and one of the reasons we like it so much is that while it may be fast, it's
smooth. Where many coasters (even steel ones) will leave you feeling like you've just gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson when you get off (not the new Mike, but the late 80s and early 90s Mike),
Screamin' never feels as though it's pushing the envelope too far. The coaster isn't jerky at all; it's an easy ride. We've done it so many times now we pretty much have the track memorized which makes it that much easier to lean into the turns and just let the ride do all of the work, rather than making you fight to keep your head from banging back and forth into the shoulder bars. We've never failed to pull back into the dock at the end of the ride without a grin from ear to ear. It's just an amazing roller coaster!
Since its opening in 2001 (the same year as the park's opening)
Screamin' has gone through numerous changes; many noticeable and others not so much. In 2007, as part of their "
Rockin' Both Parks" campaign, Disney
used a remixed version of the
Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Around the World" as the soundtrack (and let's point out right now that we really want this back, please). Next was the infamous (or infamouse) removal of Mickey's ears in 2009 where a huge Paradise Pier now resides. Arguably our favorite change, though, and one that occurred just recently is the replacement of the original attraction announcer's voice with that of Neil Patrick Harris, which happened on November 5, 2010.
No matter the changes, we love this attraction. Whether it's Chad's amazement with how much g-force (and speed) this big puppy has, or Mark having conversations with guests on the viewing deck, we both enjoy the thrills and fun that Screamin' has to offer. From the moment we take off, our hands are up (sadly, for Mark, the restraint doesn't let him get them up very high) and we launch ready to rock. We both love the way our stomachs turn at the top of the first hill (especially after eating jambalaya) and we both get worried about getting stuck going up the second one. But perhaps the moment we can both claim as our favorite part is the "wavy" section of the coaster (the part where you go up and down repeatedly) near the end of the ride. For this, we created a very special segment we like to call "The Running Man", which involves us pretending to be running, pumping our arms and legs up and down acting the fool. And of course, once the exercising is done, no ride would be complete without striking our usual goofy pose for the camera, and waiting to re-enter the loading bay, clapping and hooting just like we did our very first time on the coaster.
Our enjoyment is not without disagreement, however. One of these disagreements comes at the end of this attraction. While making your way to the photo booth, on your left side, there is mural of a few guests (and a hidden mickey!) on the ride. It just so happens that Mark believes that one of these happy guests happens to be none other than Spider-Man creator, Stan Lee. Chad, on the other hand, thinks that Mark is just a bit loony to believe such a thing. So we would like to know what you think. Stan Lee or not?
 |
| Stan Lee! Not Stan Lee?! |
If you enjoy roller coasters at all, we just can't see how there is any way you would not like California Screamin'. It has all of the elements that make for a great coaster: a high launch speed, height, fast speeds but a smooth ride, hills, an inversion, and an opportunity to take a goofy picture at the end. There's just nothing not to like. And as can be seen, it does an excellent job of mimicking the classic boardwalk roller coasters we're all familiar with from years gone by.
California Screamin' comes with our highest recommendation. If you're at Disney California Adventure, ride this attraction.
 |
| California Screamin' resides (waiting) in Paradise Pier |
