Can DCA handle the pressure?

[Skyegirl1999]

I have spent a LOT of time at DCA over the past several years - as weekly+ visitors, we actually spend more time in that park than DL. I enjoy many things about DCA, and often advocate parkhoppers so that people can "hop over to DCA in the afternoon when DL is slammed" because "DCA is easier to navigate - wider pathways, more places to escape, etc."

Having said that, I am a bit worried about DCA this summer and beyond. Between the "DCA-only Deluxe AP access" all summer, and now the confirmed Halloween party move to DCA (including the 3 or 4 hours of DCA pre-party access), it seems like there's a lot being asked of this park. Some concerns:
1. DCA doesn't have a lot of FP bandwidth. With only seven FP rides available, and only one without a height requirement (TSMM), there just aren't many FP options. As more people get pushed over there (especially Deluxe APs who have Maxpass added to their passes), there could easily be a scenario where desirable FPs are gone by noon every day. Adding to that, there just aren't a ton of rides at DCA.
2. The closure of Bugs Land has been impactful in two ways. One, obviously it took away rides and attractions (RIP, splash pad), including a large slice of DCA's rides without height requirements. It seems to me, anecdotally, that this has strained everything else in the park that little kids can do (which really isn't a whole lot at this point). Two, it took away a major traffic path (from GOTG over to Carsland), adding congestion to a large chunk of the park.
3. An assortment of attractions and areas of the park are randomly much more crowded in 2019 than they had been before (the Animation building lobby is one - we hang out in there a lot and I have years of videos of my daughter dancing around to compare to). The Anna and Elsa lines have been particularly long for months now, after a couple of years where we could meet them with no wait pretty frequently...
4. As far as entertainment, I'm assuming PTN is coming back? That hasn't been confirmed, though, and they've only had one (late) WOC showing so far this year.

Anyway, I know a lot of attention is being paid to DL and how it will handle the SW:GE crowds, but I haven't seen a lot of thoughts on DCA. So, do we think DCA is ready to shine? Or are the DCA-lovers among us in for a rough year?

 

[midnight star]

I'm not a huge DCA fan. Lately though, I've been trying to spend more time over there just in case I have to "hide" from SWGE crowds. Not sure if I'll really be hiding though lol. I'm wondering about the same things! I wonder how the AP structure will affect things. I've been hearing of a lot of people who are not renewing due to cost and potential crowds.

I understand why they are putting the entertainment offerings over there (Oogie Boogie party, Lion King, Marvel after dark)..but that still just doesn't sell it to me. I'm still much more attached to DL.

 

[agamble]

I love DCA too. I think the queues will feel the most pressure as there are fewer rides. However with the wider paths it will still be navigable.

I think the demise of Bugsland was sad, but with Carsland, Mermaid, and some of Pixar Pier geared towards kids it is ok. When they built Bugsland those other family friendly attractions didn't exist. It is a bummer to lose the capacity, but Philharmagic should help with the loss of Bugs theater. I do wish they had saved the lady bug ride for a retheme too. It's crazy how long it has taken to rethemed Fliks Flyers. The worst part for now of Bugsland being closes is the dead end effect. Walking through was nice.

Also, we lovers of DCA are a minority. Imagine an average family buying 3 day tickets. They already say spend only one day at DCA and 2 at DL. Now add in SWGE and people may feel a strong pull to spend even more time at DL. Anyway expect DCA to be busy and crowded with long queues, but I wouldn't expect gate closures. Unless the problem is DL is so full it closes and people are forced to go to DCA or go home.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I also really love DCA and 100% agree with all of your thoughts. I’m worried too. And I think DCA needs more rides and more FP rides!

 

[B3rlingirl]

Well... now after you said it... yes I do worry a bit as well...
I‘ve always liked DCA and absolutely love the GRR area...

(but I might not be allowed to have an opinion here because I not only completely missed the construction of the park (Imagine the surprise when you are asked at the hotel if you wanna buy park hoppers and you are like „where should I hop to? Since when is there a 2nd park?“) but I also completely missed the „retheeming“ of the entire park! I‘ve been once to the „old“ DCA and really liked it (after all I am a European tourist so that theming was perfectly aimed at me...) and the next time I went it was retheemed and the only thing I was wondering „did I miss cars land the last time or is it new?“ (when I first entered cars land I did the 5k run Disney and was looking at the canyon while the sun was slowly rising and I was stunned and just stood there for a couple minutes (mouth open) and couldn’t close my eyes...( I didn’t know at all about cars land so that was a great surprise and one intense moment...) but Didn’t notices any of the „other“ changes... like the pier area with the giant dinosaur or orange... ( but I checked our tape from that first visit... they were there... weird how you can forget something big like that...)

