With Genie+ and arriving early you’ll be able to get through DCA before its early close & if you can, I would recommend leaving as soon as you do & ahead of the party mix-in starts at 3pm. It will be most crowded then & you’ll be able to get more time in the park with lots more to see; Disneyland. Also, expect DL to also be crowded, but Genie+ will help you avoid as much of the lines as possible.
If you are on-site you’ll also have the 30 min. early entry to get a headstart. If you do have it, be ready to be at security by 6:45-7am so you can line up at the turnstiles first. They don’t have separate lines for early entry or non-early entry & they don’t begin scanning anyone into a turnstile to enter the parks before 7:30. So you’ll want to be early to the gates to make the most of the 30 minutes.
If you don’t have early entry, you’ll still want to be to security by 7-7:15 so you are closer to the front end of the lines at the turnstiles when they let through at 7:30 so you can be in good position for the rope for rope drop (early entry guests will be able to go beyond the ropes for their headstart by showing their hotel key or on-site stay in the DL app).
You’ve got a great plan laid out by Karen already I agree with all of it. So follow as closely as you can. If you want to only focus on what’s unique or different at DLR then in DCA you can absolutely skip TSMM, Little Mermaid & Soarin’. TSMM does have an LL so if you have time, you could an LL but I would definitely prioritize the other LL’s over it. Little Mermaid seldom has a line so if you have a big Little Mermaid fan in your groups, you could get it fit in. With Soarin’, it’s definitely one I would eliminate in a time crunch bc it’s only differences in DLR are the queue (apparently it’s better themed than Epcot’s) & it ends coming in over DL & Main St/the castle but the rest is the same. Also one thing Karent didn’t mention that may be worth considering is Animation Academy, but that’s also something that takes some time so definitely put it on the list for your Feb 2023 trip. And lastly, of the smaller pier rides (Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, Silly Symphony Swings, Jumpin’ Jellyfish & Golden Zephyr) none of these are a must-do but they are all unique. If any of their lines are over 10 min, definitely skip as they aren’t worth a longer wait at all.
And then for DL, I would prioritize getting LL’s for Indy, Haunted Mansion Holiday and then a later one Space (I’m not sure of how fast it disrtibutes lately, but it’s one you’ll want to do as it’s different & usually considered better in DLR but I would make sure it’s later as Karen mentioned you won’t want to criss-cross to save on time & I would do the west side first & work your way to counter-clockwise to end with Fantasyland/tomorrowland side. If you want to do Splash & Big Thunder in DL then those are fairly easy to get (Splash does go faster if it’s hot, so do that one first if you want to do it, I think WDW’s version of Splash is better so it could be skipped here). Jungle Cruise & Winnie the Pooh are also skippable as they are so similar and also neither have LL (Winnie the Pooh hardly ever needs it though as the line is easy to find 10 or less min waits). You’ll definitely want to prioritize Pirates and this might be one you’ll have to wait in a long line for.
The train as mentioned is great to get on & if you have time between LL’s to do one of the transportations around the Rivers of America, they are all so fun in DLR (they all close by about 4-5pm so if they are something you want to do, something to consider). The Mark Twain is historic & beautiful giving you a great view. The Columbia is unique and has a little museum like exhibit of what life on a ship looked like below deck. And the canoes (Loading is across from the front of Splash Mountain in Critter Country) are definitely unique to almost any other theme park and even if they are a little bit of work, are super fun in a way you wouldn’t consider/think. Plus the canoe CM’s are the funniest. They do an excellent job in a very Jungle Cruise skipper-esque way.
Then Fantasyland & Tomorrowland I would save for last as mentioned above and you’ll want to do the dark rides (except Peter Pan it’s pretty similar & the queue is so small, compact, squished mass of people with no LL to skip it). We also love Casey Jr. & Storybook Canal Land Boats but they both pass through the same minatures (with different vantage points to be sure) but you could do one & save them both to do for your longer trip.
If you like nighttime shows, the Halloween Screams in DL is awesome but will be the only one offered that night to all the guests who aren’t at Ooogie Boogie bash, so it may be busy. They do projections and lasers everynight and you can watch them from the Rivers of America, in front of it’s a small world or anywhere from Main St up to the castle. If you can get a last minute spot at any of those places, you can spent a few minutes watching, but if you’d rather do rides too, then that’s totally understandable.
And speaking of Halloween, if you want to look at Halloween stuff, there’s a bunch of cute photo ops in Carsland with all the decorations up & then across the way in DL there’s the big Main St. pumpkin, Jack o lanterns around the Partners statue & the Halloween Tree (has a plaque describing it) in Frontierland in front of the shops on the left as you walk through the main entrance from the hub.
And bottom-line, you’ll be able to be very flexible & the fact that you have another trip coming in a few months means that even with just one day, it shouldn’t be as stressful & you’ll be able to focus on some highlights & a get a taste & maybe put some emphasis on seeing the Halloween stuff since that won’t e around when you’re back in Feb.
.