George Lucas on a Bench
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It could be if you're drinking.
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DCA is a half day Park
- Thread starter mickEblu
- Start date
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
I guess I'm in the minority here, but on my last trip I purposely switched to a 3 day non-park hopper ticket. Did 2 3/4 days in Disneyland and a full day in DCA. I came away feeling like I needed to spend more time in DCA, but otherwise it felt about the right mix.
I think the global problem with DCA is that there are many things that are perhaps not as repeatable with close visitations. But if DCA is a half day... DHS is __________ (unvisitable?).
I think the global problem with DCA is that there are many things that are perhaps not as repeatable with close visitations. But if DCA is a half day... DHS is __________ (unvisitable?).
TROR
Well-Known Member
When was your last trip, though? I would say you could make a full day out of DCA in 2015 when Aladdin was still running but not really anymore.
Well it can definitely be a full day park if you try to do every single thing (taking in all the small details and do all the flat rides). Compare that to Disneyland though where the parks highlights easily fill a day alone.
I guess for first time tourists it’s fair to say that DCA is a full day park as one is exploring and trying to take everything in.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
When I was there recently, the new Small World queue looked and felt like it's been that way for years. It didn't stand out, it wasn't flashy- which means it's perfectly executed. I just works.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
There's a reason DCA closes before Disneyland daily, and needed Paint the Night. It's made progress, but it still has a long way to go before comfortably being able to spend 10+ hours inside like Disneyland.
Agreed. I couldn’t even remember what it looked like before.
I think 2 Es with Marvel Land, a new land or ride in the backlot / bus expansion area and a dark ride In Pixar Pier would do the trick. But I guess that could qualify as a long way to go. Anyway this last trip made me realize that Bugs Land to Marvel Land (or any land with rides for people older than 3) is absolutely necessary.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
My first thought was "What changed?". That's imagineering at it's finest.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
A dark ride inside Pixar Pier is exciting, since Nemo Subs is the closest thing we've seen to a unique, quality Pixar themed dark ride at the DLR. If they did a Coco boat ride through the land of the dead, taking inspiration from the film but ultimately telling a new story in that amazingly built world, it'd be amazing and would help legitimize Pixar Pier.
A ride at the caliber of Pirates or Haunted Mansion would do wonders for the park, and might actually get me to go back (have been to Disneyland 6 times since 2015, but never make it to DCA).
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
I think the biggest flaw of DCA is that it's 100 feet from Disneyland, and priced exactly the same.
If it was priced at a more affordable rate, it'd be more justifiable. I'd be curious to know how many 1 day 1 park tickets get sold for there, instead of Disneyland- and what percentage of ticket to AP visitors DCA has vs Disneyland.
If it was priced at a more affordable rate, it'd be more justifiable. I'd be curious to know how many 1 day 1 park tickets get sold for there, instead of Disneyland- and what percentage of ticket to AP visitors DCA has vs Disneyland.
I’d be all down for a Coco dark ride! That land of the dead lends itself perfectly for a dark ride. I think you re forgetting RSR unless you don’t consider that a dark ride? Ya it would be great if the park could get one ride of POTCs caliber, originality and mass appeal.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
My biggest issue with RSR is it doesn't trigger my imagination like Haunted Mansion or Pirates does. It's technically a phenomenal, state of the art ride- but it's only one layer deep.
Since RSR is a world that's very similar to our own and has been thoroughly explored through three films, the attraction is character driven, as opposed to experience driven like Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, and Pirates. It still feels like a ride the movie book report ride to me, as opposed to a more imaginative approach like Indiana Jones Adventure, which is only loosely tied to Indy.
"Oh hey, we're tractor tipping, just like the film." "Oh hey, we're lost and end up in Radiator Springs, just like the film" "Oh hey, we're getting a huge makeover for the big race, just like the film" With the highlight being the actual race- which is fun, but is an experience I can get on a generic roller coaster.
Coco's world is unique, colorful, and very imaginative with a great score, and wouldn't be forced to rely on the characters from the film to tell an excellent story.
Agree on RSR. On another thread earlier I mentioned that POTC and HM were the height of Imagineering. I can’t think of another two attractions that do that kind of place making and transport you to another world. Splash and Indy are great but not quite the same level.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
I'd be curious- if Lasseter's less than pleasant side had been exposed pre Cars Land, would it have even been built?
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/f...-can-john-lasseter-ever-return-disney-1105297
Cars Land is great, but really makes you wonder what could have been.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/f...-can-john-lasseter-ever-return-disney-1105297
Cars Land is great, but really makes you wonder what could have been.
BasiltheBatLord
Well-Known Member
I've honestly never thought of any non-castle Disney parks to be "full day" parks. Maybe it's just unfair to compare any park with a castle park, but with the exception of maybe Epcot and DHS (when 75% of it isn't closed for construction) all secondary Disney parks I've ever been to have kind of felt half-dayish.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
I'd say Animal Kingdom and DisneySea are easily full day parks. Epcot can be a full day park even without tons of quality attractions because of its size and World Showcase.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
2016 Christmas time, but that was with Frozen open. Which I think is longer than Aladdin?
FerretAfros
Well-Known Member
The trick to being a full-day park is to actually have a lot more than can be done in a single day. While there are plenty of parks that *could* fill an entire day, it's rare that all of the offerings actually appeal to a single group of visitors. Instead, people pick and choose what they want to do; no real visitor actually does every. single. thing. that a park has to offer. It's best to give people too much to accomplish in a single day, so they can fill a day with things that actually appeal to them. If somebody manages to see everything, they're less likely to return any time soon; why would they?