Yes, the walkways are broader which will
help a lot but I am worried that there aren’t enough attractions to be honest... not for „adults“ and certainly not for little kids... I think closing bugsland was a little early and will lead to some problems this summer...

 

[mom2rtk]

It's a fair consideration, one we certainly haven't heard much about. It's part of the larger issue of whether the entirety of DLR can handle what's coming. I'm not sure of the answer. But just in case, I think we're swapping back to WDW for our next trip. I think I"ll watch this from the spectator seats.

 

[gottalovepluto]

DCA will be fine, just used more towards its capacity. Those wide walkways should be full, we’re just used to it not being used to capacity. They may need to control the crowds better by moving some stuff to non-crowded parts of the park more (like the Halloween party trail at Rocky Creek Challenge). Or start managing crowds into animation drawing better than a cattle call followed by standing smashed together for the next 5 mins.

FP is a problem but when I was there they ran out of the good stuff by early afternoon anyway so if APs aren’t there early enough they won’t be impacting the FP system.

PTN: maybe it comes back. I would think it should but we haven’t heard anything from DLR yet have we?

 

[mom2rtk]

PTN: maybe it comes back. I would think it should but we haven’t heard anything from DLR yet have we?

Surely it comes back to help with crowds over the summer? But no word yet.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Philharmagic will definitely help with something to do. Wait + watch it’s probably about 20 mins at WDW. It’s adorable!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I’m not concerned about capacity closures or anything; I’m just kind of ruminating on the “quality of life” over at DCA... I do love it over there and am curious how the changes around the resort will affect things.

Surely it comes back to help with crowds over the summer? But no word yet.

I expected it back before Memorial Day, but who knows? None of the performers I know have even mentioned it.

Philharmagic will definitely help with something to do. Wait + watch it’s probably about 20 mins at WDW. It’s adorable!

This is a good addition, I think. I hope they add some additional experiences around some of those unused Hollywood backlot areas.

 

[Blue32]

Why did they stop running PTN anyway? DLR needs to keep this parade in their lineup of entertainment. And moving it to DCA was a smart move I believe.

Hopefully DCA will expand its hours to match DL and add at least one more showing of WOC as well.

I’m a little disappointed they are taking their sweet time with the Pier. Carousel should have been done long ago and they could have had the inside out spinner open already too. The park does need more capacity.

When is the first phase of the Marvel Land supposed to be opening?

 

[gerilyne]

When is the first phase of the Marvel Land supposed to be opening?

I thought the first phase was going to open in 2020

 

[cmwade77]

Why did they stop running PTN anyway? DLR needs to keep this parade in their lineup of entertainment. And moving it to DCA was a smart move I believe.

Hopefully DCA will expand its hours to match DL and add at least one more showing of WOC as well. it

I’m a little disappointed they are taking their sweet time with the Pier. Carousel should have been done long ago and they could have had the inside out spinner open already too. The park does need more capacity.

When is the first phase of the Marvel Land supposed to be opening?

My guess is PTN will come back this summer to help in reducing crowds.

But really DCA is quite capable of handling the overflow if necessary, but I think we will see after the first month or two that Disney shot themselves in the foot by opening Galaxy's Edge is phases. The locals haven't taken kindly to that approach with Pixar Pier, so I think we will see crowds fizzle out fairly quickly with Galaxy's Edge. I could be wrong, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to be right. Don't get me wrong, it will still be popular, but it will maybe increase the number of the people in the park to about 10% above the same time period last year (again after the first couple of months).

If that doesn't happen and there are larger crowds, we will see DCA hours expand, possibly on a day to day basis with those old announcements we used the hear in the parks fairly frequently "Due to popular demand, park operating house have been extended until ....." And that they added an extra WOC show for the night.

The inside out spinner couldn't have been done any sooner, as they had to wait until Bugs Land was closed so they could retheme Flicks Fun Flyers, but the Carousel should have been done at the same time as the rest of Pixar Pier, there is no excuse for that of Bing Bongs Sweet Shop not having been fully ready complete with Bing Bong from day 1.

 

[EmJ]

My guess is PTN will come back this summer to help in reducing crowds.

But really DCA is quite capable of handling the overflow if necessary, but I think we will see after the first month or two that Disney shot themselves in the foot by opening Galaxy's Edge is phases. The locals haven't taken kindly to that approach with Pixar Pier, so I think we will see crowds fizzle out fairly quickly with Galaxy's Edge. I could be wrong, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to be right. Don't get me wrong, it will still be popular, but it will maybe increase the number of the people in the park to about 10% above the same time period last year (again after the first couple of months).

If that doesn't happen and there are larger crowds, we will see DCA hours expand, possibly on a day to day basis with those old announcements we used the hear in the parks fairly frequently "Due to popular demand, park operating house have been extended until ....." And that they added an extra WOC show for the night.

