Guide to Short Lines and FastPass Disney Vacations
You don't want to spend your entire Disneyland Vacation standing
in long lines. This can be avoided by using Disneyland FastPass.
FastPass can be obtained from machines located near the rides
that accept FastPass.
This doesn't mean that you get to immediately move to the front
of the line. It is more like scheduling an appointment for the
ride later in the day - at which time you actually will move to
the front of the line. In the meantime, you are free to go enjoy
other sites and rides around the park. When you obtain a
FastPass ticket, you will be given a one hour time in which to
enjoy the ride. For instance, your FastPass ticket may say 11am
to 12pm. This means that you can show up and move to the front
of the line between the hours of 11am and 12pm. You must have
your Disneyland ticket in order to obtain a FastPass ticket. At
Disneyland, FastPasses are available for Indiana Jones, Splash
Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Roger Rabbits Cartoon
Spin, Autopia, Space Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear.
One source of frustration for many visitors at Disneyland is the
long lines for the rides. You can literally spend several hours
of the day standing in line to ride popular attractions. These
lines can be avoided in one of three ways. Get to the park
early. The lines are shorter in the morning when the park first
opens. Instead of jumping in line for the first ride you see,
head for the rides that you really want to ride the most - the
most popular rides. Another option is to purchase FastPass
tickets for the rides that offer them. Again, do this early to
ensure that you get to ride those rides earlier in the day.
The third option to avoid long lines at Disneyland is to ride
many of the popular rides later in the evening, while the
majority of people are enjoying the entertainment. Disneyland
has nightly entertainment, and this is a good time to find
shorter lines. Of course, it will mean that you probably miss
the entertainment, so if you can use one of the other options
for shorter lines at Disneyland, you should probably do so.