Can someone please explain this "Fast Pass"

[traci]

We are going the end of September and would like to know if you suggest the fast pass for rides. What exactly is it? How do you get it? And how much does it cost? We will be traveling w/a 2 yr old and a 9 month old so the big fun rollercoaster rides will be out of the question. I would hate to endure a long line with my toddler son for the kiddie attractions if there are ways around it.

Thank you for your help

 

[SueM in MN]

Fastpass is totally free. Anyone who has a park ticket can use it.
Here's a link to the DIS Site's page about Fastpass.
If you do want to ride some of the roller coasters, you may want to look into child swap - with this, you wait in line, one parent rides while the other stays with the children, then you switch off and the parent who rode stays with the kids while the seecond parent has a chance to ride.

If you can get to the parks early, there are short waits for most attractions in the first few hours the parks are open. As the day goes on, the parks get busier and the lines get longer. This is true even during busy times.

 

[traci]

Sue, so let me get this straight....with 'child swap' I can ride a rollercoaster while Dad stay's with the kids, then as soon as I get off he can ride?

 

[ckoncurat]

Correct- you both go up to the line, tell them you want to baby swap, and then they either give you a ticket or show you a special entrance to get back on the ride without waiting again.

 

[ckoncurat]

With fastpass, you put your park ticket in a special machine located near the ride, and it gives you a timed ticket that will allow you to go to the front of the line when you come back. You can also do a babyswap with a fastpass.

 

[SueM in MN]

Correct- you both go up to the line, tell them you want to baby swap, and then they either give you a ticket or show you a special entrance to get back on the ride without waiting again.

I know there is a page about it somewhere on this site, but I couldn't find it.
Here's a link to a past thread I found that explains it though.

 

[snowy76]

Others have Fastpasses for the same window of time, so just don't be surprised if you still end up waiting to ride -- it's just in a much shorter line. Typical Fastpass waits in the peak hours are 10 minutes compared to 45 minutes or more in the standby lines.

Other things to keep in mind: not all attractions feature Fastpass, and the earlier you can get them, the better. Sometimes they run out of Fastpasses for the biggest attractions (coasters, etc.)