By D’land Diva
You will be blown away by Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure. When you stumble across the amazing scenery that leads into the ride, as well as the huge line, you may think you will be content just to take in the outside of the ride. Once you ride Radiator Springs Racers, you will not question the two hour line you just stood in to ride it. Yes, the ride is THAT good.
First and foremost, Radiator Springs Racers was designed to be the best part of the new Cars Land. It’s a ride, yes, but it is an amazing spectacle of a ride. The rumors before Cars Land opened is that it was the West Coast version of Test Track at Epcot. I can see where the comparisons were made. But, Radiator Springs Racers demonstrates the latest in animatronics and Imagineering. It is not just a ride, it is AN EXPERIENCE.
Diva Tip: Get a fastpass for this ride right at park opening. The Fastpasses are usually gone within the first few hours of park opening. Fastpass ticket lines have been known to also have long lines. However, if you do not have a fastpass, you may in fact wait in line two hours. This is one popular ride!
The experience begins in the original settlement of Radiator Springs. Like some of the best Disney rides, Radiator Springs Racers tells a story. You will see how Stanley used the natural cold spring in the area to build a coolant station, a building made of empty oil bottles and the Comfy Cavern Motor Court. In other words, you start to see the origins of Radiator Springs.
The ride consists of cars which seat six. At the start of the ride, you are simply touring Monument Valley.This is all outdoors. It is slow moving and very relaxing, especially as you pass by Radiator Falls (an impressive waterfall). Next you will go inside, where you will encounter some of the faces from the Cars story that you love best: Doc Hudson, Lightning McQueen, Mater, Sally and Mack to name a few. The characters will start you on the race, which is the main purpose of the ride. The characters are simply amazing. They move, they talk and you will blown away by how REAL they seem. Be on the lookout for Mater and his tractor tipping tips, one of the highlights of the ride!
From there, you will enter either Luigi’s Tires or Ramone’s Body Art and your race will begin!
Disney Tip: Your car will either go left or right at this point in the ride, which means you may experience the ride differently depending on which side you enter!
The race pits you against another car of riders. You will be moving fast now! There are hills, curves and fun engine speeding sounds as you race past red rocks and through mountain ranges. I’m not going to lie, you will go fast. You will go up and down on the road and around curves fast. If you are at all prone to motion sickness, be aware. It is just a small part of the ride that is fast, but if you are sensitive to fast rides, be cautious. I did not have any problems with it and I can’t ride Space Mountain without feeling motion sick, just to give you a comparison.
Radiator Springs Racer riders must be 40 inches or taller to ride and guests under the age of 7 must be accompanied by a person 14 years or older. My four year old has ridden the ride once, but the speedy parts scared him. If you have younger children, it may be a bit scary. I would give this ride a scare factor of 4, simply because of the speed during part of the ride. They do take your picture while on the ride, and it is available for purchase after you get off the ride at the stand across from the exit.
There is a separate line for guests in wheelchairs and scooters, and those needing extra assistance. On this ride in particular, the fastpass and guest assistance lines can be very long, so plan accordingly.
Ka-Chow!
There’s actually a real-life Radiator Springs. Depew Oklahoma is the first town or city bypassed along Route 66. It happened way back in 1928 and has just now been confirmed. You can get the story on-line by Googling “Depew Oklahoma Radiator Springs.”
The best.