FastPass Stategies

[Hippychickali]

I'm looking for a strategy for using FastPass. What has worked for you? Do you visit the FastPass kiosks at the beginning of your day and plan ahead that way or just stumble upon them as you go along? What would be best? I went many years ago before FastPass and remember the long lines. I think this would be a great tool if it is used right. I would appreciate any suggestions.

Ali

 

[Kermit]

I'd recommend always having a FP in hand. When you get to the parks, get a FP to the ride that will have the very longest lines, so that your FP return time isn't too far in the future. Then get a new one before you use your FP. For example, if you're return time is from 2:05 to 3:05 and the time you're allowed to get your next one is 2:10, get a new one at 2:10 and then go use the other one.

When the return time is short, it's good to hang around the area and see the nearby attractions with short wait times. When you have a long return time, you'll probably end up doing some crisscrossing.

 

[Hippychickali]

That sounds like a pretty good strategy. Thank you.

Ali

 

[XStAnt]

Get a FP for a ride as soon as you get to the park. Check when you can get your next FP (it's printed on your FP ticket). Get your next FP as soon as you can, and before you use the first FP. This way the time for the next attraction begins to run while you are going on the first ride. Always be holding at least one FP (and more if possible). You sometimes will have to go across the park to get a FP. Only one person in your group has to do this. They can collect everyone's tickets and take them to the FP machines. The rest of the group can wait in line at a ride, get food, shop, go to the rest rooms, etc.

Go on non-FP attractions while waiting for your return window. Or, get in line at a FP attraction. By the time you finish riding it your FP window will, hopefully, have opened and you can ride it twice in a row.

One word of caution. Many people will see the FP return time is 3 hours away, while the wait in the standby line will only be 45 minutes. They will assume it is better to go in the standby line since they will get on the ride sooner. This is not true. The whole idea about FP is that you do not have to wait in as many lines. While waiting for your return time you can go on many other (non-FP) attractions. If you wait the 45 minutes in standby you are not doing anything else but wait in line.

 

[Rodrigo]

FP's are a great thing. We realized that in average a FP can save you 20 minutes of line waiting per ride. If you are able to use 5 or 6 FP's during the day, that means you can save about 2 hours of waiting in line time during the day!

 

[drogerstn]

Have at least one FP in possession at all times unless it means you have to do some serious walking and backtracking that you don’t want to do. We get a FP immediately upon entering a park and always seek another FP as soon as we are eligible. Don't eat, potty, ride other rides, etc. unless you already have a FP to be used later.

The time you will be eligible to collect another FP is printed on the FP ticket. There are occasions when this eligibility time is only 5 minutes after collecting a FP; there are other occasions when this time will be 2 hours. Maybe someone knows the pattern to this; I don’t know if the 5 minute eligibility time occurs on a) some of the attractions all of the time; b) some of the attractions some of the time; c) all of the attractions some of the time or d) some combination thereof.

Some of the attractions which I have seen this 5 minute eligibility time (can someone please give me a better name for this?) are JC & HM in the MK and HISTA & Living With the Land in EPCOT. This could be important because if you know JC will allow you to get another FP in 5 minutes (or some short period) you will be better off getting a FP for JC then walking to another attraction like Splash Mtn which may allow you to get another FP only after 2 hours; this way you will have 2 FP's in your possession almost immediately which you couldn't do if you got your 1st FP from SM.

 

[wrwrwrwreee1971]

Have one person in your group take all the cards and be in charge of getting fast passes while the others are waiting in line at another ride. It allows you to ride more rides. No wasted time.

 

[rwodonnell]

That 5 minute eligibility is interesting, I have not seen that. I have received an extra FP, for HISTA while getting FPs for Test Track (as a sort of surprise, right out of the Test Track's FP machine). I thought that was odd - we ended up using them but it made me wonder what happened to all those FPs that probably didn't get used because they were not desired.

 

[FatCow]

What is "JC"?