A lot of this comes down to menu planning for which types of experiences a park should have. Of any of Disney's parks, DL has the best mix of A-E tickets, which help break up the day into more manageable components without relying on one major thing after another. This only serves to highlight the weakness at DCA, which has a decent line-up of E-tickets (though many of them are weak E's), lots of B-ticket spinners, and not much of anything in between, leaving the overall experience somewhat hollow. Similarly, you might be willing to eat at a restaurant that only served steaks and desserts, but that doesn't mean it really offers the variety that's needed to succeed with a wide audience
Something else to consider in menu planning is entertainment, which can be a great supplement to attractions. DLR has an incredible variety and strength of atmosphere entertainment, but it lacks the medium-to-large scale daytime shows that help fill the day at other resorts, offer a way to disperse crowds during the busy afternoon hours, and create built-in downtime as guests wait for the scheduled performances. On the flipside, WDW (and the Studios in particular) often focuses too heavily on entertainment at the expense of rides, which is the real reason most visitors come.
DCA is also hampered by its awkward layout, with lots of mini-lands that don't manage to really transport you out of the park. With wide walkways and small cul-de-sac-like 'districts', there are very few spaces that fill your entire field of vision for more than a couple steps. Additionally, it's confined by Anaheim's limited geography, so there will never be the long meandering distances between things that often fill time in larger parks elsewhere. Theme-wise, it's like trying to fill up on hors d'oeuvres at a cocktail party, rather than eating an actual meal. This is a flaw fundamental to the park's early design, and it would be very difficult to overcome in the long-term.
Tokyo DisneySEA is also a full-day park, but it suffers from some menu planning issues. It's got a great roster of E-tickets, a strong line-up of major entertainment, and a handful of minor A/B-tickets, but not a lot in between. It's definitely Disney's strongest second gate, but the great theming helps hide some of its weaknesses
A lot of this comes down to menu planning for which types of experiences a park should have. Of any of Disney's parks, DL has the best mix of A-E tickets, which help break up the day into more manageable components without relying on one major thing after another. This only serves to highlight the weakness at DCA, which has a decent line-up of E-tickets (though many of them are weak E's), lots of B-ticket spinners, and not much of anything in between, leaving the overall experience somewhat hollow. Similarly, you might be willing to eat at a restaurant that only served steaks and desserts, but that doesn't mean it really offers the variety that's needed to succeed with a wide audience
Something else to consider in menu planning is entertainment, which can be a great supplement to attractions. DLR has an incredible variety and strength of atmosphere entertainment, but it lacks the medium-to-large scale daytime shows that help fill the day at other resorts, offer a way to disperse crowds during the busy afternoon hours, and create built-in downtime as guests wait for the scheduled performances. On the flipside, WDW (and the Studios in particular) often focuses too heavily on entertainment at the expense of rides, which is the real reason most visitors come.
DCA is also hampered by its awkward layout, with lots of mini-lands that don't manage to really transport you out of the park. With wide walkways and small cul-de-sac-like 'districts', there are very few spaces that fill your entire field of vision for more than a couple steps. Additionally, it's confined by Anaheim's limited geography, so there will never be the long meandering distances between things that often fill time in larger parks elsewhere. Theme-wise, it's like trying to fill up on hors d'oeuvres at a cocktail party, rather than eating an actual meal. This is a flaw fundamental to the park's early design, and it would be very difficult to overcome in the long-term.
I would argue that from the mid-80's to mid-00's, Epcot was a full-day park; so much has been chipped away in recent years (and what's left is often very stale for a place that purports to be cutting-edge) that it's a 3/4 day (at best) for most visitors. Depending on the visitor and their priorities, Disney's Animal Kingdom could easily be a full-day park in its current form, but it really needs another 2-3 major experiences to get the full-day status for everybody
Tokyo DisneySEA is also a full-day park, but it suffers from some menu planning issues. It's got a great roster of E-tickets, a strong line-up of major entertainment, and a handful of minor A/B-tickets, but not a lot in between. It's definitely Disney's strongest second gate, but the great theming helps hide some of its weaknesses
Darkbeer1
Well-Known Member
In June, we will be at CoasterCon back east, and have 2 over filled days (opens early and stays open late for us) at Six Flags America, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Kings Dominion. Now we do get special entertainment and behind the scenes tours, plus things like a Midway Games competition, Rubber Duckie Race, etc. And due to the fact they all have so many great Roller Coasters (E-ticket rides), they can pull off the multi-day experience. And since it is a primarily adult event, we won't be spending much time in the kids zone.
Add 5 more parks before and after CoasterCon, including a multiple day trip to Carowinds. (2 days in Ocean City, MD and a day in Monrovia.)
But I would still say DCA is a half-day park, with three thrill rides (IncrediCoaster, Goofy's Sky School and GOTG) and Soarin', used to be better in version 1.0, plus now so many true knockoffs (same ride system), has loss a lot of its luster. RSR is a good ride, but more of a dark ride than thrill ride.
Add 5 more parks before and after CoasterCon, including a multiple day trip to Carowinds. (2 days in Ocean City, MD and a day in Monrovia.)
But I would still say DCA is a half-day park, with three thrill rides (IncrediCoaster, Goofy's Sky School and GOTG) and Soarin', used to be better in version 1.0, plus now so many true knockoffs (same ride system), has loss a lot of its luster. RSR is a good ride, but more of a dark ride than thrill ride.
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