Getting the best use of Fast Pass

[indy4192]

I have read up on them, from what I can find, it seems they might be hit and miss. Some times it's a good idea to use one, other times it's not. It also varies from park to park. so what is the best plan when on going with or without the Fast Pass.

 

[DebbieB]

I was there 2 weeks ago and using fastpass was a must with the crowds. Here's an example of how we used them on 6/21 (times are approximate):

Arrived MK 9:00
Went to Space Mt - got fastpass for 10:10
Rode Peter Pan - short wait
Went to Cinderella Breakfast - 9:35 to 10:35
Went to Buzz - got fastpass for 11:30
Rode Space Mountain - used fastpass - standby was about 40 or 50 min
Did Carousel of Progress - no wait
Did TTA - no wait
Rode Buzz - used fastpass
Walked to Big Thunder - got fastpass for 12:50 at about 12:10; standby was showing 40 min.
Did Hall of Presidents (12:30 show)
Rode Big Thunder - used fastpass
Got fastpass for Jungle Cruise - for about 2:00
Did Tiki Birds - next show
Did Country Bears - next show
Rode Jungle Cruise - used fastpass
Left around 2:30 to go back to hotel for a rest. We had done other attractions at MK on Monday evening (Haunted Mansion, Splash Mt, Small World, Philharmagic, Spectromagic, Wishes).

The key is to get fastpasses and do short lines in between.

 

[Amps]

I don't see how it could ever be a bad idea to use the Fastpass system. I can see it not helping as much as it could if you were to get a FP for a ride that has a shorter line but I can't imagine how it could be detrimental.

My experience with the FP system this May was almost exactly the same as DebbieB's. It allowed us to do more then normal and one thing I really liked was to sometimes walk across the parks between rides since it allowed us a chance to just enjoy the scenery rather then sitting in lines all day.

 

[tmt martins]

You should always have at least 1 fastpass in your posession at all times.

As soon as your window opens to get the next one find something you plan on getting on and fastpass it for later.

Also on EMH they reopen some of the machines just for EMH so watch for that as well.

 

[letterdavidman]

As all previous posters have stated, trust me, you should never decide against using FastPass. If the posted standby wait time is 20 minutes or longer, go ahead and get a FastPass. Look at it this way: If, at the end of the day, you have a FastPass or two that you ultimately decide not to use, there's no harm in that, right? But if you decide against getting a FastPass to any given attraction, and the standby wait for that attraction suddenly increases to 30 or 45 minutes (or more), well, that can definitely put a damper on the day.

 

[drogerstn]

You should always have at least 1 fastpass in your posession at all times...

I have always felt this way as well; however, during our visit in June, I followed the Unofficial Guide To Disney World (UOG) advice for EPCOT in the morning. The plan called for visiting Test Track and Mission Space before picking up our 1st FP at Soarin. This particular case worked out well for us. My guess is that the TT and MS lines would have built during the time we would have spent going to Soarin for a FP at opening then walking over to TT and MS for standby. We had a less than 10 minute wait for TT and less than 5 minute wait for MS.

We normally get a FP for a major attraction as soon as we enter a park. This works especially well in the morning (at park opening) if the attraction is in an area that has another major attraction which we want to ride early before the lines build up. We rode Expedition Everest in standby at park opening before getting a FP because the FP line was long and we planned to ride twice anyway, so we wanted our standby wait to be as short as possible.

I've had occasions when I get in a line for FP distribution and come to find out that someone ahead of me is getting 20+ FP's and have to wait FOREVER just to get a FP.

The FP return times usually don't begin until around 9:45 when the park opens at 9am, so the stanby lines move rather quickly during the 1st hour of park opening. Can't remember when the FP return lines start up if its an EMH morning; I'm thinking its still around 9:45 but maybe someone can verify...

 

[tmt martins]

yes your right we normally go to Soarin then Fastpass TT get on MS play around in the mission room.


But I see your point as the mornings you can get many things done before you get to the area of your 1st needed fastpass.

I always try to look and see what the people in front of me are holding to try and judge how many tickets .I will even put DD in a different line just in case.

I think your right even on EMH I think they start a bit late to get the first standby lines going for a bit.

 

[STEAMBOAT209]

I was there 2 weeks ago and using fastpass was a must with the crowds. Here's an example of how we used them on 6/21 (times are approximate):

Arrived MK 9:00
Went to Space Mt - got fastpass for 10:10
Rode Peter Pan - short wait
Went to Cinderella Breakfast - 9:35 to 10:35
Went to Buzz - got fastpass for 11:30
Rode Space Mountain - used fastpass - standby was about 40 or 50 min
Did Carousel of Progress - no wait
Did TTA - no wait
Rode Buzz - used fastpass
Walked to Big Thunder - got fastpass for 12:50 at about 12:10; standby was showing 40 min.
Did Hall of Presidents (12:30 show)
Rode Big Thunder - used fastpass
Got fastpass for Jungle Cruise - for about 2:00
Did Tiki Birds - next show
Did Country Bears - next show
Rode Jungle Cruise - used fastpass
Left around 2:30 to go back to hotel for a rest. We had done other attractions at MK on Monday evening (Haunted Mansion, Splash Mt, Small World, Philharmagic, Spectromagic, Wishes).

The key is to get fastpasses and do short lines in between.

We were there that same week 6/21 was our first day, and the crowds were large, without FP we would have missed out on many rides. We were constantly getting a FP as soon as we were able. One person would collect all the tickets to obtain everyones FP, and return back to where everyone was waiting for the next ride. FP worked out well for us, everyday.

 

[Mickeygirl]

How long do you have to wait to get another fast pass?

We are going next summer and we will only have 1 day at MK and we want to make the best of it

Thanks for the info

 

[DebbieB]

How long do you have to wait to get another fast pass?

We are going next summer and we will only have 1 day at MK and we want to make the best of it

Thanks for the info

Usually 5 minutes after the last one expired or 2 hours, whichever is less.

Example - at 9:00am, you get a fastpass for 10:00, you can get another one at 10:05. At 11:00am you get one for 1:30pm, you can get another one at 1:00pm.

It's best to get the more popular rides in the morning, the wait period gets longer as the day goes on and they do run out. When we were at MK on 6/19 (Monday), we got a Splash Mountain fastpass around 6:00pm for 8:45pm. At Epcot, Soarin' fastpass were gone for the day when we returned around 3:00pm.

 

[BlindTyldak]

Whoa, wait, CoP was open? I thought that wasn't even open seasonally any more?

 

[DebbieB]

Whoa, wait, CoP was open? I thought that wasn't even open seasonally any more?

It was open when I was there in late April & 2 weeks ago. I think you are thinking of Timekeeper, which is totally closed.