Soarin' Over Calfornia in the morning?

[Timchat2]

From what I've gathered here Soarin' Over California sometimes will open a half hour before the posted opening time at DCA. Is this a good time to ride or does riding put you at any sort of disadvantage for other attractions in the morning? For example, would riding Soarin' potentially push you past the time when the (hypothetical) World of Color FastPasses start to be distributed?

I'm just trying to see how I can factor in this early opening with touring DCA for the rest of the morning, whether we should ride it then or just use FastPasses later in the day.

 

[DLR29]

Since nobody really knows how WoC Showpass will work, this is all speculation....but, without WoC SP being an issue, the 30 min before official DCA park opening is a great time to grab a Soarin FP or ride the ride with a short wait. However, in order to ensure that you don't miss the rope drop at 10AM, I would make sure to be in line at Soarin no later than 9:40, and that might be a stretch.

Soarin FP machines are open during that 30 min. We do not know yet how Showpass will affect the ability to get other FPs. We also do not know yet when Showpass will begin distributing. My guess (guess only) is that if you really want a showpass, you should not ride Soarin during those early 30 min; you should start lining up to get a Showpass. Save Soarin for later in the day with a regular FP.

 

[mrswh]

Well, there is nothing else to do during that first half hour (as it stands now with no WOC fastpass or the like), so you might as well ride Soarin with no line! I love Soarin so I'd ride it first thing in the a.m. (walk in at 9:30 and go directly to Soarin), then grab an FP on the way to rope drop so I can ride again later in the day. In my experience, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference whether you are standing right at the rope or at the back of the pack when the rope drops for the rest of the park.

 

[Timchat2]

Is the opening at DCA generally less crowded than Disneyland's? How early should we get to the gates before the park opens?

 

[HydroGuy]

Is the opening at DCA generally less crowded than Disneyland's? How early should we get to the gates before the park opens?

Yes, it is generally less crowded. If I wanted to ride Soarin at 9:30 I would line up at DCA at 9:25.

HOWEVER...

After June 11 with World of Color FASTPASS everything will change. Expect huge crowds of people at the gates waiting to get in line for WOC FP.

We do not know what this will look like but it will be very different from our experience over the last 5 years.

 

[Timchat2]

I realize this is all speculation on top of more speculation, but will the makeup of the crowd influence how things will go each morning at DCA? With days where APs are blocked, will a crowd of "regular" guests know to line up for WOC Fastpasses to the degree that Disney enthusiasts (and presumably most APs holders) likely will after hearing about the concept for however many months now? In other words, will the WOC Fastpass situation in the morning be "worse" on unblocked days than blocked?

 

[HydroGuy]

I realize this is all speculation on top of more speculation, but will the makeup of the crowd influence how things will go each morning at DCA? With days where APs are blocked, will a crowd of "regular" guests know to line up for WOC Fastpasses to the degree that Disney enthusiasts (and presumably most APs holders) likely will after hearing about the concept for however many months now? In other words, will the WOC Fastpass situation in the morning be "worse" on unblocked days than blocked?

IMO the crowd mix will be different. The SoCal AP holders are savvy and can afford to wait long periods of time. Heck, they camp out over night for Captain EO's return! Expect unblocked days to have overnight campers to be first in line at DCA the next day.

On blocked days you will have in general less savvy guests who cannot afford to spend all day just to see the WOC show.

 

[blackjackdelta]

IMO the crowd mix will be different. The SoCal AP holders are savvy and can afford to wait long periods of time. Heck, they camp out over night for Captain EO's return! Expect unblocked days to have overnight campers to be first in line at DCA the next day.

On blocked days you will have in general less savvy guests who cannot afford to spend all day just to see the WOC show.

I have to go with Hydroguy. We all speculate what the results will/can be, but he does a better job with the available info, than most do. I will be interesting to see how things shake out. By the time I get there it should be running as smooth as Murphy's debut last year.

Jack