Fastpasses for toddlers??

[Jessterly]

DH and I are taking DD3 to MK and HS in early December. I'm curious - can she use one of her fast passes and just have us accompany her? I'm particularly talking about character meet & greets. It doesn't seem right that we would have to use one of our fast passes to take her in to meet Mickey if we're not having our pics taken, etc. But I realize this is probably hard to control so I'm figuring the answer is that we need to book our own fast passes for character meets as well. Does anyone have experiences with this? Thank you so much!!!

 

[mesaboy2]

DH and I are taking DD3 to MK and HS in early December. I'm curious - can she use one of her fast passes and just have us accompany her? I'm particularly talking about character meet & greets. It doesn't seem right that we would have to use one of our fast passes to take her in to meet Mickey if we're not having our pics taken, etc. But I realize this is probably hard to control so I'm figuring the answer is that we need to book our own fast passes for character meets as well. Does anyone have experiences with this? Thank you so much!!!

Sorry, no. This and other FP FAQs are answered in the green link in my signature.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Not only does a 3 year old need a fastpass, but anyone who is going to accompany the child also needs one. Yes, you will need a fastpass in your own name if you want to take your child in to meet Mickey.

 

[cakebaker]

DH and I are taking DD3 to MK and HS in early December. I'm curious - can she use one of her fast passes and just have us accompany her? I'm particularly talking about character meet & greets. It doesn't seem right that we would have to use one of our fast passes to take her in to meet Mickey if we're not having our pics taken, etc. But I realize this is probably hard to control so I'm figuring the answer is that we need to book our own fast passes for character meets as well. Does anyone have experiences with this? Thank you so much!!!

I read something about this the other day, never knew you could do this!




... If your DD is under 7, let the CM know of her age. As per our supervised children policy, you both can experience the attraction. If the CM gives you trouble, ask for a leader only. Do NOT talk to a coordinator. This is something we get continuous safety audits....

[/QUOTE]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52262361#post52262361

 

[MakiraMarlena]

That will end as soon as they get families of 4 or 5 trying to enter with one three year old.

 

[cakebaker]

That will end as soon as they get families of 4 or 5 trying to enter with one three year old.

Well, this is for 1 adult to enter with a child under 7, not entire families. I'm fairly certain they already don't allow what you suggest.

 

[KimP5]

I read something about this the other day, never knew you could do this!





... If your DD is under 7, let the CM know of her age. As per our supervised children policy, you both can experience the attraction. If the CM gives you trouble, ask for a leader only. Do NOT talk to a coordinator. This is something we get continuous safety audits....

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52262361#post52262361[/QUOTE]


So... does this mean, yes, you can do this then? 'Cause I've got a 4yo, and I really don't need to meet characters myself, but she will want to...

 

[cakebaker]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52262361#post52262361

So... does this mean, yes, you can do this then? 'Cause I've got a 4yo, and I really don't need to meet characters myself, but she will want to...[/QUOTE]

According to the person who posted that information, yes. Everyone can decide for themselves, but he seems credible to me.
It doesn't mean Mom, Dad and the whole family can enter on 1 fp. I take this to be a case of 1 adult to accompany a child under 7.

I've never done it personally, but certainly intend to on our trip the end of this month.

 

[mesaboy2]

So... does this mean, yes, you can do this then? 'Cause I've got a 4yo, and I really don't need to meet characters myself, but she will want to...

The person who wrote the referenced post has provided excellent info in the past, but in this case that info runs contrary to most everything I know about FP usage rules. It sounds credible, but also sounds like a pain and perhaps tricky to execute without annoying CMs on staff there. At some point I'd rather not cause the extra trouble and would prefer just standing in line a while longer.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Why do something that you know will be difficult and cause the CMs to have to get the team leader or whatever their title is to make an exception.

 

[cakebaker]

Why do something that you know will be difficult and cause the CMs to have to get the team leader or whatever their title is to make an exception.

The person suggesting this says he is a CM and the only reason you'd need to have them get a team leader is if the CM at the entrance didn't do it correctly. It's not an exception, it's standard policy according to him.

The reasons are obvious- and for me the only way I'd do it is in those instances when I was unable to obtain a fp so I could take the child. Others may feel fine using it to save a FP. If it's Disney's policy, there's no reason not to do it if you want.

There's no moral or ethical dilemma here if it is indeed Disney policy.

 

[mesaboy2]

The person suggesting this says he is a CM and the only reason you'd need to have them get a team leader is if the CM at the entrance didn't do it correctly. It's not an exception, it's standard policy according to him.

The reasons are obvious- and for me the only way I'd do it is in those instances when I was unable to obtain a fp so I could take the child. Others may feel fine using it to save a FP. If it's Disney's policy, there's no reason not to do it if you want.

There's no moral or ethical dilemma here if it is indeed Disney policy.

If the front line CM says no--and according to most every experience I've read they do--I am not the type to contradict them and ask for a leader to get my way. I'll just lump it and wait. Others can take their chances if they want.

