I was reading back through my old posts and boy has FastPass+ changed my Park Strategy a lot!
What is FastPass+?
This is the new electronic FastPass system which has replaced the old ticketed FastPass system from a few years ago. FastPass+ times are designated return times to by-pass the main ride line and "fast pass" to the front of the line during your time.
How does it work?
To book FastPass+ times, you must have pre-purchased your Magic Your Way ticket. If you are staying on property, you can book 3 FastPass+ times per day at 60 days before arrival. If you are staying off property, you can book 3 FastPass+ times per day at 30 days out.
You will be able to book 3 designated FastPass+ rides and times per day, within a single park. Even if you have a Park Hopper ticket, FastPass+ reservations are limited to a single park.
What is FastPass+?
This is the new electronic FastPass system which has replaced the old ticketed FastPass system from a few years ago. FastPass+ times are designated return times to by-pass the main ride line and "fast pass" to the front of the line during your time.
How does it work?
To book FastPass+ times, you must have pre-purchased your Magic Your Way ticket. If you are staying on property, you can book 3 FastPass+ times per day at 60 days before arrival. If you are staying off property, you can book 3 FastPass+ times per day at 30 days out.
You will be able to book 3 designated FastPass+ rides and times per day, within a single park. Even if you have a Park Hopper ticket, FastPass+ reservations are limited to a single park.
How to prepare?
Decide which days you want to be at which parks. You don't necessarily have to be there first thing in the morning to do FastPass+. That's one of my favorite things about the new system! I can sleep in, have some breakfast, even a pool or water park day and then go to a park with later in the day FastPass+ times. You can also use them for your 2nd park of the day. For example, plan a morning at Animal Kingdom, where you stand in line for the rides you want, then change to Magic Kingdom later in the day where you have made FastPass+ times for popular rides like Splash Mountain, Peter Pan and the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!
How to book?
Once you have your Magic Your Way tickets, log into My Disney Experience on your date (60 days prior with resort reservations and 30 days without) and pick out your parks, rides and times per day of your trip. You can always change them later, but focus on getting those really popular attractions at some point during your trip, because they will be hard to come by later.
How to book?
Once you have your Magic Your Way tickets, log into My Disney Experience on your date (60 days prior with resort reservations and 30 days without) and pick out your parks, rides and times per day of your trip. You can always change them later, but focus on getting those really popular attractions at some point during your trip, because they will be hard to come by later.
How do you use them?
Once you are in the park, simply scan your magic band at the entrance to the ride. You will also scan it again as you get closer to boarding the ride vehicles. It's as easy as that!
Can I only have 3?
No, but you must first use up your three for the day. Once you have used all three of you initial fastpasses for the day, visit any Fastpass + Kiosk stationed throughout the park to add your next one. At that point, you have to do them one by one, but you can keep going back until the end of the day.
My Strategy:
I just returned from Walt Disney World on Sunday, so I had a chance to really try out the new Fastpass + system. Here's my strategy...before my trip, I made Fastpass+ reservations for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan and Space Mountain. I made them for relatively early in the day, so that I had more flexibility later in the day. Once I had used my 3rd one, I visited the kiosk and got Pirates of the Carribbean for only 30 minutes later. After that, I was able to get The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh for about an hour later. This gave me time to grab a late lunch and ride It's a Small World (which had a shorter line that day). Once I rode Winnie the Pooh, I was able to grab a Fastpass+ for Buzz Lightyear. I kept doing this until it was time to leave the Magic Kingdom park. I knew that I was coming back later in the evening, so before leaving the park, I grabbed a late night Fastpass+ for Splash Mountain. This strategy will work on a relatively crowded day, but probably not on the busiest of days. It will also not work on the more popular rides. When I went to make those 4th, 5th and 6th Fastpass+ reservations, the most popular rides were not available any more that day. This will be true on many days and in most parks. Was the effort worth it? Absolutely!
Good luck securing those Fastpass+ times and remember to link your Tickets and Resort Reservation ahead of time so you can get in right at 60 days to make these reservations.
