Help with planning the usage of Fast Pass+

[cantwait4]

This will be our first trip to Disney and our first family vaction we have had as a family in 5 years and once we return, our five year old will be having test/surgeries w/n the next 9months. So I really want to make the most of it. Could you please help me plan my fast pass +

What would be the best use of my Fast Pass + reservation at each park for a 5 & 7 year? The five year has never been to a theme park of any kind and my 7 year old has been to Carowinds and loved the outdoor roller coasters there that were age/height appropriate at the time which she was 5 years old. She will still ride almost anything.
We will be checking in on the 21st of Sept. and touring the parks indicated below by day;
Sunday 22nd - DHS
Monday 23rd – AK
Tuesday 24th – MK
Wednesday 25th – Epcot
Thursday 26th – MK
Friday 27th – MK

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

It's kind of up to you, and what your family likes. So in one sense, you kind of have to decide which rides appeal to you personally.That said, most of the 'top' picks =height restrictions. How tall will your five year old will be? Beyond that, there's your child may be too skittish to ride.

Even if your child is scared, everyone else who is tall enough can ride. I'm not positive how FP+ will work with child swap, but you should read about child swap passes. They are free for asking, you just have to know what they are, which rides, and how to use them.

I'm also assuming you are NOT going during a VERY busy week like Easter, Christmas or Thanksgiving week. Most of the rest of the time Epcot and AK only have a few of what we used to call e-rides. = top tier rides. That doesn't mean they are your favorites, just that they are considered the big draws.

So here are some of my top picks:

AK: safari, Kali (if you want to get wet), EE (if not too scared/tall enough), dinosaur (if not too scared, 5yr should be tall enough, but it can be scary for many small kids). If you like Nemo show, maybe - but you can probably also see the shows without one. FotLK is great show, but it's closed right now.

Epcot: Soarin' (check if tall enough), Test Track (check if tall enough). otherwise there's not much to pick. Most of the time Maelstrom has short wait, but that's my next pick.

HS: TSM, beyond that check desire/height. Five year old probably won't do RnRC or ToT- the other two biggies. Next in line is probably Star Tours. Beyond that, I'd probably say Fantasmic is a good pick.

Mk is the hardest one to narrow. The three biggies are the three Mountains - but the five year old not want to ride/may not be tall enough to ride Space Mtn. BTMRR is a must. Next in line would probably be Peter Pan. Princess character Greet and Enchanted Tales if you have a girl. Next tier is Ariel ride, Pooh, Buzz, PotC, Jungle Cruise.


Beyond that....FP+ is going to include all new options that were never offered before like dining and fireworks viewing. None of us really knows which of those will be best. Beyond that, There's no one size fits all way to tour WDW.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I'm in a similar situation right now.

The hardest thing I have found is picking from all the attractions at MK (so much selection) and a third attraction at HS (I have TSM and Star Tours, but the third choice with a 5 year old is more tricky). In saying that, I'm not seeing any of the HS shows yet, only the rides.

I just wanted to add that I don't think the Lion King Show is closed/closing. I have made a Fastpass for the show in early Oct and I can't see any reference to a closure. At least I hope not. It's one of the things I'm most looking forward to in all of the parks.

 

[ktlm]

The above poster gave you great advice. We have taken my DD(7) every year since she was 2, and our absolute one must FP+ for each park would be:

1. DHS- Toy Story Mania (the standby line for this is often an hour or more)

2. EPCOT - Soarin- This is another one where the line can consistently be pretty long. DD isn't always huge on thrill rides, but she has liked this one since she was 3.

3. Animal Kingdom- Safari

4. Magic Kingdom - Peter Pan - For us the ultimate classic Disney ride. DD has been in love with it since she was 2, and still is today. The ride is going down for refurbishment for a month right around the end of your trip, so chances are the lines (which are usually a half hour or more), are going to be really long while you are there. Since there are so many at MK, I will give you our other top choice. If one, or both, of your kids like the Princesses, you will probably want to FP+ Enchanted Tales with Belle. The standby line is usually 45 minutes or more during the day. We have found that if you have night owl kids, that later in the evening the line usually is quite a bit shorter.

Have a Wonderful Magical Trip! I hope your 5 year olds tests and surgeries go well.

 

[cantwait4]

My 5 yr old is almost 44 inc. tall. and we are going in Sept 21-28

Thanks so much for your help and concern for her well-being

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'm in a similar situation right now.

I just wanted to add that I don't think the Lion King Show is closed/closing. I have made a Fastpass for the show in early Oct and I can't see any reference to a closure. At least I hope not. It's one of the things I'm most looking forward to in all of the parks.

My bad.

There are lots of rumors floating around about the whole Camp Minnie/Mickey area closing to make way for Avatar. I don't follow rumors all that closely, so I haven't really paid attention to the latest.

FotLK is/was supposed to be moving to a new location in early 2014, last I read. I still think I read about it closing earlier this spring/summer, but the websites I use only list current rehabs not past ones. It's possible I'm misremembering, but I'm pretty sure it closed for a bit.

You are correct. I don't see any references to current or definite imminent closure. Still, I'd keep an eye out.