Cars Land Tips & Tricks
Cars Land at Disney California Adventure has solidified its place as one of the most popular theme park lands at Disneyland Resort. This guide covers saving time in line for Radiator Springs Racers, what to eat, secret spots & moments, and more in this truly magical area of DCA. (Updated June 15, 2022.)
For Summer 2022, we’re revisiting this guide to Cars Land with some fresh tips & tricks in honor of the 10th Anniversary of Cars Land! It’s hard to believe that Disney California Adventure 2.0 is now a decade old, existing almost as long as the original incarnation of the park. Both Buena Vista Street and Cars Land still feel simultaneously new and like they’ve always been a part of the park.
Starting with a drive down memory lane, Cars Land opened on June 15, 2012. The new land played fast and loose with the park’s California theme, expanding that to Route 66 while bringing guests into Radiator Springs. The land felt like stepping into the “set” of a Pixar film, and still does! Spanning a whopping 12 acres, Cars Land today remains something special.
Cars Land is also one of the biggest reasons why Walt Disney World fans should make the road trip to Disneyland Resort. The entire Route 66 is fantastic, right up there with New Orleans Square as unique-to-Disneyland lands that every Walt Disney World fan should see. (We’d also include Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, and Avengers Campus on that list–albeit much lower down.)
With that said, let’s get this guide to Cars Land rolling! (Okay, sorry for that awful pun…but it’s pretty consistent with the generally corny writing style of this blog, so are you really that surprised?)
5. Saving Time
Rope drop at Disney California Adventure might as well be called the “Race for Racers,” because the vast majority of guests prioritize Radiator Springs Racers over everything else. This remains true a decade later, even after the addition of other popular newer rides like Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.
There’s a reason Radiator Springs Racers is #5 on our list of Disneyland & DCA Ride Rankings, and the #1 attraction in Disney California Adventure. It’s a masterpiece of modern Imagineering, right behind Indiana Jones Adventure and the longer Pirates of the Caribbean as the most compelling rides that Walt Disney World fans need to visit California to experience.
Radiator Springs Racers is so good that you’ll probably want to ride more than once. Fortunately, there are a few different ways to approach Radiator Springs Racers to accomplish exactly that–and minimize your time waiting in line.
First, the straightforward rope drop dash.
This is the tried and true method. As noted above, it’s also what most DCA visitors will do. As discussed in our 1-Day Disney California Adventure Itinerary, we favor starting in Avengers Campus instead. Our reasoning is that it’s easier to knock out two headliners early-on by starting on that side of the park.
The fastest option for experiencing Radiator Springs Racers is purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane. While we’re not personally keen on the pay-per-ride option, we’ve also experienced Radiator Springs Racers (literally) hundreds of times and thus have no sense of urgency.
If we’d never done it before, we’d probably pay to skip the line and do Radiator Springs Racers around sunset, dusk, or late at night. See our Guide to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Disneyland Resort for more info.
Another option–and one we use regularly–is the Single Rider line. If this line is backed up to near the bridge, we recommend getting out of line and coming back later.
Wait times for this fluctuate dramatically, but tend to be lower earlier in the day or towards the very end of the night. They’re usually worst on afternoon, weekends, and any other times when Californians are disproportionately visiting DCA. Locals tend utilize the Single Rider line with much more frequency than tourists.
Our final strategy is getting in line 5 minutes before Disney California Adventure closes for the night.
Ignore the posted wait time, as that’s always inflated to discourage guests from jumping in line for one final ride of the evening. Typically, the line dies down a bit by this point, but the real benefit is that you’ll be “wasting” your time waiting in line after the park is closed, anyway, so it’s not like you’re missing out on valuable park time. Plus, you exit to a mostly-empty Route 66, which is pretty cool.
The one thing you should avoid is getting in the regular standby line during the middle of the day.
Typically, wait times for Radiator Springs Racers are consistently bad between around 11 am and 8 pm. There are a couple of reprieves during this, however. The first is at noon, which is when most people are eating. The second is typically around 4 pm; for this one, you need to get in line before or right as the posted wait time falls. Otherwise, rope drop or late nights are your best options.
As for Luigi’s Rollicking Roadsters, morning or late at night are the best options for avoiding long waits. This attraction replaced Luigi’s Flying Tires, which was unpopular due to its learning curve. The new version of the attraction is a trackless ride that should remain popular long-term, and see waits of 30+ minutes most of the day.
