Rope Drop strategy says start in DL if there w/ one day/hopper. But DCA closes at 6 that day

[KKB]

SO it would seem to me that I should start at DCA?
I have not dove in heavily into what attractions are at each park, but I do know that Magic Kingdom is my least fav park in DW (in fact, I could skip it)

 

[dieumeye]

The answer really depends on what attractions you want to experience.

You can accomplish a lot in the morning at Disneyland. And generally it’s realistic to hit the highlights of DCA in the afternoon. Of course a 6 PM closing complicates it.

Definitely look at the attractions in each park. Again, it comes down to what are your priority rides in each park?

 

[Helene_C]

If you are familiar with WDW and more interested in seeing what's unique to DLR vs the historical/sentimental value of seeing how the original park compares to what it inspired, I would start in CA, especially with that early closing. I'm heading to DLR soon with my kids who have seen WDW many times and we will start with CA because the completely unique aspects (Cars Land, Avengers Campus) are much more exciting to them than the nuances between the California and Florida versions of the classic rides.

 

[Matrixleos]

In your situation, do rope drop at DCA and get all the main attractions done like RSR, Webslingers, GotG, Soarin, Grizzy, Pixar Pal-A-Round Swinging (Mickey's death wheel) and Incredicoaster. Check out Cars Land and Avengers Campus in more detail and by that time, it should be time for you to hop over to Disneyland.

Do the rides that WDW does not have or has a better version of like Indy, Pirates, BTMR, Matterhorn, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain (If it's hot and you want to get soaking wet compared to Splash at WDW). Since you're not a fan of WDW, I'd guess you're also not a fan of Fantasy Land, so you would just skip those rides. If not, check out It's a Small World, Snow White, Mr. Toad and Storybook Canal Boats.

Plus since you're only there for one day, consider investing in Genie+ and saving yourself from waiting on massive lines.

 

[KKB]

In your situation, do rope drop at DCA and get all the main attractions done like RSR, Webslingers, GotG, Soarin, Grizzy, Pixar Pal-A-Round Swinging (Mickey's death wheel) and Incredicoaster. Check out Cars Land and Avengers Campus in more detail and by that time, it should be time for you to hop over to Disneyland.

Do the rides that WDW does not have or has a better version of like Indy, Pirates, BTMR, Matterhorn, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain (If it's hot and you want to get soaking wet compared to Splash at WDW). Since you're not a fan of WDW, I'd guess you're also not a fan of Fantasy Land, so you would just skip those rides. If not, check out It's a Small World, Snow White, Mr. Toad and Storybook Canal Boats.

Plus since you're only there for one day, consider investing in Genie+ and saving yourself from waiting on massive lines.

Oh, Genie+ is a no brainer.
ALTHOUGH I am going solo--do I still need Genie & LL?
We have done WDW 5x, so very familiar.
(also I listed the big ones I was interested in; close to a tie of course)

 

[DLgal]

With a 6pm close at DCA, start there.