Fast Pass

[DebMcDonald]

Can someone give me a basic understanding of fast pass, and please don't laugh. Does it work on all rides. How many can you get a day. I have to admit and I'm sorry, that I don't understand fast pass at all.

 

[MelanieC]

Check out this link:
http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/fastpass.htm

What is FASTPASS??

FASTPASS is Disney's innovative system to help reduce long waits at popular attractions. It was introduced in 1999 and has been very successful.

Can Anyone Take Advantage of FASTPASS?

Absolutely! Any park guest can use FASTPASS. You do NOT have to have any special tickets or be staying at a Disney resort hotel. FASTPASS is available to EVERYONE.

How Much Does FASTPASS Cost?

FASTPASS is included in your admission to the park. There is NO extra charge to use the system.


How does it Work?
When you approach a FASTPASS Attraction you will see 2 clocks. The first one will tell you how long the normal wait time is, if you got in line right then. The other clock tells you what time you should return if you got a FASTPASS ticket now.
Go to the FASTPASS ticket machine and insert your admission ticket. EACH PERSON NEEDS A FASTPASS TICKET! Out comes your FASTPASS indicating what time frame you may return to the attraction. You are given a time frame, or "window," and may return during that period. Note that for some attractions, like Honey I Shrunk the Audience (Epcot) and the Little Mermaid Show (Disney MGM-Studios), there is only a 10-15 minute window.

Once your FASTPASS time has arrived, return to the attraction and get in the line for FASTPASS holders! Be sure to have your ticket out and ready to show the Cast Member. Further along in the waiting area, a Cast Member will actually take your FASTPASS ticket.

Even if you only want to see the Pre-Show and have no intentions of getting on the ride/attraction -- if you want to go with your party through the FASTPASS line you WILL need a FASTPASS!

Persons doing the Child Swap -- Each of you and your child NEEDS a FASTPASS ticket! EXCEPTION: If you child is under 3 and was admitted to the park for free, you do not need a FASTPASS ticket for them.

 

[MelanieC]

Fast pass is great. It can really help you see more if you use it wisely. Make sure to look at the time you can get another fast pass. I'm so glad someone came up with the idea!

 

[disneydreamer98]

It amazes me how many people do not take advantage of the Fast Pass! We spend very little time in lines by using the Fast Pass system. I would much rather be riding another ride, enjoying another attraction or even sitting under a shade tree with a bottle of water than waiting in a hot line! It is especially wonderful with children!

 

[pbharris4]

On the FP...can you go around and get FP's to the FP attractions and then circle around and go on the rides (as long as it's in the window or after the window)? Here's what I want to do: I take the tickets and get FP's at all the FP rides/attractions. Then, when the 1st time window opens we go to it do the Parent swap (will for every ride) and then move on to ride #2 and so on. Is that possible? Last year I planned poorly on this and wasted ALOT of time AND didn't do parent swap either. I want to ride more than 2 things at the parks this year! Thanks (sorry if I hijacked!)

 

[disneydreamer98]

On the FP...can you go around and get FP's to the FP attractions and then circle around and go on the rides (as long as it's in the window or after the window)? Here's what I want to do: I take the tickets and get FP's at all the FP rides/attractions. Then, when the 1st time window opens we go to it do the Parent swap (will for every ride) and then move on to ride #2 and so on. Is that possible? Last year I planned poorly on this and wasted ALOT of time AND didn't do parent swap either. I want to ride more than 2 things at the parks this year! Thanks (sorry if I hijacked!)

Once you obtain your first FP, you cannot get another until the time stated on that FP....meaning, if the FP shows you can ride Space Mountain from 10:40 to 11:40 at 10:40 you can go to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and get a FP for that. Definitely take advantage of the parent swap! I cannot imagine going to a park and only riding 2 rides! We usually have all of Fantasyland done within the first hour to hour and a half of opening!

 

[jswalker1981]

You can't get fastpasses for all the rides at one time. You can only get another fastpass when the time on the slip says you can, which is normally two hours. I've found it to be the best to check the return time of the fast pass. I actually was going to get a fastpass for BTMR and noticed that the return time was about 25 minutes after getting the fastpass (i didn't get it because we left early due to me being so sick). If we didn't have a five year old with us, we were going to get a fastpass for Buzz, come back in about an hour when our time came up. We were going to wait in line for space mountain for an hour while we waited for our return time for Buzz. Now it sounds like we should have gotten a fastpass for space mountain, but the return time for SM was about three hours later. So, I take an hour hit waiting for SM, ride it, then run onto Buzz, which takes care of the big rides in TomorrowLand. The timing of fastpasses is what makes them work even better then just getting to the front of the line first. Also, make sure that you ride rides that don't have long waiting lines AFTER you get a fast pass. Such as, in FrontierLand, get a FP for either Splash or Thunder MTN., go onto Tom Sawyer's Island and hit the Haunted Mansion. Go back, and ride either mountain. Get a FP for the other mtn in frontierland that you didn't ride before. Ride POTC, check out Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, see the Birds of the Tiki Room, and go back to the mountain for the fastpass. The same thing with FantasyLand, get a FP for one ride, hit the others, check out Philarmagic, IASW, and toontown. Normally Winnie the Pooh is the longest line in FantasyLand with Peter Pan coming in a close second.

