Disney FastPass Secrets to Success. Mistakes you don’t want to make.
FastPass is a great way to maximize your Disney vacation. They are a great tool for families that have large age spans and help keep the teens and the toddlers happy.
The FastPass system can be pretty tricky, especially if you’ve never been to Disney before. There are some mistakes that first time and even veteran FastPass users make! To avoid these mistakes on your next trip, don’t miss these top Disney FastPass Secrets. The mistakes you don’t want to make at Disney World.
Not using the app
The My Disney Experience app is your gateway to fun in the magic kingdom and will help keep all your advanced dining reservations (ADR) and FastPasses (FP) organized. You can also manage groups much easier with an app. If you are going with more than a single person, consider yourself a group. I will warn you that the app can be a little wonky during peak usage so try to keep copies of information on your calendar app in your phone for quick reference.
Not booking your FastPasses in Advance
Popular rides really will book out of FastPasses quickly. I have tried to book right at the 60-day mark and still missed ideal slots for the rides I wanted! Disney resort guests can book 60 days in advance and regular passes can book 30 days in advance. Make sure to do this BEFORE you get to the park to avoid missing out on the FastPasses all together. You can’t get FastPasses for all the rides so prioritize and plan to come in early for the rides that you can’t get a FastPass to ride.
Booking your FastPasses for early in the morning
Getting a head start on the rides first thing in the morning is a great strategy for hitting the most rides possible. But at park opening is when you will find the shortest wait lines! So save your FastPasses for the middle of the day when the parks get busy. Rides like Big Thunder Mountain are easy to get on in the morning but will have 45 minutes plus waits later in the day. Fantasyland rides like Peter Pan or also good early morning choices.
Missing a FastPass
Fastpasses do have a window of about an hour to ride the ride. This means that you need to be very strategic about your rides! Even FastPass lines may still have a line so be smart about the where and time that you choose to either wait on a ride or book your FastPass. Don’t book a FastPass in Pandora then run over to DINOSAUR in the Animal Kingdom back to back. You will likely end up missing your FastPass.
You only use three Fastpasses per day
After your initial three FastPasses are up, you can then see if there are any additional passes available through the My Disney Experience app! It’s a first come first serve thing, and you can only do them one at a time. If you are planning on staying at the park until close, you can score additional FastPasses for some attractions!
Wasting your FastPass on Rides with Short Lines
There are a number of rides that no matter the time of year hardly have a line! Do your research ahead of time and don’t waste your FastPass on rides that don’t need them! Save them for the popular rides such as Frozen Ever After or Flight of Passage that will typically have a 4+ hour wait.
Using all your FastPasses for EVERYONE
If you are traveling with small children or elderly adults who don’t want to ride a ride, they don’t have to! You can select FastPasses for only a few or even just one member of your party! This way they can ride a ride, and you can save your FastPass for another ride. You can always ride two separate rides and meet up later. This is really important when you have mixed ages, medical conditions, or people that don’t like thrill rides. The line for Peter Pan gets just as long as Space Mountain so don’t waste someone’s FP on a ride they don’t want to ride.
No matter what – choose to have fun
FastPass isn’t a cut and dry system! Having these tips handy can make sure you are always maximizing your passes and help you avoid mistakes! But if it doesn’t work all out perfectly, try to sit back and just soak up the Disney experience which is way more than moving from ride to ride. Watch the impromptu shows, play in the fountains, eat some ice cream, and remember that you are on vacation.
