As part of the new My Disney Experience system, onsite resort guests are now able to make FASTPASS+ reservations online for certain attractions before they even leave home. At Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, offsite guests can reserve their FASTPASSES at special kiosks once they arrive at the parks (Hollywood Studios and Epcot still have traditional paper FASTPASS machines for offsite guests, but those will also be replaced by kiosks in the near future).
When making FASTPASS+ selections, guests are able to choose three attractions that they'd like to reserve each day. Guests are then given a one-hour window for each selected attraction during which they must arrive. Upon arrival, guests are directed to a special (shorter) line, minimizing wait times. But with so many attractions to choose from, the FASTPASS+ reservation process can quickly become overwhelming. Today, I'm going to share some tips on how to prioritize your FASTPASS+ selections.
Tip #1: Do not waste FASTPASSES on high-capacity attractions like It's a Small World. Same goes for continuously-running shows like Mickey's PhilharMagic, as well as most stage shows. Instead, use them for lower-capacity attractions (like Enchanted Tales with Belle) that are likely to develop long waits almost immediately.
Tip #2: Arrive at rope drop and hit two or three headliner attractions right away in the standby line. Then, use your FASTPASSES to either ride those attractions again later in the day OR to experience minor attractions that tend to build long lines in the afternoon (like Tomorrowland Speedway).
Tip #3: Do not make any FASTPASS reservations for the first hour after the park opens. Almost every attraction (with the exception of Toy Story Mania in Hollywood Studios) will have very short waits in the standby line for the first hour or two of the day. Save your FASTPASS reservations for later in the day when some standby waits become prohibitively long.
Tip #4: As I mentioned earlier, offsite guests must make FASTPASS reservations at a kiosk (at Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom) instead of securing them online before their trip. There are several kiosks in each park, so don't stand in line at the first one you see. Hit a couple of headliner attractions in the standby line at rope drop. Then, make your FASTPASS reservations for the rest of the day at the closest kiosk in your vicinity.
Tip #5: Create a solid touring plan before you make your FASTPASS reservations so you know approximately where you'll be during the day. It's much easier to make FASTPASS reservations according to your planned location in the park as opposed to building a touring plan around reservations you've already made.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail me at the address below.
Meredith McCutcheon
Owner, Magic Minus the Mayhem: Rochester Hills, MI
disneymadeeasy@yahoo.com
