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

[txcorey]

We are arriving on January 1st and plan to go to MK that day. Our tickets are tied to a Stay, Play, and Dine package that starts on January 2nd. So, since the tickets are with the package, I wasn't able to book FP+ for our visit to MK on the 1st. We are flying into MCO around 11am and taking the MDE. I have 2 questions:
1. Will we have a problem using those tix on the 1st or do we need to do something to activate them first?
2. How is the best way to book FP+ once we arrive? Do we have to wait until we've been scanned into the park and then we can book them via the app?

I'm in new territory here as we've never been in this situation. I'd appreciate any insight you can give me.
Thanks!

 

[hiroMYhero]

1. Guest Relations can activate the ticket portion of your package on the day of your arrival. Take your package Confirmation # and ID.
2. As soon as your tickets are activated, use the MDE app and begin booking your FPs.

 

[txcorey]

1. Guest Relations can activate the ticket portion of your package on the day of your arrival. Take your package Confirmation # and ID.
2. As soon as your tickets are activated, use the MDE app and begin booking your FPs.

Thanks!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

As long as one onsite person is grouped with the offsite people, the 60 days apply. You can book that group and then go in and Modify the one onsite person back to the target park with the other onsiters. Copy may apply here.

Or, book the total group for the onsiter's park. THEN, go in and Modify the offsiters to change FPs to their park. Because they already have FPs booked, the system will allow them to change parks.

Along similar lines, I have a package with a one night stay, but a nine day ticket. I will be staying on-site for the first night solo with a friend, and then the rest of my party will arrive and we will be off-site.

At my 60 day window (which is in 2 days- eek!) can I make FPs for my whole trip (my 9 day ticket?)? Or is the 60 day benefit only for the number of on-site nights reserved?

That answer will determine whether I can book all of my party's FPs at 60 days (their tickets will be connected to MDE) . . .

 

[hiroMYhero]

Along similar lines, I have a package with a one night stay, but a nine day ticket. I will be staying on-site for the first night solo with a friend, and then the rest of my party will arrive and we will be off-site.

At my 60 day window (which is in 2 days- eek!) can I make FPs for my whole trip (my 9 day ticket?)? Or is the 60 day benefit only for the number of on-site nights reserved?

That answer will determine whether I can book all of my party's FPs at 60 days (their tickets will be connected to MDE) . . .

At 60 days out, you can book FPs for check-in date through checkout date. Then, when you move offsite, you'll book FPs on a rolling 60 basis for each offsite park day.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Thanks @hiroMYhero !

 

[JoeATC]

We have a 10 day ticket and are planning an onsite stay of 14 days this summer. I know you can select FP+ for any of the 10 days during the 14 day stay. Question: At what point can you select FP+ for days 11-14? Do you have to you use all 10 days first or after you use day 1 can you select day 11 and so on?

The advice offered on this board made our Thanksgiving trip run smoothly, I really appreciate your help HMH.

 

[hiroMYhero]

We have a 10 day ticket and are planning an onsite stay of 14 days this summer. I know you can select FP+ for any of the 10 days during the 14 day stay. Question: At what point can you select FP+ for days 11-14? Do you have to you use all 10 days first or after you use day 1 can you select day 11 and so on?

The advice offered on this board made our Thanksgiving trip run smoothly, I really appreciate your help HMH.

You can book for any of the 10 park days that fall within your onsite stay. If you wanted to choose day #14 and book FPs and then day #2 etc. it doesn't matter the sequence of your FP selecting. Your booking window is open, choose which days you want to book.

 

[JoeATC]

You can book for any of the 10 park days that fall within your onsite stay. If you wanted to choose day #14 and book FPs and then day #2 etc. it doesn't matter the sequence of your FP selecting. Your booking window is open, choose which days you want to book.

Ooops, I realized the answer after I posted, duh. I meant to ask if you had a second set of unused 10 day tickets that you use for additional FP+s, hypothetically speaking of course.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Ooops, I realized the answer after I posted, duh. I meant to ask if you had a second set of unused 10 day tickets that you use for additional FP+s, hypothetically speaking of course.

