What is your typical rope drop strategy at DCA? We’re using G+ and it’ll be a crowd level 7. I’m struggling to decide to we go to Breakout or Incredicoaster first. We will be able to utilize single rider for RSR so that seems like a 9am move instead of rope drop. Would love thoughts or strategies!
Note: I’ll be there on a day where resort guests have EE.
I would not go to Incredicoaster because it is often opened later than the rest of the park. I would start with either GotG or TSM, but check when you enter the park to make sure whichever you choose is open. Another decent RD option is WS.
For some reason TSM line is long all day, and the LL return times drag out pretty fast, so I would knock that one out in the first hour the park is open if possible.
I would rope drop Avengers campus and G+ TSM because there is a good chance of it turning into a Golden Ticket.
If you want to ride TSM more than once and/or want to do the wheel (Pixar Pal-Around is what they’re calling it I think now), then I would start the day there. If those aren’t top priorities and you’ll have G+ you could start in Avengers Campus (either one is great, but I would probably go to GotG first then, WS). Then I would do the non-LL rides in Carsland before getting into SR for RSR. The only headliner I would avoid first is Soarin.
The Unofficial Guide says that the security checks into DCA from Pixar Place Hotel and Grand Californian Hotel are “often overwhelmed in early mornings, and guests using them reach the rope-drop area behind those coming through the main entrance, so you may save time by walking to the front gate.”
Anyone have any personal experience with this?
I have used the Pixar Place entrance and if you show up sufficiently in advance (maybe 20 min before EE starts?) it’s not too bad.
It’s been a long time since I’ve used the GCH entrance for EE, but it has always been relatively crowded in the morning. Still not sure it is worth walking all the way to the main entrance - I’d recommend arriving either early or late instead. Don’t show up within 5-10 min of EE.
I only have the one experience personally with it from Aug 2022 and EE was at 7:30 for 8am park opening. If we weren’t joining the security line by 6:50-7:00pm it was doubtful we could get through it and into the parks by the start of EE.
The entrance directly into DCA has very limited space and they sometimes hold people in a little tiny bit of space just past the turnstile gate and don’t allow you further down into any walkways and if they are doing that, then after about 50-60 people, they physically can’t keep processing people through the turnstiles and also security behind it, so they then have to wait for EE to actually start (or at least for the parks to be cleared for entry of guests for the day just ahead of that) to keep the flow going.
And then if you go to the Downtown Disney security that feeds you towards the main gates, there’s definitely more space and they can get you through security without having to pause, but again, if you wait, then you’ll also be behind those coming in from other entry points to the main gates and again, might not make it into the park by the start of EE.
And it could be that they’ve changed it and start letting in a little earlier so that there aren’t back-ups, but I would plan to go 30 min. before at the latest. For the GCH specifically. For Pixar Place, I’ve never experienced it, but I do know they are space limited as will so I imagine it can be similar.
From my experience in 2023, both GCH security checks get overwhelmed so you need to be at them early. If you RD Gaurdians you want to go through the main (entrance to DTD) security check and then go through the main entrance to DCA. People get held inside the park at three different points. If you rope drop Pixar Pier.you want to go through the DCA dedicated security line. If you are in the front, you are closer to Pixar Pier than anyone.
The main security check gets complicated because some days they had two different checks open and some days it was one. Depending on staffing.
Thanks @Jeff_AZ, @lolabear_la, and @heathernoel, that’s all super helpful!
The best part is the time difference working in your favor! We got in line to DL on the far left, away from where everyone else enters, and were first at the tap and first on Alice!