 

[cakebaker]

If the front line CM says no--and according to most every experience I've read they do--I am not the type to contradict them and ask for a leader to get my way. I'll just lump it and wait. Others can take their chances if they want.

I'm not sure I would either- just have to see how it works. I might mention it if I was already at guest services just to clear up any confusion, but to each their own.

I don't recall ever asking for a higher up on the spot. If I have an issue, I take it to guest services as I leave or enter a park. It doesn't happen often.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

It seems absurd to not expect to need a FP of your own. Don't you want to go and see your child have fun and interact with the characters? It's not all about being in the picture. Obviously a young child needs someone there, just like on rides and for shows.

If you don't want to use up your FPs for characters there is always standby.

 

[Schmeck]

I believe the 'safety audit' quote from the Hub is being deliberately misunderstood at that point - and will not fly at the parks. There is nothing in Disney policy that states a child has to use a FP to access an attraction. Going up the chain of management just gives a squeaky wheel some grease - works up to a point and then gets resolved a different way once the abuse is noticed. So, one could try, being a pain about it so that management may give in, but that's true for everything at WDW. Then they fix the loophole.

 

[Raenstoirm]

Its a illogical loophole and they will close it soon enough if it does exist. "The Hub" tends to be very credible though, so it probably does. Say I am going with a 2 year old that wants to meet A&E, by that logic I can just get in the FP line with no FP+s for our group. My 2 year old does not need a FP since she is under 3 and I don't need a FP since I am just accompanying her. We can meet every character in a matter of minutes!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

It seems absurd to not expect to need a FP of your own. Don't you want to go and see your child have fun and interact with the characters? It's not all about being in the picture. Obviously a young child needs someone there, just like on rides and for shows.

If you don't want to use up your FPs for characters there is always standby.

This. One of the things I'm most looking forward to this trip is watching the baby's reaction to things, especially the characters.

 

[Jessterly]

It seems absurd to not expect to need a FP of your own. Don't you want to go and see your child have fun and interact with the characters? It's not all about being in the picture. Obviously a young child needs someone there, just like on rides and for shows.

If you don't want to use up your FPs for characters there is always standby.

Wouldn't it be so nice if we all just assumed the best of each other rather than calling each other's questions absurd? I'm a fairly frequent Disney-goer, and I've never thought of this issue of toddler fast passes. The reason I asked the question is because as a family vacation, everyone has things we want to do. Of COURSE we can stand in standby, and of COURSE we want to see our child have fun with the characters. But my husband also wants to ride the mountains. Most likely what we will do is that he'll use his fast passes for the three mountains (so that he doesn't waste precious time that he could be doing things our daughter can do) and I'll match mine up for character meet & greets with our 3yo. But given the choice to FP Anna & Elsa with just me or to stand in line for 120 minutes so that my husband can do it too, I'll pick the quicker line. And I'll be thinking about what's best for my kid the entire time. I wasn't trying to game the system or not do my research.

I've never asked a question on this forum before, but honestly I'll think strongly about finding a more welcoming and friendly spot to find Disney info. The condescending tones often found here are just so disheartening and really un-magical.

 

[Avery's mom]

Wouldn't it be so nice if we all just assumed the best of each other rather than calling each other's questions absurd? I'm a fairly frequent Disney-goer, and I've never thought of this issue of toddler fast passes. The reason I asked the question is because as a family vacation, everyone has things we want to do. Of COURSE we can stand in standby, and of COURSE we want to see our child have fun with the characters. But my husband also wants to ride the mountains. Most likely what we will do is that he'll use his fast passes for the three mountains (so that he doesn't waste precious time that he could be doing things our daughter can do) and I'll match mine up for character meet & greets with our 3yo. But given the choice to FP Anna & Elsa with just me or to stand in line for 120 minutes so that my husband can do it too, I'll pick the quicker line. And I'll be thinking about what's best for my kid the entire time. I wasn't trying to game the system or not do my research.


I've never asked a question on this forum before, but honestly I'll think strongly about finding a more welcoming and friendly spot to find Disney info. The condescending tones often found here are just so disheartening and really un-magical.

There ARE many people here who do try to provide information without being condescending and/or judgmental. However, you have to ignore the ones who think it is their job to point out why and how you are wrong. Please feel free to continue to ask questions here - there are more welcoming and friendly people here than you might think.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Jessterly]

There ARE many people here who do try to provide information without being condescending and/or judgmental. However, you have to ignore the ones who think it is their job to point out why and how you are wrong. Please feel free to continue to ask questions here - there are more welcoming and friendly people here than you might think.

Hope you have a great trip!

Avery's Mom, thank you You're really sweet & I appreciate you taking the time to write. I often look up info here b/c I do find that most of the people try to help and think that others have their hearts in the right place. I had just had a really trying day and could have used productive answers to my question. The fact that someone took time to write nothing but negativity really irked me. But it is a new day, and we are only a couple months away from our awesome trip and our daughter is SO excited! Thanks again.