FastPass+ Basic Info, Suggested Priorities, And Strategies--Part II

[jensen]

Are you kidding? I am going President's Day Week...and I am offsite, so can't start booking till next month.

Are you saying that I won't be able to get FP for Soarin, Test Track, Splash Mtn., TOT, TSM????

I think by "superheadliners" he means Anna & Elsa, maybe Mine Train. Everything else should still have openings... on the holiday weekend, you might not get your handpicked times, but you'll get FP+.

If that is the case, my WDW days may be numbered...and this new FP deal is a real loser.

Can someone give me some hope here????

There's always stand-by... what the heck did we do before they invented Fastpass anyway?

 

[mesaboy2]

Are you kidding? I am going President's Day Week...and I am offsite, so can't start booking till next month.

Are you saying that I won't be able to get FP for Soarin, Test Track, Splash Mtn., TOT, TSM????

If that is the case, my WDW days may be numbered...and this new FP deal is a real loser.

Can someone give me some hope here????

This is addressed in the first post, typically difficult FPs to get are marked in orange there. Of those you listed here, only TSM may fall into this category.

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I ask everyone to please refrain from sharing personal opinions on FastPass or FastPass+ here--this is not the thread for it. This thread is meant to assist people with questions about FP+, not to debate its merits.

 

[KingRichard]

Anyone having problem with the app?

I had to enter password 7 times and I got in.

It really doesn't want to open any pages?

I did see my dining reservations, but can't do much else?

Thanks.

 

[Sherrkel]

Hello All -Our FP+ booking window opens on the 21st (1am , lucky me).
I'll be booking for 20 members of my family (six families) - in-laws, etc.

I recall reading a couple of months back, that some guests were able to book FP+ for family members who arrived a day later than them (ex. DH & I check in 2/19 along with three other families, and the other two in on 2/20). We all have separate rooms/packages.

Has anyone had that experience in the last couple of months, and did it work for you so that you could book for anyone in your party arriving a day later that you?

Thanks!

I'm updating my own post, in case this affects anyone else (I updated in another earlier this morning by mistake - that's what happens spending 1am-3am on FP+ reservations).
I was NOT able to book for the two families arriving on 2/20, which was a bummer. Unfortunately I'll have to get up at 1am again tonight (technically, tomorrow) and book their FP+ so I can try to match the rest of us.
Wish me luck!

 

[Danny K]

1. The prebooking window usually opens at 12:00a (midnight) Eastern Time. On some nights, it does not open until 1:00a or--very rarely--even later. More information and a dedicated thread to this subject can be found here: FastPass+ Expected 1:00a Booking Openings.
2. Onsite guests (which includes those staying at the Swan and Dolphin but not at Shades of Green nor any Downtown Disney-area hotels) can prebook attractions up to 60 days in advance of the beginning of an on-site stay and for their entire trip. In other words, at 60 days before a check-in date one can make FP+ selections for the entire trip--up to 14 days. This can be done via the MDE/MDX website or app. (I recommend the website over the app, which can still best be described as glitchy.) FP+ can be prebooked for the number of days equal to the guest’s linked ticket.
3. For onsite guests, the 60-day prebooking window will not activate until the 60-day mark. Before this point, the booking window will be only 30 days. At midnight of the 60-day mark, the 30-day window will automatically expand to 60 (or more) days. It is also commonly reported that all members on the account with tickets don't appear on the MDX app until the 60-day mark.
4. If the number of onsite resort days booked exceeds the number of ticket days in an MDX account, the prebooked FP+s can be scheduled on nonconsecutive days.
5. Annual Pass (AP) holders can prebook attractions up to 60 days in advance of the beginning of an onsite stay, for a maximum of 7 days or the length of the onsite stay--whichever is greater. As with above, FP+ selections can be made for the entire length of stay.
6. AP holders without an onsite reservation can book up to 30 days in advance, for a maximum of 7 days. Once one of those 7 days passes or is used, an additional day of FP+ can be prebooked, ad infinitum. This can be done via the MDX website or app, and can be done with AP vouchers as well.
7. All other guests can prebook FP+ attractions no more than 30 days in advance, for the number of days on their linked ticket in MDX, and can use either the MDX website or app to do so. Unlike onsite guests, it is not possible to book beyond the 30-day mark.
8. Once the group’s initial 3 FP+ attractions are selected for each day, only then can they be edited for each individual in a group to different times and/or attractions.
9. All guests may opt to use FP+ kiosks located in each park. The kiosks can be used to schedule FP+ only for attractions in that same park. Return windows can be noted by taking a picture of the selections on the kiosk's screen or making pen-and-ink notes.

