Heroes assembled. Guests assembled. Avengers Campus is officially open to the public after weeks of preview days for cast members and media. We were there as a family of five on opening day for this brand-new land in Disney California Adventure park. We learned our lesson after Galaxy’s Edge to not come to a full opinion or judgment on the land after one visit. Opening day was a unique experience which will most likely only bear some resemblance to how the land looks, operates, and feels in a few months. The hype for this land was monumental, so we went in with very high hopes for a great Disney day. We wanted to share with you the good, the not so good, and the great (yes, we are saving the best for last). First impressions are important, but we have no doubt that the land will grow, evolve, and improve with time.
The Good
Land Theming & Design
The land is incredibly themed. The attention to detail from the layout, to the graffiti walls, to Hulk-sized trees affected by gamma radiation, and themed trash cans really impressed me. The kinetic energy was fantastic. There always seemed to be at least one character out for photo-ops or shows. We weren’t able to see every show due to the times for the shows not being announced, but we were able to see a few of the shows. Here are some snaps of the land so you get an idea of the theming and design.
Character Shows & Interactions
The Dora Milaje show really brought the land to life.
Our friend at Five Fives YouTube captured the Doctor Strange show, and it looks amazing!
The Food
We enjoyed nearly everything we ate on this jam packed day. There was only one item that I don’t think we will ever get again. We will have a full review of the food up in a few days. We are not the type to buy everything in one visit just for the sake of getting a review up on day one. We prefer getting several items each visit, so that we are giving the food and drinks a proper review rather than eating a few bites of the dish and writing a “full” review on that item. Here are some snaps of the foods and drinks from the land. You can read short summaries of our thoughts on a few of the items over on our Instagram page (we’ve posted a few items over there already).
Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure
We had a blast on this new attraction. It’s definitely a fun ride, similar in spirit to Toy Story Midway Mania. The big difference between this and Midway Mania is that you use your hands to fling spiderwebs at Spider Bots rather than a carnival pull-shooter. Our kids ran around acting like they were shooting webs for an hour after getting off the ride, and Disney even put out a fun little table where kids could play with and test-out the Spider Bot action toys. After playing with the Spider Bots and riding the attraction we definitely want to bring home our very own Spider Bot. We’ve heard a few people complain that the ride isn’t great, but for us, we had fun and can’t wait to ride it again – which is important for us. Remember, you’ll need to join a boarding group through the virtual queue system to ride. Good luck on your day of visitation!
The Not So Good
Before I write about a few things that weren’t good, or even straight-up bad, keep in mind that the land will continue to evolve, grow, and Disney will undoubtedly tweak some things to improve the guest experience. So, some things mentioned here might be completely different by the time you visit the land.
Mobile Order Return Times
Very early in the day we noticed that there were zero mobile order return time slots available. We had placed a lunch order for Pym Test Kitchen around 8:30 in the day and the earliest return time was 1:20 p.m., so we gobbled up that time slot for our lunch. We also were able to mobile order our Shawarma for lunch for a 12:50 pick-up time (also, the first available slot when we ordered). As the morning went on, and we were ready to leave the land we heard that there was a 6-hour wait to get in (via the standby line), so we were concerned that we would be stuck inside Avengers Campus until nearly 2 o’clock to wait for our mobile orders, since it had stated in the “know before you go” that a mobile order wouldn’t guarantee you access to the land. Disney pivoted for the day and relaxed that rule, but yesterday they were stricter about it.
The app encouraged guests to place mobile orders ONLY once they had entered the land. Even so, when we clicked “I’m here, prepare my order” it took at least 20 minutes to get the return message. We weren’t upset about it, because we knew it was opening day and things were a little chaotic. BUT it is something that wasn’t great and we will definitely keep an eye on how the mobile ordering works during future visits. They also made another change from day one to day two – mobile ordering was discontinued at the Shawarma Palace cart.
Stay tuned on this one.
Web Slingers Boarding Groups
Disney announced that this new attraction would be virtual queue only. Guests are able to attempt to join a boarding group through the virtual queue at both 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. We were unsuccessful at 7 a.m. (never missed a boarding group opportunity with Rise of the Resistance), so we were super bummed. We did have success at the 12 p.m. opportunity, though (after stressing about it for 5 hours). The ride was a blast – our kids were acting like they were shooting spider webs the rest of the day. We did notice, however, that we got lots of messages on our Instagram account from distraught guests who missed out both times. That’s a tough blow to have a one-day ticket for entry and miss out on the new ride. Hoping the ride loading efficiency improves so that more guests are able to ride this fun attraction.
Tables/Seating to Eat
Until June 15th, I’m not sure whether there is much that can be done to improve the situation. We collected our food orders from Shawarma Palace at roughly 1:10 and couldn’t find anywhere to sit, so we found a spot on the ground to sit and eat. Roughly 45 minutes later we walked from Pym Test Kitchen area (no tables/seating available) over to the Hyperion Theater courtyard which has been converted into an area filled with tables and benches for extra seating. We walked around for several minutes and couldn’t find anywhere to sit. We, finally, found a small 1-2 person table-top with no chairs to set our food on. We then had to sit on the ground next to the table to eat our lunch. Not a great way to enjoy a fun, new meal. Hopefully, when spacing isn’t regulated so heavily they’ll be able to add more tables and chairs for guests. This was my biggest let down of the day. Most of the people at the tables weren’t eating. They were just sitting and talking. Not sure if they were just taking breaks, waiting for their mobile order windows to pop up, or taking a relaxation break, but it made for a lessened experience on our part. Definitely not the end of the world, but not great either.
The Great
We entered Avengers Campus first thing in the morning. Stayed for a little while, but left after eating a breakfast shawarma, getting the souvenir beer flights from Pym Tasting Lab, and watching the Dora Milaje show. We enjoyed the theming and ambiance of the land, but with our mobile order return time a few hours later, and no hope of riding the Web Slingers ride in the morning we left. We came back in the afternoon for our mobile orders and our Web Slingers call-back (we got a boarding group at the 12 noon opportunity and got called back soon after). The second trip into Avengers Campus we ate our lunch, rode the ride, and shopped at Web Suppliers. We didn’t think we’d be able to get back into the land due to the long standby lines and no mobile ordering windows open. At 8:30 p.m. though there was little to no standby to enter the land, plus we were able to score a late mobile order for Pym Tasting Lab. So we got to enter the land at night. This is when the land soars. There weren’t any shows while we were in there, but it is simply beautiful at night. Here are some snaps.
Final Thoughts
Arriving to the Disneyland Resort early really did help us get more out of our day. We didn’t have to wait in the 4-5 hour standby line to enter the land the first time, so we got a bit of an experience before our return later in the day for our food and ride. The icing on the cake was the final trip inside. Is Avengers Campus perfect? No. But we think that given some time the experience will improve. Stay tuned as we delve into more details in the coming days about Avengers Campus.