We didn't realize that the fast pass machines didn't go on until after the park opened. We had EMH at 9 and went straight to RSR. The first day was when it was raining, so we think that kept the huge rush down and only waited about 10 minutes. The next day we did the same thing but the weather was nicer and our wait was closer to 30 minutes. We skipped getting fast passes altogether because DH (and I ) have a problem waiting in line to wait in line....
On a budget minded note, we used a few restaurant.com certificates in the area, like the Wolfgang Puck's at the Costa Mesa mall. I think I paid $3 for the certificate. We also got certificates for breakfast places in San Diego, and another place in Carlsbad that we used after
Legoland.