fastpass+

[in2013]

hi everyone,

just a quick question regarding fastpass, which i'm trying to understand.

is it a good idea to book a fastpass for shows such as the lion king and finding nemo? or is it a matter of simply showing up say, 15 minutes before show time? fastpass+ online only allows 3 fastpasses per guest. should i use them for shows, or is it more beneficial to use them for rides?

 

[Lavitz]

Here is a great thread on how to prioritize your FP+ selections that I've been using. I'd post the link but I can't as I'm new. The thread is called "FastPass+ Attraction Priorities List" and its in the Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies board.

Based on this I have selected Enchanted Tales with Belle as this seems to have the longest wait time. Most other shows seem to have the least benefit compared to how much time you'd save by just selecting a ride with a longer wait time for the FP+ and just waiting in the standby for the shows.

 

[in2013]

i am on youtube right now watching some of the disney world rides. i have a feeling we're going to be spending a lot of time at MK and our EP and HS studios days will be cut short. i can guarantee that there's not a CHANCE in hell my kids will go on some of those rides! they'd be scared out of their minds.

 

[mousehunter3]

We just got back. I would say Enchanted Stories with Belle is a good one for FP because the line was really long. The other one would be Fantasmic. We had a FP for that one and I am SO glad because about 30 minutes before they called over the speaker that it was standing room only for the standby entrance and they had a whole huge section reserved for those with FP.

How old are your kids? My 5-year old rode everything except the Rock n Rollercoaster because he was too short. My 8 and 10 year old loved ALL of the rides.

Epcot has a lot of educational activities and experiences besides the rides. When we went last time my kids were 1, 4, and 6 and they weren't all that interested, but this time, they loved it.

There is a listing of all of the attractions you might want to use FP+ for. I would say they were pretty spot on for us. The lines were minimal at rope drop, but they go longer as the day went on...

 

[in2013]

We just got back. I would say Enchanted Stories with Belle is a good one for FP because the line was really long. The other one would be Fantasmic. We had a FP for that one and I am SO glad because about 30 minutes before they called over the speaker that it was standing room only for the standby entrance and they had a whole huge section reserved for those with FP.

How old are your kids? My 5-year old rode everything except the Rock n Rollercoaster because he was too short. My 8 and 10 year old loved ALL of the rides.

Epcot has a lot of educational activities and experiences besides the rides. When we went last time my kids were 1, 4, and 6 and they weren't all that interested, but this time, they loved it.

There is a listing of all of the attractions you might want to use FP+ for. I would say they were pretty spot on for us. The lines were minimal at rope drop, but they go longer as the day went on...

is the list here on this message board somewhere? if so, can you link me to it? i'm relaly glad to hear about the educational stuff at epcot. i do think my girls will love the world showcase. they are 8 and 10 years old. my 8 year old is quite timid so i'm thinking i may be hard pressed to get her to do much of anything. my older child though..there's a chance she may want to prove that she's brave and exert her independence, so you never know

im still trying to figure out how fastpass plus works. do you have to be participating in the magic bands test in order to use fastpass plus? i have the my disney exp app on my phone and it allowed me to choose up to 3 fps per park using fpp...but i dont know if i can actually USE it when i get there since we werent invited to do the magic bands test.

 

[mousehunter3]

You have to have magic bands to use FP+ because you scan your band to get into the FP line. Everyone should be using them now. You can call and ask. As I recall, I was invited to customize mine 30 days before my trip.

This is from a thread that I found and it was really helpful:

Ranking System:

Quote:




A - A must-get or risk waits of an hour or more.
B - Take it or leave it. Might make sense, depending on circumstances.
C - Chump. Rarely makes sense to get, but can also depend on circumstances.

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


Now, here are the rankings. Again, keep the the above in mind.

