Ever been to a newly opened Disneyland ride?

[MenchieMan87]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to these boards and (relatively) new to Disneyland. I am curious, have any of you been to Disneyland when a brand new ride opened? I'm wondering what to expect as far as wait times go for Star Tours and Little Mermaid when they are newly opened next month. (On the weekends unfortunately, as I work full time.) Do you guys think it would be two hours? Three? Four?

I'm particularly worried about Star Tours because my gf isn't interested in riding that so I'll be planning a solo trip. If I get out of work at 5:00 on a Friday and I drive straight to Disneyland getting me there around 7:00 and in the park before 7:30, and (give or take some time to get a hot dog) in line by 8:00, will I get to ride before the park closes at 12?

Any thoughts appreciated!

 

[princessaw]

I have been there during opening weekend of Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and it was PACKED! Not the park, but the line for the ride! I believe the shortest I ever saw it was 2hrs, with the longest being close to 3. I don't know about Star Tours, since the ride is technically not new, just refurbed, it might be shorter? I really cannot say...But the lines for Finding Nemo really seemed to shorten the lines for everything else lol! I would think if you got in line by 8, you should be able to ride by 12, but I will let someone else give better advice on this. Good luck!

 

[Dobie]

The Dobies were there in 2006 for the opening of the newly redone Pirates. By 7:45, the line for Pirates stretched all the way down Main Street.

 

[skiingfast]

I can think of a few rides that had enourmous line because they were new.

Will star tour have a 5 hour wait?

Maybe.
One positive, there is also going to be a lot of people coming for new attractions at the Little Mermaid.
One negative, a lot of locals show up at five on friday, I'm sure thousands of other people have the same idea.

 

[DLR29]

Normally, I would suggest getting a FP for Star Tours, but by the time you get there they will most certainly have run out. One thing, as long as you are physically in line before official park closing (12AM on weekends), they will let you ride...even if the line is really long.

My guess is that the Star Tours line will hover around 2-3 hours most of the summer weekends during the middle of the day. It will probably decrease to about 1-2 hours towards the evening. So if you join the line by 8PM, I'm almost positive that you will be off the ride before 11PM.

For Little Mermaid, I'm gonna estimate that the line will be a consistent 1-2 hours all day, with a slight decrease again as evening approaches. It loads relatively quickly, and will be able to handle a lot of people.

If you want to ride both, you can go straight to DCA when you get there. Ride Little Mermaid and be done by 10. Hop over to DL and ride Star Tours.

Granted, these are just guesses, and we'll have to wait and see what actually happens when they open.

 

[HydroGuy]

I would guess the LM line will be 4 hours in June and once it gets into July and August after there are more blocked APs it will be 2-3 hours.

ST will have FP and those will be in super high demand. They will probably be gone by noon each day.

Also, I suspect ST will be open for MM so pay attention to that if you do not have MM.

ETA: And yes, I have been. To DL about 2 weeks after FNSV opened (2007) and 2 weeks after Space Mtn re-opened (2005) and to DHS the day TSMM opened (2008).

 

[momto2nenas]

As far as Little Mermaid goes, should stategy be about the same as it was for Toy Story Midway Mania? Be there for rope drop at CA and be "walked" over by the CM? We'll be staying at the GCH, will we have an advantage for riding LM?

We were there for Nemo Subs and it was perfect for us, lol Fantasyland was a ghost town most of the morning with everyone in line for Nemo, we never wasted time riding it or standing in line. We rode it last year and well once was enough.

We were there when TSMM was about a month old and we rode it no problem first thing in the morning.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

We were there for the opening day(s) of Toy Story Mania, and despite trying several times over a few days, we just couldn't get on it. The line wrapped all along the water front area to get on--and the ride kept breaking down so the waits were even longer. I felt sorry for the little kids I saw in line in the hot sun each day. We figured we would be back, and would ride it our next trip, and that is exactly what we did.

I remember hearing that the line was 4-5 hours long most days of our stay that trip.

 

[smile4stamps]

Eeeks! Maybe I won't be riding in June at least not the days I am there with my Best Friend!

 

[mrswh]

We were there (by unfortunate coincidence!) the very day that Nemo opened and the few days after, and it was unreal! We couldn't understand who was getting in the line that was already 3.5 hours long. We did not bother trying to ride at all on that trip. That said, Nemo is a pretty slow loading ride. It looks like Little Mermaid will be a continuous ride like Monsters, Inc. or BLAB, so hopefully the line will go more quickly and the wait time won't go all the way to 3 hours.