Wait times are never really all that bad for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. Make no mistake, though, these are just minor diversions in comparison to Radiator Springs Racers. Think of them as the piece of orange sometimes garnishing a plate with the delicious burger you might order at a restaurant. Sure, oranges are fine, but no one is ordering the burger thinking, “OH MAN, I CAN’T WAIT TO GET MY ORANGE WEDGE!”
4. It Has Great Decent Food
There are two restaurants in Cars Land: Flo’s V8 Cafe and Cozy Cone Motel (click on each name to read our full reviews of those restaurants). There’s also Filmore’s Taste-In, but it just sells fruits and other nonsense that no one wants. Stupid hippy.
The Cozy Cone Motel has grown on us. The Chili Cone Queso and Bacon Mac & Cheese Cones are both winners, and fun handheld foods you can eat on the go. Beyond that, there are some good desserts here, and there’s usually a good seasonal item or two.
The main draw in Cars Land dining is Flo’s V8 Cafe, which has unfortunately fallen from grace considerably since opening.
Flo’s used to have amazing breakfast options and lots of great comfort food options for lunch and dinner. Currently, it doesn’t serve breakfast at all and the lunch & dinner menu is incredibly scaled back. Our pick right now is Flo’s Famous Fried Chicken, but even that is an (expensive) gamble; we’ve had fantastic fried chicken on occasion–but also dry and underwhelming chicken other times.
With that said, Flo’s V8 Cafe remains one of our go-to spots for late afternoons and evenings in Disney California Adventure.
The restaurant’s “back porch” is a relaxing respite from Disneyland Resort’s crowds, and the spot offers a great view of Radiator Springs Racers and the Cadillac Mountain Range. A lot of people pass this right by or don’t see it at all, but it’s accessible both from the inside and outside of the restaurant. A great spot to grab a cold beer or ice cream (or even bring over some bread pudding from Pacific Wharf Cafe) and enjoy some vehicle and people watching.
3. Nightly “Sh-Boom” Lighting Moment
Every night immediately after sunset (no, we cannot give you an exact time…for reasons that should be obvious), the lights go on in Cars Land. You can get the exact time by asking a Cast Member in Cars Land, but in our experience they often don’t know.
Your better bet is to pull up the sunset time on your phone, and to position yourself in front of Flo’s V8 Cafe about 5-10 minutes before this time. The lighting typically occurs about 1-5 minutes after sunset. By positioning yourself in front of Flo’s, you’re right in the middle of the action.
This is just a little thing, so don’t go in with overly high expectations, but if you’re like us, it’s one of those magic moments like the Kiss Goodnight at Walt Disney World that might make your eyes leak a little. There are a lot of videos on YouTube of this moment, but we aren’t going to link to any of them, as we think watching it ahead of time sort of ruins it…
2. Cars Land Hidden Details
Disney is quick to tout the “Disney Details” as the difference between it and competitors. In general, this is the general meticulous level of detail in any (good) project that Walt Disney Imagineering completes.
Frankly, this was something that was generally lacking in Disney California Adventure 1.0, with few exceptions (Golden State being the land that immediately comes to mind). Both new lands, Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, rectified this problem in a big way.
In Cars Land, the Disney Details take two forms: layered organic detail and Easter Eggs. The layered organic details are just the types of thing you’d expect to find in an actual environment like this along Route 66. They give the land depth and make it feel real and lived-in, rather than an artificial theme park environment.
This is my favorite type of detail, as I think it allows you to lose yourself in an environment, and forget you’re in a theme park. Disney’s best work, from New Orleans Square to World Showcase to Tokyo DisneySea, excel in this department. You can add Cars Land to the list of those preceding three examples.
Easter Eggs are a bit different (and more divisive among fans). These are things that do not organically belong in the land, but don’t necessarily detract from it, and give guests familiar with Disney (or whatever is being referenced) a pleasant surprise when they stumble upon them. We have a list of Disneyland Easter Eggs, but that doesn’t cover Cars Land.
These are essentially trivia book and scavenger hunt fodder. A good example of this type of detail is Hidden Mickeys. Cars Land takes this to the next level, with lots of Pixar in-jokes, car culture references, and, of course, Hidden Mickeys.