If you have a 2nd set and they are linked to "new phantom" people in your MDE, you can hypothetically book FPs for them 60 days out if one onsite member is grouped with them.

If you are only using a 10-day ticket, is there a purpose in booking FPs for all 14 days?

 

[hisgal2]

I'm sorry if this is a question that has already been answered, but I did a search and didn't see anything and thought this might be the best place to ask.

I've got our FP's booked and got everything I wanted (yay!). Now I'm trying to make some rough touring plans just so I kind of have a plan of when/where we are going each day we are in the park. My question is once we get into the FP que, what would be a normal wait time? I realize wait times are probably subjective to how busy a park is on a given day, but I need some sort of input. Most of our FP's are one right after another from 9-12:30. Basically, I'm trying to figure our if there would be time to grab a quick service meal if we do a 10-11 FP right at 10 and then a 11-12 FP closer to 12. Would that work or would it be pushing it?

 

[Wood Nymph]

I'm sorry if this is a question that has already been answered, but I did a search and didn't see anything and thought this might be the best place to ask.

I've got our FP's booked and got everything I wanted (yay!). Now I'm trying to make some rough touring plans just so I kind of have a plan of when/where we are going each day we are in the park. My question is once we get into the FP que, what would be a normal wait time? I realize wait times are probably subjective to how busy a park is on a given day, but I need some sort of input. Most of our FP's are one right after another from 9-12:30. Basically, I'm trying to figure our if there would be time to grab a quick service meal if we do a 10-11 FP right at 10 and then a 11-12 FP closer to 12. Would that work or would it be pushing it?

The fast pass lines can be very fast, as quick as a minute. There are also times when there is a bit of a wait, especially if you enter the fp line exactly at the fp start time. Then the line might take a little longer, but still just a few minutes. There would be exceptions if the ride was stopped for awhile, but you can't anticipate those kinds of things.

We like to use our fastpasses back to back. So if we have one fp that begins at 10 am and a second fp that begins at 11am, we will get in the fp line toward the end of the fp period, for example, at 10:45am for a 10 am - 11am fp. By the time we are done with that first fp, our next fp window is usually open. This allows us to be able to ride two rides within a little more than an hour, between 10:55am and 12:00 in my example, which gives us more time to do other things like eat or watch parades, etc.

There is supposed to be a grace period where they will let you on 5 minutes before your fp time starts and doesn't expire until 15 minutes after your time ends. But I think the CM working the ride can decide whether or not to let you on the ride if you show up outside of your actual fp time period.

 

[doconeill]

Depends on what you mean by "wait".

At some attractions, the Fastpass line doesn't take you straight to the attraction itself, but will get you to the pre-show area pretty fast - but that also depends on the attraction.

For instance, at Soarin', you bypass the line to the point where they divide you to one of the two concourses...there you wait in line for several minutes to then be divided up into one of the three sections, etc. Then you wait for the next cycle. But the wait time is fairly consistent - generally two or three cycles.

At RNRC and ToT, you bypass the main line to get to the pre-show, but then you have to wait in lines afterwards. Those waits are also fairly consistent at that point.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

So we're going for a week at the end of August but mostly doing water parks and pool time. Right now we are planning one morning/early afternoon at Epcot then hopping in the evening to DHS and one MK day.

I figure we will rope drop Epcot and save our FP+ for DHS. We'll head straight to Soarin and I don't think the rest will be too bad on a Monday morning. None of us will go on RnR or TOT (yes, all chickens in my family, lol). I am thinking of getting Toy Story Mania, Star Tours and Fantasmic. Would anyone suggest something different?

Yes, I am an early planner.

Thank you.

 

[Robo]

So we're going for a week at the end of August...

