[Question] What should we expect.

[Kevin Noty]

OK the day is drawing near, June 25 we got to the parks as a family. My two sisters, myself, and my brother in law. So how have the crowds been generally during the week for both parks?I was last at DL on june 14 so i have nothing to gauge it by. I have seen the numbers for RSR and Luigi's tires so i kinda know what to expect there. Here's our plan, Hit DCA at 8am when the park opens for us, head over to RSR and get that out of the way and the other two attractions. Then hit the other areas of DCA, Ariels, hopefully TSMM depending on the wait,and that might be about it, but two others might want to go on Screamin'.

1. So what have the waits been like outside of Radiator Springs? Just generally nothing concrete but would like a " we waited 1 hour" as opposed to" we waited a long time"

Then we plan on going to Dl for the rest of the day. Hitting pretty much everything i can think of, possible even Fantasy land.

2. How have the wait times been over there since the opening of CL?
3. Im trying to "plan" a route for my family, so we can maximize our time. As one of my sisters is a lets go here on one side of the park, now lets go all the way over to the other, then back again lol. So im trying to keep that to a minimum because my BIL gets tired because he had a stroke recently.
3. Ok so its a special day june 25 for me, and i really want to go to Steakhouse 55 at the DLH. Are there any good restaurants in the parks like this that are NOT ala cart. I have 4 dining certificates from work so yes i do have the money for it but i really cant think of anything that isnt ala cart.
4. PLUS has anyone done the lunchs for WOC? do you think they are worth it to get a good viewing area or are my chances better going to rapids to get one on my own?

[Kevin Noty]

Re: What should we expect.

hm no one?

[Disneyland 1951]

Re: What should we expect.



1-2. Here is the typical wait times for most attractions this week. This half of the board did not include Tower of Terror (45 min) Toy Story (50 min) Soaring (40) or Grizzly (30). Major attractions are a little shorter than a normal crowded day. A suprise is that many small attractions now have longer waits. Bugs land waits are twice normal, maybe because of the entrance/exit at Bugs land. It has been crowded at DCA but with the walls down and Cars land it can absorb more people. The crowds are now more spread out at DCA.

RSR Fastpass line is long 20-40 min, and are gone by 9:10am or earlier. Mater is the shortest wait in CL, because it similar to a kiddie ride (Ladybug Boogie). Mater is worth riding once, the only reason to rind more than once lis to the different Mater songs (But you do not have to ride to listen. I found Lugi's to be fun, but yesterday they were trying different loading, (Giving everyone a ball to hold), and it makes it even slower loading.

3. I like Steakhouse 55. Most other sit down resturants I think are just OK. For a lighter meal I have always liked Carnation Cafe in DL. They removed some of my favorites. Wine Country meals are pretty good, and worth it, but despite having a large staff the service is slow.

4. WOC lunches / Dinners: At Wine Country the WOC menu is limited, but pretty good (Ariels was better but no more WOC). The Carthay resturant has had good reviews, the menu is bold but is not my cup of tea (Bacon Shrimp, Lamb Pasta, Chicken Meatballs, Quail, etc). If yu want the better front and center location then get a WOC dinner. The WOC Lunch boxes are just a cold lunch box and you get the identical fastpass that are available all day at Grizzly fastpass machines with little or no wait for free.

No need to travel back and forth across DCA, just take your time and enjoy the new BVS, characters, Mad T Party, etc.
Have fun.

Disneyland is also busy, but the only longer than normal wait is the Matterhorn.

[Bongo]

Re: What should we expect.

How could you not mention Flo's V8? It really depends on what you like to eat. I always prefer the New York Strip Loin with the sides of corn and mashed potatoes with gravy on it, as well as their specialty vanilla shake and, if I could manage, the mud pie. If you're adventurous enough, you could try the Pork Loin as it comes with Coca Cola flavored BBQ sauce. There are 2 wings where you can eat; the Cafe and the Medical Clinic. Both are highly themed and wonderful to sit in and look at. The cafe show's a bunch of records and tells the story of how Flo used to be a famous singer. The medical clinic features many in-cheek humor, such as posters displaying healthy combustion chambers, x-ray's of some of the resident's motors, eye charts, and many props lining the wall. However, the inside of both sections smell like tire rubber, whether to good or bad effect is your choice. If you can't stand it, just go outside on the patio or gas station tables. Maybe I should of also mentioned that they serve breakfast from opening to 11, lunch from 11 to ?, and dinner from ? to closing.

Also, grab Tower of Terror and Radiator Springs Racer fast passes as soon as possible, and get in line as soon as the park opens. Times can change rapidly from about 1 hour waits to 8 hours.

Also, expect a few breakdowns in the day. A lot of break downs actually. Also you'll enjoy the queue of the ride because you get to see the backstory of Stanley's Oasis and the history of Radiator Springs. Also, if you're into country, the queue's music will either drive you to bounce to the rhythm or dig your ears out. Cars can seat groups of 6; 2 rows with 3 people in each. Some effects may not work as well due to technical difficulties with the rid being so new; some sounds don't play and projected mouths may not be synced with the movements of the animatronics at times, causing their mouths to bounce all over the place.