1. It’s Better at Night
Cars Land looks better at night. Much better. So much better that we highly recommend your first visit to Cars Land being at night, if possible. Obviously this is not going to be possible for many people especially if you’re following our advice about saving time (or if you only have a couple of days at Disneyland Resort), but if you have a longer trip and you can do your first day in Disneyland and Park Hop to Disney California Adventure that night, you won’t regret it.
If you can, here’s exactly what we recommend doing: when you get to the main entrance to Cars Land, instead of turning onto Route 66, keeping walking towards Paradise Pier. On the way, you’ll see a bridge to Pacific Wharf on the left. Take that. Walk all the way through Pacific Wharf, and you’ll come to a bluff that’s part of Cars Land (see the photo above). Walk through that for a real “wow” moment.
Even if that’s not practical, make sure to take the time to visit Cars Land at night. Ornament Valley and the Cadillac Mountain Range in Cars Land are lit beautifully at night, which makes a ride on Radiator Springs Racers at night especially awesome. This is one of the main reasons we recommend riding at night, so the beginning and race sequences of the ride seriously take on a totally different feel at night.
Luigi’s Rollicking Roadsters is also prettier at night, as it’s many strands of popcorn lights plus that beautiful Italian music really make for a peaceful experience. It’s not as improved of an experience at night as Radiator Springs Racers, but the lines are shorter at night anyway, so hey, why not?
Then, there’s the neon lighting. So much glorious neon. If you are like me, you will be enamored with these neon lights like a raccoon who has just found a shiny piece of tinfoil in the trash. Not that the neon lighting is anything like tinfoil that’s been found in trash, but you get the idea.
Thanks to the neon, Cars Land at night truly feels like the “set” from the movie Cars. We know animated movies don’t have sets, but you’ll know exactly what we mean when you step foot in that land at night. Radiator Springs Racers might be the most popular Disney ride anywhere right now, but that land itself at night is the true E-Ticket experience. Do not miss it.
It’s also pretty awesome at night during Christmas at Disneyland Resort. The decorations sort of combine #1 and #2. Some people don’t like them, but we love them.
That covers our tips for visiting Cars Land. By following these you can save yourself a lot of time and potentially improve your experience, but they just scratch the surface of what Cars Land has to offer. The important thing to keep in mind is that Cars Land isn’t just a land to run through to get to Radiator Springs Racers. It’s a place that should be slowed down and savored. If you do, you might be surprised at just how much time you spend in Cars Land!
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
Your Thoughts
If you’ve been to Cars Land, what else do you recommend for the best possible experience there? Any tips to add? If you haven’t been, what interests you more: the general ambiance of the land or Radiator Springs Racers? Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments section below!
I adore Carsland. We were there June 2022 and my jaw was on the floor coming around the corner into the land. We’ve been fortunate enough to visit at Xmas and Halloween and it’s Disney Imagineering at its very best. I am so glad we had the chance to experience Luigis flying tires too. I wish every new land *cough* Toy Story land *cough* could be as immersive (and have as much shade)
We will make a point of being in Cars Land at dusk and be sure to look for Flo’s “back porch”. Thanks for the tips!
Tom we’re possibly going to DCA in April and I’m wondering if your Cars Land post is current in terms of RSR strategy? Single rider isn’t an option as we have a younger child. Thank you!
My adult son and I went to Disneyland resort a few weeks ago. We rode Radiator Springs Racers two to four times a day while we were there. We always went the single rider route. Ten minutes was the longest we ever waited in line. We were usually in separate cars, but we were OK with that. One time we were actually in the same car. A couple times we were racing each other. That added to the fun.
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree was another ride we enjoyed. It is a silly little ride, but it was a blast!
The single rider line is normally the best bet. No fast pass required, and I have seen it actually faster than the fast pass line.
Dec 1st we camped out in RS to catch the Sh’Boom moment, only to discover that they changed the song for Christmas. Some unmemorable Christmas tune, played at the same volume and on the same system as the regular background music. Underwhelming to say the least. It really could not be called a “moment” Hope to see the real deal someday!
We are used to WDW magicbands, booking 3 FP when staying on site. So for Disneyland SEpt 2015 – are we only allowed one fast pass at a time? So if we ride RSR, and nab another RSR FP for say 7:00 pm – we won’t be able to get another FP all day? Thanks!
