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.