Early Entry Strategy

[BeccaG]

DLR29 has compiled a great superthread here: Early Admission (MM/EMH/APEE) Superthread

The first post gives the details about the different types of early entry this summer. The bottom line is that there is some form of early entry at both parks every day.

DL: M,W,F - APEE; the other days - MM for those with 3 or more day PH passes and guests of the 3 DL hotels

DCA: M,W,F - EMH for guests of the 3 DL hotels; the other days - APEE

Thanks, I knew I read the distinction somewhere but couldn't find it!

 

[disfan100]

Got in line at GCH at 6:35 am (by Whitewater snacks). In line for RSR by 7:20 am. Family in front of us walked into GCH at 6:50 am and said the line wound all the way into the lobby and decided to use the main entrance to DCA. RSR broke down 3 times while we waited. Really enjoyed the ride. Exited RSR at 8:20 am. Standby line was up to 180 minutes.

RSR FP distribution opened at 8 am when DCA opened. DD went to get RSR FP. I got in line for Luigis. Luigis went down and the line was cleared and ride closed. I got in line for Maters Junkyared Jamboree - 60 minute wait. DD joined me 8:50 am - she was able to get us RSR FP for 8:55 pm to 9:55 pm. Maters was a short, but cute ride. Luigis opened while we were on Maters. Wait time was 75 minutes. Skipped Luigis.

Went to Flo's V8 for breakfast. The chicken tamale was outstanding. French toast brioche was very good, also. Sat outside and overlooked RSR and the RSR line. Saw RSR breakdown twice. By now the wait was at 240 minutes. Single rider was 45 minutes.

Went to Cozy Cone Motel for a lemonade as DD wanted a cone-shaped cup. No cone cups were available - lots of guests asking for them. CM said maybe more would be available next week or in a month. Oh well. The pomegranate lemonade with foam was tasty.

At this point it felt very crowded. Left Cars Land to explore Buena Vista Street. Looking forward to returning to Cars Land at night to see all the neon lights lit up.

 

[DLR29]

Got in line at GCH at 6:35 am (by Whitewater snacks). In line for RSR by 7:20 am. Family in front of us walked into GCH at 6:50 am and said the line wound all the way into the lobby and decided to use the main entrance to DCA. RSR broke down 3 times while we waited. Really enjoyed the ride. Exited RSR at 8:20 am. Standby line was up to 180 minutes.

RSR FP distribution opened at 8 am when DCA opened. DD went to get RSR FP. I got in line for Luigis. Luigis went down and the line was cleared and ride closed. I got in line for Maters Junkyared Jamboree - 60 minute wait. DD joined me 8:50 am - she was able to get us RSR FP for 8:55 pm to 9:55 pm. Maters was a short, but cute ride. Luigis opened while we were on Maters. Wait time was 75 minutes. Skipped Luigis.

Went to Flo's V8 for breakfast. The chicken tamale was outstanding. French toast brioche was very good, also. Sat outside and overlooked RSR and the RSR line. Saw RSR breakdown twice. By now the wait was at 240 minutes. Single rider was 45 minutes.

Went to Cozy Cone Motel for a lemonade as DD wanted a cone-shaped cup. No cone cups were available - lots of guests asking for them. CM said maybe more would be available next week or in a month. Oh well. The pomegranate lemonade with foam was tasty.

At this point it felt very crowded. Left Cars Land to explore Buena Vista Street. Looking forward to returning to Cars Land at night to see all the neon lights lit up.

Thank you for the update! What attractions were open for the EMH? Just Carsland? RSR broke down 3 times and you still only had to wait an hour? That's good! When it broke down on Friday the breakdown itself was an hour and a half.

 

[mrswh]

Got in line at GCH at 6:35 am (by Whitewater snacks). In line for RSR by 7:20 am. Family in front of us walked into GCH at 6:50 am and said the line wound all the way into the lobby and decided to use the main entrance to DCA. RSR broke down 3 times while we waited. Really enjoyed the ride. Exited RSR at 8:20 am. Standby line was up to 180 minutes.

RSR FP distribution opened at 8 am when DCA opened. DD went to get RSR FP. I got in line for Luigis. Luigis went down and the line was cleared and ride closed. I got in line for Maters Junkyared Jamboree - 60 minute wait. DD joined me 8:50 am - she was able to get us RSR FP for 8:55 pm to 9:55 pm. Maters was a short, but cute ride. Luigis opened while we were on Maters. Wait time was 75 minutes. Skipped Luigis.