 

[BellaBaby]

We were there (by unfortunate coincidence!) the very day that Nemo opened and the few days after, and it was unreal! We couldn't understand who was getting in the line that was already 3.5 hours long. We did not bother trying to ride at all on that trip. That said, Nemo is a pretty slow loading ride. It looks like Little Mermaid will be a continuous ride like Monsters, Inc. or BLAB, so hopefully the line will go more quickly and the wait time won't go all the way to 3 hours.

Did it seem like the lines for other rides were fairly short then? Or was it just a madhouse everywhere? We will be there when these new rides open, but it will be near the end of our trip and I'm hoping to have alot done by then!! Also, hoping for a soft opening of LM!!

 

[HydroGuy]

As far as Little Mermaid goes, should stategy be about the same as it was for Toy Story Midway Mania? Be there for rope drop at CA and be "walked" over by the CM? We'll be staying at the GCH, will we have an advantage for riding LM?

We were there for Nemo Subs and it was perfect for us, lol Fantasyland was a ghost town most of the morning with everyone in line for Nemo, we never wasted time riding it or standing in line. We rode it last year and well once was enough.

We were there when TSMM was about a month old and we rode it no problem first thing in the morning.

I would say that is the best strategy. It is what we are planning.

 

[MenchieMan87]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I will probably wait a few weeks to go to Little Mermaid with the gf, but I am still flirting with the idea of going to Star Tours after work on 6/3 (If I get out on time.) What do you guys think about soft opens? Is it worth planning a special trip just because you heard there might be one?

 

[kelmac284]

We are going a few weeks after opening and I was planning on going straight to LM on opening and for ST I was wondering will it be open for MM? If so my plan is to go there but if not at least try and get a FP or do other stuff during MM and then get in line for ST WHILE at MM.

 

[furb & dez]

Indiana Jones... the wait was three hours due to a breakdown halfway through the queue, but it was totally worth it to see it with all the effects working (in the ride AND in the queue).

 

[TravelingJen24]

In the 90's we were there after Splash Mountain openned. That was packed even weeks after it openned. I second the remarks regarding Pirates. Pirates was unbelievable for a ride that had been openned for decades. I would believe that Star Tours would also be packed as crowds love to be part of the next best thing. It will probably be a few months before the crowds die out there.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

We are going a few weeks after opening and I was planning on going straight to LM on opening and for ST I was wondering will it be open for MM? If so my plan is to go there but if not at least try and get a FP or do other stuff during MM and then get in line for ST WHILE at MM.

FP machines are not turned on during MM, so unless there is a change in this policy, you won't be able to get a FP before regular park opening. I expect the demand for ST will be so huge, that the line will build pretty quickly even during MM. If that is your focus, you may be correct in assuming that MM will still be the fastest you can ride the ride without FP, but it may also be a good time to go do everything else you want to do while everybody else is waiting. If you're going to wait a long time anyway for one ride, you might be able to make up for it by walking onto other rides the first couple hours of the day.

 

[skiingfast]

FP machines are not turned on during MM, so unless there is a change in this policy, you won't be able to get a FP before regular park opening.

Particularily on MM but also at other times the FP line could be aweful. It's not a sure thing to stop by for a few minutes to get a ST FP. It could be a 30 minute wait to get the FPs. FP queues like this do exist and may happen for ST in the near future.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Particularily on MM but also at other times the FP line could be aweful. It's not a sure thing to stop by for a few minutes to get a ST FP. It could be a 30 minute wait to get the FPs. FP queues like this do exist and may happen for ST in the near future.

True. I have occasionally waited 15 minutes for a Space fastpass or Indy fastpass (I don't mind since the rest of the family was off riding something I didn't want to ride). We have even run into lines for BTMRR fastpasses. I figure the fastpass line will be hideous for ST and probably run out quite early as well. Plus, yes, I expect people will be hovering even if a formal line isn't allowed to form during MM and even if they don't turn the fastpass machines on for MM. We won't be able to get to the parks as soon or often as I like for a while, so I don't know what our strategy will be for the new rides. We may just wait until after our summer trip and catch them on a future visit. We're hoping the lines for other rides might be a little shorter.

 

[arthursiew]

Do AP holders get priority access to the new rides when they open? I am going in late June and I heard that AP holders get priority access. Is that true?