If it’s like the old DW system you can get another fast pass once the timeframe on your current one starts or 2 hours after you get the first fast pass. Pretty sure that’s how it works at Disneyland.
Going to DL for the first time in 18 years, and DCA for the first time ever, during the week of July 5th… So thankful for all of your tips and articles! I have to be honest though, the more I read about the busyness of Cars Land, the more nervous I get about how best to navigate the RSR line. Obviously we will be heading there first at rope drop, but it sounds like even that is going to be crazy. If we do wait in the line first thing, is there any hope we will be able to snag FP’s after we ride? Or will they be gone by then?
Grab a fastpass and go on all the other major rides. Then go back to it. If everyone is there sounds like you can take advantage of this
Thanks for the great tips. Haven’t been to Disneyland in 16 years and haven’t ever been to the CA park. Will be going May 26-31 of this year, 3 adults and one 4 year old. What are odds of it being busy at this time since it is the 60th anniversary? Hoping the middle of the week will be somewhat quiet.
Hi Tom,
I’m going with my family to LA in July as schools don’t allow us to take kids out during term time.
We have a 3 day park hopper which has a magic morning included but i understand this doesn’t work for DCA, only valid for Disneyland. Is this true?
If so we will go to DCA on a non-extra hours day so we don’t have hundreds of disney hotel guests in front of us..
We are staying at Best Western opposite park entrance so should be able to get to the front of the queue (i was thinking about 45mins to 1hr before opening). Do you think this is enough to guarantee getting our RSR fastpass immediately?
I have read that it is a good idea to get a FP for RSR then one for World of Color then ride Soarin while waiting for the RSR FP. Would you agree?
I don’t think you need quite this much sense of urgency. You’ll be able to get a FastPass for RSR if you’re there at park opening, even if you aren’t at the front of the line.
FastPasses for World of Color last until midday. Ditto Soarin.’
“There’s also Filmore’s Taste-In, but it just sells fruits and other nonsense that no one wants. Stupid hippy.”
– I think this is the best line I have ever read on your blog. Spectacular!!
Check rain forecasts. It doesn’t rain much in SoCal but that doesn’t mean never. A shower yesterday that would be laughable by WDW standards knocked out RSR for several hours. Guess it’s because the ride is so exposed to the open.
If you avoid the peak days, you don’t necessarily have to be an early bird if you do Single Rider. I didn’t get to the park until 8:30 and did Single Rider twice plus TSM with around 15 min waits for each. (Nov 30 is a “locals” day so maybe they were scared away by the threat of rain.) After that the rest of the E ticket rides still had short waits.
Thank you for tip 3 on the Sh-Boom lighting. I was glad we knew to be there in front of Flo’s at sunset, it was really cute. A bunch of people crowded around and everyone got really excited when the music started and were dancing to it. And the best part was we had RSR fastpasses just 10 minutes after that.
It was so slow last week that we rode RSR 3 times in 1 day because there were still fastpasses available at 2pm we happened to find after we did It’s tough to be a bug. That was a great surprise!
What a Great Find!
Just about a week before we arrive in Disneyland I stumble upon your blog site. Perfect!
I have never been to DL. I’m taking four children ages 6, 7, 9, 10. It’s a reward for their excellent grades in school/combination birthday trip.
We are staying at the Disneyland Hotel/Resort Property. We will have access to all rides @ both parks.
1.) What exactly is a fast pass? What does it entitle us to?
2.) Best “Must Not Miss” rides while there?
Thank you for taking the time to keep us informed with this detailed and interesting blog. I have enjoyed reading it. 😉
The best time to visit Cars Land was during one of the AP Previews in 2012. Lines were reasonable, and it was a once in a lifetime experience to visit BEFORE the land officially opened. I think it was like $75/person to go, but the experience was WELL worth it. It was a brilliant move by the West Coast mouse, which – in general – tends to be more thoughtful in its decisions about the AP experience.
We are in our 3 days out of 4 in DL right now. We found during the parades at DL is a great time to head over to California and do Toy Story Mania and Cars Land. Same as during the World of Color.
And as for Crowd Tracker, the last few days here have had the worst lines I have EVER seen, but Crowd Tracker said it would be a ghost town. One of the DL staff said that coming any time after the first week of January to the end of March is a good bet.
Great tip about the parades being a good time to do attractions.