FastPass+ is an amazing benefit that Disney World uses to help with line control. I like to think of it as “head of the line” privileges, but it is more similar to holding your spot in line. There are several tricks to make using FastPass+ (FP+) to your benefit and make the most of your Disney World vacation.
The service, which fully launched in 2014 and replaced the original paper FastPass system, does allow you to pre-book up to three rides, shows and character meet-and-greets per day at any one theme park. You can generally book these anywhere from 30 to 60 in advance pending your Resort hotel.
Where Do I Buy a Fastpass Ticket?
One of the big questions I get is “Where do I buy a fastpass?” or “How do they work?” Well, for starters it is included in your ticket for Disney World, which you can buy anywhere! I recommend either through Disney online or your hotel’s concierge.
In this guide, you’ll find all the details you need to know about Disney’s FP+ service to make your reservations. Plus you’ll find additional tips and tricks to help you make the most out of it!
Officially from Disney
“Disney FastPass+ service lets you reserve access to select attractions, entertainment and more. With the purchase of a ticket or Annual Pass, you can make selections as early as 30 days before you arrive—starting at 7:00 AM Eastern Time. Plus, if you are staying at a Disney Resort hotel, Disney Springs Area Hotels or other select nearby hotels, you can make your FastPass+ selections up to 60 days prior to check-in for the entire length of your stay. And the best part? There is no extra charge for this complimentary benefit.”
The Main Points
- You can reserve up to 3 fastpasses at a time in one park. It is best to reserve the “good” rides sooner rather than later.
- If you are staying on Disney property at a Disney World Resort or an Official Disney World Sponsored Hotel you’ll get the benefit of booking 60 days out whereas us mere mortals only get 30 days!
- After you use your 3 FP+ you can select your next 3 for the same day, but know you might not get the “good” rides.
- You have to have a Disney ticket purchased in ordered to book your fastpasses.
- You should utilize Disney’s app aka the Disney Bible: “My Disney Experience”. This is The App, it lets you book your FP+, reserve dining, order quick service food, view wait times, and so much more.
- You will need to link you tickets in your MDE app and if you are staying on property you will need to link your hotel reservation as well.
- You should plan your FP+ to be on the same side of the park, so you are not wasting time walking back and forth.
MagicBands
WHAT ARE MAGICBANDS?
MagicBands are rubber bracelets that contain an embedded RFID (radio frequency identification) chip and function similarly to physical park tickets (also embedded with an RFID chip).
Having MagicBands is more convenient, because you are not having to constantly search for tickets every time you enter a park, use FP+ or have your picture taken by a PhotoPass photographer. You only have to make sure the Mickey head on the band, which contains the RFID chip, touches the Mickey head RFID reader!
Resort guests have even more functionality on their MagicBands. The bands are used as room keys, and guests can associate a credit card with the band so that they can touch to pay for purchases at the parks using a pin. Which is much more convenient than pulling your wallet out each time you want to make a purchase.
HOW DO I GET A MAGICBAND?
Getting a MagicBands is just as simple as using them. When staying at a Walt Disney World® Resort hotel, each member of your party will be given MagicBands free of charge. You can even choose the color of the bands and have them shipped to you (not available to all countries), depending on how far in advance you book your stay. The MagicBand will serve as your room key and can also be used to make purchases at the resort during your hotel stay.
If you do not plan on staying on-site, you have the option of purchasing the bands in the parks or at the Disney Store online (starting at $14.99 + tax) and linking them in your My Disney Experience account. There is a large variety of designs for MagicBands and some even have magical features. For instance, the Star Wars bands (select styles) when used at Hollywood Studios will make a noise from Star Wars, like light sabers.
DO I HAVE TO GET A MAGICBAND?
If you are not staying on-site and choose not to purchase the colorful bands, don’t worry— physical tickets offer the same functionality as MagicBands. The bands are there strictly convenience and efficiency! We recommend using them, especially with a family or group. It makes it easier when entering parks or using Disney’s FastPass+ service.
My Disney Experience
WHAT IS MY DISNEY EXPERIENCE?
My Disney Experience is the website you’ll use to make your FP+ and dining reservations. It is also where you’ll be able to link tickets and your hotel stay (if you’re staying on-site). There’s also a mobile app you can download, which we highly recommend as it is useful while you’re in the park. You can link and manage your entire party’s plans in My Disney Experience, and you can see your PhotoPass or Memory Maker photos for download or purchase. Essentially this is your Disney Bible and has so many useful parts.
