Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway debuted at Disneyland January 27, 2023 with the rest of the land to follow on March 19, 2023. I was there opening weekend, just as I was for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance which used similar strategies to ride when it first opened. My real-life experience and tips are here to help you get on board. That includes everyone—this ride has no height requirement!
I’ve also covered the entire reimagineering of Mickey’s Toontown here where you can read about new attractions, the layout of the land, food and more.
Increase Your Chances to Ride Right Now
If you want to increase your chance of riding Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, you must be prepared even before you leave the house to Disneyland.
- Secure your tickets and theme park reservations. Discount tickets are available here. Be sure to buy multi-day tickets with a Park Hopper to increase your chance of riding.
- Download the Disneyland App and add everyone’s ticket to the app. If they’re traveling with you, their ticket should be in your app.
- Familiarize yourself with how the Disneyland app works. Practice using Disney Genie and purchasing Individual Lightning Lane selections.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Disneyland Day-of Strategies
Important things to know for Mickey and Minnie’s Runway Railway:
- Guests must have scanned into the park in order to purchase Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Individual Lightning Lane.
- You may purchase an Individual Lightning Lane for this ride one time per day, per ticket with a valid theme park reservation.
Attempt the Virtual Queue option in addition to, or separate from purchasing in Individual Lightning Lane. Virtual queue enrollment times will be twice daily, at 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. PT. You do not have to be scanned into the park for this option.Virtual queues are no longer in place for this attraction.- Rope drop and/or watch the Disneyland app for stand-by wait times.
When your individual Lightning Lane return time arrives, you generally have one hour to return to the attraction but be sure to enable push notifications and check your app for updates.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Disneyland Virtual Queue
As of February 22, 2023 the Virtual Queue is no longer being used for this attraction.
Joining the virtual queue can be stressful as you race the clock each day of your Disney vacation. Guests who have slower connections or bad wifi may find they’re out of luck as Boarding Groups fill to capacity within seconds of Virtual Queues opening.
Here are my top tips to join the Virtual Queue in those first few seconds so you can ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. I used these same tips from Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance when it first opened with a Virtual Queue.
Join the virtual queue from any place you are via the Disneyland App! You can join the queue as early as 7:00 am PT on the date of your visit. Keep reading for the step by step instructions.
BEFORE 7:00 AM, even before your trip test this out. Locate the boarding group information on the Home Screen of the Disneyland App by scrolling down and seeing this image. It will of course say “Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway” instead of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
The queue opens at 7:00 am PT for guests who have tickets AND a reservation to start their day at Disneyland Park. Set your alarm for a few minutes before and be ready to tap “JOIN BOARDING GROUP.”
More tips:
- Clear out all apps, the Disneyland app is the ONLY one you want running
- Confirm your guests are checked off in your group
- Have another member of your party open a countdown clock, preferably time.gov.
- At 6:59:59 Tap “JOIN BOARDING GROUP” or My Status>Join Boarding Group
- Don’t delay, one morning I waited 3 seconds just to test it and it was GONE!
- Try at 1:00 pm if . . . you are park hopping or missed the 7:00 am time slot, you can join the queue at 1:00 pm from inside either park, at home or your hotel. Open the app one minute before the virtual queue opens. Then be prepared with quick fingers to tap:
- Join a boarding group or
- My Status>Join Boarding Group
- If you have little ones’ tickets who won’t ride, join them to a group anyway! No time to lose by unselecting them. Just join. If you’re successful, you will see something like this image below telling you which boarding group you’re in and the size of your party. Again, it’ll look a bit different for this new ride.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Disneyland Q&A
There’s a lot of information to keep in your brain for one ride.That being said, it’s likely you have more questions about Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Disneyland strategies, so let’s do this!
Can I just wait in line for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland?
Yes as of February 22, 2023 the standby line is available. You can now wait in the traditional line we’re used to. You also have the option to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane.
Who can ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland?
Everyone! This has no height requirement. The seating fits 5 or 6 per row with one pull down lap bar.
Can I use Genie+ for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland?
No, as of this update Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is NOT on the Genie+ ride list. Instead it is available for Individual Lightning Lane purchase or stand by.
Is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway open during Early Entry at Disneyland?
Early Entry is an early admission option offered for guests of the Disneyland Resort hotels only. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is not included in Early Entry.
Guests with Early Entry get access to Disneyland 30 minutes earlier than the general public. Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes will only open during regular park hours, not during Early Entry.
You still have an advantage using Early Entry because you’re already in the park to join the standby line or purchase Individual Lightning Lane.
What time is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway open?
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway might not be open during the entire park operating day. In the past, Mickey’s Toontown would open later than the rest of the park and close earlier. However, since opening day we have seen Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway open with the park.
Can I purchase Individual Lightning Lane from California Adventure?
Yes, with a valid ticket and theme park reservation. Your return time must be for later in the day when you can park hop, you’ll have to manually watch for the times as they advance toward 1:00 pm.
How many times can I ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway each day at Disneyland?
You will only be able to pay for Individual Lightning Lane once per day, per ticket holder. You can combine that with the stand-by line to ride multiple times.
All Boarding Groups are full, how can I ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway?
Virtual queues and boarding groups are no longer being used.
Can I ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway if I stay at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels?
Guests of the Disneyland Resort Hotels have no better chance to ride than anyone else. You must still use the stand by line or Individual Lightning Lane to ride the attraction. There are lots of other perks you can enjoy by staying on-site, this just isn’t one of them.
How do I use DAS to ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway?
Yes you may use DAS to ride Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. You will enter the attraction via the Individual Lightning Lane queue. Please see a guest relations cast member for more details.
More Tips for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland
Even though this ride has existed at Walt Disney World for some time, it will certainly be one of the most popular attractions at Disneyland Resort. In fact, Radiator Springs Racers opened in 2012 and still regularly holds wait time of an hour or more!
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will continue to be in high demand and I expect these tips to come into play during the year:
- When’s the best time to go to Disneyland? It depends on so many things. My Disneyland planning guide helps break it down for you.
- Utilize Early Entry to keep more flexibility later in the day to ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
- Be familiar with Individual Lightning Lane before your trip.
What other questions can I help answer about Disneyland’s version of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway?
