TSM - fast pass or ride first?

[NJ Cruisers]

We are going to love TSM - Buzz Lightyear is our favorite ride at MK!!! We want to try to ride twice. We'll get to the park at rope drop, but we won't be first to TSM (we don't move as fast as the young ones). Should we ride first or get the fast passes and then ride? Will the fast pass line be long at that time?

 

[Anglefan]

Fastpass first. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

 

[shan2885]

We had one member of our group move quickly through the rope drop crowd to get fastpasses. The rest of us walked at a more normal pace to TSM and them met up with the runner to ride right away. He was one of the first ones to the fast pass machines so we was ready to walk into the ride with us by the time we got there. Worked perfectly because everyone loved the ride and wanted to go again but by the time we got off the ride, both the regular line and the fast pass line had long waits!

 

[Meriweather]

Well, we're older and we ride first.....15 minute wait and then get fast passes after that.
At rope drop the fast pass line has been longer than the stand by line the 3 times we have been.

 

[Samantha/NC]

You should ride first--everyone heads to the FP machines--let them get their fP's while you ride--when you get off FP line is short and return time is usually only about an hour or so out!!

Samantha

 

[iluvhawaii]

I say ride first, FP after. We arrived 1/2 hour before rope drop, but it was not early enough. By the time we got to TSM, the FP line was ridiculous. We waited 15 minutes in standby and got FPs on the way out (return time was around noon). Actually, that day we were lucky enough in our FP timing to ride 4 times total. We watched the 2 hr window closely and were able to grab 2 more FP that we used later that evening (we left the park in mid-afternoon for a few hours and returned for dinner and TSM).

 

[amylcollins]

get the fastpass ASAP when you get in the park! immediatly get in line at ride, then your FP time should be ready so that you can ride again. we did this several times on our last trip

 

[g-dad66]

Looks like you're getting about a 50/50 split on this one -- which makes sense, because there are pros and cons to each scenario.

Since it sounds like you may want to ride TSM as many times as possible, maybe getting FPs first would work out best for you (so you are eligible sooner for your next rounds of FPs.)

However, on our August trip, we were far enough forward in the Rope Drop crowd that we were able to get onto the ride pretty quickly. If we had gone for FPs first, a lot of people would have passed us by, making for a much longer wait for our first ride.

Last March, our runner went to TSM for FPs at rope drop, and it took her 20 minutes to get the FPs. I think more people head to the FP machines than to the standby line at Rope Drop, which makes the ride-first scenario more appealing to us.

 

[SPAM]

I ride first, then get a fp afterwards. we find the fp line to be ridiculously long at rope drop and i am planning on being there all day anyways.

 

[winterman]

We had one member of our group move quickly through the rope drop crowd to get fastpasses. The rest of us walked at a more normal pace to TSM and them met up with the runner to ride right away. He was one of the first ones to the fast pass machines so we was ready to walk into the ride with us by the time we got there.

This is what DH and I did in Sept. He was moving at a slow pace because of bronchitis so I went ahead. It only took me 5 minutes to get the FPs and then we rode standby. Our FP return time was 10:40.

 

[Missus Toad]

We had one member of our group move quickly through the rope drop crowd to get fastpasses. The rest of us walked at a more normal pace to TSM and them met up with the runner to ride right away. He was one of the first ones to the fast pass machines so we was ready to walk into the ride with us by the time we got there. Worked perfectly because everyone loved the ride and wanted to go again but by the time we got off the ride, both the regular line and the fast pass line had long waits!

^^^ This.

Plus, when your early FP time comes up, you can get yet another FP and ride again later. This works for our family of TSManiacs, while allowing us to get our other rides in comfortably too. We've never had more than a 5-10 minute wait in the first standby line.

 

[JSTX]

I think you have to evaluate the lines when you get over to TSM. If the Fast Pass line is not too long, I would suggest getting one before you get in the Standby line. But I did notice when we were over there Thursday morning that the FP line got extremely long fairly quickly. I even committed after we got our FPs that the FP line looked longer than the Standby line.

 

[dgr1973]

Off topic but with everyone running to TSM is it safe to assume the lines for TOT and RnRc are shorter? Those are the rides we go to first.

 

[jpolak]

Off topic but with everyone running to TSM is it safe to assume the lines for TOT and RnRc are shorter? Those are the rides we go to first.

I would agree with that. Most people were getting FPs for TSM and then heading over to RNR and/or TOT.

 

[Scrooge Jr]

Last year we rode TSM 4 times before our 10am breakfast reservations, without FPs. We got in at 8am extra magical hours.

 

[loperella]

Like a pp said, evaluate wait times/lines when you get there. We always had someone grab fast passes for all four of us, then headed for standby line. It worked out great everytime. We did head to RnRC & ToT in between and never had more than a 15-20 min wait.

 

[TiggeRx]

We just got back late last night. Yesterday was a an early morning EMH for DHS.
We arrived at 7:57am behind a throng of people, waited for rope drop, and briskly walked to TSM. The Fast Pass queue was longer than the stand by.
We did stand by with a 15 minute wait, went straight to the Fast Pass, and got tickets for a return time of 12:00pm.

Not sure why, but this park was the most crowded we experienced all week. Must have been a 3 day holiday weekend for some?

My suggestion is ride first, then Fast Pass. Another option, if the crowds are lighter, is Fast Pass, ride, and another Fast Pass at the designated time.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

I agree with others that this is really 50/50 - however, I would vote for the riding standby first, then getting fast passes afterwards. I had read this before our trip and agreed it worked perfectly for us. We went to HS on 10/2 and was there at opening, although we weren't in the very front of the lines. We were not going to stress over so we walked with the crowd to TSM and saw the crazy line for the fastpasses so we went straight to the standby line. The standby line looks ridiculous too but it moves pretty quickly since it's empty inside. We probably waited 20 minutes max to ride, then got in the empty fast pass line for a return of around 12pm noon. We came back after lunch so it worked perfectly for us. I will say at that time, the return time on the fast passes was already up to 7pm.

Enjoy it either way!

Heather