Fastpasses at DL compared to WDW

[Bethann23]

I am new to the boards, but I have learned so much in such a short time. I have been reading the different threads on fastpasses at DL but most of them are from last year and beyond. Can anyone please clarify for me that fastpasses at DL are DIFFERENT than fastpasses at WDW?

I think I am reading that you can collect more than 1 fastpass at a time. Now I know you can technically do this at WDW, but you can only technically have 2 at a time. ( I believe? Heck I am so confused now ) .... but from what I am reading you can get 5 or 6 fastpasses at DL??? If this is so, can you collect them all at once or do you have to wait 45minutes in between each?

Any help anyone can give I would really appreciate it...I will only have 1 day at DL/DCA and I am trying to get maximum rides in.... I usually have 10days in WDW so I am stressing !!!! THANKS

 

[Hound 109]

I am new to the boards, but I have learned so much in such a short time. I have been reading the different threads on fastpasses at DL but most of them are from last year and beyond.

If you have been reading HydroGuy's Tip Threads they are still 100% valid & he updates them once a change is made. They are rock solid. If you haven't read them then i recommend you do so.



Can anyone please clarify for me that fastpasses at DL are DIFFERENT than fastpasses at WDW?

They are VERY different.



I think I am reading that you can collect more than 1 fastpass at a time. Now I know you can technically do this at WDW, but you can only technically have 2 at a time. ( I believe? Heck I am so confused now ) .... but from what I am reading you can get 5 or 6 fastpasses at DL??? If this is so, can you collect them all at once or do you have to wait 45minutes in between each?


You still have to "wait" for the return window before collecting another FP. The return window is usually 40-60 min. in the morning, so it's likely you can "collect" 4-5 FPs from 8am - 11am (for example). Plus, there is DCA you can "hop" to in 10 min. & then collect THEIR FPs. Plus there are a couple of "disconnected" FPs in both parks.

Read all of HG's tip threads, but in particular, this one really helped me understand FP collecting at DLR (& it is still valid) Have a park map in hand while you read it if possible:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132




Any help anyone can give I would really appreciate it...I will only have 1 day at DL/DCA and I am trying to get maximum rides in.... I usually have 10days in WDW so I am stressing !!!! THANKS


No stressing allowed! A little reading & you'll be teaching us.

What day (date) will you be there? Will you have a park hopper? (& why only one day?.....c'mon....stay another day.

Read all the tips, but general rule of thumb.

- Get there 30 min. early (preferably on a NON MM day if you don't have MM)
- Collect FPs in DL early as you tour (as soon as the window opens).
- Hop to DCA when it gets crowded (or at lunch time).
- relax in the mid afternoon when it's hot &/or crowded. (check out GCH or DTD).
- Back to DL in the evening with 4-5 FPs (that you collected that morning) in your pocket.

If you provide us with the day (date), ALOT of folks here will help you with your itinerary. (But stay an extra day. )

Have fun planning a trip to Walt's Park.

 

[stagemomx3]

The Fast Passes at Disneyland work exactly the same as the Fast Passes at Disney World.

 

[HydroGuy]

Can anyone please clarify for me that fastpasses at DL are DIFFERENT than fastpasses at WDW?

They are VERY different.

The Fast Passes at Disneyland work exactly the same as the Fast Passes at Disney World.

I would be in the middle of these two extremes. In general FP works the same between DLR and WDW. However, DLR has some loopholes that WDW does not have. Further, the close proximity of the two parks at DLR gives some extra FP collection advantages at DLR that are just not practical at WDW. Thus the functioning of FP at DLR is close to that at WDW but the philosophy of how you maximize FP usage is very different.

Hound is right that my "Getting the Most Out of FP" topic (now 2 1/2 years old) is still current and valid.

 

[pixiewings71]

The Fast Passes at Disneyland work exactly the same as the Fast Passes at Disney World.

No they don't. At DL you can carry more than one FP at a time. They give a return window but you do NOT need to return within that window, just after the first time shown. ie, your FP for Indy says return time is 1:45-2:45, you only have to go back after 1:45 to use them, they will still be accepted after 2:45. We generally gather FP's during the day and then before we leave we hit a bunch of rides, it's more fun that way.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

No they don't. At DL you can carry more than one FP at a time. They give a return window but you do NOT need to return within that window, just after the first time shown. ie, your FP for Indy says return time is 1:45-2:45, you only have to go back after 1:45 to use them, they will still be accepted after 2:45. We generally gather FP's during the day and then before we leave we hit a bunch of rides, it's more fun that way.

Other than Soarin' that is exactly how it works at WDW. On Soarin' you better not be late for your window or you MAY not be allowed on.

 

[stagemomx3]

No they don't. At DL you can carry more than one FP at a time. They give a return window but you do NOT need to return within that window, just after the first time shown. ie, your FP for Indy says return time is 1:45-2:45, you only have to go back after 1:45 to use them, they will still be accepted after 2:45. We generally gather FP's during the day and then before we leave we hit a bunch of rides, it's more fun that way.

That's the way they work at Disney World too.