 

[Scott Free]

The fast pass is one of the best things invented. We constantly use it. When we first arrive in the park we walk to the ride we want to ride the most, click the fast pass and then walk around to other rides and shows until the aloted time for the ride. It is great!!

 

[pbharris4]

You can't get fastpasses for all the rides at one time. You can only get another fastpass when the time on the slip says you can, which is normally two hours. I've found it to be the best to check the return time of the fast pass. I actually was going to get a fastpass for BTMR and noticed that the return time was about 25 minutes after getting the fastpass (i didn't get it because we left early due to me being so sick). If we didn't have a five year old with us, we were going to get a fastpass for Buzz, come back in about an hour when our time came up. We were going to wait in line for space mountain for an hour while we waited for our return time for Buzz. Now it sounds like we should have gotten a fastpass for space mountain, but the return time for SM was about three hours later. So, I take an hour hit waiting for SM, ride it, then run onto Buzz, which takes care of the big rides in TomorrowLand. The timing of fastpasses is what makes them work even better then just getting to the front of the line first. Also, make sure that you ride rides that don't have long waiting lines AFTER you get a fast pass. Such as, in FrontierLand, get a FP for either Splash or Thunder MTN., go onto Tom Sawyer's Island and hit the Haunted Mansion. Go back, and ride either mountain. Get a FP for the other mtn in frontierland that you didn't ride before. Ride POTC, check out Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, see the Birds of the Tiki Room, and go back to the mountain for the fastpass. The same thing with FantasyLand, get a FP for one ride, hit the others, check out Philarmagic, IASW, and toontown. Normally Winnie the Pooh is the longest line in FantasyLand with Peter Pan coming in a close second.

OK..let me run this by you & see if I understand: Go to a ride we realy want to go on and get FP's..then go to another ride and wait in line, when that's over go back to the 1st ride w/ FP's and (do parents swap, too?), then go get FP's again and while waiting for that go on another ride, etc. Did I get it? But aren't some of those wait times (w/o FP) really long ...like 1-2 hrs? I don't know how my 2 yo would stand to wait that long in line in July heat. Let me know if I got the FP thing down (I can plan around the DD. Thanks so much!

 

[julfre]

pbharris4
The key to know what rides do NOT have fastpases or are large theaters that everyone gets in. So do these rides while you are waiting for a fstpass to come up. It's a small world, hall of presidents, pirates of the carribean, TTA, carousel of prgress, etc can be done in the wait time. FOr tomorrow land, I don't do space mountain(too rough) so I will get a fastpass for buzz if the line is long and go on the TTA or caurosel of progress or timekeeper(if it is open). by the time these nonfastpass rides are done, my time slot is usually up and I go on Buzz.

WHile waiting for jungle cruise fast pass, I will go to the tree house or POTC(sometimes do this twice as the lines move fast), then go to jungle cruise.

I also use hall of presidents or the liberty bell boat between splash and BTMRR fastpasses. You can also use haunted mansion here because even though this is fastpass, the lines can move fast.

I wouldn't wait 2 hours in a line for any of these rides. I've been in August when it was busy and this worked. I'm going in July for the first time next month so I'll see how well it works then.

 

[oogieboogie]

pbharris4, here's an example, let's say you are a family of 4 consisting of mom, dad, kid1, kid2

all of you want to ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain except kid2 who's too small. What you want to do is go to Splash Mountain, get 4 fastpasses, then get in line for BTMRR and tell the CM you need kid swap. CM will give you a fastpass-looking ticket and then dad takes kid1 to ride while mom and kid2 wait at the exit. When Dad comes out, mom takes kid1 on BTMRR while dad wait with kid2.

Then when you're done with BTMRR, go back to Splash with your fastpasses and get into the fastpass line. Tell the CM you need kid swap and follow the same procedure as BTMRR. In the meantime, while Dad takes kid1 on Splash, mom can take kid2 and go to the next ride (say POTC) and get another fastpass, then come back and when Dad comes out of BTMRR with kid1, mom takes kid1 on Splash.

When you're all done, you'll already have another fastpass waiting for you.