WDW veteran needs some help planning Disneyland - no wait attractions?

[newdeal]

I have been to WDW many many times, only twice to Disneyland and it was a very long time ago. I have been researching in order to make the most of our trip, however I was wondering if anyone can give me some help. Specifically I am wondering what the attractions are that generally have little to no wait time? I am referring to what rides at Disneyland are the equivalent of Mickeys Philharmagic, people mover, carousel of progress etc at WDW where you can walk on at almost any time of day? We like to get fast passes, ride popular rides with short standby lines in the morning, and then in the afternoon mix fastpass usage in with those rides which have basically no wait at all times of day. Just wondering what those are at Disneyland/California Adventure?

 

[DLgal]

There really aren't any things you can just walk onto without a wait. That said, the lowest wait time attractions are the carousel, Pinocchio's Journey, the railroad (although sometimes this has a very long wait), the canoes, Teacups, monorail, Snow White, and Mr. Toad. Over at DCA, Little Mermaid and Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, and the rapids ride in the cooler months.

 

[midnight star]

Also Tarzan's treehouse

 

[HydroGuy]

Tiki Room
Mark Twain
Columbia Sailing Ship
Winnie the Pooh (often but always)
Great Moments with Abraham Lincoln
Tarzan's Treehouse
Castle Walk Through

Little Mermaid (not like WDW where there is often a long line - usually LM is 2-5 minutes and sometimes 10)
Animation Academy
Turtle Talk with Crush
Sorceror's Workshop
Red Car Trolley
Bakery Tour

 

[Malcon10t]

In addition to the rides, there are often "shows" that are passing by you can catch. The band at the Castle, the pirate band in NOS, stormtroopers in Tomorrowland, Dapper Dan's, etc... There are a lot of things to do between rides!

 

[bryanb]

I'll also note that your wait times will be, on average, much shorter than the wait times at WDW. Although Disneyland Resort has just two theme parks, there are a larger total number of attractions per park.

This means that the typical visitor can pull more Fastpasses (it's not just because of FP+ vs MaxPass), and many attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean don't even need FP, especially at night when its a quick wait.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

What are your trip dates? Be aware that wait times can be longer than expected during low season/non-peak times because Disney runs the parks at lower staffing and runs rides at lower capacity (fewer ride vehicles and lower staffing). During high season/peak times, Disney runs rides with much more staff and with more vehicles, so the lines tend to move more quickly to move more guests through per hour.

 

[newdeal]

we would be going at the end of March which seems to be a peak time from what I can see when I look at the ticket price tiers

 

[cruisehopeful]

There are several rides that have shorter single rider lines. If you don't mind riding in different vehicles, you can save some time doing that.

Monster's Inc has a buddy pass. Ask for it at the beginning of the line it's for one or 2 people. You get to go in through the exit with it and usually get on in a couple minutes.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Using SR on the rides that have it is a good suggestion. For the members of your group who are old enough to use it, this can be a great way to get repeat rides fairly quickly.

 

[figment_jii]

A few more at DCA that often seem to have a minimal wait are the Golden Zephyr, Jumpin' Jellyfish, and Silly Symphony Swings.