DCA opening policy

[mAlien13]

I posted on another thread with questions about DCA's closing policies, and it occured to me that I am just as clueless about how the day begins there.
I know that when you pass through security at DL you will be admitted to Main Street before the rest of the park opens. Is there something like this at DCA, or is everyone held outside of the park until official opening time?

 

[sammatt]

I've heard that they open the park at 9:30 and that you can go on Soarin' then. I haven't been there since they've been doing it, so maybe someone else can verify.

 

[mAlien13]

I'm also curious if anyone knows where the closest pay lockers are to the entrance of DCA. We have to stop near the entrance to rent a wheelchair for my mother, I'm hoping there are lockers close to there.

 

[Chickysmom]

I'm also curious if anyone knows where the closest pay lockers are to the entrance of DCA. We have to stop near the entrance to rent a wheelchair for my mother, I'm hoping there are lockers close to there.

There are lockers in the Esplanade on the DL side (prior to entry into the Park). There are also lockers just inside DCA on the right before you pass under the Golden Gate Bridge. I think you can rent wheelchairs there as well. Anyone know of any other places for lockers around DCA?

 

[mAlien13]

Thanks, Chickysmom! That helps us plan the morning.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I thought the earlier entrance and onto the Soarin' ride was strictly for GCH guests. True or not?

 

[iceskatejen]

Not true, unless it's something fairly new. I've been inside DCA at 9:30 many times, but admittedly, not in the last year or so.

 

[Gwene65]

There are also lockers outside of DCA, by guest relations and a bathroom too. We always use those lockers when we go.

If your standing looking at the entrance to DCA, they are to the left of it.

 

[DisQueen]

We entered DCA at 9:30 a couple weeks ago, on a Saturday, with our regular tickets. Soarin' was open. You could access the lockers, rent strollers/wheelchairs, and enjoy the music in the main Sunshine Plaza. That's about it. The food area with coffee & pastries may have been open, but I don't remember. They did something when the rope dropped at 10:00 entering the Hollywood area, but we couldn't see. DD3 was with me and it wasn't worth pushing through the crowd to see what was happening.

 

[HydroGuy]

Apparently the Grand Californian Hotel guests can get into DCA at 9:00 or 9:15AM and Soarin is open then. Everyone else can get in at 9:30. We did this last August and we and everyone else headed staight to Soarin - the only open ride before 10AM. We got in a fairly short line, and did not exit the ride until about 10:05 AM.

Here is a trick we used. We got to the gates at 9:15 and entered DL. Then my family immediately exited DL and got in the DCA line. I took all the tix to Space Mtn and got a FastPass for everyone. Then I left DL and joined my family in the DCA line right at 9:30. We went back to DL that evening, and had the Space FPs available.

If you do this, the closest FP machines to the entrance are Space and Indy.

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

Apparently the Grand Californian Hotel guests can get into DCA at 9:00 or 9:15AM and Soarin is open then. Everyone else can get in at 9:30. We did this last August and we and everyone else headed staight to Soarin - the only open ride before 10AM. We got in a fairly short line, and did not exit the ride until about 10:05 AM.

Here is a trick we used. We got to the gates at 9:15 and entered DL. Then my family immediately exited DL and got in the DCA line. I took all the tix to Space Mtn and got a FastPass for everyone. Then I left DL and joined my family in the DCA line right at 9:30. We went back to DL that evening, and had the Space FPs available.

If you do this, the closest FP machines to the entrance are Space and Indy.

What a great idea.......

 

[HydroGuy]

If you do this, the closest FP machines to the entrance are Space and Indy.

Oh yeah, Buzz Lightyear is the absolute closest. Space and Indy are next, and about the same.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

I've heard that they open the park at 9:30 and that you can go on Soarin' then. I haven't been there since they've been doing it, so maybe someone else can verify.

We were there last week (Mar 28-April3) and yes they had been opening DCA a half hour early(9:30am). Stores are open as well as Soarin, all other areas of the park are roped off. We managed to ride Soarin before the offical park opening time of 10 am. We did something similar to hydroguy. We'd enter DL at 9 or 8:30 depending if they did rope drop or not. Pick up Space Montain fastpass, ride Space Mountain, ride Buzz lightyear, exit DL, enter DCA, ride Soarin, grab fastpass for Grizzly River Run, grab fastpass for Screamin' California, ride Scremain California (all before10:30am).

 

[mAlien13]

Pick up Space Montain fastpass, ride Space Mountain, ride Buzz lightyear, exit DL, enter DCA, ride Soarin, grab fastpass for Grizzly River Run, grab fastpass for Screamin' California, ride Scremain California (all before10:30am).

Did you have unlimited FastPasses? I thought you could only have FP's out on one ride at a time.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

Did you have unlimited FastPasses? I thought you could only have FP's out on one ride at a time.

No, we don't have enhanced fastpasses.
Each park has seperate system so they don't know you're currently holding a fastpass at the other park. There's a thread somewhere here about making the most of fastpasses. Within each park, there are some disconnected machines. In DL it's Roger Rabbit's, at DCA it's Grizzly River Run. That means, you can hold a fastpass for Space Mountain and still get a fastpass for Roger Rabbit, works just the same as getting a fastpass for Soarin and Grizzly River RUn at the same time regardless of time on fastpass. Hence you can conceivably hold 4 fastpasses (between the 2 parks) before your official time to get anotehr fastpass. Try doing a search for fastpasses to pull up the thread.

 

[HydroGuy]

No, we don't have enhanced fastpasses.
Each park has seperate system so they don't know you're currently holding a fastpass at the other park. There's a thread somewhere here about making the most of fastpasses. .

She is talking about my FastPass "thesis"...

Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132