Are fast passes really necessary during mid-September?

[Sasha81]

My husband and I are going in mid-Sept. Is it really necessary to plan when we are going to ride stuff by scheduling fast passes in advance? I've heard this is not a busy time to visit and I'd rather be spontaneous.

 

[loves to dive]

Necessary? Not if you don't mind waiting in lines. We go just about every Sept. and have seen long lines and not so long lines. The headliners might be difficult to get on TSMM , Soarin, TT, etc. I never get FP for AK, just get there early and you are usually good to go. I don't get them at HS either but I don't ride RNRC or TSMM unless DS is there, I like the line at ToT so I don't mind waiting in it. The only one I use at Epcot is Soarin and I've actually been there right after rope drop and it was pretty much a walk on, TT never tried without one. SM at MK and most of the kiddie rides might need one. We usually make ours the night before, 3 adults so times aren't a big deal.

 

[ToddyLu]

My take on FP+ is this. WDW is giving you an opportunity to walk up to three, maybe more rides of your choosing and basically walk on for free ( not counting cost of tickets of course). If these rides are Test Track, Soarin, Expedition Everest or the Safari, etc then yes it is necessary. But if you really don't care if you ride them or not...you have the option of waiting or not riding. While September is not as busy as some. If it is a Friday night in EPCOT during F&W...yep nice to have a fast pass.

My parents really loved being able to walk right on. They are healthy but in their 70s so we would get the three in quickly, head back to resort or meander around to eat, , then out again at dusk for the parades and fireworks. They loved it. FP+ lets you be spontaneous, you only get three, you get to wait on the others. I just prefer to have my three favs for each park reserved.

 

[minnie mum]

Short answer yes. Long answer, hell yes.

 

[keepswimming76]

Yes. We have made three September trips in the past 5 years and each time the crowds seem to be getting worse. Although we always seem to pick times that end up being free-dining (after we've reserved something off property) so that may be the main factor.

 

[brazzledazzler]

Make the FP+s, you can always adjust them or skip them. Better to have FP+s then show up without them!

 

[Lucius Best]

My husband and I are going in mid-Sept. Is it really necessary to plan when we are going to ride stuff by scheduling fast passes in advance? I've heard this is not a busy time to visit and I'd rather be spontaneous.

We've been several times in September. Yes, it is one of the least busy times to visit. But that just means that between 11am and 5pm, when the parks are most crowded, the lines for the popular rides are going to be 30 minutes instead of 50-60. And the headliner rides (7DMT, Soarin', TSMM) are going to have long lines very shortly after rope drop. If Disney is giving you 3 FP at no extra charge (with the capability to get more), no reason not to use them.

I dislike the loss of spontaneity, especially when it comes down to having to lock yourself in to which park you're going to visit which day. On our first FP+ trip, basically we planned out the mornings, booked our FP+ for 10am/11am/12pm, then lunch and the rest of the day was wide open. We would maybe stay in the park, hop to another park, back to resort pool, depending on how bad the lines were and how much we got done.

You don't need to plan every minute of the day, it can be as simple as picking your three favorite popular/busy rides, make FP+ middle of day.

 

[Grace W]

even though it says not busy. Not busy for disney doesn't mean they don't have a lot of people. There will still be long waits. Get the fast pass.

 

[DOOM1001]

Disney is always busy,even the slowest 2-3 weeks a year in January and September are going to have at least 30-45 minute waits for the headliners that would be 60-120 minute waits other times of the year.Do you want to wait 30-45 minutes or 5-10 with fastpass,no brainer,its free,schedule your FP's!!

 

[Accident]

If you didn't get any or can't get the rides your looking for, I wouldn't sweat it. Your just going to need to pick and choose which non-fp wait lines your willing to stand in.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We've been that time of year and while there are certainly times of day where things are walk on and you can ride over an over, peak hours in the late morning and mid afternoon do boast longer lines. i.e. times when you surely could benefit from having FPs book. On top of that, rides like Soarin' and TSMM are FP musts at any time of year. It's really up to you, but it wouldn't hurt to book a few if you can.

 

[jelly22697]

I would just pick three with the earliest times possible and then if you get there and the lines are long you will have them and if you use them you can grab at least one more after you finish those!

 

[tcherjen]

I love FP+, especially with my 9 year old. We rope drop a park in the morning and FP+ a different park in the evening. We usually go during busy times, so this way I know we can get on rides.

 

[scoobygrl79]

Short answer yes. Long answer, hell yes.

Gospel right here! LOL

 

[5kidsmommy]

You will be able to ride without fast passes, the lines won't be hours long but they are free so why not use them. They are easy to schedule and then you know you have those rides to go on without a wait. We tend to schedule ours a little later in the day, that way we don't have to stress about getting to the parks super early.

 

[tessiesevin]

Last year we went for Labor Day. We did have fast passes but never used them M-F. All rides were no waits!

 

[ErinInCT]

Just get 'em. Worst case scenario, you don't need the cuz you can just walk on. We've found crowds manageable in mid Sept in the past (which is why we always go in Sept). But we weren't able to do TSMM last time as the lines were always over 2 hrs. Now I made sure to get a FP (which is easier when it's less crowded) to make sure we get to do it.

 

[Eeyore's-tail-tack]

If you schedule and don't use them that opens up the opportunity to cancel those and put something else that may have a long line.