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What is FASTPASS exactly?
FASTPASS is a great system that lets you "eliminate the wait" at the
most popular attractions. Nothing feels better than being able to
bypass this wait and jump straight to the front of the line.
So how does FASTPASS work?
Let's say you want to go on an attraction, there's a clock showing
wait of 45 minutes, and another stating the return time for FASTPASS
in 90 minutes, you're thirsty, don't want to wait in line, but
desperately want to go on. You notice by the attraction sign a board
stating "FASTPASS DISTRIBUTION". This is your chance to "eliminate
the wait". Simply take your park pass, insert it into the FASTPASS
Machine, and out pops your FASTPASS. Take a look at the pass, it will
give you a time window to return to the attraction (this is usually
an hour ie: 11:15-12:15 although can be less for certain attractions,
most typically shows). Bring this back to the ride at the alloted
time and "eliminate the wait", jump past the crowds and hit the
attraction. Make sure that you get a FASTPASS ticket for everyone in
your party, you don't want to have to leave them behind while you
enjoy the fun. |
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How much do I have to pay for FASTPASS?
Nothing...nada...zip...it's one of the ways that Disney goes out of
their way to improve the guest experience.
How many FASTPASS tickets can I get in a day?
It's limited only by how busy the park and attractions get. FASTPASS
is an ingenious system that removes the physcial person from the line
and puts a virtual person in their place. As the park gets more
crowded, obviously the lines get longer, which means you'll wait
longer, this in turn affects the return time on the FASTPASS ticket.
When you pick up your FASTPASS you'll see a time stamped upon it
stating the time that you can get your next FASTPASS. This prevents
you (or anyone else) from running around the park and joining a whole
bunch of virtual lines at once (after all when was the last time that
you were able to split yourself in two) preventing other guests from
enjoying their attractions.
Is FASTPASS on all attractions?
FASTPASS is limited to the busiest attrations, so don't go looking
for the machines at "It's a Small World".
Currently, Disney's FASTPASS is offered on the following Walt Disney World attractions:
- Magic Kingdom: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Peter Pan's Flight, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, "Mickey's PhilharMagic;" Stitch's Great Escape!
- Epcot: Test Track, "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience," Living With The Land, Maelstrom, Mission: SPACE, Soarin'
- Disney-MGM Studios: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror, Star Tours, "Voyage of the Little Mermaid," "Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!" "Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show", "Toy Story Mania"
- Disney's Animal Kingdom: DINOSAUR, Kali River Rapids, Kilimanjaro Safaris, "It's Tough to be a Bug," Primeval Whirl, Expedition Everest
What if the FASTPASS machine is not working or I'm having trouble?
There are several machines for each FASTPASS attraction, so move to
another machine. Usually there are Cast Members around all FASTPASS
areas, they will be able to assist in the event you run into
problems, or have questions.
What if I miss my FASTPASS schedule return time?
It very much depends upon the Cast Member working the attraction.
Most are very understanding and will still let you on if you are a
few minutes late, however they don't need to do this, so don't give
them a hard time if they won't let you on.
 MouseForLess Tips:
 There is a limit to the number of FASTPASS tickets distributed in a day. Sometimes very popular attractions (think Soarin' or Test Track) will be out of FASTPASS tickets by mid-afternoon. Once they're gone, there is no other choice but the stand-by line.
A ticket has to be used for admission on that day in order to get a FASTPASS. So, for example, Mom can't get up early, grab everyone's admission tickets and go get FASTPASS tickets for Soarin'. Every admission ticket must have been put through the front turnstyle before it will generate a FASTPASS.
You can, though, send one person over to the other side of the park with everyone's tickets and have them get a FASTPASS. This is a great time saving trick, especially when you want a FASTPASS for an attraction and want to wait for your return time in another area.
At times when park attendance is low, the machines may be covered and not available for use. During these times, though, the standby lines are usually not very long.
My tips apply to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. Because of the close proximity of the parks, it's a
great idea to hop back and forth throughout the day and hold FP's for each park at the same time. Trust me, you will hop anyway...so you might as well take advantage of FP's at both parks while you do it. At DCA, the GRR ride is not connected to the rest of the FP system. Therefore, you can hold a GRR FP while also holding another FP at DCA. Roger Rabit Car Toon Spin in Toontown is the same way. It is not connected to the rest of the DL FP system. Take advantage of it!! If you plan to ride Sourin' at DCA, you'll want to get a FP early in the day. They frequently run out by the afternoon. ~ Allyson
Not many people know that if your FP window says 11:30 - 12:30 you do NOT have to stop what you are doing and run back across the park at 11:30 for your FP. You can use it anytime AFTER 11:30 (or whatever
your opening time says) on the same day. One day we walked around the park and "collected" FPs. Every time a window opened, we got a new one. After our mid-day break, we went back and rode into the evening with our FPs that we had collected that morning!
Always get a FP for one of the major attractions first thing in the morning (before experiencing any attractions)...you then can see another major attraction before using the FP. At Magic Kingdom, this works no matter where you start your day....for example, when kids were smaller we started our day in Fantasyland, FP Pooh, ride Peter Pan. Now that the kids are older we start our day in Frontierland, ride BTMR and FP Splash.
My fastpass tip is simple and seemingly obvious but you would be surprised - get the fastpass (whichever one you choose) and then go do something else :) Also we have a rule of thumb - if the standby line is 15 minutes or less get in that so you get 2 rides! ~ Laura
We head to the ride we most want to do first thing, then when we get off, we get a fast pass for that ride, then head to our second most wanted ride, do it if the line is not to bad, then by the time we get off we can get another fast pass for it. Then later that day we come back and ride for the second time. Sometimes all of our party does not want to ride a second time, so we turn over the fast passes to those who do. ~ Dorothy
Our family does not use fastpass that much because we always go at the least busy time, do extra magic hours or get there at park opening, or stay until closing, with a list of priority rides and attractions to do first. However there have been times we have found them to be beneficial. The biggest one is the Rock N Roller Coaster / Tower of Terror combo. Get a fastpass for one and ride the other. My dd and dh did this several times one day, getting a new fastpass as soon as their time allowed and just going back and forth between the 2 rides. This also works with MIssion Space and Test Track, we did this one day several times in a row, stopping for a quick bite at the Electric Umbrella or shopping in Mouse Gears when our times were not up yet. It was a great way to spend an afternoon!! Certain times of the day these may all be walk on, so its just what day or time your there, so make sure you check the times boards whenever you can, no sense in wasting a fastpass if you don't have to. We never get fastpass for Pirates of the Caribbean or Jungle Cruise. ~ Amy
Updated Sept 17, 2008
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