What was it like to be an early bird versus getting to the park right before 9 a.m. opening day? Two hours and change makes a VERY big difference. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

Toy Story Land opened Saturday at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Guests waited hours just to get a peek at the new area of Hollywood Studios.

INSIDER waited in line with people who arrived at the park for general admission for hours just to enter Toy Story Land.

A Disney World employee originally told us it would take about an hour to make it into Toy Story Land. It actually took about two and a half hours.

After you got into Toy Story Land, there were still more lines to wait in for food and rides.

If you want to go, you better have a FastPass or be staying on Disney property to get into the park an hour early. Otherwise, you're better off waiting for the crowds to die down.

Toy Story Land opened Saturday at Disney World's Hollywood Studios theme park, and if you didn't get there at 6 a.m. when the park opened a surprise hour earlier, then you were in for a world of lines and waiting.

A group of journalists had a guest-free view of the park in advance - but that doesn't give you a good idea of what the park will actually be like when it's open to the world. Since I knew someone who was getting to the park when it opened at 6 a.m., I decided to get to Hollywood Studios around 9 a.m. to see what the experience would be like for more families.

It was rough.

I underestimated the power of the fandom and waited in line after laborious line just to get inside Toy Story Land.

A look at the line that was in my immediate future. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

I've gone to New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con, so the idea of arriving early to big events is not lost on me. Still, I thought we'd be able to head right into Toy Story Land; I just expected to wait in longer lines for the two new attractions. Boy was I wrong.

Hollywood Studios opened to the public at 8 a.m. Saturday. I arrived around 8:45 a.m. (Yes, I know, very late in terms of getting to a park on opening day.) Instead of being able to stroll straight back to Toy Story Land, I found myself herded over to a line nowhere near the new area.

9:18 a.m.: A Disney employee - known as cast members - said it would be about an hour's wait just to get into Toy Story Land. There would be more waits once inside the area to get on attractions. OK. That didn't sound unbearable. This is what I was there for.

The end of the line. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

There was plenty to look at along the way as we were ushered through Hollywood Studios' version of the Chinese Theater courtyard. There were names of famous celebrities etched into the ground, ranging from Michael Jackson to Martin Short. Ads were up for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, a ride opening next year.

Windows had old photos of Julie Andrews at the opening of the original "Mary Poppins." A sequel is set for December, with Emily Blunt in the lead role. There were also photos of the stars of the animated "Jungle Book" movie, which was recently adapted into a live-action film.

A little boy in front of me was good company as he joyfully tried to scare me every so often by softly yelling "Boo!" I reciprocated with a different scared reaction each time. He seemed to like that, and the game continued for the next hour.

You could see old photos of Disney classics while waiting. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

About 10 a.m.: Before the hour was up, we were out of that long line. It felt quick and painless.

Then we were told we would have to wait about another two hours to enter Toy Story Land.

Here's where I wanted to go, but I was ushered to the left. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

When we reached the back of the mock Chinese Theater, we were funneled into another line. Toy Story Land was to our right, but instead we were ushered straight down Pixar Place - a section of the park supposed to emulate the Pixar Animation Studios campus in Emeryville, California - where two more long lines of guests were waiting.

A family with a toddler in a stroller behind me bailed at the sight of the crowds. They were going to try to cut the line and march straight into the park, deeming this ridiculous. I don't know whether they made it inside, but they never came back to our section of the line.

The rest of us marched on down like good little soldiers. People were corralled into a line that weaved up and down Pixar Place. This time, it barely moved at all for greater lengths of time. We slowly inched past a merchandise nook and then a wagon with food, beverages, and alien popcorn buckets that would soon sell out.

I probably should have purchased one of those alien buckets. But I didn't want to step out of line. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

10:12 a.m.: We passed a cart serving "Toy Story"-themed adult beverages. Yes, Hollywood Studios was serving alcohol to guests shortly after 10 a.m. And people were buying it.

We didn't hear anything from cast members at this point, but as the line movement slowed to a crawl, the realization sank in that our wait was going to be much longer.

10:48 a.m.: After nearly an hour without a word from any cast members, one came over to ask the crowd whether we wanted an update. (Obviously.) We were told it could be another two hours. The wait for the Slinky Dog Dash coaster was estimated at four to five hours.

This is when people started to consider leaving the line. Parents with younger kids thought they may fare better on another day and decided they'd rather spend their time doing things other than waiting in a line. I didn't blame them.

The little boy and his mother in front of me also decided to depart for the rest of the park. We wished each other a good day.

Some guests started to complain.

Waiting patiently for over two hours isn't easy. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

Parents with kids who were letting them use their phones for entertainment spoke of their batteries running low and not having enough juice left to take pics once they got into Toy Story Land.

Others wondered aloud why they didn't limit the number of ticketed guests allowed into the park on opening day. They weren't wrong. It felt silly waiting a potential three hours in line just to get into an area of a park where you have to wait two or more hours to get on a ride. Disney obviously has a capacity for how many people can fit in Toy Story Land.

It wasn't all awful. There were a few bright notes.

Kids were happy to see Jessie walking by the line. She didn't stop for photos. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

The good news was that Jessie from "Toy Story 2" would walk by and wave at the crowd here and there. "Toy Story" stickers with Buzz, Woody, and Jessie were given to kids waiting in line.

Cast members walked up and down the line periodically to make sure guests with FastPasses for any of the new rides in Toy Story Land were plucked out for their appointment.

And if you got too warm, there were water-cooler stations set up with paper cups for guests.

This was a lifesaver. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

We ended up getting into Toy Story Land earlier than we were told. Thank goodness.

11:47 a.m.: It was brutally hot and humid on Saturday morning in Orlando. When we were told at 10:48 a.m. that it would be two more hours, I was ready for the long haul. But then we were given an option: We could head straight into the park, but if we did that, we would not be able to get in line for the Slinky Dog Dash coaster.

I knew where I was heading.

It was a zoo marching into Toy Story Land around noon. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

At this point, I had heard it was going to storm pretty badly around 1 p.m. I knew the coaster would get shut down if there was lightning in the area.

We were told it would be at least another three hours for Slinky. I decided to head straight for the park and for the food - where I waited in another 40-minute line - and then to the Alien Swirling Saucers ride.

What did we learn?

If you're going to go to a theme park the day a new attraction or ride opens, plan to get there really early or much later in the day unless you want to play the waiting game.

You could be spending your time more wisely in the parks. Disney isn't cheap to visit. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

Come prepared with water, snacks, and an external charger for your phone.

Better yet, if you don't need to go to a theme park on an opening day, you're probably better off waiting. Unless you're staying at a Disney resort and have access to a park an hour early - or in this case, two hours early - then you're already behind.

But honestly, you're better off going the next day or a few weeks later when the mad rush has died down. The size of the area is quite small, and once you were in there, there was no getting out unless you wanted to wait in line again. The two rides inside, no matter how good the one may be, are not worth a three- to five-hour wait.

And if you don't arrive right when the park opens, just try coming back later in the day. After it stormed in the afternoon, right on cue, there was barely a wait to get into Toy Story Land. By about 4 p.m., you could just stroll right in. Go figure.

The entrance to Toy Story Land when I went back later in the day. Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER

Despite all that, I can't wait to go back to ride the Slinky coaster. And when the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge park area opens in 2019, I'll plan to be there much earlier.

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