Take a trip down Route 66 into Radiator Springs (also known as Cars Land) at Disney California Adventure, then make a right turn to get to Radiator Spring Racers! Woah! Slam on the brakes! There are three entrances to this ride. Which lane should you merge into? The right lane is the slow lane, otherwise known as the standby line. The left lane is a faster lane for Single Riders (it's like the opposite of a carpool or HOV lane, but gets you on the ride much faster than the standby line). And the middle lane is a fast lane with a "toll," called the Lightning Lane. Ka-chow!
Radiator Springs Racers is one of the most popular rides at Disney California Adventure. It’s on our must-do list — and for good reason! With this handy guide, we can help you avoid rush hour and find the shortest wait. Without further ado, here’s everything to know about Radiator Springs Racers!
All the Details About Radiator Springs Racers
This ride is partially an indoor dark ride, with an element of high-speed outdoor racing through the desert. Hop into a six-passenger vehicle, with three seats in front and three in back (similar to Test Track at EPCOT) for a ride through Ornament Valley. You’ll zoom through the hills of a scenic highway and also visit your friends from the "Cars" films on this mini road trip. Make a pit stop to get a snazzy paint job from Ramon or new whitewall tires from Luigi.
Then you’ll meet your opponent for an epic race through the hills — ending with a picture-perfect finish. Whether you win or lose the race, you'll end the ride a winner when it comes to fun! Also, as Lightning McQueen and Mater would tell you, we all win. Why? "Because we made new friends!"
While the ride is exciting, it does not have any large hills. While racing, you'll go over bunny hills and zoom through high-banked turns around the rock formations. The views are amazing! The vehicle reaches a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h). It serves as a good first thrill ride for tadpoles seeking something a little more frogciting.
Don't froget to remove those hats and ears before the ride begins! We've lost our hats while racing.
There is a separate loading area for people with physical limitations who need extra time for loading and unloading. You must transfer from a wheelchair to get on this ride.
Height Requirement
Unfrogtunately, smaller tadpoles will be sad to know that Radiator Springs Racers has a height requirement (as do all of the attractions in Cars Land). Racers must be 40 inches (102 cm) or taller. We recommend putting shorter frogs who make the cut in a front seat (request an odd-numbered row) so they can see the best. We have a hopful post on all of the Disneyland height requirements.
Rider Switch
If some of your smaller tadpoles do not measure up, be sure to ask about Rider Switch. Bring your whole party to the line entrance. Ask a cast member for Rider Switch, designate a member of your group to be the first babysitter for the tadpole(s) and then assign another person to ride with them once the first riders return. Present their tickets (in the Disneyland app) and those two people will be able to board later through the Lightning Lane. Psst … the guest who accompanies the sitter on Rider Switch can also ride with the first party — getting to ride twice!
Other Rides in Cars Land
The other rides in Cars Land have a lower height requirement for tadpoles not quite ready to join the big race at Radiator Springs Racers. Both Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree have a height requirement of 32 inches (81 cm) or taller.
How to Get the Shortest Wait on Radiator Springs Racers
We get the most questions about how and when to ride Radiator Springs Racers and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland. We all want to win the race and be the fastest to the front of the line! Each of those rides is the most popular ride in its park, as demonstrated by wait times and consistent demand. We have a whole post dedicated to Rise of the Resistance, and today we discuss Radiator Springs Racers. Both these rides are incredibly immersive and fun. But they also can be unpredictable when it comes to operations, which is why we have several tips for both rides. We advise readers to be flexible to more than one way to ride. There are many strategies for getting on Radiator Springs Racers. Here are a few of them!
Rope Drop
Radiator Springs Racers is not open during Early Entry at Disney California Adventure. That means that all guests have to wait until at least park opening to ride. Many people rush to Radiator Springs Racers to ride this first thing in the morning. A. Lot. Of. People. Should you do it? We offer some pros and cons for rope-dropping this ride. (Plus, we have a whole post on Rope Drop strategies at Disney California Adventure.)
Pros: If you are at the front of the line, you may get in and out of this ride quickly, checking it off your to-do list. If you have Early Entry, use the end of your Early Entry time to get to this ride before the rope droppers get there at park opening. You'll line up on the right side of Route 66 and the ride entrance. If you do not have Early Entry, we recommend rope dropping this ride on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. Why? Because the Early Entry guests will all be at Disneyland Park, giving regular park guests a better shot at a shorter wait.
Cons: It seems more often than not on our visits, Radiator Springs Racers has a delay in opening. If the ride is not open, you need to find a different strategy. If you are at the back of the crowd getting to Radiator Springs Racers, you may end up waiting at least an hour. That first hour of park opening is critical for knocking out a lot of rides with short wait times. If you spend it waiting for one ride, you will then also face longer lines for all other rides once you exit it.
We much prefer to hit the Pixar Pier area and ride Pixar Pal-A-Round, Toy Story Midway Mania and Incredicoaster before returning to Cars Land. Once we return to Cars Land, we go to Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters, then hit the Single Riders line for Radiator Springs Racers in about the same amount of time it could have taken us to wait in the standby line for that one ride. Yikes!
End of the Night
Some nights you can hop in line in the last hour before the park closes. The park thins out near the end of the night and during the first World of Color. But there is a final surge in the line after the first World of Color ends and viewers race to this ride before the park closes. If you are in line when the park closes, you can stay in line until you ride. The problem with this method is that you could lose your opportunity to ride if the ride breaks down and doesn’t reopen. Also, do not go into this expecting a really short line.
Ride During Special Events
The shortest lines we ever see for this ride hoppen to be during Oogie Boogie Bash and the Disneyland After Dark parties (when they occur at Disney California Adventure). With low park capacity and other entertainment to keep guests busy, the wait times are extremely short — even for this popular ride.
