Arriving at Cal. Adventure in afternoon, where to start?

[bcinohio]

DH and I are planning on spending a few days at DL either the week of May 15 or 22. It would be wed-sat. We will be arriving from Las Vegas in the morning on Wed. We were thinking of going to DCA Wed afternoon and evening and then 1 full day while spending 2 full days at DL. We have not been to DL before abut are WDW pros. We usually arrive before rope drop but won't be able to the first day we arrive. If we arrived in the afternoon at DCA where would you start? I know we should pick up a FP first but not sure which section to start in since it will be later in the day.

Thanks for any help.

 

[figment_jii]

As WDW Vets, I highly recommend taking a look at HydroGuy's A DLR Guide for WDW Vets. It'll help give you a sense of the similarities and differences between the two resorts.

In terms of DCA, there are only six attractions (CA Screamin', Goofy's Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Radiator Springs Racers, Soarin', and Tower of Terror) that use the FP system. By mid-afternoon, it's pretty likely that RSR will have run out of FPs (they tend to run out within two to three hours of park opening). I would probably look at the list and see which attraction is of the most interest to you and then get a FP for that. You can use "Ask Otto" (phone line) or the official Disneyland App to check the current stand-by wait times and FP return time to help you decide before you get to the park. (One suggestion is to check as you're heading to DCA, so you can know which direction to head once you get there.)

If you can swing it, I would seriously consider purchasing the park hopper option. DL and DCA are only 110 yards apart; you can see into the parks from each other. To put it in WDW terms, think of DL like Epcot's FW, DCA like Epcot's WS, the Esplanade is like the bridge that connects FW and SW, and DTD would be just outside of International Gateway. It makes park hopping very easy and can be very beneficial, especially when DL remains open later than DCA (often by an hour or so).

 

[hiroMYhero]

Go and pick up a World of Color FP (near Grizzly River Rapids). Then, go and pick up a FP for ToT, Soarin' or California Screamin' - you can have two FPs if one is WOC. FPs will be gone for RSR by then.

You can exit DCA directly into Grand Californian Hotel. We like Storytellers Cafe for meals. Definitely stop for a Churro at a churro cart!

 

[califlorican]

I would aim for a Tower of Terror fast pass, since Radiator Springs will be out by then and California Screamin standby usually doesn't go over 30 mins. Soarin fast pass doesn't save a whole lot of time I think.

Also Grizzly River Run is one of my favorites, and I think may is a good month to go on it! (Heck, we just went on 3 times in a row last night )