I figure we will rope drop Epcot and save our FP+ for DHS. We'll head straight to Soarin and I don't think the rest will be too bad on a Monday morning. None of us will go on RnR or TOT (yes, all chickens in my family, lol). I am thinking of getting Toy Story Mania, Star Tours and Fantasmic. Would anyone suggest something different?

Seldom a need to pre-book a FP+ for Fantasmic!

Especially in August, it is very likely that you will be able to pick up a Fantasmic! FP+ (as your 4th or 5th FP+ of the day) on your way to the theater to see the show.

 

[subtchr]

I am thinking of getting Toy Story Mania, Star Tours and Fantasmic. Would anyone suggest something different?

Seldom a need to pre-book a FP+ for Fantasmic!

Especially in August, it is very likely that you will be able to pick up a Fantasmic! FP+ (as your 4th or 5th FP+ of the day) on your way to the theater to see the show.

You can't get both Toy Story and Fantasmic in your first three, as they are both Tier 1 fast passes. So as Robo suggests, just wait until after you use your three to get Fantasmic as the fourth. It has always been available later afternoon or early evening when I have tried.

For your third, if you REALLY don't want to try Tower of Terror (c'mon, you can do it!), just do one of the shows (other than Beauty and the Beast, which is also Tier 1). They don't really require a FP, but at more crowded times they can be nice to have.

 

[TheSpooph]

Question about FP+ and large groups. Right now we have 6 people going together (4 adults, 1 child, 1 infant). Is it difficult to book the 6 passes all at once? Or should the copy method be used? Since this is a grandparents/parents/kids trip, I think we will all want to stick together.

That said, there is a chance that we will grow to be a group of 9!! I know some of those people will want to do different things, but they mainly want to see the kids and watch their reactions to the park.

9 (even 6) sounds like a lot. What are your experiences with large parties?

 

[Robo]

Question about FP+ and large groups. Right now we have 6 people going together (4 adults, 1 child, 1 infant).

1. Is it difficult to book the 6 passes all at once?

2. Or should the copy method be used? Since this is a grandparents/parents/kids trip, I think we will all want to stick together.

That said,

3. there is a chance that we will grow to be a group of 9!! I know some of those people will want to do different things, but they mainly want to see the kids and watch their reactions to the park.

9 (even 6) sounds like a lot. What are your experiences with large parties?

1. It varies. It can be just a simple as booking for 2... or, much more difficult for tough-to-get FP+, especially during busy times.

2. Try for all 6 at once. It should work well in many cases.

3. Same answer as above.
If your group grows AFTER you've booked for the original guests,
try the "copy" method and see if that will do the trick.

 

[TheSpooph]

1. It varies. It can be just a simple as booking for 2... or, much more difficult for tough-to-get FP+, especially during busy times.

2. Try for all 6 at once. It should work well in many cases.

3. Same answer as above.
If your group grows AFTER you've booked for the original guests,
try the "copy" method and see if that will do the trick.

Thanks! I'm going to try for A/E - should be the only really tough one I have. Counting down the days!

 

[Day-Day]

Searching for specific information is so difficult on this forum so I'm posting something that I'm sure has been asked already and I have looked a little...

Looking at the rules for FP+ booking:

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. FP+ can be prebooked for the number of days equal to the guest’s linked ticket.
5. 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.​

We are booking for 8 nights but currently have 5-day tickets (purchased from discount broker) with plans to add at least one additional day after we arrive. It looks like we will limited to pre-booking FP+ for only 5 of the 8 days covered by our resort reservation when we reach 60-days out. I don't think it matters, but we are booked as room-only through a travel agent that treats it somewhat like a package (e.g. we have to pay in full by 45 days out but can still get full refund if canceled 5 days or longer prior to arrival).

I'm 99% certain that I am stuck with only getting 5-days to pre-book FP+ until we go to a park and use our ticket then upgrade to take advantage of the cost savings. I purchased from Undercover Tourists and there has been at least one price increase since then.

Any experiences or suggestions for either adding another day to our ticket early or booking additional FP+ days with out current situation?