Quote:




MAGIC KINGDOM

A - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
A - Enchanted Tales With Belle
A - Peter Pan's Flight
A - Space Mountain
A - Splash Mountain
B - Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
B - Haunted Mansion
B - Jungle Cruise
B - Main Street Electrical Parade *Does not always appear as an option
B - Meet Ariel at her Grotto
B - Meet the Disney Princesses at Town Square Theater
B - Pirates of the Caribbean
B - The Barnstormer
B - The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
B - Tomorrowland Speedway
B - Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
C - Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade *Does not always appear as an option
C - Dumbo the Flying Elephant
C - Mad Tea Party
C - Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater
C - Mickey's PhilharMagic
C - Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
C - The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
C - Wishes *Does not always appear as an option

EPCOT

A - Soarin
A - Test Track
B - Maelstrom
B - Mission: Space
B - Turtle Talk With Crush
C - Captain EO
C - Journey Into Imagination With Figment
C - Living with the Land
C - Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot
C - Spaceship Earth
C - The Seas with Nemo & Friends

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

A - Fantasmic *Does not always appear as an option
A - Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
A - The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
A - Toy Story Midway Mania
B - Star Tours
B - The Great Movie Ride
C - American Idol
C - Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage
C - Disney Junior - Live on Stage
C - Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
C - Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
C - Muppet Vision 3D
C - Voyage of the Little Mermaid

ANIMAL KINGDOM

A - Expedition Everest
A - Kali River Rapids
A - Kilimanjaro Safaris
B - DINOSAUR
B - Festival of the Lion King
B - Finding Nemo
B - Primeval Whirl
C - It's Tough to be a Bug
C - Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost

 

[in2013]

You have to have magic bands to use FP+ because you scan your band to get into the FP line. Everyone should be using them now. You can call and ask. As I recall, I was invited to customize mine 30 days before my trip.

This is from a thread that I found and it was really helpful:

Ranking System:

Quote:




A - A must-get or risk waits of an hour or more.
B - Take it or leave it. Might make sense, depending on circumstances.
C - Chump. Rarely makes sense to get, but can also depend on circumstances.

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


Now, here are the rankings. Again, keep the the above in mind.

Quote:




MAGIC KINGDOM

A - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
A - Enchanted Tales With Belle
A - Peter Pan's Flight
A - Space Mountain
A - Splash Mountain
B - Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
B - Haunted Mansion
B - Jungle Cruise
B - Main Street Electrical Parade *Does not always appear as an option
B - Meet Ariel at her Grotto
B - Meet the Disney Princesses at Town Square Theater
B - Pirates of the Caribbean
B - The Barnstormer
B - The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
B - Tomorrowland Speedway
B - Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
C - Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade *Does not always appear as an option
C - Dumbo the Flying Elephant
C - Mad Tea Party
C - Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater
C - Mickey's PhilharMagic
C - Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
C - The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
C - Wishes *Does not always appear as an option

EPCOT

A - Soarin
A - Test Track
B - Maelstrom
B - Mission: Space
B - Turtle Talk With Crush
C - Captain EO
C - Journey Into Imagination With Figment
C - Living with the Land
C - Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot
C - Spaceship Earth
C - The Seas with Nemo & Friends

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

A - Fantasmic *Does not always appear as an option
A - Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
A - The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
A - Toy Story Midway Mania
B - Star Tours
B - The Great Movie Ride
C - American Idol
C - Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage
C - Disney Junior - Live on Stage
C - Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
C - Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
C - Muppet Vision 3D
C - Voyage of the Little Mermaid

ANIMAL KINGDOM

A - Expedition Everest
A - Kali River Rapids
A - Kilimanjaro Safaris
B - DINOSAUR
B - Festival of the Lion King
B - Finding Nemo
B - Primeval Whirl
C - It's Tough to be a Bug
C - Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost

this is EXTREMELY helpful! thank you!

 

[mousehunter3]

No problem- I was totally lost on this myself when I started planning it!

Can I suggest making your selections afternoon/evening. The lines are pretty manageable in the morning, and grow as the day goes on. I feel like I wasted some of mine because the lines were really short early on.

Also, if you want to do Toy Story Mania at HS, get a FP for SURE. I didn't use on of my FP+ reservations for it because we wanted them for other things. I went over to get a regular FP a little before noon and they were totally out for the day.

Another also , make sure you bring your park cards/tickets with you too even if you do magic bands because you will need to cards to get the regular fast passes.

 

[jacknsally19]

I see that MIckey Mouse Town Hall is listed as "C" but I've read conflicting information. The new talking Mickey Mouse is 100% a priority for us - our daughter LOVES Mickey. (Seriously, she exploded with happiness when I took her to the Disney store and there was a picture of him that covered an entire wall.)

