Mastering Disney's Fastpass+ System

I know that some people think Disney's Fastpass+ System is lame, but my family thinks it is excellent. Sure there can be tweaks made, but it guarantees you three rides with little wait everytime you go to DisneyWorld and that is huge. You just have to learn how to master the system. Jenna and I never waited in a line of more than 30 minutes during our entire year of passes and we went to Disney every weekend! Check out our tips!

Tip #1: Schedule Your Fastpasses the Day you are able!
The biggest key is to schedule your fastpasses ASAP. You want to schedule your fastpasses 60 days out if you are going to a resort. Scheduling this early  will allow you to see headline attractions like Toy Story Mania, Meet and Greet with the Frozen sisters, or the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It will be difficult to schedule any of those attractions if you wait too long. If you are not staying at a resort, you can schedule your fastpass+ selections 30 days. Scheduling 30 days out may take away the headliners mentioned above, but not always. It gives you a chance to get on those rides and you can schedule other headliners such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Space Mountain.

Tip #2: Don't Waste Your Fastpasses
Do not use fastpass+ selections on attractions that do not need a fastpass+. Mickey's PhilarMagic will have a 10 minute wait 90% of the time and doesn't need a fastpass+. Unless the park is incredibly busy, the Mad Tea Party and Dumbo typically have less than a 1/2 hour wait. Same with Aladdin's Magic Carpets. Now, if these are the only fastpass+ selections available, then yes still use them because they save time, but they are best used on more popular attractions.

Tip #3: Schedule Your Fastpasses for Peak Times
We have often blogged about the benefit to arriving early. Arriving early is huge and let's you ride a bunch of rides with little to no wait. If you are already waiting very little time, it is pointless to schedule fastpasses before 10am. That is unless you are trying to ride the Mine Train or Meet Anna and Elsa. Those two attractions are always busy. I recommend using your fastpasses between 11-3. If the first one is scheduled for 1030-1130 that is fine, but I would visit closer to 1130. You want to use your fastpass+ selections when the park is the busiest.

Tip #4: Use Your Extra Fastpasses Wisely
Some people obsess over the extra Fastpass+ selections. This can be a difficult process and I recommend you don't stress to hard over them. Often the lines in the park to get a Fastpass+ is longer than lines to some rides. You can feel like you need a Fastpass+ to get through the Fastpass+ line. If this is the case, don't worry about these Fastpass+ selections. However, once you use your original 3 Fastpass selections, you can get a new one every time you run out of selections. If there is a short line for Fastpass+ or the line is shorter than ride lines, then go for it. Just don't be disappointed when the good rides are gone, because there are a limited number of Fastpasses available. They have to keep them fast after all.

Tip #5: Use Them on the Best Attractions Possible
I will break this down to my favorite rides and what I would use the Fastpass+ selections for.

Magic Kingdom

(Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain) easily sub Mine Train if that is your preference, but I like the other rides better.

Magic Kingdom w/toddler

(Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan) Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, or Pirates can be subbed

Animal Kingdom

(Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest)

Animal Kingdom w/ toddler

(Kilimanjaro Safaris, Meet Mickey, the other one will be wasted unless you do rider exchange)

Hollywood Studios

(Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Disney Jr. live on Stage)
Side Note: Hollywood Studios does a tiered system where the more popular rides are on a higher tier. You can only pick one of Toy Story, Aerosmith coaster, or Fantasmic! The one positive to this is that Tower of Terror is on the lower tier. I recommend Toy Story, but you can sub it for the coaster. If you don't have little kids there are other selections besides Disney Jr. on stage as well.

Epcot

(Test Track, The Seas w/ Nemo, Living With the Land)
Side Note: Epcot also uses a tiered system. You must choose Test Track or Soarin'. I believe the character spot was on that upper tier as well. The best ride at Epcot doesn't need a fastpass+. The ride in Mexico is always less than a 20 minute wait and it is awesome! For a family with a toddler you would sub Test Track for that meet and greet.

Bonus Tip: Don't Wait Until You Get in The Park
As I said before the lines for Fastpass+ can get excruciatingly long. Do them on your phone before you get to the park. Waiting until you get to the park is a waste of your precious Disney time. This is one line at Disney you can easily avoid.

Stay tuned next week for more life tips!

-Noland