Questions for upcoming trip

[mj23cj]

Hi I have a few questions to help plan our upcoming trip.
1. For EMH at DCA what it the best strategy now with the new soaring and everything else? Is it best to go to soarin during this time or RSR or go straight to TSMM then other rides and just get fastpass for soarin & RSRlater?

2. How much can I expect to get done in during EMH at each park? What about the first hour the park is open? We are 2 adults & 4 young kids.

3. Can Rapunzel be found anywhere these days? Is she still out after the Tangled show at the Royal Theater? Is Tangled the afternoon shows or morning now?

4. Is it best to do character meets at Fantasy Faire and Pixie Hollow when the park first opens?

5. Is Sophia the first around anywhere to meet?

6. Is during the week still a better time to go to the parks vs a sunday? Trying to decide if we should go to DCA sunday or wednesday. Definetly going to Disneyland monday & tuesday

7. We are doing the paint the night BB package. Where can I park my stroller before we enter the parade viewing section? I am thinking of doing this so we can zoom up main st after the parade to get a better spot for the fireworks than a stoller would allow us. Is there a map that shows stroller parking?

Thanks in advance for all the help!!

 

[DharmaLou]

Pixie Hollow doesn't open until an hour after the parks do.

 

[figment_jii]

I would go to Pixie Hollow when it opens, but that's mostly because much of the queue is not covered so that line can be very hot in the afternoon. Much of the queue for Fantasy Faire is covered, so that wasn't as bad in the afternoon.

I didn't see Sophia listed for today, but you can check the Character Schedule on the Disneyland app to see if she shows up at some point.

 

[Angrose]

1. I have never done an EMH at DCA, but I can tell you that fast passes for Soarin' are lasting well into the afternoon. I grabbed one this past Saturday at 2pm for a 4:25pm return, so that's not too bad at all. RSR FPs are lasting at least until noon. I think your best bet is to go to TSMM because that one does not have FP, then ride RSR or Soarin (whichever you prefer) and then go ride the other one and/or grab FPs for later. I suppose it's possible to get all three done in EMH it's just they are spaced so far from each other. You will also have to factor getting in line for Frozen FPs in the morning if that's something you want to see.

2. I just did DL EMH on Saturday and did this in the first hour: Peter Pan, Dumbo, Alice, Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, and Small World. I was done with all that by 7:55am. I was tempted to get on Hyperspace Mountain because the wait time was only 10min but I chickened out You can get about the same amount done on a regular Sunday 8am opening too.

3. Tangled is the last three shows at the moment. Rapunzel was meeting out in the Fantasy Faire courtyard at regular intervals in the afternoons. Just check the Disneyland app or ask a CM working over there, they will know. She was rotating with Belle and Merida when I was there.

4. I have done Pixie Hollow about an hour after park opening with very little wait, but I guess that's when they open anyway based on PP's comments above. On Saturday I only waited 10min to see the princesses at the Royal Hall. This was right after the 11:30 Royal Theatre got out and hardly anyone was in line.

6. The early mornings are great regardless of the day of the week, so it will be a personal decision. If you have EMH at DCA you'll just have to decide if you want to get up early on your first day or your last day. I'm a traditionalist at heart and I like to start my visit in DL, so in that case I would do DCA on Wednesday. Of course, if you have park hoppers you can just go back an forth.

Have a great trip!

 

[GatorChris]

1. I have never done an EMH at DCA, but I can tell you that fast passes for Soarin' are lasting well into the afternoon. I grabbed one this past Saturday at 2pm for a 4:25pm return, so that's not too bad at all.

Wow! That's good to know. I figured they'd be the hot item for at least the summer, but it appears the dust has already settled. And that's fine by me. I never did like going to WDW and having lines 60 minutes long all day with FPs running out quickly. DL always makes it easy to do this great ride.

 

[mj23cj]

Thanks angrose & figment for your great responses!

One more question. How long should I expect RSR to take to get through right at rope drop for EMH? Does the majority of the people still head straight there making the wait right away higher than maybe 30 mins into EMH? Thanks!

 

[kwdw]

I can only answer #1. Since you have young kids and can't ride RSR single rider - I'd go there first - and then to TSM. Then - head to Soarin and see how long the standby line is - or decide if you want to pick up FP's for it when the park opening time starts. Last Wed morning - we walked onto TSM at 7:30 am on a EMH morning. By the time we got to RSR after TSM (so maybe about 7:45) - there was line for RSR - I can't remember how long - but it was at least 20 minutes (we did single rider so we weren't paying attention). In general - since you can't FP TSM - you should plan to ride that and one other one during EMH. If you are lucky - you can get all three - but if you can't - RSR or Soarin you can FP.

 

[DahliaRW]

We saw Sophia in DCA near the theater where the Disney Jr. show is. I'd ask when you get to the park, they can give you character schedules. Or check the app.

 

[mpadilla89]

Yes we have seen sophia here too! Definitely get the app it tells you where to find the characters.

We have gotten a lot done during EMH with a 3, 8 and 11 year old. I ask what it is they must do and if those are open during EMH then we do those first