How To Make FastPass+ Reservations
How To Make FastPass+ Reservations Before Your Trip
The first step is to purchase tickets. We highly recommend purchasing tickets early enough that they arrive before the start of your booking window. That would be before your 60-day (resort guest) and 30-day (non-resort guest) booking windows open. These windows open at 7 a.m. EST and fill up quickly, so set a calendar reminder! (Or having your Disney Travel Agent do this for you!)
We also recommend creating your account on Disney World’s My Disney Experience (MDE) prior to receiving your tickets. Once you receive your ticks you will be able to link in MDE. Prior to linking tickets you will need to add the names of everyone in your party. You are able to add names for accounts you manage directly, for instance kids. Any friends and family with a Disney account, you are able to send an email invitation in order to connect with each other. This is useful to make reservations for them. I manage my mom’s account as she only visits the park with me or my sister.
Once everyone is linked into your account, you can link your tickets. It is sometimes easier to link tickets on the MDE app itself because you can scan your ticket number rather than typing it in manually. Everyone in your party must have valid tickets linked to their account, even children.
How To Make FastPass+ Reservations On The MDE App
For starters you will want to open the app on a mobile device.
Once the app is open you will want to look at the bottom of the screen for the plus sign (+) in the circle. Click on this.
You will then need to select “Get FastPass+”
This is also the location you will make your dining reservation, order quick service meals while at the park, buy extra tickets to special events and purchase a memory maker.
Start getting familiar with how to use the My Disney Experience. You will come to see that is the most useful tool you have while at Disney. This app has a map, wait times, showtimes, dining menus and so much more!
You will then need to select everyone in your party.
Next you will select the date and park you are going to.
The app will automatically generate the available times and rides for the particular park. You will be able to select the time and confirm the time on the next screen.
After confirming your first FP+ you will then have the option to select another pass either the same day or different day or you can say your done!
Once you select “done” you will be taken back to the home screen. You are able to see your FastPass+ plans when scroll down a little and selecting “my plans”.
This is pretty much all you have to do. It’s really easy. The most important thing to remember is to log on the day your window opens!
How to Use FastPass+ At Walt Disney World
You have your FP+ reservations made, but now you need to use those! Once in the park at the allotted time frame (normally a 1 hour window) you can head to the attraction of choice and go to the FP+ queue. This is a separate queue from the regular line.
Once at the FP+ queue you will need to tap your MagicBand on the reader. During your hour window it will either turn green or make a magical ding, this means you are good to go. If it turns red then you are out of your window or at the wrong ride! Ask a Cast Member for assistance, they are normally nearby.
Be sure to pay attention to your reservation time, as you will only be admitted to the queue during your one-hour window!
MAKING MORE FASTPASS+ RESERVATIONS
Once you’ve used your first three reservations, you can then use the in-park kiosks or the My Disney Experience app to make an additional FP+ selection. After you’ve used that selection, you can make another and so on.
Helpful Tip: When using the app, we find that the best time to make additional reservations after your initial three is right after you’ve scanned your last FP+. While waiting to ride, you can check out what’s available and make your next reservation!
WHAT RIDES AND SHOWS SHOULD I PICK?
Magic Kingdom Park
Magic Kingdom does not have a tiered system, like other Disney parks. We do recommend getting these attractions or experiences for FP+ reservations:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Peter Pan’s Flight® Attraction
- Space Mountain® Attraction
- Splash Mountain® Attraction
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad®Attraction
- Jungle Cruise® Attraction
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin®Attraction
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios, unlike Magic Kingdom, has a tier system for FP+. You are only allowed to select one preference from Tier 1, and two preferences from Tier 2.
TIER 1 ATTRACTIONS (pick one):
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Toy Story Midway Mania!® Attraction
TIER 2 ATTRACTIONS (pick two):
- Disney Junior – Live on Stage!
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular!, Muppet*Vision 3D
- Star Tours® – The Adventures Continue Attraction
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™Attraction
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith
- Fantasmic! Show
- Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom® has a tier system for FP+ as well. You are only allowed to select one preference from Tier 1, and two preferences from Tier 2.
TIER 1 ATTRACTIONS (pick one):
- Avatar — Flight of Passage
- Na’vi River Journey
TIER 2 ATTRACTIONS (pick two):
- DINOSAUR Attraction
- Expedition Everest Attraction
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo – The Musical
- It’s Tough to be a Bug!® Attraction
- Kali River Rapids® Attraction
- Kilimanjaro Safaris!® Expedition
- Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
- Primeval Whirl!® Attraction
- Rivers of Light and UP! A Great Bird Adventure Show
Epcot
Just like the previous parks, Epcot also has a tier system for FP+. You are only allowed to select one preference from Tier 1, and two preferences from Tier 2.
