Yesterday, I finally hit Cars Land at California Adventure to see what all of the hype was about. The rumors that it’s crowded are true, but here are three tips to take with you the next time you visit the park. I also included some fun photos from the day. I will be doing a few Disney posts throughout the year as I put my new Annual Pass to good use.
Three Tips to Maximize Your Cars Land Experience
1. Arrive Early: I cannot stress this enough. If the park opens at 8 a.m., this is the first place you go. Don’t stop to eat, use the restroom, grab a map of the park . . . just beeline straight to Cars Land. In fact, map out your route before you go, so you know exactly what you are doing when you get there. If you think this area will easily be a Fast Pass type of attraction, think again. Fast Passes were gone by 8:30 a.m. on a Sunday. Make this area of the park a priority and spend your morning here. Get it done and then enjoy the rest of your day at Disneyland and California Adventure. Annual Passholders, this is the time to register for your early entry to California Adventure. Dates are very limited at this point, but it is a great perk for Passholders.
Lydia grabbing the beach ball at the start of Luigi’s Flying Tires . . a ride not worthy of the wait.
2. Single Rider Line: Thanks to my friend, Lydia, who had been to Cars Land earlier in the week, this was the greatest cheat of the day. If you are able and willing to split up your party, try this line first. While the wait in the Standby Line was already at two hours for the Radiator Springs Racers within thirty minutes of the park’s open, we easily breezed through the Single Rider Line in thirty minutes. Yes, we did get split up, but only by a car or two. This made the day so much easier for us since we hit the hottest ride in the park first. This doesn’t work on the other two attractions in Cars Land, since there is only a Standby Line for the Radiator Springs Racers and trust me, you will wish there was a Single Rider Line for the ridiculous wait for Luigi’s Flying Tires which is a mediocre ride at best.
3. Get The Heck Out: After you have hit the three attractions (The third attraction is Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, more of a kiddie ride.), get the heck out of Cars Land. It is so crowded since it is the height of the summer season. This is not the place to stop and eat or shop right now. If you live in the Southern California area and have the luxury of returning in the fall, wait to see the rest of the sights and save the photo-ops until September. This area of the park can suck up so much time and take up most of your day if you don’t plan accordingly. California Adventure has upgraded the park in the last few years with fun attractions like Monsters, Inc.: Mike & Sully to the Rescue, Toy Story Mania, and The Little Mermaid-Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, you want to make sure to hit all that it has to offer. (Don’t forget Tower of Terror and Soarin’ Over California, my two favorite rides in the park along with the new Radiator Springs Racers.)
I hope these tips help your day at the park that much easier and stress-free. Let me know if you have any great tips to maneuver through Cars Land that I missed. I will be bringing you more ideas as the season progresses.
More photos from my day at Disneyland and California Adventure are available on Instagram: @KristynBurtt.
Kristyn Burtt is a TV Host, Entertainment Reporter, and Former Couch Potato turned Mouse Potato living in Los Angeles. For more Hollywood scoop, follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and on her site, Red Carpet Closet.