Anyway, I read on micechat.com that the talking Mickey at Town Hall had wait times of 40 - 50 minutes. So I had selected Mickey as a fastpass+ Do you think this is a big mistake. I could switch it to Princesses @ Fairytall Hall or the Storytime with Belle... but IDK. Thoughts?

 

[Suziannie]

I see that MIckey Mouse Town Hall is listed as "C" but I've read conflicting information. The new talking Mickey Mouse is 100% a priority for us - our daughter LOVES Mickey. (Seriously, she exploded with happiness when I took her to the Disney store and there was a picture of him that covered an entire wall.) Anyway, I read on micechat.com that the talking Mickey at Town Hall had wait times of 40 - 50 minutes. So I had selected Mickey as a fastpass+ Do you think this is a big mistake. I could switch it to Princesses @ Fairytall Hall or the Storytime with Belle... but IDK. Thoughts?

I think if something is a "must" you should use a Fastpass for it. I couldn't imagine waiting more than 20 min to see any character, and my daughter would be thrilled to meet everyone but would totally melt down in a line that's an hour long. She's only two of course but I just wouldn't waste park time that way if I could use a Fastpass.

 

[wiigirl]

I think if something is a "must" you should use a Fastpass for it. I couldn't imagine waiting more than 20 min to see any character, and my daughter would be thrilled to meet everyone but would totally melt down in a line that's an hour long. She's only two of course but I just wouldn't waste park time that way if I could use a Fastpass.

 

[mousehunter3]

For sure--- must have's won't be the same for everyone. These are just based on the average wait times and most popular attractions for most people. If there is something you know you will like and it sounds like it has long waits, definitely fastpass it!

We didn't do any meet and greets because we had a character meal almost every day. I'd rather meet the characters at character meals than waste park time waiting in line to see them. BUT, my kids are not toddlers anymore and they aren't interested in them much either.

 

[kimber11]

I'm happy to see that they have a reserved section for fastpass plus people again now. I had read on another thread that fastpass holders were just getting thrown in with the general crowd as they walked in and a lot of people were cancelling their fastpass for Fantasmic. I'm glad I didn't and waited to see if Disney fixed the problem with so many people complaining about it.

My kids really enjoyed Epcot as we basically just walked around meeting all of the characters and they really loved Turtle Talk with Crush, and the Seas with Nemo and Friends.

We also did a Perry Adventure (which they loved) as they love to watch the show Phineas and Ferb.

Hollywood Studios still has lots to do for small kids so I wouldn't plan on it being that short of a day. Lots of characters to visit again and some great rides and shows.

 

[jimandami]

I see that MIckey Mouse Town Hall is listed as "C" but I've read conflicting information. The new talking Mickey Mouse is 100% a priority for us - our daughter LOVES Mickey. (Seriously, she exploded with happiness when I took her to the Disney store and there was a picture of him that covered an entire wall.)

Anyway, I read on micechat.com that the talking Mickey at Town Hall had wait times of 40 - 50 minutes. So I had selected Mickey as a fastpass+ Do you think this is a big mistake. I could switch it to Princesses @ Fairytall Hall or the Storytime with Belle... but IDK. Thoughts?

I think it is a C right because you can still pull regular FP for it and those aren't linked into the bigger FP system. So, as long as regular FP are still in use during your trip (who knows, right?), you could technically have a FP+ for something, a regular FP for Mickey, and a regular FP for something else all at the same time.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

I see that MIckey Mouse Town Hall is listed as "C" but I've read conflicting information. The new talking Mickey Mouse is 100% a priority for us - our daughter LOVES Mickey. (Seriously, she exploded with happiness when I took her to the Disney store and there was a picture of him that covered an entire wall.)

Anyway, I read on micechat.com that the talking Mickey at Town Hall had wait times of 40 - 50 minutes. So I had selected Mickey as a fastpass+ Do you think this is a big mistake. I could switch it to Princesses @ Fairytall Hall or the Storytime with Belle... but IDK. Thoughts?

I think it is a C right because you can still pull regular FP for it and those aren't linked into the bigger FP system. So, as long as regular FP are still in use during your trip (who knows, right?), you could technically have a FP+ for something, a regular FP for Mickey, and a regular FP for something else all at the same time.

Yes this answer above. Also Mickey has the added benefit that the FP kiosks are right at the entrance to the park (to the right corner of town square as you face the castle), so you don't have to run all over to get one.