TIER 1 ATTRACTIONS (pick one):
- Frozen Ever After
- IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth (through the September 30, 2019)
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot
- Test Track® Presented by Chevrolet
TIER 2 ATTRACTIONS (pick two):
- Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE® Attraction
- Spaceship Earth
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends® Attraction
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Need Some Helpful Tips
Sharing tips and strategies is what the Single Girl at Disney is all about! Here are some additional FP+ tips before you hit the parks:
- Book your reservations early, as soon as your reservation window opens (60 days in advance of check-in if you are staying at a Walt Disney World® Resort hotel, and 30 days in advance of your first day in the park if you are staying off-site). This gives you the best chance of securing reservations for the most in-demand attractions.
- If you are using Disney’s Magical Express® Transportation, wear your MagicBand as you will use it to check-in for your bus ride to your hotel. Remember, your MagicBand acts as your room key!
- The lowest waits times of the day are within the first few hours after the park opens. Ride the highest priority attractions when crowds are lowest. Save your FP+ reservations until the late morning and afternoon when crowds begin to rise and hit their peak.
- For those of you with young children, it may make things easier and more relaxed if you use FP+ in the evenings and use the afternoon for break time. Consider using your initial three advance FP+ reservations, then going back to the hotel for a nap or swim. You can then come back to the park in the early evening for a few more rides, parade and fireworks.
- You can only make advance FP+ reservations in one park per day. So if you plan to park hop, we recommend using FP+ at the second park you’re visiting since you’re more than likely starting at the first one when crowd levels are lower.
- Keep using FP+ after you’ve used your first three. You can visit an in-park kiosk or the My Disney Experience app to make your additional reservations. These additional selections don’t have to be in the same park you used your first three in if you have a Park Hopper tickets and it doesn’t matter if you’ve already had a FP+ reservation for that ride.
- Make your selections wisely. We can’t stress this enough! While Disney more than doubled the number of attractions that accept FP+, you should remember that all attractions aren’t created equally. Be sure that the FP+ selections you make are for priority attractions and personal favorites.
- If one of your chosen attractions has ended distribution of FP+ reservations, don’t give up! Go ahead and make other reservations, but attempt to exchange them for high priority attractions — there might be a cancellation.
- Choose the attractions that are important to you and your family. In the end, your choices are up to you, and only you can decide what’s right for your family! If you’d rather see parades and shows, then make those your reservations. Don’t feel pressured to experience high priority attractions if they aren’t your cup of tea.
Save Yourself Time
A trick that I have learned to do and it definitely utilizes my time better at the park is to book my FP+ on the same side of the park. This is mainly for Magic Kingdom, and if you are spending several days in Magic Kingdom. For instance, If I book all my FP+ in Tomorrowland, then I am not wasting time walking all the way to the other side of the park to Adventureland.
You can also book your FP+ to go from one land to the next with time in between so you can explore the part of the park you are in prior to go to the other lands.
Here is a great example:
FP+ from 10:00am to 11:00am for Space Mountain in Tomorrowland
FP+ from 12:00pm to 1:00 pm for Peter Pan’s Flight in Fantasyland
Have a break to eat lunch
Watch the 2:00pm Parade!
FP+ from 4:00pm to 5:00pm for Pirate of the Caribbean
When using FP+ use the first one right at the start of the time slot, and then ride one or two rides (pending time) that you did not have a FP+ prior to the second FP+ expires. Finally, you can ride your 3rd FP+ ride. It makes better use of your time, and allows to ride various rides you might not have a FP+ for.
This is great especially if you go to see the parade or needing lunch as you can book your FP+ around those times. But if you happen to get to your FP+ ride 5-10 minutes early or late normally they will let you in if it is not too busy and if you are nice.
Final Thoughts
Using your FastPass+ strategically will allow you to see more of the parks and spend less waiting in line. However, there are experts that can help you with booking not only your FastPass+ but Disney Dining and other extras for you. Looking for an expert? I can help, fill out the form to the right and I’ll be in touch!
With so much coming to Disney World in 2020, now is the perfect time to get started planning your Disney Vacation. Contact me today to help plan you perfect get-away. I am a travel genie with Magic Lamp Vacations and my services are complimentary!
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