Any tips for surviving DCA crowds on a Party night?

[TNickell27]

I'll officially be roaming the streets of Disneyland two weeks from today! My husband and I have only been to Disneyland once and it was back in 2010! So much has changed and I'm excited to see it all. Unfortunately, we are only able to do two days in the parks and one of the days is a Halloween Party night. We don't plan to do the party (we don't have kiddos yet and I don't want to spend the extra money on it), so we will just hop over to DCA on Wednesday, September 19th once the party guests start arriving in DL. From what I've see on the boards, DCA gets pretty packed on party nights. Are there any tips you can recommend so that we can still have an enjoyable evening despite the crowds? We will have Max Pass, if that helps. Luckily, we will have spent time at DCA the day before and will have ridden most of what we would like to accomplish. Any advice or tips are appreciated.

 

[PHXscuba]

Wednesday should not be as bad because not as many locals will be there (the Friday night I was in DCA during a party a couple years ago was rough).

My suggestions:
1. Keep an eye on Max Pass return times and stack up a few for the evening. For example, stalk the Radiator Springs return times and get an evening MP in the early afternoon. Get a MP for Monsters After Dark as soon as they open (3:00 last year). Repeat every 90 minutes throughout the afternoon.
2. Single Rider Lines, especially if you have been through the line/ride once before -- RSR, Incredicoaster
3. Low-priority theater attractions -- whatever's in the Sunset Showcase, Turtle Talk, Animation Academy, etc.
4. If you are considering a nice dinner, a dining package with parade seating could give you a relaxing meal away from the crowds and a for-sure seat for Paint the Night. Or if you want to see Paint the Night but without the package, stake out seats on either end of the park early and relax and eat curbside.
5. Enjoy the seasonal ambience on Buena Vista Street and in Cars Land, seeing details and taking pictures.
6. Shopping and snacking!

PHXscuba

 

[theluckyrabbit]

The advice above is good, especially about MP. If you are planning on eating dinner at a TS location in DCA, make your Priority Seating reservation now. If you want to eat at a CS location or as a walk up in one of the lounges (CC lounge or Hollywood Lounge), plan to eat at off peak times. The wait for the CC lounge on party nights can be long! Enjoy people watching! Getting a snack or a drink while watching the MHP guests park hop in their costumes can be really fun! Get lots of photos in the decorated parts of DCA -- BVS, CC, CL, etc. Especially if you have free PP with MP, make good use of it! DCA is decorated so well!