Disney FastPass+ 101
Learn the basics of the system before your next Disney World vacation!
What is it?
FastPass+ is a digital system created by Disney to allow guests to “skip the line” on select attractions at no additional cost. Every ticket holder receives the opportunity to initially book three FastPasses per day of their trip. This system is only for Walt Disney World, not Disneyland, which offers a different process.
The FastPass+ provides a designated one-hour window of time to enjoy the selected attraction with a minimal wait time.
How much does it cost?
Free for all ticket holders, regardless of the type of ticket!
How does it work?
Prior to Your Trip
First you must link your ticket to your My Disney Experience account to be able to book FastPasses. FastPasses can be booked 30 days in advance by all ticketed guests, or 60 days in advance with a Disney resort reservation.
As soon as the window opens (30 or 60 days out), you can login to your My Disney Experience account and make FastPass+ selections for all ticket holders in your group. The window to make selections opens at 7am ET. Not a morning person? That’s what WDW Park Planners is here for 🙂
You can make up to three selections per day of your trip in advance, and the number of days on the ticket indicates the number of park days for FastPass+ booking. For each day of the trip, all three FastPass selections must be at the same park for that day.
During Your Trip
Everything is managed through the My Disney Experience app while you’re on your trip. You have the ability to change or modify any of your FastPasses through the app – because we all know that plans change and it’s important to be flexible, especially at Disney! WDW Park Planners is always available during your trip to help make those changes so you don’t have to worry about it 🙂
When you’re at the park, you must arrive for your FastPass during your designated one-hour window of time. There are special lines at each attraction specifically for FastPasses, and all you do is tap your ticket or MagicBand to the kiosk! You’re in!
Once you’ve used up the first three FastPasses that you pre-booked, you’re able to book one more FastPass at a time through your mobile app (or WDW Park Planners can do it for you – hey, you’re on vacation!). If you have a Park Hopper ticket you can book that additional FastPass+ for any of the four parks, not just the park you’re at! Same process continues once you use the additional FastPass – you can keep booking single FastPasses! There is no limit on the number of FastPasses you can use in one day.
Things to note
Your window of time for a FastPass selection cannot overlap with one another.
Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot all have “tiers” for their FastPass attractions. The attractions are categorized as either “Tier 1” or “Tier 2.” That means that guests can only make one selection from Tier 1 (the most popular rides), and then their remaining two selections must be from Tier 2. Magic Kingdom does not have a tiered system.
Should I use it?
YES! The biggest perk is obviously skipping the line on some of the biggest attractions, who typically have the longest wait times. 180 minutes for Flight of Passage? No thanks! It’s so easy to spend a lot of your day stuck in lines, but if you strategically book your FastPasses, you can have a much more productive day at the parks.
Why should you consider having WDW Park Planners handle FastPasses for you?
There is a LOT of advance planning work and strategy when booking FastPasses – everything from which are the best attractions to use a FastPass on, to which parks or attractions you should book first, to what time slots you should try to get. WDW Park Planners are true experts at booking FastPasses and base everything on what makes the most sense for YOUR family. It’s a ton of work but well worth the effort so you can enjoy your vacation and Make Every Minute Magical.
Sound confusing? That’s because it is! There’s so much to the FastPass+ system, so reach out with questions!