Went to Flo's V8 for breakfast. The chicken tamale was outstanding. French toast brioche was very good, also. Sat outside and overlooked RSR and the RSR line. Saw RSR breakdown twice. By now the wait was at 240 minutes. Single rider was 45 minutes.

Went to Cozy Cone Motel for a lemonade as DD wanted a cone-shaped cup. No cone cups were available - lots of guests asking for them. CM said maybe more would be available next week or in a month. Oh well. The pomegranate lemonade with foam was tasty.

At this point it felt very crowded. Left Cars Land to explore Buena Vista Street. Looking forward to returning to Cars Land at night to see all the neon lights lit up.

Did you go back to ride RSR during your FP return window? How long did you have to wait? I read reports of 2h FP lines a few days ago. Wondering if it makes more sense (staying at GCH) to get there right at opening and ride (sounds like it wouldn't have been too long a wait had it not broken down three times- though whether that is the norm is yet to be seen) rather than waiting in line for a half hour for a FP and then (if lucky enough to get one) have to wait another 2h in line later in the day.

Did the family who entered through the main entrance mention how long the line was out there? I wonder how many turnstiles they will have open - that GCH line can be slow with only two.

Thanks so much for the report!

 

[DLR29]

Did you go back to ride RSR during your FP return window? How long did you have to wait? I read reports of 2h FP lines a few days ago. Wondering if it makes more sense (staying at GCH) to get there right at opening and ride (sounds like it wouldn't have been too long a wait had it not broken down three times- though whether that is the norm is yet to be seen) rather than waiting in line for a half hour for a FP and then (if lucky enough to get one) have to wait another 2h in line later in the day.

Did the family who entered through the main entrance mention how long the line was out there? I wonder how many turnstiles they will have open - that GCH line can be slow with only two.

Thanks so much for the report!

I thought of this too, but then I realized that their FP return time hasn't happened yet. It's not good for another 4 hours!

 

[mrswh]

I thought of this too, but then I realized that their FP return time hasn't happened yet. It's not good for another 4 hours!

Details, details . . . .

 

[disfan100]

DLR29 - All 3 rides in Cars Land were open when we entered. RSR and Luigi's both had problems before DCA officially opened. We didn't notice much else as we were focused on getting to RSR. When entering DCA CMs would not allow us to go through Paradise Pier so we had to go left and join the main entrance guests to Cars Land.

mrswh - The family who entered through the main DCA entrance said there were more security lines and turnstiles open. They were pleased to learn that their decision to abandon the GCH line was validated. All 3 GCH turnstiles were open for entrance into DCA. There were only 2 security CMs this morning.

We plan to EMH on Wednesday and Friday (if we aren't worn out by then). Will try to be more observant.

 

[taaren]

Yep, they told us at check in which lands would be open but to us the only important ones were Carslnd and Paradise Pier.
We ended up gettng onto RSR at 830. This as after getting in line and waiting through the ride going down twice. Altogether the wait while the ride was functioning was under 30 min but it had not been running for about 45 min of our wait. Just wish we'd ditched and gone on Luigis/Maters/TSMM instead. By the time we got off the ride Luigis/Maters were over an hour and TSM was at 50 min. =(
The silver lining was we got the very last RSR FPs for today, for 1030p I think.

So the EMH will be great for y'all if they can manage to keep stuff running, but Id hit Luigis and Maters while they are 15/5 min waits during EMH having had the experience I did today. Also, use the front gates ...

 

[taaren]

Oh, and yes they checked the hotel key cards.

Just the adults not the kids (that's the only time my DS5 actually gets his key or he'll lose it).

There were also some people in front of us at RSR that started out a party of 2 and by the time we got to the front of the line had swelled to a party of 16, with the majority of the party joining at 750a which frustrated me a bit. Added to the negativity of the experience. Not that I mind big groups or people saving spots for their family but 2 ppl saving spots for an additional 14 just seems somehow particularly discurteous.

We had a much better time once we headed over to DL and things were calmer. I think I'm just not a good peak season kinda gal, will go back to my low season trips after this.

 

[Mackysmycat]

What's all this EMH and APEE about? Early morning what? And annual pass early something? Help me out here...