The inside out spinner couldn't have been done any sooner, as they had to wait until Bugs Land was closed so they could retheme Flicks Fun Flyers, but the Carousel should have been done at the same time as the rest of Pixar Pier, there is no excuse for that of Bing Bongs Sweet Shop not having been fully ready complete with Bing Bong from day 1.

Can you tell me more about SWGE opening in phases? I hadn’t heard that! Do you think most people will wait until it is “fully open”?

 

[HydroGuy]

Can you tell me more about SWGE opening in phases? I hadn’t heard that! Do you think most people will wait until it is “fully open”?

He means that one of the two main attractions (ROTR) will not open with the new land. Rumors are it could be another 6 months.

That has disappointed a lot of people, but there is nothing we can do about it. In other words, it is what it is.

 

[EmJ]

He means that one of the two main attractions (ROTR) will not open with the new land. Rumors are it could be another 6 months.

That has disappointed a lot of people, but there is nothing we can do about it. In other words, it is what it is.

Interesting. I didn’t know that. We aren’t going until next year, so I suppose it will be open by then. Though, I was hoping we would be missing the worst of the new-attraction crowds... sounds like we will only be missing the first wave. I did decide to add a fourth park day to our visit, I think on your advice actually, so we have 1 for DCA, 2 for “regular” DL, and an entire day to try and figure out this Star Wars business.

 

[cmwade77]

Can you tell me more about SWGE opening in phases? I hadn’t heard that! Do you think most people will wait until it is “fully open”?

ROTR will not be opening with the rest of Galaxy's Edge, but will be opening later during a second phase as Disney put it in their release.

 

[cmwade77]

Interesting. I didn’t know that. We aren’t going until next year, so I suppose it will be open by then. Though, I was hoping we would be missing the worst of the new-attraction crowds... sounds like we will only be missing the first wave. I did decide to add a fourth park day to our visit, I think on your advice actually, so we have 1 for DCA, 2 for “regular” DL, and an entire day to try and figure out this Star Wars business.

At the rate things are going it may be more than a year away before ROTR opens.

 

[bumbershoot]

I’ve been ostrich-like because I absolutely despise marvel and am unspeakably negative about the closing of the wonderful perfect amazing bugs land.

(And my son loves marvel, and is approaching 15 now, but some of his best memories at Disney were in DCA and bugsland in particular)

The beauty of DCA was that it felt big and broad and wasn’t shoulder to shoulder. I thought that was the intention. But the newbies there seem to have forgotten that.

I skipped it entirely the first two times I was there as an adult (“why have a CA themed park inside of CA?”) then fell in LOVE in 2007 when I finally went (“where ELSE should a CA themed park go? Wisconsin?”)

I’ve hated the non-carsland changes they’ve made over the years, apart from Mermaid, though much of the reason I like that is to see what animatronic is broken THIS time.

The worst part for now of Bugsland being closes is the dead end effect. Walking through was nice.

Did you know that it was a dead end for a long long time?

That’s what made it so wonderfully perfect for people with Littles, because there was only one way out. You didn’t have to worry about which way the wayward child went. It was wonderful for kid-control purposes.

Well... now after you said it... yes I do worry a bit as well...
I‘ve always liked DCA and absolutely love the GRR area...

(but I might not be allowed to have an opinion here because I not only completely missed the construction of the park (Imagine the surprise when you are asked at the hotel if you wanna buy park hoppers and you are like „where should I hop to? Since when is there a 2nd park?“) but I also completely missed the „retheeming“ of the entire park! I‘ve been once to the „old“ DCA and really liked it (after all I am a European tourist so that theming was perfectly aimed at me...) and the next time I went it was retheemed and the only thing I was wondering „did I miss cars land the last time or is it new?“ (when I first entered cars land I did the 5k run Disney and was looking at the canyon while the sun was slowly rising and I was stunned and just stood there for a couple minutes (mouth open) and couldn’t close my eyes...( I didn’t know at all about cars land so that was a great surprise and one intense moment...) but Didn’t notices any of the „other“ changes... like the pier area with the giant dinosaur or orange... ( but I checked our tape from that first visit... they were there... weird how you can forget something big like that...)

Yes, the walkways are broader which will
help a lot but I am worried that there aren’t enough attractions to be honest... not for „adults“ and certainly not for little kids... I think closing bugsland was a little early and will lead to some problems this summer...

I loved your whole post. Thank you for sharing.

Coming through carsland early in the morning during a rundisney event is the only thing I miss about rundisney in Anaheim. Spectacular.

 

[EmJ]

At the rate things are going it may be more than a year away before ROTR opens.

Yikes! Was that the original plan or did something go wrong? It seems odd to open such a highly anticipated (and highly hyped) immersive theming experience without half of its ride atttactions.