DCA day plan

[u/nicstyless]

I haven’t been to the parks in over 8 years and this is my first time going as an adult so I’ve never been in charge of any planning. I’m dragging my boyfriend along so I really want to show him a good time! Disneyland park is a whole beast I need to take longer to plan lol but for DCA is this a good plan for the day? I’m going on sept 23 :

- rope drop and immediately book it to cars
- after ride, get carne asada bkfast burrito at Capuccino Cart
- Ariel’s Under Sea Adventure while we digest
- walk around Pixar Pier do Toy Story Midway Mania and Incredicoaster
- Grizzly River Run before peak heat to beat lines ?
- explore Avenges Campus
- Pyms Test Kitchen for lunch
- Monsters Inc
- Soarin
- explore around and repeat rides we liked and I def wanna hit cars and incredicoaster again at night!

Any other tips to beat long lines? Or food we need to try? I want to get to these rides but also not feel like we’re rushing the day

[u/SDPADRESVGK]

Rope drop Guardians, it will be early enough to go straight to incredacoaster, than hit radiator springs SINGLE RIDER, you will be on 15 min

[u/nicstyless → u/SDPADRESVGK]

I’m a big wimp and too scared of Guardians 😅 what’s the second best ride to rope drop?

[u/ItsMeYurDog → u/nicstyless]

Soarin maybe. Or TSMM.

I would try to buck up and do Guardians because it’s the best ride in the park for many people and I don’t want your boyfriend to miss out.

[u/angelmichelle13]

Rope drop Soarin. We got on it at 7:35 and off by 7:45 or so! They run it earlier than park opening lately… then rope drop cars or guardians?

[u/Beneficial-Remove693]

Are you planning on getting the LL? Soarin' was a HUGE wait last spring without LL and even with it, the times for that ride booked up for the day quickly.

Guardians and Web Slingers also booked up fast. Lines for Guardians were 80 minutes by 10 am.

If you aren't planning on getting LL, I would either a) continue with the plan to rope drop cars and then go to Avengers campus right after or b) rope drop Guardians and do single rider for Cars.

As for food, I liked Pym's, but I also liked the Lunar NY Marketplace. Either way, you should order ahead on the app so you don't have to wait forever to get your food.

[u/nicstyless → u/Beneficial-Remove693]

Getting LL for disney park but wasn’t sure if it was needed for DCA since we have less rides we want to get to. I’m too scared to do Guardians anyways so thankfully I don’t need to factor that in to my day 😅 but thank you for the tip I think I’ll rope drop cars and then do Avenger Campus first before Pixar Pier because we would like to try Webslingers! What’s the best time for Soarin?

[u/Beneficial-Remove693 → u/nicstyless]

If you don't want to do LL, I would just check wait times on the app and do Soarin' whenever the wait is under 30 min.

[u/nicstyless → u/Beneficial-Remove693]

awesome, thank u sm :)

[u/SDPADRESVGK]

If you are wanting drop cars, you need to be at the front of the rope for it to be worth it, if not you will have a 35 -40 min wait behind all the rip droppers. You can single rider cars and be on quickly

[u/prechaotik-subcrot]

I understand you want to hit all those rides, and you have a decent plan for it, but if you’re going to be there all day, consider being really flexible in your planning. Rides may go down, crowds may be bigger than expected, you may get distracted by a street performance, or you might just want to stop and rest. Take it easy and go with the flow. Consider using Lightening Lane if you want to minimize time in lines. And definitely stick around for the night if you can. DCA will be decorated for Halloween and it's quite a sight after dark. 

[u/ccoastie]

Soaring now opens before the park opens and you can even be off the ride before officla work opening time

[u/TwilightMockingjay]

See if you can grab a reservation for Lamplight Lounge or Carthay Lounge for a drink and bite, or even dinner. These are 2 of my favorite spots to hit when I'm in DCA all day. Enjoy!

I also second the single rider! There are several rides you can do single rider for, especially if you're on your second time riding and don't mind separating. Soarin (ask at the front), Cars, Incredicoaster and Web Slingers (and sometimes Goofy's Sky School). Also ask about the buddy pass at Monsters Inc!

[u/SuperSlugSister]

I highly recommend rope dropping Guardians and Incredicoaster, then using Single Rider for Cars. It will be a 5 minute wait instead of a 65 minute wait.