PPH private entrance to DCA?

[mrswh]

Two questions. One, where is the private entrance to DCA from PPH? And two, do I have to be a registered hotel guest to use it, or can I get in by eating breakfast there?

Thanks for any info!

 

[tlovesdis]

There is no longer an entrance there. It has been gone for quite a while.

 

[mrswh]

Oh, darn!

So how is it that, even when I get to DCA and leave Sunshine Plaza when they drop the rope, there are already ten zillion people in line for TSMM by the time I get there? (No slowpoke comments, please!) There is no EMH at DCA, right? Am I going the wrong way? Is it faster to go around the back or over the pier past Ariel's Grotto?

 

[sonnyjane]

Oh, darn!

So how is it that, even when I get to DCA and leave Sunshine Plaza when they drop the rope, there are already ten zillion people in line for TSMM by the time I get there? (No slowpoke comments, please!) There is no EMH at DCA, right? Am I going the wrong way? Is it faster to go around the back or over the pier past Ariel's Grotto?

Two possible reasons: 1) On some days, DCA opens 30 minutes early, but not all the rides are open (Soarin' is open, not sure what else is open). 2) GCH has an entrance into the park.

 

[bumbershoot]

Onsite guests can get into DCA via the entrance from the Grand. PPH and DLH guests can use it since they are onsite. The entrance leads into the Redwoods area next to Grizzly.

If you're not getting to the main entrance of DCA early, and therefore being one of the first in the park, you've got the hordes in front of you. And since the park used to generally open (things have recently changed and I'm not sure how exactly) half an hour early every day, with only Soarin' open, people would go in at THAT time, ride Soarin' and/or pickup a FP for it, then get in line.

So...back in October, official opening time was 10. We knew it would open at 9:30. So we were in line at 9, to be among the first in. Those thinking that they could come in quickly at 10 were an hour behind us....

 

[pixiewings71]

Use the GCH entrance, it's very easy to find and as a guest you can use it.

 

[mrswh]

Hmm . . . we went this morning, walked in at 9:30 when gates opened, hopped on Soarin', then started down to TSMM as they dropped the rope in Sunshine Plaza, and were still behind a LOT of people at TSMM. Really, it only took about 15 minutes to get on, but I still wonder where the heck these people are coming from! Where does the GCH entrance come in? And can I use it if I eat breakfast at the hotel or do I have to have a room key? Thanks!!

 

[SueTGGR]

You have to have a room key from one of the on site hotels to get into the entrance @ GCH. I have also heard of people getting in early as they have reservations at Ariel's Grotto but make sure you hear from some one who actually has been able to do that. We are DVC members and will stay at one of the on site hotels when we go down and love the fact we can get in the side entrance. But we have had times that we wait 15-20 minutes in line at TSM even with that. And other times we have gone on twice before leaving the area.

 

[pixiewings71]

if you eat at Storyteller's you can use the GCH entrance, but we've only done that in the afternoon. I honestly don't know if you can use that entrance in the morning after bfast. but yes, during the day you absolutely CAN use the GCH entrance if you've been to one of the restaurants there.

 

[bumbershoot]

Onsite guests can get into DCA via the entrance from the Grand. PPH and DLH guests can use it since they are onsite. The entrance leads into the Redwoods area next to Grizzly.

And that is the second way to TSMM. I've often thought that the Sunshine Plaza way is shorter, but that's just b/c there are always many people in front when we get to TSMM from the Grizzly area.

But basically, people walk fast and sometimes run. It's hard to be right up there at the very very start.

 

[Huff]

When is the GCH enterance opened to non-onsight guests? I've used it many times mid-day. First 30-60 mins onsight only or ?

 

[Sherry E]

When we used the GCH entrance into DCA, and lined up by Grizzly, we started walking (led by a CM) towards TSMM just before 10:00 a.m., and beat masses of people to that line. It was great! We did not bother with Soarin' first, because we knew we could deal with that and getting a FP for it later. TSMM was our prime concern as that has no Fast Pass and the line builds very quickly. When we exited TSMM, we saw the throngs of people who had accumulated in the line while we were on the ride, and we were very relieved to have used the tactic we used because it worked very well for us! We also have gone on TSMM in the middle of the afternoon and at night, and, by far, the shortest line we had to deal with was when we did the early morning line-up at Grizzly for it!