 

[MonorailRed]

Our first trip with the FP system installed was August 2003. Park attendance was so low that we rarely used FP. The system works really well if your wait is more than 45 minutes. For 25 minute waits, just hop into the regular line.

For example, on one of our MK days, we opted to wait on Splash Mountain. While in the pre-show, a "gentleman" walks by (laughing and flashing his FP) and tells us that we are in the wrong line. When we got into the boarding area, I got into a boat before he did. Yes, the line for FP holders was longer than the regular line and because all rides with FP integrate the two lines, I was the one laughing at him.

The best way I've found to use FP is to just tour the parks and grab them as you go. Charge one person (with your park passes, of course) in your group with getting the passes as you decide which rides to wait for and which to gamble. And remember...just because you have a FastPass, don't run through the pre-show areas. Take your time to notice all of the details that Disney Imagineers put so much time and effort into.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Originally posted by FatCow
What is "JC"?

Jungle Cruise I think

 

[jlcbshaw]

Yes "JC" is Jungle Cruise.

I know that the abbreviations help in typing, but they can be hard to figure out. I consider myself to be fairly proficient when it comes to WDW, but even I have to stop and ask what does that stand for.

In regards to the question posed by the OP (original poster) I have found that having a two way radio helps the "runner" to keep track of his/her party as they seek their fast passes. There have been times where I started out for a FP for one attraction, only to see that there wasn't any, ie Test Track, and went a different dirrection and had to let my family know.


By all means use the FP system to your advantage, I love it, only wished that they would allow two FP's at a time instead of the one FP in most cases.

CBS

 

[rwodonnell]

Originally posted by MonorailRed
And remember...just because you have a FastPass, don't run through the pre-show areas. Take your time to notice all of the details that Disney Imagineers put so much time and effort into.

This is an excellent point. The only time I have been through the Test Track pre-show area so far has been on a FP, and each time felt pressured to move on by people behind me. That is the biggest drawback of the FP. And by the way, I am sort of stunned that someone would be so arrogant as to laugh at people in the standby line. Sort of makes me glad the story took the turn it did!

 

[JRLATL]

If you have people in your group who do not need fast passes at that time, use their tickets to get extra passes and ride more than once. We did that last year as DH and DS decided not to ride and other DS and I used their FP. We were able to ride Space Mountain twice, very quickly.

 

[disneyterri]

We did the same thing. My DD was too short to ride any of the mountains at MK. We got a FP for her, and then my mom and dad took DS on, and when they finished I took him. It worked out great, and my DS had the time of his life riding his favorites back to back.

 

[HaleyB]

I don't think anyone has posted this info, so here goes.

Get fast passes early. Get another one as soon as you can even if you have not used the first one. It is (overly simplified) about 2 hours after the first one that you can get the second OR as soon as the return window opens on the first one whichever is sooner.

As the day goes by the return window will get pushed farther and farther back and at some point the ride will no longer give out FP's. And the current return start time is always posted by the FP machines.

We always use FP and love them. Also get everyone with a ticket a FP even if the don't want to or can not ride (too young/short), that way you can ride twice! Also you can use FP with the child swap (some people seem to think you can't).

Also never assume an expiried FP is invalid. It might be, but what do you have to lose by asking?? In Disneyland last summer we had FP's for the new Pooh ride and DD fell asleep right before our window opened. We walked over and talked to the CM and she told us not to worry (and not to wake her up!) that we would be able to use them later when she woke up. We did and it was no problem (it was, however a very low crowd day).

 

[Anxious in BR]

This is great news. I knew about the FP but did not know the best way to use it!

This is GREAT!!!! Thanks everyone!!

 

[drogerstn]

I know that the abbreviations help in typing, but they can be hard to figure out. I consider myself to be fairly proficient when it comes to WDW, but even I have to stop and ask what does that stand for.

I normally use the words instead of abbreviations; don't know why I didn't do it here. I only use abbreviations as they are posted at The DIS Abbreviations . I keep that bookmarked in order to keep up.