Staying offsite: Touring plan for DCA?

[avalon451]

Hey, everybody, long time no see! Sadly, I'm not planning a trip for myself, but for a friend-- and my information is hopelessly outdated.

I've got her family's DL touring planned for Monday and Tuesday Aug. 20th and 21st (using their MM on Tuesday), but I'm kind of stymied for how to attack DCA. They are staying offsite, so won't have EE or APEE privileges.

What I've figured so far is something like: show up at gates around 7:30 a.m., Dad get in line for RSR FPs while the rest of the family rides Luigi and Mater.

Then... what? How long will it take to get the FPs? Should they also try TSM? Go for WOC FPs immediately after getting the RSR FPs? Get a GRR FP while they're there? Or go get Soarin'?

Don't know anything about Ariel's adventure ride; how is it for lines, should that be an early ride?

Wow, I'm lost. Any touring advice would be much appreciated! Or point me toward a previous post that already talked about this-- I've been wading through the forums for hours but haven't been able to find the info I need yet.

Four years is a long time to be without the Land, I miss it. But, if we're ever going to get to our dream England trip for our 25th anniversary in two years, gotta save up our pesos. So, I'm living vicariously through friends by helping them plan their trip!

 

[DisneyJulieZ]

I wish I had a response/some advice for you....but I am struggling with the exact same question! We are going in Oct. (10-11th) and are staying off-site as well...with no EE/MM anything! :-(

Does anyone have a good plan of attack for "regular entry" people at DCA??
We of course want RSR/Luigi/Mater and TSM and Ariel...Soarin' too...

TIA!!

 

[Lizzzys]

I'm so glad you've asked this! We are coming to Disneyland at the end of the month and I have the same exact question! After reading what I could find on this site I've come up with the following itinerary for our day at DCA. (with a little help from touringplans.com) I would also appreciate input on it.

1. 9:04 am - Radiator Springs Racers FP (return time 9:45 am)
2. 9:29 am - Luigi's Flying Tires
3. 10:00 am - Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
4. 10:30 am - Radiator Springs Racers
5. 11:01 am - Goofy's Sky School
6. 11:01 am - Micky's Fun Wheel
7. 11:47 am - Calif. Screamin' FP (return time 12:35 pm)
8: 11:55 am - World of Color FP (return time not forecast)
9. 11:55 am - Soarin' Over Calif. FP (return time 12:55 pm)
10. 12:06 pm - Tuck & Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies
11. 12:16 pm - The Twilight Zone TOT
12. 12:51 pm - It's Tough to Be a Bug!
13. 1:10 pm - Muppet Vision 3D
14. 1:41 pm - Soarin' Over Calif
15. 1:54 pm - Grizzly River Run FP (return time 2:35 pm)
16. 1:58 pm - The Little Mermaid
17. 2:25 pm - Toy Story Mania!
18. 3:11 pm - California Screamin'
19. 3:24 pm - Grizzly River Run
(anything else we'd like to do to fill some time here, if there is any)
20. 4:50 pm - Pacific Wharf Cafe (dinner)
(anything else we'd like to do to fill some tim here, if there is any)
21. 7:50 pm - Clarabelle's Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Parlor
22. 8:45 pm - World of Color

Anything else we'd like to go on again etc. until the park closes. Or head to DTD for a late night bite to eat.

 

[engo]

Hey, everybody, long time no see! Sadly, I'm not planning a trip for myself, but for a friend-- and my information is hopelessly outdated.

I've got her family's DL touring planned for Monday and Tuesday Aug. 20th and 21st (using their MM on Tuesday), but I'm kind of stymied for how to attack DCA. They are staying offsite, so won't have EE or APEE privileges.

Pick a non-APEE day. We have been here for 3 days and we find APEE days feel much busier.

What I've figured so far is something like: show up at gates around 7:30 a.m., Dad get in line for RSR FPs while the rest of the family rides Luigi and Mater.

7:30 may be ok, but the earlier the better. We saw non-EMH folks lining up before 7am this morning.

Then... what? How long will it take to get the FPs? Should they also try TSM? Go for WOC FPs immediately after getting the RSR FPs? Get a GRR FP while they're there? Or go get Soarin'?

We got surprised GRR FPs along with the RSR FPs 2 mornings in a roll, but of course that's not a guarantee.

Don't know anything about Ariel's adventure ride; how is it for lines, should that be an early ride?

Ariel's pretty much been walk on, I would say it's an anytime ride these days.

Hope this helps.

 

[Eeee-va]

I believe they're going when blockouts are lifted for the Southern California Annual Passholders. If that's the case, things will be busy!

