The Disney World FastPass+ System, Explained
With the wait times for some rides approaching the three-hour mark at times, it should be a given that you want to do whatever you can to avoid standing in line for that long. Enter the FastPass+ system. In this blog, I'm going to explain how the Walt Disney World FastPass+ system works. In the next blog, I'll go into detail about how I prefer to use the system, but first we must understand what it is.
Toy Story Mania
What is FastPass+?
FastPass+ is a system that allows you to "schedule" a time slot in which to ride an attraction with a very minimal wait time. This is available for selected attractions (not every attraction has the option). The wait time is usually less than 10 minutes, but can be up to 25 minutes, depending on the standby wait time (the wait time for those that are not using FastPass for the attraction). FastPass+ is included in the cost of your park ticket.
How does Disney know your wait will be shorter?
Basically, "math magic". Disney is able to take into account the ride capacity per hour and then release a certain number of FastPasses for that hour-long period to allow some guests to experience a shorter wait. If you have a FastPass for that time, then you enter the FastPass line. If you do not, then you enter the Standby line. There is usually a merge point very near the ride boarding area where the two lines come together. Cast Members allow a ratio of guests from standby to enter and then a ratio of guests from FastPass to enter, again, based on ride capacity and how many FastPasses were released for that time slot.
How many FastPasses can I get?
The short answer is you get three per day, all in the same park, that you can schedule ahead of time as part of your ticket, regardless if you are staying on property.
After you use those three, you can get more, one at a time, from the list of those attractions and times that are still available. If you have the Park Hopper ticket add-on, they can be in a different park than your previous FastPasses.
Finally, if you are staying at the Club Level at a Disney Resort, you may purchase a Signature Services ticket which gets you a slew of amenities, among which is three additional FastPass+ selections you can make ahead of time per day. But this comes at a price of $50 per day on top of the regular ticket price and on top of the additional expense staying in a Club Level room.
How far ahead of time can I do it?
If you have tickets only, you can schedule your initial FastPasses 30 days in advance of the day of your ticket. But you must have tickets before you can schedule.
If you have tickets and are staying at a Disney Resort, then you can schedule your initial FastPasses 60 days in advance and schedule for the first day of your vacation and up to 10 additional days out if in your reservation.
But... it's not like this at Disneyland!
No, it's not. Disneyland operates on the original FastPass system in which you must go to a kiosk either near the ride or a central kiosk and one at a time obtain paper FastPasses. You can't book any days ahead of time, and you can only obtain and use them one at a time. One could write another blog post comparing the two systems, but for now just know that Walt Disney World uses FastPass PLUS whereas Disneyland uses FastPass. No "plus".
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
What other rules are there?
Most parks, except the Magic Kingdom, have a tier system for their attractions, allowing you to schedule only one Tier 1 attraction and two Tier 2 attractions for your initial 3. Tier 1 attractions are usually the major headliners. The classification of a ride can change over time, but right now, the Tier 1 attractions are:
Character Spot
Frozen Ever After
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Soarin'
Test Track
Toy Story Mania!
Slinky Dog Dash
Alien Swirling Saucers
AVATAR Flight of Passage
Na'vi River Journey
Also, the initial three FastPasses you book must all be in the SAME park.
Finally, there is some timing to consider. Each FastPass window is an hour long. However, there is some (very specific) wiggle room. You can arrive up to 5 minutes early or up to 15 minutes late for your window. That 15 minutes has saved me a couple times! So, say you have a FastPass scheduled for 10:00. That means you can enter the line anytime between 9:55 and 11:15.
Also, you can't have overlapping FastPass times or ADR times. So you can't schedule a FastPass for 10:00 if you have an ADR at 10:30 because your official FastPass window intersects that time. And you can't have another FastPass for 9:15 because that would intersect your 10:00 FastPass window. This is based on official time without the grace period. So you could, theoretically, have a FastPass for 9:00 and another for 10:00, and show up at your 9:00 FastPass at 10:05 and your 10:00 FastPass at 10:25.
How do I schedule them?
While you can still use a kiosk, most people use their MyDisneyExperience app on their phone. This makes organizing your entire trip so much easier because you can also see wait times, book dining, see the park map, etc on this app. See our MyDisneyExperience post for more information.
How do I decide where to start?
There are some common strategies you may want to use to decide how to use your three initial FastPasses. Here is a smattering of ideas to get you started, and a future post will lay out how I personally like to handle FastPass+.
Consider what park(s) you'll be in for the day ahead of time. You might base this on extra magic hours, crowd calendars, ADRs you've already booked, or any number of considerations. If you're going to park hop, then decide which park you want to use for your FastPasses.
After selecting the park, look at the tier structure (in all parks but the Magic Kingdom) and prioritize the rides you want to ride. Consider also whether you'll really be saving yourself a wait that you would not want to put up with. Yes, Pirates of the Carribbean has FastPass, but many times, the wait is a bearable 20 minutes and a FastPass would be wasted on that ride. If you have the MyDisneyExperience app already, start looking at wait times to get an idea of where your FastPass might be best used.
Some people will recommend you book your FastPasses for the busiest time of day, which is usually between 11am-3pm. This is because you will be saving yourself the biggest wait times during this time period, whereas in the morning, if you arrive early enough, you will have minimal waits. Waits also decrease for most rides in the evening. On the flip side, some people will recommend to book your FastPasses to be as early in the day as possible. This is so that you use them up early while there may be additional FastPasses you can then book one at a time later. So consider your vacation style. Are you going to get up early and be able to take advantage of early FastPass times or riding some rides before the crowds come? Do you leave the park in the middle of the day to rest? Will you regret if you can't book additional FastPasses or are the three rides at any time enough for you?
Finally, once you have a plan, get up early (7 am ET) on your earliest FastPass booking day (30 or 60 days in advance) to book them for your entire vacation (up to 10 days). Start with the most popular attractions (you'll be able to tell by wait times which attractions are going to be harder to get) and work your way from there. And don't forget to schedule for your whole party. You do not have to ride all the same rides, but anyone entering the FastPass line of a ride needs to have their own FastPass scheduled for that ride. So if I want to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train while my husband rides Peter Pan's Flight, we can book two separate FastPasses. But if he also wants to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train, then we each need a FastPass, preferably in the same window, for that ride.
Na'vi River Journey
What do you think about Walt Disney World's FastPass+ system? Share your story with us on our Facebook page. And if you like this blog, share the page with a friend. See you next week!