They work the same, Disneyland just has a couple rides not connected to the Fast Pass network, but it's the exact same system.

 

[stagemomx3]

Other than Soarin' that is exactly how it works at WDW. On Soarin' you better not be late for your window or you MAY not be allowed on.

We used ours late just last month. No problem at all. Got our Fast Passes for Soarin first thing in the morning, went and toured World Showcase, had dinner, then used our Fast Pass for Soarin.

 

[DLR29]

Other than Soarin' that is exactly how it works at WDW. On Soarin' you better not be late for your window or you MAY not be allowed on.

This depends on how backed up the FP return line is. The bottom line is that the system works the same (insert ticket, receive FP, return later), but DLR has some tips that aren't applicable to WDW (disconnected rides, disconnected park systems for park hopping)

 

[Rapunsel]

Read Hydroguys Thread!!!!


Basically get to the park at opening get a fast pass.. Then keep collecting all day.

In the 3yrs. of having an AP. Never once have we been told that we could not use our FP after the open window time.

 

[mikayla73]

While we're talking FP, do they adhere to the return times at WDW? I mean in DL you can come back anytime after the start of your return hour, can you do that at WDW? Or do you have to come back to ride within that hour time frame?

Sorry it's only a little off topic, more like a reverse of topic

 

[stagemomx3]

While we're talking FP, do they adhere to the return times at WDW? I mean in DL you can come back anytime after the start of your return hour, can you do that at WDW? Or do you have to come back to ride within that hour time frame?

Sorry it's only a little off topic, more like a reverse of topic

We used "late" fast passes our entire trip in Disney World last month.

 

[bumbershoot]

While we're talking FP, do they adhere to the return times at WDW? I mean in DL you can come back anytime after the start of your return hour, can you do that at WDW? Or do you have to come back to ride within that hour time frame?

Sorry it's only a little off topic, more like a reverse of topic

I've read many people from the WDW forums stating that they have been denied using late FPs on rides other than Soarin'. But I'm not sure I've ever read of anyone on this forum who was denied on a ride at DLR.

 

[boscoj]

When we went to WDW last year, we had no problem using our FP's later than the time indicated, even for Soarin. It really didn't matter at which park cause we tried the same technique everywhere and we were never turned away...and this was during spring break!

 

[Bethann23]

Thanks so much for al of the info....

I will be in DL/DCA only 1 day July 7th Monday

I wish I could go more than 1 day but I am actually going out to CA for a convention and only have that 1 day ....

I will have a park hopper so I will be going to both parks..

I am staying off site and I have a discounted ticket thru my work, so I will not have early entry...

HELP PLEASE anyone have any other suggestions???

 

[Cadillac_Dreamgirl]

look at the map and plan what you definetely want to ride.

 

[DLR29]

Thanks so much for al of the info....

I will be in DL/DCA only 1 day July 7th Monday

I wish I could go more than 1 day but I am actually going out to CA for a convention and only have that 1 day ....

I will have a park hopper so I will be going to both parks..

I am staying off site and I have a discounted ticket thru my work, so I will not have early entry...

HELP PLEASE anyone have any other suggestions???

Well Mondays aren't Magic Mornings (Early Entry) days anyways, so you'll be able to enter the park at the same time as everyone else, which is good. You'll want to be there right at opening (which is 8AM), so plan on being at the gates around 7:30-7:45.

First thing when you get into the parks is to get a FP for something. The sooner you get a FP for one ride, the sooner you can get your next one for another ride. My recommendation for early morning FPs are Space, Splash (especially during the hot summer), and Indy. Then hit rides that don't have FP but still have long lines such as Matterhorn, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland.

Save rides like Pirates, Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion for the afternoon because their lines move quickly because they have high capacities.

 

[HydroGuy]

I've read many people from the WDW forums stating that they have been denied using late FPs on rides other than Soarin'. But I'm not sure I've ever read of anyone on this forum who was denied on a ride at DLR.

The WDW forum spreads around a lot of rumors like this. I have posted polls on TGM and it is extremely rare for anyone to have problems at WDW with a late FP. The folks who post about FP problems on DIS are doing all of us a favor by making people too nervous to use this excellent tip. But it works the same at WDW as DLR.

 

[pixiewings71]

The WDW forum spreads around a lot of rumors like this. I have posted polls on TGM and it is extremely rare for anyone to have problems at WDW with a late FP. The folks who post about FP problems on DIS are doing all of us a favor by making people too nervous to use this excellent tip. But it works the same at WDW as DLR.

Interesting........I had 2 friends go to WDW last year, 2 different families, 2 different times, and they both were denied the use of their FP's after the window was closed.

 

[Bethann23]

I agree.. I know so many people who have gone to WDW and been denied using a late FP..... Thats why I was so confused.... I have never tried it myself, so I do not have any first hand knowledge...and since I only have 1 day I wanted the most acurate information. It would seem that the rules are the same, just that maybe the CM's aren't as strict with the times then the CM's at WDW.

Speaking from a purely business standpoint, you would think that they would enforce the time, so that the FP line goes as smoothly as it was designed. Most people I have spoken with who were denied access at WDW , were told this exact statement.