Secret to fastpass success?

[sharonel]

What's your secret to optimizing use of the fastpasses?

 

[tjkraz]

Get them early and get them often!!!

Actually, here are a few practical suggestions:

- One FastPass is issued for each park ticket inserted. If you have a large party, send one person with everyone's FP tickets while the rest of you make better use of your time. This can really help with Kilimanjaro Safari at AK. KS is way in the back of the park. We like to send one person to get FPs for KS, and then hit the Dinorama rides first.

- Maximize the one hour FP return time. Don't go out of your way to return as soon as your time rolls around--you have the entire hour.

- Make note of areas where there are two FP attractions close by. Example: Disney Studios has Tower of Terror and Rock N Rollercoaster next to each other. In situations like this, use the standby line for the one with the shortest wait and get FP for the other. If things work out well, as soon as you exit one ride you can use your FP at the other.

- Whenever you get a FP ticket it will have a time printed at which you can get another FP. Make note of this time and get another FP as soon as you are eligible. You should always be holding at least one FP.

 

[Muffy]

People have been reporting that you can use your FP after it expires! I always end up with expired FP's and have not tried to use them except if a ride broke down. I do know if a ride breaks down the FP is good for the day. I have now heard that you can use any FP after it expires. Jennymouse mentioned it in her trip report. I have a list of notes that i keep and this one really interested me. i will try it in Dec!

 

[perpetualplanner]

We too used an expired fastpass on our last trip. We were only 30 minutes or less late though and we just asked the CM you show the fastpass to at the beginning of the line and she said it was OK. Sometimes if you ride a less popular ride the CM's there will give you FP's - we rode TTA and the CM gave us Buzz FP's (which we had just ridden and already had FP's for) My boys were thrilled but dad still beat us all.

 

[ktglads]

Always hold one. If you always have at least one, you will know that you have some sort of plan or strategy to the parks. Get a pass before a meal and afterwards, you may be able to just walk onto a ride. It is just the matter of staying in a relatively small location as opposed to running all over the park. That takes up way too much time and effort and you really don't get much done

 

[Synonymous]

Always get your next FP before you use the current one.

 

[lentesta]

A good tip is to send only one member of your party to get FASTPASSes for everyone in the group. There's no need for everyone to trek through the park just to get FASTPASSes, and this cuts down on the amount of walking everyone has to do.

I'm not sure the "always hold a FASTPASS" idea is right for everyone. Using FASTPASS requires two trips to the attraction - one to get the FASTPASS and one to use it. During busier times of the year, the FASTPASS return time is generally so much later in the day that it is unlikely you'll be in the same area as the attraction when the FASTPASS time window opens. That guarantees at least one transition between lands per FASTPASS.

If you're doing a somewhat systematic tour of the Magic Kingdom, you'll either be in Tomorrowland or Fantasyland early in the morning, and typically in Frontierland, Adventureland or Liberty Square around mid-day. So if you picked up a FASTPASS in the morning in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland, the chances are good you'll be quite a distance away when that FP becomes valid. (Touring Adventureland while waiting for a FASTPASS in Frontierland, however, is a good strategy, as they're reasonably close together.)

Even if you decide the hike to the attraction is worthwhile, what do you do when you're done with the attraction? Hike back across the park to where you were prior to using the FASTPASS? This might be an appropriate thing to ask folks to do one, maybe two times per day, but I doubt most people would want to do it again and again throughout the day.

Finally, I don't think the "stay in one area while the FASTPASS becomes valid" is a generally good strategy. For one thing, getting a FASTPASS implies that the crowds are so large that waiting in line is bad. In Tomorrowland, for example, if Space Mountain's line is so bad that FASTPASS is required, what does that imply about the lines at the Speedway and Buzz? In Fantasyland, if you need a FASTPASS for Pooh, the odds are that the lines at Dumbo, Pan and PhilharMagic are significantly long, too. In many areas of the parks, there simply aren't enough viable options to spend time at. The best way to save time standing in line (which, presumably is what you're using FASTPASS for in the first place) is to move around the park.

If we make a couple of reasonable assumptions - like "don't leave one area of the park for another unless you can save 10 minutes standing in line" and we assume a reasonable walking speed - I think one can show that FASTPASS only makes sense in most cases when the posted wait time is more than 30 minutes. And there are lots of ways to avoid those kinds of waits without using FASTPASS.

Nice discussion. Hope this helps.

Len

 

[Synonymous]

I have to disagree with Len. I think you plan the way you tour on your use of FP, rather than getting FPs based on the way you are going to tour. It doesn't make much sense to follow the standard counter-clockwise touring pattern if you want to maximize FP. Some criss-crossing is unavoidable, but what you need to do is plan on seeing the less busy attractions that are near your FP attraction while youwait. Except at the busiest times, some attractions are always going to have fairly reasonable waits. If you're holdng a FP for Pooh, go on the carousel or Small World while you wait. If you pick up a FP for Pooh and the return time is far away, then go to another part of the park and plan to do the lower-wait attractions after Pooh. Or just get a snack and see characters or something. There's lots to do in all areas of the parks besides just waiting in line for the E-tickets.

Also, FPs are VERY useful when the return is less than 30 minutes away. This means you can wait standby for a favorite attraction and then ride it again with your FP as soon as you get off. What kid doesn't want to ride Space Mountain or Buzz more than once?