 

[Mackysmycat]

Ok so EMH is early morning hours, and APEE is annual pass early entry? Wo EMH are when and available to whom? DL hotel guests?

 

[Mackysmycat]

double post

 

[HydroGuy]

What's all this EMH and APEE about? Early morning what? And annual pass early something? Help me out here...

See

"Early Admission (MM/EMH/APEE) Super Thread" by DLR29 www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1675403

 

[DLR29]

DLR29 - All 3 rides in Cars Land were open when we entered. RSR and Luigi's both had problems before DCA officially opened. We didn't notice much else as we were focused on getting to RSR. When entering DCA CMs would not allow us to go through Paradise Pier so we had to go left and join the main entrance guests to Cars Land.

mrswh - The family who entered through the main DCA entrance said there were more security lines and turnstiles open. They were pleased to learn that their decision to abandon the GCH line was validated. All 3 GCH turnstiles were open for entrance into DCA. There were only 2 security CMs this morning.

We plan to EMH on Wednesday and Friday (if we aren't worn out by then). Will try to be more observant.

Yep, they told us at check in which lands would be open but to us the only important ones were Carslnd and Paradise Pier.
We ended up gettng onto RSR at 830. This as after getting in line and waiting through the ride going down twice. Altogether the wait while the ride was functioning was under 30 min but it had not been running for about 45 min of our wait. Just wish we'd ditched and gone on Luigis/Maters/TSMM instead. By the time we got off the ride Luigis/Maters were over an hour and TSM was at 50 min. =(
The silver lining was we got the very last RSR FPs for today, for 1030p I think.

So the EMH will be great for y'all if they can manage to keep stuff running, but Id hit Luigis and Maters while they are 15/5 min waits during EMH having had the experience I did today. Also, use the front gates ...

So...were Paradise Pier attractions open? Getting mixed messages.

 

[DizFan13]

There were also some people in front of us at RSR that started out a party of 2 and by the time we got to the front of the line had swelled to a party of 16, with the majority of the party joining at 750a which frustrated me a bit. Added to the negativity of the experience. Not that I mind big groups or people saving spots for their family but 2 ppl saving spots for an additional 14 just seems somehow particularly discurteous.

Wow...that seems so over the top rude to me. Sorry you had that as an added frustration!

 

[disfan100]

Quote:
"Originally Posted by mrswh View Post
Did you go back to ride RSR during your FP return window? How long did you have to wait? I read reports of 2h FP lines a few days ago. Wondering if it makes more sense (staying at GCH) to get there right at opening and ride (sounds like it wouldn't have been too long a wait had it not broken down three times- though whether that is the norm is yet to be seen) rather than waiting in line for a half hour for a FP and then (if lucky enough to get one) have to wait another 2h in line later in the day."

I apologize - haven't figured out how to do the "Quote:" box, yet.

We returned to RSR at the end of our FP window - 9:55 pm. The FP line stretched all the way back to Luigi's. We waited an hour. Standby by 180 minutes. We enjoyed riding RSR in the morning, but thought RSR was even better at night. The lighting enhanced the atmosphere of the ride for us. It was worthwhile though to ride during the day to appreciate the night.

Learned that when you are waiting in line and hear clapping that means the ride is up again. If you are far enough back in line you don't really hear the shutdown announcements, but realize you aren't hearing the cars go by, the line doesn't move, and folks further ahead bail.

A nice side note: A couple thought the FP line (looked like a really big line) was the standby line and waited with us for about 40 minutes before they discovered their mistake. The standby line winds in a completely different direction. A very nice young man gave them FPs so they didn't have to move to the standby line. Some of his family had already left for the day without using their FPs.

 

[BeccaG]

Anyone else done APEE or MM at DCA? Any thoughts on a good strategy? How were crowds for APEE?

 

[BeccaG]

I will be using DCA EMH on Friday and will sure to report how it goes, what is open, etc.

I was wondering, do you think it's worth starting a new thread asking folks to share their EMH/APEE DCA experiences these first few weeks?

I'm ok "hijacking" this thread for that purpose! It really in many ways would answer my question!

 

[sammatt]

I'd love to hear more, too!

For example, how many AP holders are let in each morning, versus how many hotel guests there are. I'm just curious, if you don't have either privilege, is it best to go on a hotel guest day or an AP day?

 

[ValpoCory]

Also, use the front gates ...

That's the best strategic advice from this thread. Main gate > Grand Cal entrance.