California Plunge: Never Built Disney California Adventure Part 1

Never Built Disney California Adventure

Paradise Pier Concept Art Never Built Water Ride Disney California Adventure

Welcome to our first-ever entry in an all-new series exploring the never-built attractions of the second park at the Disneyland Resort, Disney California Adventure. Here we will look at rides, shows, and more that were designed and planned for Disney California Adventure but were never actually built in the park.

For the first entry, we are looking at what we are nicknaming California Plunge. This would have been a water ride opening alongside the original Paradise Pier.

This ride, seen in early concept art for the land, even before the scream tubes were added to California Screamin', would have been a lightly themed water ride. It would have paid tribute to classic style flume water rides in the same way California Screamin paid tribute to classic wooden rollercoasters. Despite being built with the latest technology, this would be made to appear like it was built in the early 20th century.

The ride would not have had an extensive storyline, but it would have provided amazing views of Paradise Pier and the surrounding park. You can see it traveling around the Orange Stinger and the Maliboomer.

It plunges into the Paradise Bay traveling alongside the Sun Wheel and the first launch of California Screamin.


If this was built, it probably would have permanently changed the park. A ride traveling through Paradise Bay would have made it more difficult to implement World of Color, as any construction would have impacted this ride, and it may have neven made it more difficult for this ride to operate. The logistics may have changed this show we know and love and kept it from making it into the park.

This also only would have been another ride to face many of the same criticisms of the original version of DCA. Not enough themeing or Disney characters. It is likely a good thing this ride never made it to the park.

Thanks for coming to TPE. Check out even more explorations of never-built Disney rides at our Attractions From Neverland page. Also, come back every Tuesday when we release two articles exploring lost Disney rides

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