Fast Pass+ Trial Run?

[ww52]

I hate to ask a question that's probably been asked many many times already, but the search function gives me an overwhelming number of hits on this (because of the words "fast", "pass" and "trial") and yet I don't see anything relating to this in particular.

I've read people doing a "fast pass plus trial run". I assume it's "practice" or maybe even the ability to see what passes they could get if that was their time to get hem?

How do you do that? Can I actually get on and see what fast passes are available 60 days from tomorrow at 7AM EDT - even though my 60 day window doesn't open for another 2 weeks?

Getting nervous about this whole FP+ process, given we have 7 people in our group. Starting to read on strategies etc.

 

[Aron1012]

I hate to ask a question that's probably been asked many many times already, but the search function gives me an overwhelming number of hits on this (because of the words "fast", "pass" and "trial") and yet I don't see anything relating to this in particular.

I've read people doing a "fast pass plus trial run". I assume it's "practice" or maybe even the ability to see what passes they could get if that was their time to get hem?

How do you do that? Can I actually get on and see what fast passes are available 60 days from tomorrow at 7AM EDT - even though my 60 day window doesn't open for another 2 weeks?

Getting nervous about this whole FP+ process, given we have 7 people in our group. Starting to read on strategies etc.

No I don't think so. Even with an AP ticket active you can only see 30 days out. So without a reservation tied to your MDE you won't be able to see 60 days until your day.

 

[SaintsManiac]

You can still try it out even though you can't see availability 60 days out. No harm in going in and going through the steps.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

If you have separately purchased theme park tickets (NOT a package booking), you can go on MDX right now and book FPs for today, tomorrow, etc, through 30 days from now (note, not 60 days). Some people will do this just to get a hang for how the website works, how menus are organized, etc.

You cannot do this when you have tickets that are part of a package booking - your FP booking ability with a package doesn’t open until your 60 day mark.

Hope that answers your question.

 

[FCDub]

Look at tutorials on YouTube.

But really, it's not that complicated.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

If you have a package booked then you will not be able to "practice".
Your window will open 7am eastern on your 60 day mark and that is that.
If you have purchase tickets separately and have them linked you can see a 30 day rolling window and can "practice".

 

[SaintsManiac]

If you have separately purchased theme park tickets (NOT a package booking), you can go on MDX right now and book FPs for today, tomorrow, etc, through 30 days from now (note, not 60 days). Some people will do this just to get a hang for how the website works, how menus are organized, etc.

You cannot do this when you have tickets that are part of a package booking - your FP booking ability with a package doesn’t open until your 60 day mark.

Hope that answers your question.

Interesting. I never book a package, so I didn't realize that!

 

[ww52]

OK - sounds good. We don't have all our tickets yet, (I think we have 5 or 6 of the seven) but they will all have been purchased separately. None through a package. Though the MDX has it linked to a reservation at the Dolphin.

But if I am looking < 30 days out, I suspect not much will be there compared what will (hopefully) be there when our 30 day window opens.

So we can practice. And I'll check out Youtube videos too.

Thanks much for the quick replies!

 

[Tksolomom]

Other than FOP, 7DMT and Frozen, most rides have good availability at 30 days. You might want to practice using both MDE and the web site.

 

[KrazeeK120]

If you have separately purchased theme park tickets (NOT a package booking), you can go on MDX right now and book FPs for today, tomorrow, etc, through 30 days from now (note, not 60 days). Some people will do this just to get a hang for how the website works, how menus are organized, etc.

You cannot do this when you have tickets that are part of a package booking - your FP booking ability with a package doesn’t open until your 60 day mark.

Hope that answers your question.

I’m not the OP, but thank you for providing this information! We have purchased tickets separate from our room for the first time. I always do the FP booking, but I’ve recruited my husband to help me in hopes that we can score both SDD and FOP! It’ll be good to be able to show him the mechanics beforehand.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Other than FOP, 7DMT and Frozen, most rides have good availability at 30 days. You might want to practice using both MDE and the web site.

