Everything you NEED to know about Disney FastPass

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Disney Fastpass+ is not necessarily the easiest thing to get your head around if you’ve never been to Walt Disney World in Orlando before but it’s one of the most important parts of you trip you really DO need to research fully well in advance of your arrival.

What is a Disney FastPass?

A Disney FastPass allows you to skip the standby line for select attractions, certain shows and most Character Greetings.

How does the Disney FastPass work?

Linking your ticket/reservation to My Disney Experience app either on desktop or via the app will automatically enable you to book your fast passes.

Initially, you can make three selections in one theme park per day whereby Disney will give you an hour time slot that you can ‘skip the standby line’.

Walt Disney’s Old Key West Resort review

Once those three have been used, you can begin making additional selections, one at a time, throughout the day but if you choose to use a FastPass for an evening show or an attraction later on in the day, you will lock up your ability to make additional FastPass+ selections until you have used your initial three pre-scheduled selections. 

If you have the Park Hopper option on your theme park tickets, you can even select FastPass+ times for attractions at other theme parks if you plan to hop to a different theme park later in the day. 

While it’s not always required because a lot of rides are walk on in the morning if you get there early enough; we try to make the most popular FastPass+ selections for morning times so we can continue making selections throughout the day.

What is the Disney World FastPass app?

The My Disney Experience (MDE) is the only app you need to take full advantage of Disney’s FastPass before and during you trip to Walt Disney World. Ensure you sign up BEFORE you get your tickets/book your reservation over at the official Disney World website ensuring you add all members of your party too.

How much does the Disney FastPass cost?

It’s entirely ‘free’ and included in your admission ticket. No matter what ticket you buy or the price you paid you will have access to Fast Pass+ at no extra cost to your park ticket.

When can I book my Disney fastpasses?

Disney resort hotel guests can book their FastPass+ reservations 60 days in advance of their arrival.

If you are staying offsite you can only book from 30 days in advance of your arrival for the length of your stay (up to 10 days)… then one day at a time after that.

However there are a few ‘good neighbour’ hotels that are not owned by Disney but are on property that will allow you to book your Fastpasses at 60 days out too so be sure to check if yours is one of those!

Disney annual pass-holders can book up to 3 experiences per day up to 30 days in advance and will allow you to plan up to 7 days in advance.

What time can I book Fastpasses from?

You can book Fastpasses via the MDE app or on desktop 7am EST (Floridian time) so 12 noon GMT.

Make sure you are already logged in just before 7am/12noon so there are no delays to logging or issues with ‘forgetting your password’ 🙂

Disney’s FastPass availability

FastPass availability is limited so as soon as you can book you should book.

FastPass+ for the most popular attractions will disappear very quickly!

Make a note on your calendar now your fast pass dates and don’t forget in the UK you can book them from midday (7.00am Eastern Time) so no need to set your alarm too early!

How do I book my Fastpass+?

Once you log on you ought to head straight to the furthest date of your holiday first and work backwards because there will be less people booking that far in advance compared to the beginning of your holiday.

Once you’ve chosen the park and attraction you want to book, you will see the option to choose a Fastpass+ for morning, afternoon or evening. Here is a tip for you… you may find you get more options by choosing a specific time rather than letting Disney show you what’s available during each period (don’t ask me why but the same goes for Disney dining too!).

Once you’ve chosen your time you just click to reserve your Fastpass and it will be added to your account.

What if there are no times available?

This may well be the case in busy periods inparticular.

Don’t fret though you may just have to keep checking… plans change & people regularly delete/move their reservations. Don’t forget to check exact times rather than the generic morning, afternoon and evening! If there are limited times available book them. They may not work for you right now but you have them and can amend afterwards.

If you have a large party look at staggering the Fastpasses. For example if you have a Fastpass for 3 of you to return between 3pm-4pm but the other 2 can’t get it until 3:30pm that’s perfectly fine you just have 30 minutes to start queueing for the ride instead of the usual 1 hour but that’s perfectly fine… you will all be able to ride together.

How do I redeem my Disney’s FastPass+?

Once you are in your park of choice all you need to do is arrive at your chosen attraction at the time you’ve booked, head to the FastPass queue and scan your magic band or park ticket to head straight in.

You may still have to wait a little bit but it shouldn’t be anything compared to the main queue and if it is (for some bizarre reason!) there should be a Cast Member on hand to explain why. Just don’t expect to walk straight onto the attraction with no queuing whatsoever.

If there isn’t or barely a wait in the standby line when you arrive to redeem your Fastpass+ be sure to head down the standby line. You can then either alter the Fastpass+ via the app you whilst you’re stood in line and ride something else OR once you’ve ridden, ride again!

