Fast Pass + Booking Question

[theostwalts]

If you are planning to get to the parks early, is it better to book Fast Pass + for the morning or afternoon? We are going the week before Thanksgiving and I am new to the Fast Pass + system.

Thanks,

 

[ambolejack]

If we show up for rope drop or really close to it, we book our fast passes for the afternoon. The early mornings are pretty light for crowds.

 

[tcherjen]

Since we have park hoppers, I always book my FP+ for whichever park we will be in the evenings. We rope drop in the mornings and leave by about noon from that park. My youngest still likes to go to the resort to rest. We then do a different park in the evening. This works for us, but I understand not for everyone. Enjoy your vacation!

 

[LJSquishy]

Generally it's of better use to book Fastpasses for the afternoon/early evening when lines are at their longest, but it also depends on how you plan to tour the parks. If you know you'll want to take afternoon breaks, either schedule your Fastpasses for morning or evening. If you plan to stay in a single park all day/evening, book them for the afternoon. If you plan to park hop, consider booking your Fastpasses for the 2nd park you plan to visit that day.

We plan to get to the parks before they open, but I booked most of our days with Fastpasses in the morning starting around 9-10am (with an 8am opening time for example) so that we can ride a few things right away and then start using our Fastpasses. I wanted to leave our afternoons open in case we want to take a break back at our resort, park hop unexpectedly (we have hoppers), or visit Disney Springs or play mini-golf. You can get more Fastpasses one at a time once you use your first three (the most popular rides will be out of Fastpasses) so I also figured that would be a good strategy for my family.

 

[mesaboy2]

You may find the green link in my signature helpful.

 

[slickpoetry]

I guess I'm an outlier, because I like booking my FP's first thing in the morning. Once you use those up you can start booking extra FPs in the afternoon at the in-park kiosks. Booking extra FP's usually doesn't take too long (you have to avoid kiosks with long lines, though) and you can get 6, 7, or 8 FP in total this way.

Now--the FP's you get won't be headliners, I acknowledge that. That's why I book the headliners in the morning. I figure its smarter this way and you still can avoid a lot of long lines in the peak afternoon hours.

 

[mesaboy2]

I guess I'm an outlier, because I like booking my FP's first thing in the morning. Once you use those up you can start booking extra FPs in the afternoon at the in-park kiosks. Booking extra FP's usually doesn't take too long (you have to avoid kiosks with long lines, though) and you can get 6, 7, or 8 FP in total this way.

Now--the FP's you get won't be headliners, I acknowledge that. That's why I book the headliners in the morning. I figure its smarter this way and you still can avoid a lot of long lines in the peak afternoon hours.

If you want maximum FPs, that's the way to go. If you want "better" FPs, then perhaps not. Everyone's different, and there's no right answer.