Quote: Carsland is the newest addition to Disney’s California Adventure. Opening in the summer of 2012 it has proved an enormous hit. We visited about two months after the opening.

Based on the Disney Pixar film Cars the area is a recreation of radiator Springs, a depiction based on a time of a more prosperous Route 66. Walking down the main street you can’t fail to be impressed by the sight of Monument valley ahead of you where the headlining ride, Radiator Springs Racers is based. However what is most impressive is the general theming all around the area, something Disney always does so well in their parks but which is really taken to a new level in Carsland.

The main ride is Radiator Springs Racer and the waiting times reached 3 hours whilst we were in the park and all of the Fastpass tickets were gone within 45 minutes of park opening. It is worth noting that whilst this ride is so immensely popular the Fastpass machines are actually located on the corner of Bugs Land rather than in the purpose built distribution centre near the ride. There is a single rider queue too so if you are desperate to ride and haven’t arrived at the park early that may be another option.

Anyone who has visited Test Track at Epcot in Orlando will immediately feel a sense of familiarity when they get to the loading bay. The Cars may have had a make-over but the size of the cars (three people front and back) and the restraints are all extremely familiar. The cars are sent off in pairs to "race" and there are two different routes, one gives the car a re-spray and the other gives you new tyres and then you set off around the track to see who will be the victor. The majority of the track is outside and it whizzes through the red rocky mountains until you reach the very close climax and one car is declared the winner. I thought this was a good ride, well thought out and beautifully presented but my disappointment was that it just didn’t go quite fast enough. I love Test Track and I felt I wanted to put my foot down to reach the heady speeds that the Test track cars reach. Unfortunately the other aspect in which radiator racers resembles Test Track is in is poor reliability. Every day that we were in the park it was down for certain amounts of time, on one occasion we were nearly at the loading gates and since they wouldn’t offer us a Fastpass to return later we ended up sitting on the floor for nearly half an hour whilst awaiting our turn.

The one advantage to the huge queue at the Racers is that the other rides a bit quieter. Luigi's Flying Tires is a quaint attraction that pays homage to one of the original attraction of Disneyland. People sit on the tyres, usually in pairs, which hover on a cushion of air and they have to use body weight to steer the tyres around the area. There was certainly an optimum weight to get the best performance out of the tyres, two young children or two large adults seemed to struggle. There are large inflatable balls in the mix as well and it produces a short but entertaining experience. Unfortunately it is a slow loading attraction so one to avoid if the queues are really long.

Maters Junkyard Jamboree has spinning tractors which throw the occupants around. This ride was far more exciting than it looked and the crazy music adds to the fun but certainly not for people who can’t do spinning rides!

Everywhere you look in Carsland you see people carrying orange traffic cones with straws poking out of the top. These popular drinks cups are available in the Cozy Zone Motel which also offers popcorn and ice-cream. If you need more substantial food then head to Flos V8 café which is a gorgeous looking diner but I can’t comment on the quality of the food as I didn’t get to eat there.

There is an empty area at the bag of Carsland which I believe is rumoured to be for a show at some time in the future but I am not sure about that.

Carsland is an amazing addition to the California Adventure Park but it needs to be visited early before it becomes too crowded so that you can really appreciate all of the finer details.