Add SDD to that list.

 

[rexmism]

I also wanted to practice prior to my FP day. But really 1) it is super intuitive to move around and schedule them, and 2) there's really no preparing you for the real thing when you're actually booking things and times are changing. Check out a YouTube video to get the gist, and then, just, good luck! Get things as close as you can at first, then go back and use modify. It gives you different times almost constantly.

 

[ww52]

How does it work for two people doing this at the same time? My son is the "master planner" this trip (I've passed the torch after doing it 7 times from the time he was 8 years old) - but I have an account linked to MDE for the trip too. (Which - as an aside - caused some headaches when I invited people to join that were already linked to his - a very competent CM< on the phone got that straightened out - but took 30 minutes!)

Anyway - it sounds like maybe we can both do this at the same time (while talking on the phone to each other since he lives about 15 miles away)?

 

[Bostonbeans99]

How does it work for two people doing this at the same time? My son is the "master planner" this trip (I've passed the torch after doing it 7 times from the time he was 8 years old) - but I have an account linked to MDE for the trip too. (Which - as an aside - caused some headaches when I invited people to join that were already linked to his - a very competent CM< on the phone got that straightened out - but took 30 minutes!)

Anyway - it sounds like maybe we can both do this at the same time (while talking on the phone to each other since he lives about 15 miles away)?

I would link the accounts and let your son find and make the Fastpasses.
Beforehand have the phone call of which parks to visit which days and which rides are the important ones.
That way he can snag the good ones pretty fast.

I booked for 6 people, 2 different resorts, but I know everyone so well I know they would want the rides I booked. Some rides that 2 of us want to pass on I booked 4 7DMT and 2 Pirates etc. But I snagged the FOP and other hard rides for 6.


(Always have pieces of paper and pencil ready with park name, dates and favorite rides written when booking fastpasses. You will find it smoother and faster and easier this way.
You can then usually go back and modify if you find a better time if the ride is available).

 

[rexmism]

How does it work for two people doing this at the same time? My son is the "master planner" this trip (I've passed the torch after doing it 7 times from the time he was 8 years old) - but I have an account linked to MDE for the trip too. (Which - as an aside - caused some headaches when I invited people to join that were already linked to his - a very competent CM< on the phone got that straightened out - but took 30 minutes!)

Anyway - it sounds like maybe we can both do this at the same time (while talking on the phone to each other since he lives about 15 miles away)?

I thought about having my wife try to do it on her account while I did it on mine, but I did worry about something weird happening, and it could get complicated. I don't think time is that of the essence that you need to bother. Get the tricky ones done first (FoP, Slinky, 7D, Frozen), followed by earlier days since selections are a little more limited. I found 8 days of parks took me about 30 minutes for the "rough draft", then I went back through and tweaked things. Like, the rest of the day. Lol. My biggest suggestion is to have a good set up, like a desk with a mouse. I did mine on a laptop in bed and was sort of kicking myself. Every time you pick the party, you have to scroll down to get to next, and it's annoying. Not a huge deal, but a setup your comfortable with would make the whole thing a little more pleasant.

 

[ww52]

Thanks for the input;
We've spent a very large amount of time planning the preferred days for each park and the attractions we find most important. We've used the Touring Plans site to come up with several plans and modified several times to get it reasonable (important since we'll have two small children with us - and naps and relatively early bedtimes have to be factored in.

The whole "3 per day for only one park / Tier 1 vs Tier 2 (ex MK) had to be factored in too. And then - do we get early morning FPs (so we use them soon and hope to get other) versus get to the park early and save them for later in day?

After a lot of iterations - we have a plan for every day. And only two really high demand attractions (Frozen and FoP). So we're ready The last thing therefore is can we get the FP+ for the times we've blocked off.

So I think it makes sense to have my son do it while we're on the phone with each other. That way, as rexmism said, we don't have to worry about something weird happening as we both try to do it.