My Guide to Avengers Campus
Avengers Campus is the latest land to launch in Disneyland Resorts California Adventure Park in Anaheim California. It allows you to completely immersive yourself into the world of the Avengers. This new land excels in character appearances and special shows as well as unique food and beverage options with a creative Avengers twist.
Character Appearances
The character appearances really set apart Avengers Campus from any other land that Disney has created. You feel like you walk into the Avengers' working campus where you casual see them walking around about their days work. Different characters pop in through out the day and really make this a unique experience every time you enter the land. Keep your head on a swivel because characters pop up all around you. They might even walk right next to you without you realizing!
Strategy for seeing your desired characters
The best strategy for seeing a desired character is to stick around for a while. The characters do no have a schedule and its hard to anticipate when they will appear. Characters that are involved in shows will pop up before or after their shows so if you are looking to meet Black Panther or Spider Man this is a good strategy. Loki was around OFTEN. That’s most likely because of his recent Disney Plus series that debuted around the same time as the land.
The only characters that I didn’t see were Thor and Dr. Strange. Both of these characters seem to appear in the later afternoon around the times of the Dr. Strange show. I saw Spiderman and Loki the most.
If your kiddo (or you) have a must see character, it never hurts to ask a Cast Member. They may have more insight into the interworking of the characters schedules for the day.
Shows and Entertainment
Another huge aspect of the Avengers Campus are the shows and entertainment. There are five different shows around the campus. These shows are super unique and very cool. They are stunt type shows that feature impressive storylines and technology. You can watch Spider-Man soar through the air, Black Widow take down the Task Master alongside Black Panther, or be mesmerized by Dr. Strange as he appears through a portal. All of these shows are impressive and immersive and add one element of excitement and fun throughout the land.
The easiest one to catch is The Amazing Spider-Man!. It has as many as 9 showings a day starting at around 10 am. The Warriors of Wakanda: The Disciplines of the Dora Milaje and the Avengers Assemble show also start in the morning through the early afternoon. Dr. Strange: Mysteries of the Mystic Arts and The Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off! are in the afternoon into the evenings.
Strategy for seeing the shows
I found that it was easy to catch 3 of the 5 shows during lunch time. This gives you an opportunity to try some of the great options at Pym’s Test Kitchen. I would schedule a mobile order for around 11:30. Catch The Amazing Spider-Man as you enter the park. Get your food and grab a seat and see the Dora Milaje and the Avengers Assemble show while eating your lunch. Seats can be tough so it would help to have someone stand outside to spot a seat while you pick up your food.
Then I would return later in the day around dusk to catch The Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off and Dr. Strange show (which is best seen at night!).
Food
Avengers Campus opened with some impressive and creative food options that fit a wide range of appetites. The idea behind Pym Test Kitchen is that they are using Pym particles (the things that make AntMan shrink and grow) to solve food challenges around the globe. This has created overly large or overly small food items that are both fun and delicious to eat. Make sure you look up when you enter the restaurant to see the Pym particles at work as they grow and shrink pretzels.
My favorites from Pam’s Test Kitchen include:
- Quantum Pretzel (I wasn’t a fan of the beer cheese so I would skip that an opt for mustard instead) - $12.99
- Not So Little Chicken Sandwich - $15.49 (definitely shareable)
- Pym-ini Sandwich - $14.49
- Chocosmash CANDY Bar - $7.99 (HUGE - definitely shareable)
- Beer Mimosa - $11.00
I also tried some of their drink offerings over at Pym Tasting Lab where some of the drinks actually fill from the bottom up! My favorites were:
- Honey Buzz - $16.00
- X Periment (a little on the spicy side) - $17.00
Strategy for food
Both Pym Test Kitchen and Pym Tasting Lab feature walk-up, standby lines to get your food. The lines can get long though and I find it much easier to Mobile Order your food ahead of time. You can time your day out a little better this way and you spend less time waiting in line for your food! You can even use Disney Gift Cards to mobile order your food in the app.
Other food offerings are the Shwarma Carts which is a special nod to the first Avengers movie where they all go eat Shwarma after defeating Loki and his alien minions. I haven’t tried these yet but I have heard great things. This is also where you can get the Iron Man Infinity Gauntlet drink holder! Both these carts are walk-up, standby only.
Downsides
No land is perfect and I would feel remiss if I didn't mention a few of the challenges of the new land and how to work around them.
- Limited Restrooms - There is only one restroom in the land and its quite small. This is mostly a problem for the woman's restroom and if a child needs to go potty. There are two family restrooms which are helpful. You can't really work around this unless you use a restroom in another land before coming here. Just a good thing to keep in mind for moms of toddlers who have small bladders.
- It can be hot - There is limited shade in the new land and a lot of concrete. On hot summer days, this means that it can be quite hot in the new land. Make sure to drink water and wear sunscreen or a hat to protect yourself and your little ones from the sun.
- Limited Seating - There is very limited seating in the new land which is mostly only difficult for eating purposes. If you can't find a seat near Pym Test Kitchen or Tasting Lab, head over by Guardians of the Galaxy. There is a large eating are over there with lots of shade and seating. It does take you out of the action a little but its still a nice option.
The land also opened with one signature ride called Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure. I will be writing a follow up blog that details strategies for getting a boarding group as well as what the ride is like and how to score more points.
Avengers Campus is a great addition to the land especially for die hard Avengers fans who want to walk among their idols. Definitely add it to your list of things to do on your next visit to Disney’s California Adventure!
