CA on a Friday with 7am EMH??

jenhelgren

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
2,295
Can anyone give me advice on how crazy CA will be on a Friday late morning when the park opens at 7am with EMH? We had planned on sleeping in that morning from the Halloween Party the night before and wanted to arrive at CA around 11. The hours were just released and it is an EMH morning with a 7 am opening time!! Will FP for RSR be gone by 11 or 12 already? My daughter was going to get an Anna makeover around 10 and we wanted to get RSR FP's and then meet A & E and Olaf as priorities. Should I switch our plans if we wont make it until 11-12 that day? That Friday is also a HP night at DL if that changes crowds any. Thanks as always for helping a confused newbie to DLR!! lol
 
Which Friday are you looking at?

EMH for CA only ever applies to onsite guests; so that will limit "a little bit" how many people actually use it. I was there this past Friday and got FP's for RSR at mid-day....but it really will depend on how far into the season you're going, as far as crowds. I would go into the parks around 9:30, get your RSR FP's, then go do the Anna makeover, etc...
 
As Tyggress mentioned, EMH is only available for on-site guests and it primarily impacts the lines for RSR and TSMM at park opening. They do not start distributing FPs until the park opens for everyone. Based on the fact you mentioned going to a Thursday MHP, I'm guessing you're asking about Friday, October 23. I haven't heard of any conventions or events that day that would increase DCA crowds above what would be expected on a Friday during HalloweenTime.

RSR have generally been lasting longer lately (since Soarin' reopened), but I would strongly think about getting the FP before going to get the Anna makeover at 10:00 am. By then the park will have been distributing FPs for two hours, so you're likely to get a return time for late afternoon or evening. They do seem to be lasting for several hours these days, but I would still aim to get one within the first 1 to 2 hours of the day to be safe. Olaf doesn't use the FP/pager system anymore, so it's all stand-by. Wait times haven't been to bad, but it can vary. A&E use a FP/Return Ticket system, but those don't seem to be running out terribly early. Given that the A&E FPs are distributed near the park entrance (on Hollywood Blvd), I would stop by to see what the return time is and decide if you can make it to your makeover and back in time.

Regardless of the night, DCA always seems to see an attendance bump on nights when there is a MHP. Guests that do not attend the party and that have park hoppers seem to head over to DCA. On Fridays, DCA is open late (midnight), so I would expect to see quite an attendance jump around 7:00 pm when MHP starts.
 
I would stop by DCA on your way to the makeover and get the RSR FP only. Grab the A&E FP when the makeover is complete. Most of the time the return time is 20 minutes after pulling the FP.
 

Thank you for all the veteran advice! I thought I had a plan and then the park hours and early open days kinked my plan!! I did not anticipate CA opening at 7am from looking at past Octobers. We were considering the Halloween Party Tuesday 10/27 but have an early flight Wednesday morning so I think Thursday night would be best. Any advice or thoughts on crowds for the Thurs 10/22 HP vs Tues 10/27? Both are 6-11. I am starting to burn out on planning and ADR's with the hours coming out and throwing me for a loop..lol
 
I don't think think the two dates will be markedly different in terms of how the crowds feel...most likely both parties will sell out.
 


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