Have you ever wondered how some people seem to get so much done in one day at a Disney park? You may have heard the term fastpass or Fastpass+ pop up. And if you have followed though, you may have noticed that I make several reference to fastpasses, but still may be wondering what is a Fastpass+. Fastpasses or Fastpass+ is a way of getting on a specific ride quicker at assigned/specific times; think of it as making a reservation for a show or a ride. You will be given a select time to get onto the ride or show and be able to move to the front of the line. This means that you’ll be able to get the most out of your day.
Each pass is good for 1 hour, for example if you were to pick up a morning fastpass for Peter Pan’s flight for 9:30 then you will have until 10:30 to use this. FYI if you have small children with you I recommend getting a fastpass for Peter Pan’s flight as this is a popular attraction. I have heard that you can use your fastpasses up to 15 minutes after the cut off time but haven’t done this first hand.The fastpass is only good for 1 use, you don’t get to ride it multiple times with the fastpass. You may have to wait in line for a few minutes but it is a lot shorter than the standby line. I think the most I’ve had to wait was 5 minutes but no more than 10 minutes.
How are Fastpasses set up?
For those that are staying on site at a Disney resort, you can pick out your fastpass+ selections at 60 days ahead of time. For those staying offsite during their vacation, you can make your fastpass+ selections at 30 days. You will be able to log in online to your Disney account at 7am EST on the 30 or 60 day mark depending where you’re staying and start selecting the rides that you would like to get the fastpasses for. As soon as you choose the rides, they are loaded to your magic band. Magic bands are used for all Disney park guests to load your tickets and fastpasses to so that you don’t have to carry a ticket around. When you get to the parks, you are then able to swipe your magic band at your selected time to jump to the front of the line.
Can I choose from every ride?
Yes and no. You have the chance to get fastpasses for pretty much any ride (a list is provided below) but some rides are broken down into tiers. For some tiers, you can only pick one ride from tier 1 and have to pick the other 2 fast passes from tier 2. Another thing to remember is that when you are setting up Fastpasses online, you can’t pick the same ride multiple times in a row such as 3 fastpasses for Haunted Mansion.
How many do I get?
You are able to choose 3 fastpasses to begin with; these you’ll have at the start of your day. Once you have used them up, you may go to a kiosk and get another one. You can do this as many times as possible during standard operating hours. However the time between fastpasses will vary depending on when you select them.
For instance, you may could get fastpasses for Tower of Terror at 9:30AM, Rock N’ Roller coaster at 10:30AM and Star Tours at 12PM. After you have used your last fastpass at 12PM, you will be able to go to Kiosk to get another fastpass; such as Slinky Dog Dash at 3:30PM.
Now you are also able to get your fastpasses through My Disney Experience (MDE) app on your phone. This adds a lot of convenience as you can pick up fastpasses on the fly. I’ve been able to pick up fastpasses while waiting to board another ride.
Where are the Fastpass kiosks located?
Animal Kingdom
- Discovery Island: near the Island Merchantile store
- Asia: by the entrance to Kali River Rapids
- Africa: Near Tusker House restaurant and Dawa Bar
Epcot
- Future world West: Breezeway across from Epcot character spot
- Future World East: breezeway near Mission Space
- World Showcase: International Gateway
Hollywood Studios
- Hollywood Boulevard: on the corner of Hollywood and Sunset
- Pixar place: next to Toy Story Mania entrance
- Sunset Boulevard: between Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster
Magic Kingdom
- Adventureland: by Jungle Cruise entrance
- Adventureland/frontierland: across from Swiss Family treehouse
- Fantasyland: next to Mickey’s Philharmagic
- Storybook circus: to the right of Pete’s Silly Sideshow
- Tomorrowland: next to Stitch’s Great Escape, near Monsters, inc. Laugh Floor
- Tomorrowland: next to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin entrance
Whats the catch? How much does it cost?
Unlike other parks, Fastpass+ is free with your Disney park tickets. This is available to those that are staying either on site at Disney or Off site at one of the local resorts. For more information can check out this directly from WDW website. The biggest catch is that you are provide 3 fastpasses prior to your visit that you can schedule either 30 days or 60 days before your arrival.
Can I use Fastpass+ and Park Hop?
Say you start your morning in Magic Kingdom then are going over to Epcot (my usual park hop), you can get fastpasses in Epcot later in the day. After you have used your 3 fastpasses at Magic Kingdom, you are able to select more fastpasses at Epcot through either Kiosk or My Disney Experience app. Again, you are able to select 1 at a time after using your first 3 passes.
Planning is the key?
