Which first in CA

[dlawallace]

Is it better to do Soarin or Tower of Terror first thing?

Does anyone have a CA plan that they have had good success with?

 

[AmericanItGirl]

ToT is walk-on at the end of the day/evening and has a short line early-ish in the morning. I say get FPs for Soarin' then go ride ToT.

 

[DangerMouse]

DCA typically opens its gates at 9:30 and has Soarin open for the first half hour. I'd say get there early, ride Soarin, grab a FP, then hit ToT (or even better, TSMM before the line gets too long).

 

[daisygirl902]

We saw very little wait for ToT all week last week! Was totaly shocked because as a WDW vet I am used to waiting up to 60 min for it lae in the day! We Walked on 3 time in the week

 

[pixiewings71]

We do Soarin' first, if we get there early enough we ride Soarin' then grab a FP for it, head over to ToT and ride it, then grab a FP for it depending on our time window. If we have to wait for a FP we head over to the pier and check out Screamin' and TSMM and usually after one of those we can get another FP so we generally grab one for Screamin at that time.

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Our DCA mornings went: 9:30 (for a 10 am opening) Soarin', walk in the long single file line to TSMM, do TSMM, ride Screamin' single rider, head for Monster's Inc, dh breaks off to get TOT fastpasses, then we goofed around Hollywood and took turns with our TOT fastpasses. By then we were either headed for Bug's Land, or over to DL for a change of pace.

All last week Screamin was 20 minutes or less wait, and dd can't ride, so we did the single rider line and were on/off in 5 minutes or so. Monster's Inc had decent lines of 10-15 minutes. The worst line I was in was for Jumpin' Jellyfish... we actually got duped by the sign that said 10 minutes... we waited 25 minutes for that ride for dd. TSMM got bad after the first of the morning rush, and we never saw it less than a 30 minute wait after that... but didn't check on it late in the day either.

 

[dlawallace]

Really??? I didnt know that Soarin usually opens 30 minutes early!

 

[jodeeb]

We've be to DCA a couple of times around the 4th of July. Although Sorrin is often a out of fast passes by early or mid afternoon, ToT and Screamin' doesnt ever have much of a line.

I would ride Sorrin in the AM and get a Fast Pass for it at the same time. Then I would go to ToT and Screamin afterword. My dd likes to do Screamin and ToT multiple times in a row and have never experienced much of a line in either.

To me, DCA always feels quiet compaired to DL, but I havent been there in almost 2 years, so I dont know if it has gotten more crowded since TSM and some of the other new designs.

 

[pixiewings71]

Really??? I didnt know that Soarin usually opens 30 minutes early!

Yes, it does.

We've be to DCA a couple of times around the 4th of July. Although Sorrin is often a out of fast passes by early or mid afternoon, ToT and Screamin' doesnt ever have much of a line.

I would ride Sorrin in the AM and get a Fast Pass for it at the same time. Then I would go to ToT and Screamin afterword. My dd likes to do Screamin and ToT multiple times in a row and have never experienced much of a line in either.

To me, DCA always feels quiet compaired to DL, but I havent been there in almost 2 years, so I dont know if it has gotten more crowded since TSM and some of the other new designs.

This is not our experience, maybe because we are usually there over the weekends but our last trip or 2 the lines for ToT & Screamin' have been 45-60 min. at least.

 

[blackjackdelta]

We always do Soarin, ToT, then head over to GRR, then on to Screamin. We do these are the 0930 opening.

Jack

 

[MAH4546]

ToT is an incredibly efficient loading ride, just like Big Thunder and Screamin'. It doesn't usually see long lines. Even on busy days, the line rarely is more than 40-45 minutes. The ToT at DCA is different from the one in Florida. The ride system was redesigned to load faster, although that also means the ride loses one of the Florida version's most impressive effects.

 

[caligirl stuck in va]

Soarin' is ALWAYS first!!

Then we move on to GRR and Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Then Screamin then Bugs Land then TOT. Now that TSMM is open, we will have to formulate a new plan. But Soarin' will still be first! It is my DMom's fave ride and everyone else enjoys it, too. Plus, being open @ 9:30...can't beat that!

 

[avalon451]

ride Soarin'... GRR FP... ride Screamin and get a FP if the window is open.. Monsters Inc because the line can get long an hour after opening... then ToT or get a FP for it if the window is open... Do Animation studios for a break... Mulholland Madness FP... use your GRR FP... eat lunch in there somewhere (Corndog Castle, YUM)... go ride Toy Story Mania; early afternoon I've read the wait will say 45 but it's frequently more like 30. Better yet, if you can, ride single rider-- we got on in 10 minutes both times we did this. Grab another FP for your favorite (that would be Screamin', for us!) take a break back at the hotel, return and see the parade and use the rest of your FPs... go over to DL to close DL down after CA closes.