I don't know how long it will take to get the RSR FPs, but 30-40 minutes seems to be what I remembered reading. NiceOneSimba reported arriving at DCA at 7:40 AM, getting in the RSR FP line, and getting a FP at 8:25 AM, with a 2:20 PM return time. (That would be a 45 minute wait.) Traditionally, AP-holders don't arrive at the parks at opening, but for Cars Land it could be different.

(Lizzzys, if your distribution experience is identical to NiceOneSimba's, that would throw off your plan mostly in that you'd be in line for FPs 20 minutes before the park opens and then you'd ride RSR later. I don't know the nuances of all the rides to know how wait times will be, though unless crowds are crazy, Little Mermaid should take less time.)

Everything I've read said TSMM has had rather short lines for the first hour, so I'd have them get the FPs, ride Luigi's for sure, and probably Mater's, which has been reporting 30-minute wait times in the afternoon, even, but that may change once the blockouts are lifted. After that, TSMM is a good choice. Mickey's Fun Wheel gets long lines when the park is busy, so that's not a bad idea to do early on too, if it's a priority.

WoC FPs should still be available for a while--I'd make it a somewhat priority, but they don't necessarily have to be there the first hour, even if they want to see the first show.

 

[avalon451]

Thank you, that's so helpful! I'm definitely telling them to go Wednesday, a non-APEE day.

I've been wondering if I should just have them get Soarin' FPs first, send them to ride TSMM, Luigi and Mater, and then the dad get in line for RSR FPs and expect a later return time. That way they're not held down for two hours before getting a second FP ,the way they would if they waited for RSR first. Somebody on here reported good luck with that, not getting in line for RSR till 8:35. Maybe I'd be risking RSR selling out of FPs, though, since the AP blockout is newly off that week.

Any thoughts?

1. Wait 45 minutes for for RSR first thing, (missing the other rides the family is riding) and having to wait 2 hours probably for the return window or next available FP.... or

2. get Soarin' first, with a probably 35 minute return time, then ride TSMM, Mater and Luigi, and chancing RSR FPs second?

 

[Eeee-va]

Thank you, that's so helpful! I'm definitely telling them to go Wednesday, a non-APEE day.

I've been wondering if I should just have them get Soarin' FPs first, send them to ride TSMM, Luigi and Mater, and then the dad get in line for RSR FPs and expect a later return time. That way they're not held down for two hours before getting a second FP ,the way they would if they waited for RSR first. Somebody on here reported good luck with that, not getting in line for RSR till 8:35. Maybe I'd be risking RSR selling out of FPs, though, since the AP blockout is newly off that week.

Any thoughts?

1. Wait 45 minutes for for RSR first thing, (missing the other rides the family is riding) and having to wait 2 hours probably for the return window or next available FP.... or

2. get Soarin' first, with a probably 35 minute return time, then ride TSMM, Mater and Luigi, and chancing RSR FPs second?

Is Soarin' still opening before the park opens, or not? I know before Cars Land it opened 30 minutes before the park opens, and I THINK it even distributed FPs too. IF that all is still the case--though I don't know that it is--it would make getting the Soarin' FP before the RSR FP obvious.

That said, the full execution of idea 2 sounds expert-level to me. It's a great idea, but with the blockouts being lifted and their family only having 1 morning in DCA, I'm not sure I'd want to risk not getting the FPs. The exception might be IF Single Rider is an option for the family. If they missed the FP, I'd hate to see their only option be a line that could very well be 3+ hours.

 

[DLR29]

Thank you, that's so helpful! I'm definitely telling them to go Wednesday, a non-APEE day.

I've been wondering if I should just have them get Soarin' FPs first, send them to ride TSMM, Luigi and Mater, and then the dad get in line for RSR FPs and expect a later return time. That way they're not held down for two hours before getting a second FP ,the way they would if they waited for RSR first. Somebody on here reported good luck with that, not getting in line for RSR till 8:35. Maybe I'd be risking RSR selling out of FPs, though, since the AP blockout is newly off that week.

Any thoughts?

1. Wait 45 minutes for for RSR first thing, (missing the other rides the family is riding) and having to wait 2 hours probably for the return window or next available FP.... or

2. get Soarin' first, with a probably 35 minute return time, then ride TSMM, Mater and Luigi, and chancing RSR FPs second?

I've done scenario #2 but only with TSMM. It was on a non-crowded Saturday in mid-July. Got a Soarin FP right at 8:00, went down and walked onto TSMM, then got in line for RSR FP around 8:25 and got my RSR FPs at 8:50 with a return time of 3:00-4:00. This was with quite a bit of hustling too (young teenage kids), so I wouldn't recommend it to many people. You might have better luck doing just Mater's or just Luigis because they're a little closer.