So really, when is the best time to do Nemo?

[todzwife]

I know it's going to be a zoo the week we are there and my family is not going to be happy if we miss Nemo (I could take it or leave it but that's not the point)

I'm wondering if it's worth it to be part of the crowd Monday morning that speed walks to it first thing, or do we wait till later that evening?

I have ridemax and it NEVER puts Nemo first, always around dinner time...


Suggestions? Comments?

 

[IBLarsen]

We were at Disneyland the first week of October and on Wednesday, our first day in the parks, we hit Nemo, just happened to be walking by at 2:30 in the afternoon and had a 20 minute wait. Later that evening the lines were quite a bit longer. I was planning on doing a first ride of the morning on another day until we saw such a small line. I am certainly NOT qualified to answer that question, but wanted to share our experience. You may luck out during the middle of the week in the afternoon like we did!

Good luck! The kids loved it!

 

[toddbushman]

Ridemax has some tips and hints for Nemo.

There are several choices for riding the subs with minimal waiting, but be forewarned that two of these choices require arriving VERY early at the park, and hustling -- even "jogging" a bit -- straight to Nemo when the park opens. If you're even thirty seconds behind the lead group, you could easily find yourself with an hour-long wait or more for this attraction! And if you're visiting Disneyland on a busy day when the park opens at 8:00AM, don't even think about visiting Nemo on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, unless you have access to Disney's Early Entry program. On these days of the week during the summer months or other busy seasons of the year, the line could easily be more than an hour long as soon as the park opens, due to the number of Early Entry guests already in the park!

Our recommendations for visiting Nemo, in order of preference, are as follows:

Visit at the start of Early Entry.
Visit first on a non-Early-Entry day when the park opens at 8:00AM.
Visit later in the day on a day when the park opens after 8:00AM.

 

[skoocher]

As a general rule, we sometimes will hold off on the rides with the longest lines till during the nightly shows/parades. I know that some like to catch the shows, but if you are going to be there for multiple nights....maybe catch the shows on one of the nights then go on rides the other nights. I have seen the fireworks and parades so many times, I usually will skip them for an opportunity to ride some of the "big" attractions (sometimes 2 or 3 times).

 

[FuzzySulley]

According to The Unofficial Guide, the best time would be to line up about 10-15 minutes before the parade is starting.

I haven't actually ridden the Nemo ride yet, but am hoping to when we go on Monday, so we'll see how that strategy works out.

 

[pycees312]

we went during early magic hour last Dec and were on the 2nd boat to leave that morning. i have twins who are 12 and a 5 year old that my husband carried into the park. Myself and the twins ran/walked to nemo lol.. would i do that again... no but we got to ride nemo and that maid my 5 year old very happy.

 

[northshoremama]

we hit nemo on friday 10/10...and the wait wasn't that bad at all. we were waiting in line at the gates by 7:45am...lines were already pretty long. as soon as we got thru the gates, we headed to nemo. i asked the CM what the wait was like and he said it was too early to say since the park just opened. i think we waiting about 20 minutes or so. we were in line by 8:14am, on the ride within 20-25 minutes. i'm glad we did it first...by the time we got off the ride, the line had grown tremendously....then we walked right on to astroblasters!

so as toddbushman stated above, if you have an MM, do nemo first IF you're not going to do FL...or do nemo first on a non MM day.

 

[Disney Dreams]

If you are in line for Nemo when the Park closes (before they cut the line), you will ride. We save it for last.

JMO,
Dreams

 

[bumbershoot]

We had a not-long wait when using a MM for Nemo, and I had a no-too-long wait as dusk approached.

The thing with Nemo is that, IMO, it is a pleasant wait. It's outdoors but they have umbrellas set up for shade (when I've seen it). The aisles of the lines are WIDE. You can take strollers into the line, and just as you get under the shelter the CMs will valet park them for you. Unlike standing in the Star Tours line, where you kind of get tired of looking at the non-changing things, since you're surrounded by water, the subs moving, Tomorrowland, and excellent people-watching, the time passes quickly.

And the sign overestimates the wait by about 10 minutes routinely.

 

[DahliaRW]

Our longest wait for Nemo was right when the park opened. We waited a little over an hour. When we went in the evening, we waited 25 minutes. I think it's a better ride after dark too because you don't notice the surface of the water as much at first.

 

[dznee]

anyone know why FP is not offered for Nemo?

 

[daneenm]

In August, we wasted all but 10 minutes of our MM waiting in line for and riding Nemo, and WE WERE ON THE FIRST SUB! The line was horrendous the entire rest of the day, each time we passed by. I would say, if you must ride, do it first.

 

[northshoremama]

anyone know why FP is not offered for Nemo?

no FP for Nemo

 

[CandCMommy]

We rode Nemo at about 8:15-8:30 on Thursday night. The wait was only 30 minutes tops. We got off right as they started the fireworks so it may have been just a tad later than that.

 

[CrazyDuck]

The best time to do Nemo is 1 minute before the park closes... That way you can get everything else done rather than waste your valuable park hours standing in line!

 

[wmp.dll]

We did it after the park had opened. We weren't there for the rope drop, but they were just opening the line when we had gotten to Nemo. Morning is the best in my opinion. The line is going to be long because Nemo is a slow loading ride.

 

[firsttimemom]

Thanks for the positive feedback about riding in the evening. The parks open at 8AM during our trip. I'd probably encounter some serious resistance if I told DH and kids we had to be at the gates at 6:30.

 

[cheshiregirl]

Sometimes you can just randomly hit a lull in the crowd. We hit Nemo at 11:30 on a Tuesday morning (which Ridemax will tell you is bad) and only waited 30 minutes. So, if you happen to be in the vicinity of Nemo, check the line and you might just be surprised!

 

[glendalais]

anyone know why FP is not offered for Nemo?

To make the long technical discussion short, it's a very slow-loading Attraction.

If Nemo had FP, it would only be able to give out a ridicuously small amount compared to Space or Buzz (say 500 vs. maybe 2000 or so for Buzz). Any more than that, and the Stand By line would be at a standstill all day.

 

[TheAXIOM]

Right when the park opens to avoid those 1 hour wait times.
'Nuff said.