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

If you are planning on having a meal at "The Land" food court in Epcot, get a FP for that boat ride before you even stand in line for food. By the time you are done eating, it's time to use your FP. I really enjoy waiting to use my FP by having a meal at the time. I'm more relaxed while eating, too.

 

[Joyciemc]

Synonymous, that's exactly how we use FP.

Using expired FP? That's news to me... I just assumed they were no good after they expired. Are you always allowed to do this, or were some CMs just being nice?

 

[sharonel]

I want to clarify that too. Do the fastpasses have a return time and a " good until" time, or can you use them anytime after the return time - even if it's a few hours after? I've heard of people saving them (ie., days late) and they're still good - is this true?

 

[Synonymous]

It is not true- they expire at the close of the hour. BUT, the CM may not be too concerned about enforcing the time limit.

Sooooo... you have no "right" to use an expired FP, but it doesn't hurt to try.

 

[ProfGoofy]

I too have used Fast Pass after the expiration time, got stuck in another part of the park. The Cast Member said no problem and let us in. Word of note, if you Fast Pass says 2:00 PM, please, please, please don’t stand if front of the Fast Pass queue at 1:53 PM expecting to get in or watching the clock tick off the minutes. Though Cast Members are cool about letting you in after the expiration of you Fast Pass, they’re sticklers about not letting you in early. All you end up doing is creating a traffic jam making it difficult for those with a valid Fast Pass to get by.

And a little trick, sometimes the Fast Pass system goes down for a ride (rare, but I’ve seen it happen) and Cast Members will start to hand out pre-printed Fast Passes without swiping/logging your ticket. This means that you can get another Fast Pass without having to wait the required amount of time between issuing Fast Passes.

 

[CindyAnn]

I second ProfGoofy's suggestion to avoid crowding around the fast pass return line before it's your time. On our last trip we always had to battle our way through huge groups of people who were just waiting around. Go to the toilet! Shop! Eat! Take in some street entertainment! Just don't block the entrance waiting for your fastpass window to open!

Sharonel - I find we make best use of fastpass at MK where the rides are fairly close together and there are a number of fastpass attractions. However, we use fastpass regularly at all the parks. We use most of the suggestions noted here - send 1 person to collect them all, always pick up a new one before you use the old one, etc. Another point I would make is to get fastpasses for everyone in your party. Sometimes if DD doesn't want to go on a ride, we get 4 fastpasses anyway, and then DH and DS are able to go on it twice.

Have fun!

 

[jaysue]

I'll chime in for Len's points and observations - they do work but it does require a certain "analysis" almost of the return time versus the stand by line versus other attractions in the area. I followed his recommendations on our March trip to the MK and my DW was amazed how smoothly it went for her and our DS and how much we were able to do and get our breaks in between.

Not to get on the subject of "touring plans" too much but they do work during the busy times - during the quieter times, you do not need a plan or strategy

Thanks
jaysue

 

[valeriekc]

want to clarify that too. Do the fastpasses have a return time and a " good until" time, or can you use them anytime after the return time - even if it's a few hours after? I've heard of people saving them (ie., days late) and they're still good - is this true?

I have found that the cast members are pretty accomodating if you are a little bit late (keyword little) and have let us in. However we have seen several parties turned away because they were using fast passes from the day before. They were all pretty embarrassed and rightfully so.
I agree with that, if you think about it if people starting using them from any older time that would make the entire system backed up. They carefully alot a certain number of passes for each time frame and if you throw in expired passes that would turn fastpass into SLOWPASS. I have seen it happen at Space Mountain after the ride has broken and they honor all the passes from earlier. We had passes and the fastpass line was almost as long as the standby. It made it incredibly slow for both lines. Bad deal I say. Also we try to plan carefully our times and FP choices and use them promptly or have handed a few away when someone in our party didn't want to ride at that time. That can be a real fun treat and makes for some nice Disney magic for everyone invloved. So in conclusion I have welcomed the careful checking I have witnessed by CM's to keep the system working as intended. And I agree with ProfGoofy just don't come early and jam up the entrance for people who are on time!
Have fun!

 

[NCLinda]

This discussion is fascinating.

I have a question: If one person goes to get FP for everyone in the group, doesn't he have to take their ticket to get it? And won't that mean the others are stuck and unable to do anything until that person returns?

Thanks, Linda

 

[Synonymous]

Linda, once you're in the park you don't need your ticket for anything besides FP.

 

[Tank]

It was told to me by 3 different CM's at 3 different rides that they accept expired FP's. In 8 days of using them I was never even quesioned about the time. I did not try using them from the day before.
With this in mind I started to get as many as I could in the mornings before the return time was to far away. If you get the ones with the shortest return time first you can get you second and third FP pretty quickly. With a little legwork you can get 5 or 6 before noon. I also found that the HM did not seem to be connected to the system because I was able to get a FP for it before my time came and was able to get another before the HM time came up.
Finally before this gets to long. If you need to baby swap go to the first CM and let them know. They give you a child watcher pass which is good for up to 3 people. The child watcher can go sit in the shade or shop, no need to wait in line.

 

[jaysue]

The only thing you may need your ticket for is if it has charging priviledges and you want to buy some Mickey stuff whilst waiting for the FP volunteer to return - in this case you would be stuck

Thanks
jaysue