Also, whatever you do, after you visit Radiator Springs Racers, you MUST check out the Blue Sky Cellar. It's located at the opposite end of the front of Carsland's entrance. They still have props from the previous exhibit where they showcased the behind the scenes of Carsland. But the main highlight is the new exhibit where it shows a much more detailed look at Radiator Springs' history. They have fake props set around such as Cars photographs, event posters, newspapers, and certificates that all correspond to various Radiator Springs' residents, such as Sheriff, Filmore, Ramone, etc. My personal favorite has to either be Red's backstory or Sarge's.

They are also screening a special never-before-seen Cars Toons entiled 'Time Travel Mater', where we get to see Radiator Sings when it was just literally a spring and learn the history of how it became what it is today. I haven't seen it posted anywhere online, and to my knowledge, is the only place you can view the film at the moment. Correct me if I'm wrong. It has lot's of visual gags and a guest star that has a major role in it. No spoilers as to what they are though, and try not to spoil yourself hunting down the clip or reading up on it before you see it. After you watch the program, be sure to look at the other props in the room that tie in with the film you just watched. They're highly detailed and worth taking many pictures of before they're sent back into storage.


And about Tower of Terror, the ride MAY break down and they MAY have only one elevator in service causing the wait times to explode. It happened to me once and I just thought I'd like to tell you. Ariel's is a cute ride and the line should be going pretty quick. The ride also shorter than I expected, so I ended up riding a few times after that.


Ride the Red Car Trolley from the Tower of Terror to the front gate. although not the fastest mode of transportation, it is relaxingly fun. Check out Elias & Co. to see if they still have any opening day T-shirts left. Those are the last in stock and they won't be reproduced. While at the front gate, head to the Red Car Trolley station and grab a small stack of newspapers. You can take as many as you'd like. I already have a stack of about 30 and it's still growing. Issue 1 Vol 1 they all read. I'm hoping that once they go out of print they become collector's items, much like the opening day T-Shirt. They will release the next issue next month. And if you spot any characters on Buena Vista Street, talk with them and ask for their story of how they got on the street! I love talking with the Police Officer! He's so fun to talk to.

For a route, it's all up to you.


Disneyland is pretty much...Disneyland. I'm sure there are other threads and advice you can read up on about the park. Carsland should be sucking some of the crowd away from Disneyland from opening hours to 12:00. So if you're done with DCA before 12:00, head to Disneyland and enjoy lighter crowds. I reccomend that you ride the Horse Drawn Street Cars at least once, listen to the Dapper Dans, request a song from the Ragtime Pianist, attend the flag ceremony, and ask for a tender ride up at Main Street USA.

Hope we were both of help!

PS: I hope I'm not too late

PSS: Coincidence I plan on going Monday as well? Except spending my time in Disneyland.

[Kevin Noty]

Re: What should we expect.

Nope not to late BONGo, and ty. Also ty DL1951 all very good information, I hope the wait times are not to bad as its a Monday and we will be there early at 7Am so i hope that will help too, what ill do is get FP for RSR(sorry i hate TOT lol) and go on other things till the time comes up.

[Bongo]

Re: What should we expect.

B...but at the end of the ride you get to ask the over-used joke asking Cast Members if the rooms will have complimentary towels and what not...

[StaceeyL]

Re: What should we expect.

My sons went on RSR Wednesday. We thought being the middle of the week it wouldn't be such a long line. They got in line at about 4:30 and got off the ride at 7:15. They probably made the mistake of waiting till midday to ride it, but I went back around 9pm and the line said 180 minutes wait time. Hope you guys don't have to wait that long.

[swampymarsh]

Re: What should we expect.

I would have your sister that likes to run to and fro get FPs for everyone. Once each ticket has been used to enter she can take all of them and get the FPs.

I would surely first get the RSR FP, it will take a while but I would suggest you do this and send everyone else into CL from the Pacific Wharf entrance. Ride LFT and MJJ after getting the RSR FPs. Use your FPs in the evening when it's getting dark. Go to DCA then DL then back to DCA.

Other than CL attractions and TSMM and MFW, you should fine reasonable waits in the parks if you use FP for attractions it's available on. The Matterhorn will probably be a bad non FP wait, if it is go in the Single Rider Line and split up for that attraction.


WCT lunch is for blue WoC FPs, WCT dinner and CCR are for the preferred viewing area FPs. At CCR everyone needs to order and entree with either an appetizer of desser.

[ghosty4]

Re: What should we expect.

If it's a special day and you want to go to Steakhouse 55, I say go to Steakhouse 55! Call the dining line to see if they have any openings. Obviously, being a steakhouse, nothing is going to be coming close to the experience, but my favorite place to eat is The River Belle Terrace, with my second favorite being Flo's.

Since you don't like ToT, I would suggest your game plan would be RSR, Luigi's and TSMM as soon as possible because those are the top offenders for lengthy lines currently. Wait to ride Screamin' and especially Ariel's until after those three.

As far as Disneyland is concerned, that battle plan never changes, FP for Space while riding Indy, or vice versa. I don't ride Splash Mountain, but you should get a FP for that one as well, since that can also get to a 40-60+ minute wait time. Everything else should have less than a 30 minute wait for most of the day.