Buy Your Way In
You can purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass (formerly individual Lightning Lane) for this ride through the Disneyland app after you have entered a theme park for the day. The ride is not included in Lightning Lane Multi Pass (formerly Genie+). But for a fee, you can use the Lightning Lane to get a significantly shorter wait for this ride. The price varies per day, based on demand. It's about $18 to 25 per person. Lightning Lanes can be purchased through the Disneyland app.
We highly recommend this option if it’s feasible within your budget, and you want to ride together rather than splitting up as you would in the Single Rider line. It may be worthwhile if you are on a trip of a lifetime and have a limited time to do and see it all. Saving 90 to 120 minutes in line may mean riding many other rides or having time for a table-service meal.
You can only purchase the Lightning Lane for this ride once per day. You can purchase a maximum of two Lightning Lane Single Pass rides per day. If for some reason the ride breaks down in your window, you will have until the end of the day to ride. If it breaks down and you cannot ride, your Lightning Lane Single Pass fee will automatically be refunded within a few business days.
Single Rider
This is our favorite way to skip the line for Radiator Springs Racers, especially in the morning when the Single Rider line is the shortest. Because the car accommodates two rows of three people, that leaves a lot of empty seats to fill next to parties of two, four and five, making this a dream ride for Single Riders. And it doesn’t cost any extra money, which makes our travel budget hoppy.
There are a few things you need to know about Single Rider lines. All Single Riders must be at least 7 years old and willing to split up from their party to fill in single seats. That means you may be in completely different vehicles from each other.
Don't bring a child who is afraid to ride without you into this line. Do not take your child to the front of the Single Rider line and ask to be seated together or ask for a certain seat. If you need to ride together or have a seat preference, then use the standby line or Lightning Lane.
Keep in mind that a PhotoPass photo is taken at the finish line. If it’s important to you to be in the photo with your party, the Single Riders line may not be for you. Frankly, we love it when we get lucky and get to race against someone in our party. When we separate, we meet the rest of our party near the photo viewing area. We ask each other, "Did you win? Did you get tires or paint?" It's always fun to compare races and see each other's photos.
Rider Switch
Do you have a small child who does not meet the height requirement? Use Rider Switch (as mentioned above). One person or party can wait in line or use a Lightning Lane while the rest of the babysitting party does something else. Then, the babysitter and one other guest can use the Lightning Lane. Let’s say you are a party of five with a mom, dad, an older kid and a baby. You can purchase a Lightning Lane just for dad, and add mom and the older kid to Rider Switch. Once dad returns, mom and the kid can ride. Don’t want to pay but still want to save time? Dad and the older kid can ride Single Rider, and then the kid can ride again with mom.
Use DAS (only for eligible guests and their party)
The Radiator Springs Racers line is ADA-compatible and fits wheelchairs and ECVs. However, some people have hidden disabilities (such as autism or a related cognitive disability) that do not allow them to wait in a standard queue, especially one as long as this line. Those individuals may qualify for Disability Access Service (DAS). A DAS user can acquire a return time for Radiator Springs Racers that is equivalent to the current wait time. They won’t have a shorter wait than other guests, but they will be able to wait outside the queue and return when it’s time to ride via the Lightning Lane. They do not need to pay a Lightning Lane Single Pass fee to access the Lightning Lane.
Fun Facts About Radiator Springs Racers
There are so many details built into this ride and queue. The jaw-dropping backdrop of Radiator Springs Racers looks so realistic. We’ve had people see our vacation photos and ask where we visited in the desert! The light hits the hills differently throughout the day, always allowing us to see it in a new light. Plus, the ride is glowing orange at night! It's so beautiful! The hills of Radiator Springs glow green and purple during Halloween Time. It's one of our favorite times to ride!
With a construction cost of over $200 million, Radiator Springs Racers is the most expensive ride at Disneyland Resort and one of the most expensive theme park attractions in the entire world! In comparison, it cost $17 million to build Disneyland in 1955 (which would be equivalent to $189,036,194 in 2023).
The Cadillac Range mountains serve as a majestic backdrop for Radiator Springs Racers. Car buffs may notice the six mountain peaks look like tail fins of classic Cadillac models from 1957 to 1962. These mountains are inspired by the Cadillac Ranch public art installation along Route 66 near Amarillo, TX.
In the ride queue, look for a grouping of license plates from states that Route 66 passes through. These include California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.
In the queue, you’ll pass through the Oil Bottle House, made from recycled glass oil bottles and cement. Inside a plaque reads, “This world-famous structure is made from genuine oil bottles saved after being consumed by Route 66 travelers visiting Stanley’s Oasis. Stacked upwards from end to end, these bottles would tower past the tallest fin in the Cadillac Mountain Range and reach almost one hundred and twenty-six-thousandths the distance to the moon.”
On the ride itself, meet Mack, Sheriff, Mater, Frank, Fillmore, Sarge, Lightning McQueen, Doc Hudson, Sally, Luigi, Guido and Ramone on your journey to the big race.
Look for a hidden Mickey of a cactus in the planter. As you make your way to the ride at the end of Route 66, look up high at the wire on the left to see a hidden Mickey.
As you walk along the backside of Flo’s, you can watch the cars race by. Be sure to read the road signs. The tunnel looking back at the Cadillac Mountain Range from San Fransokyo Square is one of our favorite photo spots.
Do you have any questions about Radiator Springs Racers? Please drop them in the comments sections below. Looking to visit Radiator Springs Racers? You can save for some gas money by purchasing discount Disneyland Resort tickets through Undercover Tourist.
Related: Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters & Other Must-See Cars Land Attractions
Related: All of the Not-to-Miss Rides, Experiences and Food at Disney California Adventure Park
Keep hopping!
