Ha! Here was our experience renewing my wife's carte de séjour the year after we moved to France. First off, I was given an 3-year permit but hers was for only one year. So, 11 months after we entered France and based on advice from friends, we showed up at the préfecture around 7AM to get in line, which already was down the block, around the corner, down to the other corner, which is where we were.
The office opened at 9. Once the line started to move, we got up to about 20 people away from the door when the police officer announced the day's allocation of spots had been filled and to come back another day. This was around 10 in the morning.
Flabbergasted, we went up to the door and found a poor, harried préfecture agent and asked her how early we should arrive to assure a ticket.
She said 3AM.
Did I mention this was in late January?
So, a couple of days later, I got up at 2 in the morning, got dressed and headed out the door. It was a brisk walk to the préfecture because the buses weren't running that early. I got in line, which was about 40 deep, and waited. The wind blew. It snowed for awhile. It was dark, of course. Around me were primarily folks from northern Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, with a few Russians thrown in for variety. Based on the chattering around me, I guessed that I was the only English speaker.
Around 6:30 a fight nearly broke out a few people ahead of me when a couple of guys tried to cut in line.
Around 7, my wife showed up with a buttered baguette, some hard boiled eggs, a thermos of coffee and small bottles of orange juice. We waited 2 hours more, and got our ticket for her renewal. Once inside, the process itself was, as they say, a nothingburger, since we had everything we were supposed to have, plus other stuff as well (which is always advised -- try to imagine what they could possibly ask you to bring).
They've since initiated a reservation system, so things are a bit less difficult nowadays.
