Fast pass Question from a WDW vet

[stacyleigh1978]

I've gotten so used to the magic bands at WDW that I have forgotten how to navigate the paper fast pass system.

1) Once I have a fast pass for a ride, when can I get another one?

2) I have seem people mention that some fast passes are disconnected. Does this mean you can get a fast pass for a disconnected ride and a connected ride at the same time? What rides are disconnected?

Thank you!

 

[tlovesdis]

1) You can get another one either 2 hours after you pulled the first, or after you have used your FP, whichever comes first.

2) I believe the only ride that is not connected is Buzz Lightyear. All other rides are, but shows are not (WOC, Frozen).

Hope this helps!

 

[figment_jii]

Once you've obtained a FP, you can collect your next FP two hours later or when the FP window opens, whichever comes first regardless of whether you've used the FP or not. Let's say it's 9:00 am and you obtained a FP with a return time of 10:15 am to 11:15 am. You'll be able to get your next FP at 10:15 am (when the time window for the most recent FP opens). On the other hand, let's say it's 9:00 am and you obtain a FP with a return time of 2:15 pm to 3:15 pm. You'll be able to get your next FP at 11:00 am (two hours after you pulled your most recent FP). (Caveat: You cannot hold two FPs for the same attraction, so if you already have a FP for an attraction, but its time window has not yet opened, you cannot get another FP for that attraction even if you're eligible to get more FPs.) A few other notes:

• There are a handful of "disconnect" FPs. You can obtain these FPs and they do not limit/impact your ability to get another FP immediately. The only "disconnected" attraction FP is for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster. WoC and Frozen at the Hyperion are "disconnected" show FPs. In other words, you could go get a WoC FP and then immediately go get a RSR FP.
• The two parks are "disconnected" from each other. Meaning you can collect a FP in DL and then immediately hop over to DCA and collect a FP there. For example, if you are in DL and pull a FP for Space Mtn, you can immediately go over to DCA (assuming you have park hopper tickets) and get a FP for RSR.
• Once a park ticket has been used to enter a park, you can obtain FPs in either park. So let's say your party all enters DL in the morning. You can then have one person (aka "the runner") hop over to DCA to get FPs in that park. (It's worth noting, I've only ever done this with park hopper tickets, so I don't know if works if someone had a one-park-per-day ticket). This is one of the biggest differences from WDW when it was still using the Legacy FP system.

 

[stacyleigh1978]

Another question- how lenient are they with return times? When WDW had the paper fp, even though the time may have read 12:15-1:15, you could really use it any time throughout the day after 12:15. Does DL allow this or do you have to use it within the hour printed on your pass?

 

[Winnowill]

The best way to maximize FPs is to get a new one as soon as you can. Get another FP before you use the one already in your hand. The system has no idea whether or not you've USED your FP, yet. Just that you had one and when the window to use it opened. Technically (though I've not tried this), I suppose this means that, if you have an FP for RSR and the window to use it has opened, you can get another one for that ride, assuming they are still available, even if you have not yet used the first ones.

 

[figment_jii]

Another question- how lenient are they with return times? When WDW had the paper fp, even though the time may have read 12:15-1:15, you could really use it any time throughout the day after 12:15. Does DL allow this or do you have to use it within the hour printed on your pass?

DLR is enforcing return times. You might get lucky and get a CM that will honor an expired FP, but I would not count on that happening. Also, DLR does not have a set grace period (either before or after the window), so it's best to plan on returning during the window printed on the FP.

 

[avalon451]

Another question- how lenient are they with return times? When WDW had the paper fp, even though the time may have read 12:15-1:15, you could really use it any time throughout the day after 12:15. Does DL allow this or do you have to use it within the hour printed on your pass?

They used to do this up until early 2013. It was the basis of entire published strategies for maximizing FP use in the parks. I used to collect 6 or more FPs before noon, go for a break, then come back and use them all right in a row in the late afternoon/evening.

WDW started enforcing return times first, then DLR followed suit the next year.