I dunno, that's just off the top of my head, but I don't have little kids, so we don't do Bug's Land much.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Last summer DH and I decided to go on ToT while the boys were off on their own. We thought there would be time before we had to meet them. We didn't have FPs and it took over an hour in line. It was a typical summer day, no more crowded than usual for a summer. Maybe we just hit it at the wrong time. Soarin' is a priority for us though.

 

[VallCopen]

Soarin seems to have the longest wait time. We usually can get on tower in about 10-20 minutes. I can't miss Soarin so it is my priority - atleast get a fast pass first thing in the morning then go to tower for a quick morning ride.

 

[nkhan1]

This is on Sat. may 9. We got to the park half an hour before opening and line for Soarin looked really long, so we got fast passes. We then waited for the rope to drop at Grizzly and walked very briskly to TSM and walked right on. As soon as we got off, we got in line again and the wait was about 15 minutes. We did all the rides on Paradise Pier with NO wait on each ride except Mullhulland, and that wait was less than 10 minutes. We then used our FP at Soarin and then walked right on. No wait.

We then did Aladdin, had lunch, and did Playhouse Disney and Monsters.For each show, we got in line five minutes before show started and got great seats. For Aladdin - a tip (get in Mezzanine line and then as soon as you get up, walk all the way over to the other side and get the box seats. Nobody knew about them on the other side of the entrance, so we got a GREAT view with no wait. Show was great.

The only disappointing thing was the craziness at Taste Pilot Grill. My ds4 is nuts about planes and had his heart set on eating there but the lines and the wait for the food was unorganized (people didn't know which line they were in), unfair (non-handicapped people in handicapped line - if I had known, I would have gotten in at that line), and ridiculously long (out the door). But he loved his sliders and the fries/onion rings were yummy, so I suppose it was worth it.

Anyway, have a great time. We loved DCA.

 

[pixiewings71]

This is on Sat. may 9. We got to the park half an hour before opening and line for Soarin looked really long, so we got fast passes. We then waited for the rope to drop at Grizzly and walked very briskly to TSM and walked right on. As soon as we got off, we got in line again and the wait was about 15 minutes. We did all the rides on Paradise Pier with NO wait on each ride except Mullhulland, and that wait was less than 10 minutes. We then used our FP at Soarin and then walked right on. No wait.

We then did Aladdin, had lunch, and did Playhouse Disney and Monsters.For each show, we got in line five minutes before show started and got great seats. For Aladdin - a tip (get in Mezzanine line and then as soon as you get up, walk all the way over to the other side and get the box seats. Nobody knew about them on the other side of the entrance, so we got a GREAT view with no wait. Show was great.

The only disappointing thing was the craziness at Taste Pilot Grill. My ds4 is nuts about planes and had his heart set on eating there but the lines and the wait for the food was unorganized (people didn't know which line they were in), unfair (non-handicapped people in handicapped line - if I had known, I would have gotten in at that line), and ridiculously long (out the door). But he loved his sliders and the fries/onion rings were yummy, so I suppose it was worth it.

Anyway, have a great time. We loved DCA.

Sorry you had a hard time at TPG, it does get extremely crazy in there doesn't it? We wait in the handicapped line, we found out it was OK after 2 different CM's told us we could wait there. We don't abuse it tho, if there are any handicapped people waiting we let them go ahead of us, we usually hit it up at an off time tho so we don't hit crowds so badly. Did you enjoy the food after all that??

 

[mechurchlady]

At restaurants the handicapped line is open to all guests. The CMs works both sides of their station. It is not unfair for us disabled guests to wait in line. I have had a CM take my tray to my table and clear a path for me. It is chaotic at times but worth the meal. I have waited up to half an hour to be served then get my gluten free cheddarburger.

The only sit down eateries in the north side of the park are Taste Pilots and Award Weiners. Other than that you have to go to Pizza Omm Mow Mow, Ariels, the Winery, the wharf or the joint in bountiful harvest which is near the wharf. There are only 9 restaurants in the whole park and Taste Pilots and Award Weiners are the cheapest so they are very busy.

Now you have me wanting a cheddarburger, sigh.

 

[toocherie]

I didn't realize there was a handicapped line for TPG--which side is it on?

 

[mechurchlady]

I didn't realize there was a handicapped line for TPG--which side is it on?

It is the far left one. Next to the door that goes into the kitchen.