Additional/Day-Of FP+

1. One additional FP+ can be selected per guest, subject to availability, at an in-park kiosk once the 3 prebooked ones are used or expire. When that FP+ is used, another FP+ can be scheduled and used (and so on).
2. The kiosks access a guest’s account by recognizing either a guest’s MagicBand or any recently-issued, valid ticket media that includes an RFID chip.
3. The kiosks only allow FP+ for attractions in the current park. If park-hopping, you must wait to schedule additional FP+ until you arrive at a kiosk in the other park. To schedule FP+ in a different park, all 3 prebooked FP+s must be used or expire once the first is used. It may be possible to convince certain CMs to do this for you from another park or from an onsite resort’s concierge desk.
4. At this time, additional FP+ can only be selected at a kiosk and not via the MDX website or app. This functionality is expected once the MDX system is updated--no projected date has been released.
5. Only one person in a party is necessary at the kiosk to schedule additional FP+.
6. Once an additional FP+ has been added at a kiosk, the MDX system can be used to modify the FP+.
7. Additional day-of FP+s are not subject to tiering limitations.
8. Additional day-of FP+s can be chosen to repeat FP+ attractions.
9. If an FP+ return window has passed without being used, that FP+ can be rescheduled to later in the day (subject to availability).
10. All scheduled FP+s can be modified on either the MDX system or at a kiosk.

Be Our Guest FastPass+

• Onsite guests also have the option of choosing FastPass+ for Be Our Guest for lunch only. It is completely independent from the other FP+ selections on the MDX system and is accessed via a separate URL (Be Our Guest Lunch FastPass+) As such, it does not count against the 3 FP+ per park prebooking limit. This FP+ option usually appears about 30 days in advance of an onsite stay.
• More info can be found here: Be Our Guest Lunch FastPass, FAQ Thread

FastPass+ Attraction Priorities

My take, for what it's worth, on priorities for those attractions that offer FP+. Generally speaking, it is rare for any FP wait at any normally-operating attraction to exceed 15-20 minutes. This includes the currently super-popular ones such as the Anna & Elsa M&G and the Seven Dwarves Mine Train.

These rankings are based on my experience with all WDW attractions and familiarity with each one's popularity and capacity. These rankings are only meant to be an objective list of which FP+ selections have the potential to save the most guests the most time under most conditions. They do not reflect my own preferences with regard to "favorites", and do not attempt to reconcile all the different preferences any particular guest may have.

How I Recommend Using This List

1. Determine your own "must-do" and what I call "maybe-do" list of attractions for your group. Prioritize them accordingly.
2. Take that list and compare it against the one below.
3. Assuming any "must-do" attractions are in the A (or A+) or categories below, consider these first in choosing which FP attractions to preselect for each day. Obviously I recommend A attractions over B attractions. Except for shows with fixed times (including especially fireworks and parades), B and C attractions are much more likely to have availability later in the day and beyond your initial 3 preselected FPs.
4. Where tiering is involved, split any "must-do" attractions in Group 1 across multiple days when preselecting FPs. This works best for longer stays.

A+/A/B/C Ranking System

A+ - Using FP+ here is the closest thing to a "no-brainer" at WDW. Temporary category only until waits for Anna and Elsa normalize.
A - Using FP+ here will usually save the most time as compared to the attraction's average standby wait.
B - Using FP+ here will usually save some time as compared to the attraction's average standby wait.
C - Using FP+ here will usually save little time as compared to the attraction's average standby wait.

Attractions listed within the same priority class are in alphabetical order and not meant to suggest priority within the class.

FastPass+ Attraction List With Suggested Priorities


EPCOT (Tiering)
A - Soarin'
A - Test Track (Single Rider also available)
B - Mission: Space
B - Spaceship Earth
B - Turtle Talk With Crush
C - Captain EO
C - IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth (Reserved Area--World Showcase Plaza)
C - Journey Into Imagination With Figment
C - Living with the Land
C - Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot
C - The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Where is Maelstrom? Is there no FP+ option for that anymore?

