What should our plan be at DCA?

[jacobsmommy]

Last time we went to DCA (the summer that WOC premiered) we did the picnic meals to get our passes to WOC. This year we are not doing the meals, but we still want to see WOC. We will be at DCA the week after Carsland opens. We've decided not to spend the extra almost $800 to stay at Paradise Pier Hotel, so we won't have magic mornings at DCA. I think we'll be doing park opening there on Thursday June 21st. We really want to do the following first thing: get FP for Radiator Springs Racers, get WOC FP, and ride TSMM at least once. Should we do those things in that order, or should we do TSMM and then get the WOC FP? We've never done the WOC FP, so I wasn't sure how quickly they were taken up completely.

 

[coaches24]

I think you could do it in the order you mentioned and be ok but I have never been on a super busy day since WOC opened so I don't know what effect that would have. But since getting a WOC FP is quick you could have one of the adults in your party run over the get the FP for WOC while everyone else goes to the rides you want to do first. If there is a line already at the rides then you get in line and the FP runner joins you in line.

 

[HydroGuy]

Last time we went to DCA (the summer that WOC premiered) we did the picnic meals to get our passes to WOC. This year we are not doing the meals, but we still want to see WOC. We will be at DCA the week after Carsland opens. We've decided not to spend the extra almost $800 to stay at Paradise Pier Hotel, so we won't have magic mornings at DCA. I think we'll be doing park opening there on Thursday June 21st. We really want to do the following first thing: get FP for Radiator Springs Racers, get WOC FP, and ride TSMM at least once. Should we do those things in that order, or should we do TSMM and then get the WOC FP? We've never done the WOC FP, so I wasn't sure how quickly they were taken up completely.

Getting FPs for WOC is not a hard thing anymore and they regularly last into the late afternoon and evenings and, on some days, are not even all distributed.

So skip getting a WOC FP in the morning. Get your RSR FP and then head to TSMM if you want to do TSMM in the morning. The lines at TSMM may be really down because of CL - hard to say. Get a WOC FP some time later in the morning.

 

[mrswh]

If I were you, I'd ride Soarin' first thing and then get a WOC FP. If you wait too long you'll end up getting a FP for the second show. (So I guess it depends whether you care which show you go to.) TSMM first thing in the morning is a pretty long wait unless you are close to the front at rope drop, which means you have already waited 30 minutes in line - and even then you have to sprint (or power walk if the CMs are enforcing the no-run rule, which they never do).
We usually plan on TSMM later in the day, opting instead to ride Soarin' and then all the slow loader rides over by LM - Goofy's Sky School, Golden Zephyr, etc. It will be interesting to see how things go when CL opens!

BTW, is it official that RSR will have FP or is that still speculation?

 

[DLR29]

If I were you, I'd ride Soarin' first thing and then get a WOC FP. If you wait too long you'll end up getting a FP for the second show. (So I guess it depends whether you care which show you go to.) TSMM first thing in the morning is a pretty long wait unless you are close to the front at rope drop, which means you have already waited 30 minutes in line - and even then you have to sprint (or power walk if the CMs are enforcing the no-run rule, which they never do).
We usually plan on TSMM later in the day, opting instead to ride Soarin' and then all the slow loader rides over by LM - Goofy's Sky School, Golden Zephyr, etc. It will be interesting to see how things go when CL opens!

BTW, is it official that RSR will have FP or is that still speculation?

This is all great advice for a pre-Carsland approach to DCA; however, OP is asking about after CL opens.

Naturally I am gonna agree with Hydroguy. Unless the other Carsland stuff appeals to you, I'd get a RSR FP and get out of there ASAP. Obviously this is all speculation at this point, but my guess is that TSMM, Screamin, Soarin, and ToT's lines will either be much shorter in the morning or will grow slower once Carsland opens. The big rush will be there and not TSMM anymore, which will be so different because it's been a TSMM rush for the past 4 years.

Also, RSR will in fact have FP. There have been pics of the FP distribution as well as the Standby/FP Return signs at the entrance of the ride.

 

[jacobsmommy]

We have no desire to ride the two other rides at Carsland. We definately want to ride TSMM, Little Mermaid, Mickey's Fun Wheel, Soarin, the carousel, and Radiator Springs Racers. My kids really have no interest in the carnival type rides on the boardwalk (other than TSMM, the ferris wheel, and the carousel). Some of the other stuff we want to do are the "filler" items. I don't think I'll have any trouble fitting those in.