If you’re going to Disney World for the first time, there’s a lot of tips and tricks that will likely be new to you. Some will enhance your vacation, while others are pretty essential for a smooth trip.
One very important system to learn is the Disney FastPass+ System.
If you’ve read other Disney posts (on this blog, or any other) you’ve likely heard a lot about the importance of booking your FastPasses. But before you can book your FastPasses, it might be helpful to know what this system is and everything it can do for you and your group.
With that in mind, this post breaks down what the FastPass+ system is, and goes over all of the essential details of using it so you can get the most out of your Disney World Vacation.
What is FastPass+?
FastPass+ is a Disney World system that allows you to essentially reserve a spot in line at some of the most popular rides in Disney World. This results in a significantly reduced wait time for you and your group.
Disney standby wait times can be long–especially for the more popular rides. Using FastPass+ means you’ll be able to spend more time riding rides, less time waiting in line, and still get on favorite Disney Rides.
This can help you maximize your time in the parks.
How does it work?
Before your trip, you’ll be able to reserve your FastPass for three popular rides per person per day.
When you book, you’ll get a one hour window to get to your ride.
Each ride that has a FastPass option only has so many FastPasses available per day and those FastPasses are spread out throughout the day. This keeps FastPass wait times very short–especially compared to the stand-by wait times.
You’ll still have to do a little bit of waiting, but your wait will likely be 5-15 minutes, as opposed to the hour (or more) that’s common at a lot of more popular Disney rides.
How much does it cost?
FastPass+ is free to anyone with a Disney World park ticket.
When to book your FastPasses
If you’re staying on Disney property, you can book your FastPasses 60 days before the start of your vacation. If you’re staying off Disney property, you can book 30 days before the start of your trip.
And just as a side note, when you hit your 60 or 30 day mark, you can book FastPasses for your whole trip–even the days that are beyond 60 and 30 days out.
How to book your FastPasses
You can book your FastPasses in the My Disney Experience App on your phone or computer.
Select the FastPass+ option, then choose who you want to make plans for, then select the day and park your want, then select the ride you want to book.
If you know when you’d like to ride a ride, you can typically pick your desired time or time frame, or you can select one of the three times the app suggests.
It’s also possible for one person in your party to book FastPasses for everyone as long as all of your group’s My Disney Experience accounts are linked.
For more on how to use the My Disney Experience app (including how to link accounts), check out this post!
FastPass Tiers
Every park except for Magic Kingdom has FastPass tiers. The most popular rides are in the first tier and the less popular rides are in the second.
You can select one more popular first tier ride and two second tier rides per person. You’ll see the tier distinctions when you’re making your FastPass selections.
While tiers can be a little annoying, it also really keeps the wait times for the more popular rides down and it helps to ensure everyone gets a chance at least one more popular FastPass.
What if you can’t get a FastPass you want?
If you can’t get a FastPass for a ride you want, keep checking back! You can make changes to your FastPasses right up until the time you use them.
This means that as other people change plans, they may have to let go of a FastPass, which frees that FastPass up for you!
On my last trip, I was having a hard time getting a FastPass for Toy Story Mania. I checked daily for an opening and when I was in the airport ready to leave for the trip, one finally opened up.
It’s also very possible to get a hard-to-get FastPass the day of. People sometimes realize they’re not going to make it to the ride during the FastPass window and change their plains. So seriously, keep checking.
How to use your FastPasses
When it comes time to use your FastPass, head over to the ride and make sure you jump in the FastPass line. Your FastPasses are tied to your MagicBand or ticket card, so you shouldn’t need to show a Cast Member anything.
You’ll tap your MagicBand or card to a couple of touch points, which will turn green. This redeems your FastPass and gives you access to the ride.
Cast Members will pull from both the FastPass line and the standard line when they’re loading the rid, but because the FastPass line is much shorter, your wait will be minimal.
How to get more FastPasses
Once you use your three FastPasses, you can book another one! Your options may be limited depending on the time of day and the remaining available FastPasses, but it is possible to have more than three FastPasses in a day.
You’ll also be able to book even more FastPasses after you book each additional FastPass.
You may also find that if you are inconvenienced in some way and are polite to the Cast Member assisting you, you may be given an additional FastPass.
This is by no means a guarantee, but it’s happened to me in the past and I’ve heard several reports of others with a similar experience. So even if things are going wrong, be polite to Cast Members! You never know what they might do for you.
How to change Your FastPass
If you realize you won’t make it to a FastPass in time, or need to change plans for one reason or another, you can change your FastPass plans in the My Disney Experience App up until you actually use your FastPass.
You can either modify a FastPass, which means you’ll keep the same ride but change the time, or cancel the FastPass in favor of a different ride all together.
What happens if you miss your FastPass?
There is a ten to fifteen minute grace period built into your FastPass. So if you show up just a little late, you should still be able to make the touch points turn green and get on the ride.
If you miss the grace period, I’ve heard that you can cancel that FastPass and still schedule another one as long as you didn’t use it. However, please note that I haven’t tried this, so I can’t say for sure if this works.
But if you find yourself in this situation, it can’t hurt to give it a try. At that point, you won’t have much to lose. And be sure to report how it worked for you.
My best advice here is to be aware of your FastPasses and if your window is closing, do your best to modify the FastPass so you don’t have to stress about it.
What happens if a ride closes during your FastPass window?
If a ride you have a FastPass for closes during your window, you’ll be able to redeem that FastPass at a ride of similar popularity. The Cast Members at the ride will be able to tell you where you can use your FastPass. You’ll likely have three or four locations to choose from.
These are the most important aspects of the FastPass system, but if you’re looking for more, check out Disney’s FAQs on the topic!
For more Disney World tips and tricks, check out the other Disney World Posts!
Sound off: What’s your favorite part about the FastPass+ System? What do you wish Disney would do differently? Tell us about it in the comments!