As strange as this sounds, you need to put a bit of forethought into what your plans are for each day that you’re in Disney to get the most out of your trip. I usually go a bit to the extreme when planning our Disney trips, not to the point of scheduling bathroom breaks, but having a fairly set schedule. There is a lot to do in the parks, therefore we may try to get in shows or other smaller attractions in between the fastpasses. If your plans change and will be going to a different park, you can switch out your fastpasses as well or change times with the My Disney Experience app or at a kiosk.
If you want more of a slow pace, you could space out your fastpasses so that you’re not having to run around. This would be good if you like to stroll through the shops, if you like to grab snacks along the way or if you have small children. Because the parks are so busy, it maybe worth just trying to get the big rides and wing it the other part of the day.
One thing to remember is that the fast passes are only available during standard operating hours. This means that during events such as Mickey’s not-so-scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party you will be unable to use fast passes. This is because the crowds during those times are usually a little lower
Can I Cancel my Fastpasses?
You have the option to cancel all your fastpasses via the My Disney Experience app or if you are logging in from a computer, you can cancel individual fastpasses either 1 or 2 at a time.
Fastpass tiers
It is very straightforward with the tier system, you can pick 1 ride from Tier 1 and 2 from Tier 2.
Animal Kingdom
Tier 1
- Avatar Flight of Passage (44″ or 113cm)
- Na’vi River Journey (44″ or 113cm)
Tier 2
- DINOSAUR (40″ or 102cm)
- Expedition Everest (44″ or 113cm)
- Festival of the Lion King (No requirement)
- Finding Nemo – The Musical (No requirement)
- It’s Tough to be a Bug! (No requirement)
- Kali River Rapids (38″ or 95cm)
- Kilimanjaro Safaris (No requirement)
- Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost (No requirement)
- Primeval Whirl (48″ or 122cm)
- Rivers of Light (No requirement)
- UP! A Great Bird Adventure (No requirement)
Epcot
Tier 1
- Frozen Ever After (No requirement)
- Illuminations: Reflections of Earth (No requirement)
- Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot (No requirement)
- Soarin’ Around the World (40″ or 102cm)
- Test Track (40″ or 102cm)
Tier 2
- Disney/Pixar Short Film Festival (No requirement)
- Journey into Imagination with Figment (No requirement)
- Living with the Land (No requirement)
- Mission: Space (44″ or 113cm)
- Spaceship Earth (No requirement)
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends (No requirement)
Hollywood studios
Tier 1
- Alien Swirling Saucer (32″ or 81cm)
- Slinky Dog Dash (38″ or 97cm)
- Toy Story Mania (No requirement)
- The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror (40″ or 102cm)
- Rock ‘n Roller Coaster (48″ or 122cm)
- Smuggler’s Run (this is assumed but not availabe after inital opening)
Tier 2
- Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage (No requirement)
- Disney Junior – Live on Stage (No requirement)
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (No requirement)
- Muppet*Vision 3D (No requirement)
- Star Tours – The Adventure Continue (40″ or 102cm)
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid (No requirement)
Magic Kingdom –
There is no tier system as of yet, here is a list of rides that you can get fastpasses for
- “It’s a Small World” (No requirement)
- Ariel at Her Grotto (meet and greet) (No requirement)
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (40″ or 102cm)
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (No requirement)
- Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall (meet and greet)
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant (No requirement)
- Enchanted Tales with Belle (No requirement)
- Haunted Mansion (No requirement)
- Jungle Cruise (No requirement)
- Mad Tea Party (No requirement)
- Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater (meet and greet)
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic (No requirement)
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor (No requirement)
- Peter Pan’s Flight (No requirement)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (No requirement)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (38″ or 97cm)
- Space Mountain (44″ or 113cm)
- Splash Mountain (40″ or 102cm)
- The Barnstormer
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (No requirement)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (No requirement)
- Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater (meet and greet) (No requirement)
- Tomorrowland Speedway (52″ or 132cm)
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid (No requirement)
So in summary, Fastpass+ is great to get the most out of your day at any of the Disney park. It does take some pre-planning to have a general idea of what you will be doing that day. But remember this is not set in stone and you will be able to make changes once the day arrives. Most importantly, enjoy your vacation; you may not get the fastpasses that you want but can make the most of it. Hopefully you have found this helpful.
If you have questions or feedback, leave a comment below!
If you want to start planning your next Disney trip:
Choosing when to go: Check out THIS
For Disney dining plan: Check out HERE
Debating on staying on site or off site: check out HERE
If you have children and are concerned about height requirements: Check out THIS