Help the first timer :-)

[Linda67]

Hi everyone
Thanks for these wonderful boards; they really have been helpful in gathering info for my upcoming trip
I've been to WDW many times but have never visited Disneyland and I am really excited to be taking my first trip in a few weeks time
I am trying not to over plan but wanted to have a rough idea of
which parks to do on which day etc and my "must do" rides

My question is about Cars Land and if this strategy is a good one?

I wanted to try and experience
RSR in both the daytime and after dark and as I am staying a the Disneyland Hotel I will be able to take advantage of early entry

Looking at the info on here, it looks like the FP machines don't open
until the official park opening - is that correct?

Originally, I though I would ride in the morning and get a FP for the evening but having thought about it, I don't think that's such a good idea

Here is my new plan .....

Enter the park at 7am and head straight for, and ride RSR

I'll then visit the rest of Cars Land before leaving the park and hopping over to DL for a 9am tour (Walk In Walt's Footsteps)

I'll head back to DCA before sunset and hopefully catch the lighting up of the area before jumping into the single rider line at RSR to ride after dark

My reasoining for this stratergy is that if I hop into the FP line in the morning I am either going to have to get in it at 7am and have a minimum wait time in the FP line of one hour, without even riding RSR or if I ride RSR first then get a FP to come back in the evening, I would be in the FP line for well over an hour anyway?

I am figuring that the single rider line in the evening would be around an hour - if so, I think it makes sense to forget FP all together

Am I making sense and am I understanding everything correctly?

Thanks in advance

 

[Mary09]

I haven't seen CL yet. Do people really wait an hour for a FP or single rider line?

If it was my first time at DL I'd skip it, if the lines are that long. There's so much there that's not at WDW that you could see instead. RSR is pretty much like Test Track anyway, isn't it?

 

[Disney Dreams]

OP, I think your plan sounds good, but keep in mind there have been times when the single rider line at RSR has not been open. If you definitely want that second ride, you might consider waiting in line for the FP. If you are okay with the possibility of SR being closed, your plan sounds good to me.

I haven't seen CL yet. Do people really wait an hour for a FP or single rider line?

If it was my first time at DL I'd skip it, if the lines are that long. There's so much there that's not at WDW that you could see instead. RSR is pretty much like Test Track anyway, isn't it?

Yes, people really wait in line for an hour. Keep in mind, the regular line can be upwards of two hours. Is it different than Test Track? Well, yes. It's Radiator Springs Racers. It's completely different theming and story, giving it a different feel and experience. Just because you have ridden Test Track does not mean you have ridden Radiator Springs Racers.

- Dreams

 

[Linda67]

OP, I think your plan sounds good, but keep in mind there have been times when the single rider line at RSR has not been open. If you definitely want that second ride, you might consider waiting in line for the FP. If you are okay with the possibility of SR being closed, your plan sounds good
- Dreams

Thanks for the reply; really useful
I hadn't considered the possibility of the SR line not being open

With this in mind, do you think I could ride RSR, then get in line for a FP, or would the line for a FP be crazy by then?

I just don't like the idea of spending my hour of early entry waiting for the FP machines to open

Thanks again

 

[HydroGuy]

It sounds like you are thinking you will need wait an hour for an RSR FP. Ride RSR during EMH then go to the FP queue at 7:50-7:55 and you should have your RSR FP shortly after 8AM. Then you are good to go.

Also, be prepared for RSR to not be open when the park opens because that happens so much.

 

[Mary09]

...go to the FP queue at 7:50-7:55 and you should have your RSR FP shortly after 8AM.

That sounds much better than an hour. (An hour to get a Fast Pass is quite an oxymoron.)

I know it's not identical to Test Track but I think it's good to know it's a close derivative (YMMV), especially if one is contemplating spending a big chunk of their only day at the parks to ride it.

 

[Linda67]

It sounds like you are thinking you will need wait an hour for an RSR FP. Ride RSR during EMH then go to the FP queue at 7:50-7:55 and you should have your RSR FP shortly after 8AM. Then you are good to go.

Also, be prepared for RSR to not be open when the park opens because that happens so much.

Perfect, this is exactly what I will do
Thanks for the tip!

 

[mummabear]

It took 3 days to ride RSR, in the 2nd week of Sept FP's still had run out first thing, wait time was never under an hour and it broke down several times. Note as the FP line joins the main line (theres about a 15 minute wait from the front of the fastpass line) if the ride breaks down and you have handed over your FP the won't give it back to you. If it is important to you to ride it then you will need to make it a priority from day 1.
I'm glad I got on it eventually visually its amazing but from a ride point of view no better than test track

 

[theluckyrabbit]

That sounds much better than an hour. (An hour to get a Fast Pass is quite an oxymoron.) .../QUOTE]

People who have waited an hour for the RSR FPs usually don't have early entry, so they end up at the back of a long line waiting for the machines to open. People with early entry who choose to use that hour to be first in the FP line are waiting that long by choice. Once the machines open, the line actually moves rather quickly. And, as has been stated by others, up to an hour wait for a FP is not that long compared to the 2 hour or more standby line.

 

[Linda67]

It took 3 days to ride RSR, in the 2nd week of Sept FP's still had run out first thing, wait time was never under an hour and it broke down several times. Note as the FP line joins the main line (theres about a 15 minute wait from the front of the fastpass line) if the ride breaks down and you have handed over your FP the won't give it back to you. If it is important to you to ride it then you will need to make it a priority from day 1.
I'm glad I got on it eventually visually its amazing but from a ride point of view no better than test track

I have a couple of days of early entry so will head straight for RSR both times.
Sounds like they have a lot of breakdowns!

People who have waited an hour for the RSR FPs usually don't have early entry, so they end up at the back of a long line waiting for the machines to open. People with early entry who choose to use that hour to be first in the FP line are waiting that long by choice. Once the machines open, the line actually moves rather quickly. And, as has been stated by others, up to an hour wait for a FP is not that long compared to the 2 hour or more standby line.

That's what I thought was crazy, I couldn't see the point of getting early entry and then standing in line for an hour waiting for the FP machines to open
I will hop in the line for a FP at around 7:50am to get a FP for later in the day
Do you know if the SR line is open during the early entry hour?