Do I need a Magic Band to use Disney FastPass?

Nope… although it is easier and avoids the risk of you loosing your physical park ticket; you CAN just use your ticket.

Does an under 3 need a FastPass?

Nope, they don’t need a ticket & they don’t need a FastPass.

Is it worth booking a FastPass+ for the fireworks?

We’ve done it in the past and although is ok (especially if you have small children who need carrying for most of the show you WILL get a better view) however it’s not ideal, particularly on a busy day, to make a Fastpass reservation at 10pm at night.

Until you redeem that Fastpass you can’t have anymore so you will only have two available during the day. If you have arrived at 10am in the morning and have to wait until 10pm to get another Fastpass it’s going to be a loooong day!

If you are considering booking them for the fireworks don’t book it from the off and check when you are there after you’ve rode all your other rides if there is anything available for the fireworks.

Do they still have FastPass kiosks in the park?

Yes they do. Anyone can use these but you tend to find those that use them don’t have access to My Disney Experience app for whatever reason (they may have even ran out of battery on their mobile device!)

Can you combine the FastPass and Child Swap?

Yes! And it’s one of the best things ever!

My top 10 tips on travelling to Walt Disney World with children

Using 2 adults and 2 children as an example here… if you have a child that can’t ride or doesn’t want to ride but have another that DOES want to ride; ensure you only book a FastPass for one adult and the child that CAN ride.

Upon entry to the FastPass queue ask the attendance for a child swap ticket. They will then give you another ticket (which is like a paper version of a FastPass) that will allow the child to ride again with the other adult (the one who waits with the child that can’t/doesn’t want to ride).

With that child swap ticket the adult that hasn’t yet ridden can just walk up the FastPass line with the child who has just come off and enjoy the ride with minimal wait time.

You then have a FastPass for use on another ride to do the same again potentially because you haven’t wasted it on the last ride. There is nothing stopping you, whilst the first adult and child is riding the attraction to take the other one on another ride of which you have both gotten a separate FastPass for.

What are the Disney FastPass tiers?

Three of the four theme parks have a tiered system for Fastpasses. All this means they have grouped a few attractions in tier one and the rest in tier two.

When heading to one of those parks you may reserve a Disney FastPass from ONE of the attractions listed in tier 1 and the other two Fastpasses from tier two.

Be sure to choose the more popular rides before anything when making your reservations. Popular rides are those in tier 1.

Epcot FastPass tiers

Tier 1

Frozen Ever After, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, Soarin’ and Test Track.

Tier 2

Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Living with the Land, Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot, RELAUNCHED! Mission: SPACE, Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo & Friends and Turtle Talk with Crush.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios FastPass tiers

Tier 1

Beauty and the Beast-Live on Stage, Fantasmic!, Toy Story Mania!, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith.

Tier 2

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, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ and Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park Fast Pass tiers

Tier 1

Avatar Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey.

Tier 2

DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo – The Musical, It’s Tough to be a Bug!, Kali River Rapids, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost, Primeval Whirl and Rivers of Light.

Disney FastPass tips

Schedule your fastpasses in one area of the park at a time.. it will save you being in one area and having to walk across the other side of the park for the next one.

Just like the fireworks, don’t waste your FastPass (unless you have to, sometimes you don’t have a choice!) on shows such as Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones or Frozen Ever After.

Again you may not have a choice but to book one of those but if you do don’t do it. Non FastPass views at shows like these are pretty much the same as those who HAVE reserved their seat using a FastPass. Beauty and the Beast seats are front center so if there was one I had to say was ok to choose a FastPass for it would be that one.

Take screenshots of your Fastpass reservations. It will save battery life going on and off WiFi to find them each time you need to see them.

I hope that helps and gives you everything you need to plan your trip and fully utilise Disney’s FastPass.

Feel free to pin to read again later to keep up to date with any future changes to the Disney FastPass+

If you got value out of this or feel it would be something some one you know would love to read too then feel free to share (or PIN to read again later!)

..and if you love Disney, Orlando & the surrounding area as much as I do feel free to check out some of my previous posts below:

5 things to get excited about coming to Disney World in 2019
Everything we know about the Disney Free Dining 2020
Cheap things to do in Orlando | 10 Orlando attractions for £20 or less!
Travel agent trickery – how to avoid over paying on your next trip to Florida
Walt Disney’s Old Key West resort review
How to do Walt Disney World in 7 days!
10 fun facts about Mickey Mouse that you may not know!
Post Cruise day room review of Hyatt at Orlando International Airport
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Top 10 tips on travelling to Walt Disney World with children
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