For more thoughts on strategies, see Hydroguy's tips threads on FP use: http://www.disboards.com/threads/th...in-todays-disney-parks.3199888/#post-50089263

 

[GatorChris]

One of the things you can do is when you get there at rope drop 9am, you can get a FP for something like Big Thunder for 9:40 and right after 9:40 you can get another FP. However, if your first FP isn't until after 11am, you can't get another until 11am and you can't get another FP for that same attraction until the time on that first FP.

 

[smartlabelprint]

You can also hold FP for both parks at the same time.

 

[choirboy501]

I don't know if anyone else has seen this, but twice before rope drop in DCA this past June, a CM walked up to the rope with a stack of WOC FPs and started handing them out. This was on the rope heading towards Soarin'.

 

[Kender]

The best way to maximize FPs is to get a new one as soon as you can. Get another FP before you use the one already in your hand. The system has no idea whether or not you've USED your FP, yet. Just that you had one and when the window to use it opened. Technically (though I've not tried this), I suppose this means that, if you have an FP for RSR and the window to use it has opened, you can get another one for that ride, assuming they are still available, even if you have not yet used the first ones.

As long as the ride window (and not the two hour window since pulling) is what opened, yes. This can be done. I do this with Buzz a lot in particular.

The system won't allow you to pull a FP for the same ride, though, if the window for that FP had not opened up yet even if you are able to pull another FP.

 

[bcla]

1) You can get another one either 2 hours after you pulled the first, or after you have used your FP, whichever comes first.

Doesn't matter if it's been used since the passes aren't scanned or anything. The next time one can be pulled is on the pass. It will either be in two hours or at the beginning of the window - whatever is shorter.

 

[bcla]

DLR is enforcing return times. You might get lucky and get a CM that will honor an expired FP, but I would not count on that happening. Also, DLR does not have a set grace period (either before or after the window), so it's best to plan on returning during the window printed on the FP.

If the ride is not operating any time during the return window, it will be honored any time that day.

 

[MrJT]

2) I believe the only ride that is not connected is Buzz Lightyear.

It's a good thing that Buzz is disconnected, because if you're not paying attention, like I did, you might pull one for Buzz when you're trying to get Star Tours. They are right next to each other, and they both like a Star Wars droid.

 

[hsmamato2]

wait... don't al the members of the party need to enter the other park in order to get another fp,using the ticket? like if we go to DL and get space mtn fp, then we want to get RSR fp next, how will the tickets show as entered DCA ?

 

[Disney_Alli]

wait... don't al the members of the party need to enter the other park in order to get another fp,using the ticket? like if we go to DL and get space mtn fp, then we want to get RSR fp next, how will the tickets show as entered DCA ?

The tickets need only have entered EITHER park for fastpasses to work in BOTH parks. Not sure why but it's been like that for years.

 

[Number Six]

Doesn't matter if it's been used since the passes aren't scanned or anything. The next time one can be pulled is on the pass. It will either be in two hours or at the beginning of the window - whatever is shorter.

Sometimes they are, Space Mountain comes to mind.

 

[bcla]

Sometimes they are, Space Mountain comes to mind.

I've never seen a FP being scanned. It's always gone straight to the hand of a cast member. Maybe they got scanned later for bookkeeping purposes, but it didn't affect when a new FP could be pulled, which was what I was getting at. Using a FP doesn't make a difference as to when a new one can be gotten. The next one can be pulled at the start of the FP window or in 2 hours from when the last one was pulled, and that time will be right on the pass.

 

[Kender]

I've never seen a FP being scanned. It's always gone straight to the hand of a cast member. Maybe they got scanned later for bookkeeping purposes, but it didn't affect when a new FP could be pulled, which was what I was getting at. Using a FP doesn't make a difference as to when a new one can be gotten. The next one can be pulled at the start of the FP window or in 2 hours from when the last one was pulled, and that time will be right on the pass.

Agreed that scanning even when it does happen doesn't matter (only thing that matters is the time in the FP that says when the next one can be pulled), but the scanning has happened as collected. Very rarely, but it has happened. It was a system they've tested a few times at SM. Many have speculated it's FP+ type of testing.

 

[bcla]

I would say that once on Tower of Terror I recall one CM who said a droll, WASPish "reservations" as he was collecting FPs. Earlier I'd asked the same CM about something or another, and he was using his normal speaking voice.