 

[PixieDustPrincessXO]

Where is Maelstrom? Is there no FP+ option for that anymore?

maelstrom closed this fall. They are re-doing Norway with a new attraction.

 

[doconeill]

Where is Maelstrom? Is there no FP+ option for that anymore?

Maelstrom is closed for a major overhaul and a Frozen theme. We don't even know what it will be called yet, or how it will fit into FP+ and the tiers.

 

[Danny K]

Cool, didn't know that. Is Akershus closed as well?

 

[doconeill]

Cool, didn't know that. Is Akershus closed as well?

No, it is still open.

 

[NYEmomma]

I apologize in advance because this question has probably already been asked -- but tonight (midnight) is when I get to book FP+'s and I'm not going to be on the computer much this evening to read through this thread (I've started though!).

We are a party of 7, two of those being "infants" (2 year olds). Do I need to book FP+'s for them or just book 5 FP+'s for the remainder of the party and the twins get to come with us?

Thank you!

 

[monagh10]

I apologize in advance because this question has probably already been asked -- but tonight (midnight) is when I get to book FP+'s and I'm not going to be on the computer much this evening to read through this thread (I've started though!). We are a party of 7, two of those being "infants" (2 year olds). Do I need to book FP+'s for them or just book 5 FP+'s for the remainder of the party and the twins get to come with us? Thank you!

The "infants" don't need park tickets so they won't have fast passes. Only guests with park tickets get to book FP. The infants just get to come along.

The FP window tonight likely won't open until after 1 am because Magic Kingdom is open until 1.

 

[NYEmomma]

The "infants" don't need park tickets so they won't have fast passes. Only guests with park tickets get to book FP. The infants just get to come along.

The FP window tonight likely won't open until after 1 am because Magic Kingdom is open until 1.

Is it????? Dang! It's 7:45 and I'm ready for bed. Staying up until midnight was going to be bad enough... 1 a.m. sucks.

Thank you for the info re: infants. Is it correct that children under 7(?) cannot book individual FP+'s and must be booked with another person? (I was planning on trying the book-one-at-a-time FP's for A&E).

 

[mesaboy2]

Is it????? Dang! It's 7:45 and I'm ready for bed. Staying up until midnight was going to be bad enough... 1 a.m. sucks.

Thank you for the info re: infants. Is it correct that children under 7(?) cannot book individual FP+'s and must be booked with another person? (I was planning on trying the book-one-at-a-time FP's for A&E).

Regarding the FPs opening at 1:00a yes, I am expecting that every night now through the end of the year.

 

[hcox31]

Is it????? Dang! It's 7:45 and I'm ready for bed. Staying up until midnight was going to be bad enough... 1 a.m. sucks. Thank you for the info re: infants. Is it correct that children under 7(?) cannot book individual FP+'s and must be booked with another person? (I was planning on trying the book-one-at-a-time FP's for A&E).

I was able to book single FP for a&e for my son who is 5. However he wouldn't be able to go in alone so I needed an overlapping one with an adult so the adult could accompany him.

 

[NYEmomma]

Got ALL the FPs I wanted -- even A&E and 7DMT.

 

[Minnie404]

Me too. Got anna and elsa for the two days we are at MK. Daughter will be so excited!!

 

[Danny K]

I am waiting for that time when Anna and Elsa will come to Cinderella's Royal Table or another restaurant so we don't have to worry about FP+ for them.

 

[doconeill]

I am waiting for that time when Anna and Elsa will come to Cinderella's Royal Table or another restaurant so we don't have to worry about FP+ for them.

That likely won't happen until the meet&greet gets to the point that you don't have to worry about FP+ for them...

 

[Cluelyss]

That likely won't happen until the meet&greet gets to the point that you don't have to worry about FP+ for them...

I did also hear they may be moving/adding A&E M&G to Norway once the Malestrom renovation is complete. Though that really only helps if they leave them in MK, too.

 

[Sherrkel]

Got ALL the FPs I wanted -- even A&E and 7DMT.

Me too. Got anna and elsa for the two days we are at MK. Daughter will be so excited!!

I found it surprisingly easy to secure FP+ for A&E (for my DNiece and my SIL) and SDMT (for 15 people, on two different dates) for the days we wanted the last week of February. There are still available slots showing even now.
Maybe I didn't need to spend two nights (6 families arriving two different days) getting up at 1am to book them.
Still tired.