Fast passes, really?!

[Stefani P.]

I haven't been to Disney in 10 years. The planning of my upcoming trip has me extremely stressed.

Do I REALLY need fast passes?
The thought of every moment of my day being planned stresses me out even more.

 

[EagleG17]

If you want to get on the best attractions, you better use 'em.

 

[Allison]

I would recommend them. Using 3 fastpasses a day doesn't mean every moment needs to be planned. It gives your day some structure but not down to the moment. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Disney_traveler]

If you can get up early and rope drop and stay out late if there are late EMH and aren't picky about what you do or don't go on, you might not need them. If there is a certain thing you MUSt ride, I'd recommend getting FP

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

No of course you don't need to utilize fastpass but you will find that for the most popular rides you'll be waiting in a longer SB line just as you would have 10 years ago without utilizing fastpass for the most popular rides.

Personally I like FP+ because then I have at least 3 attractions each day that I know i will not be waiting in a long line for which makes it easier to get more attractions in.

It actually makes me feel like I have more freedom with my day instead of rushing to a fastpass machine at RD so that I can ensure that i will get that fastpass for SOME TIME between then and closing.

I'd much rather sit here plan ahead vs getting a fastpass for the same time I already have an ADR or another attraction like the 3pm parade.

 

[EagleG17]

Also, if you don't want to use yours - I will gladly take them!

 

[Staarr11]

RD is important. You can also have a good touring plan which will help. But if they are free why not?

 

[mickeygirl78]

Why not book them? If you decide to change your mind and do something else, just cancel them. At least if you do stick with your plans you have them.

 

[VillainFavs]

Better to make them ahead and end up not using them. If you don't make them ahead and decide you'd like to use them, you're going to be out of luck!

Make them just in case. Then decide when you get there. At least you have them as backup. There's really no reason NOT to make them!

And if you're looking to get on popular rides, it's either use them, RD every morning (and still no guarantee), or be ready to wait in long, long lines.

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

There's absolutely no penalty for missing fastpass times. I'd just make them and see how it pans out. Also many, many opportunities to change them up along the way (and even days leading up to your trip) -- The only rides that you need FP+ for far, far in advance seem to be the SDMT and FEA. Forgive me if I forgot others.

 

[mom2rtk]

You need to remember that many many rides have FP now that did not before. Not using FP would mean you would spend all day being prioritized behind other riders who do have FPs. Even the rides that used to have short standby lines now have longer lines because FP always feeds in first.

This is one of those cases of "if you can't bet 'em, join 'em".

 

[ELSA711]

3 planned FP rides or attractions is not going to equate to every moment at WDW planned

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I would make them just in case because some rides have really long lines. What I usually do is start my first one around 11am so if I'm running late in the morning, I'm not stressed about making my FP.

And if I make it for rope drop, I have a couple of hours of low crowd touring.

Also - it may not seem like it when you first start planning after going for so long, but it's really not as bad as it seems when you are trying to book FP+.
The hardest part for me is deciding which park I want to go on which day first. Once I've done that, the rest kind of falls into place.

Good luck!

 

[Stefani P.]

This makes me feel better. I may just book them and no big deal if I can't do them all or change my plans!

 

[CinderellaElla]

When Disney first brought out the FP+ I was right there with you. I didn't know how I felt about that idea of planning my trip way in advance. I've been to Disney World many times since then and I've gotten used to these FPs. You really only need to plan FP in advance for the really popular rides. It also just kind of depends on the season your going. It is something new, and changes in Disney can be kind of chaotic at times. But this seems to be working out relatively well now.

Now you can make 3 FPs per day, for one park. Once you use all of those FPs for that park, you can add 1 more FP. You cannot add another FP until you use up that 1. So, after you use up the 3 FPs, you can continually add 1 more FP as long as you use it before you add another (I hope I haven't lost you lol)

Now, I can't imagine going back to the ticket system lol It's like, "this ticket is going to tell me when I need to come back?!" With FP+, you get to decide when you go (for the most part - there are some really popular rides where you can only get a certain time)

Having a smart phone and the My Disney Experience is golden because you can change your FPs and plans so easily and on the go!