Q: How do FastPasses work? What’s a Magic Band? Why so much
technology???
A: FastPass+ is part of the My Magic+ program that Disney set up 6 years ago. Before
that, you had to either wait in ridiculously long lines (sometimes 2-3 hours!!)
or get a paper Fast Pass to skip the line. You would go to the actual ride and
get a little slip of paper from a kiosk that had a return time on it. When that
return time came, you went back (unless you lost the little slip of paper) and
gave the FastPass to the cast member at the back of the line. If you didn’t get
to some of the more popular rides (the Mountains, Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’
Roller Coaster, Test Track, etc) by 9:30 AM you were pretty much out of luck.
And if you hopped to another park later in the day, forget about riding any of
those really popular rides. So a few years ago they came up with the My Magic+
program that uses RFID technology built into Magic Bands and linked them to all
kinds of systems within the park, including door locks, credit cards, the
Magical Express airport shuttle, ride photos, meal plans, the Disability Access
System and of course, FastPass+.
FastPass+ replaced the old paper system and is all computer-based. You can use
your computer or the My Disney Experience app to make and change your
FastPasses up to the moment of your scheduled ride or character visit. So, if I
have a 9:30 AM Space Mountain FastPass and decide that I want to cancel it, I
can do that until 9:29 that morning. Because you are staying in a Disney
resort, you get some nice perks associated with your Magic Band. A big one is
that you can reserve your FastPasses BEFORE people who are not staying on
Disney property. Disney breaks their FastPass release times into 3 tiers: the
first batch is released at midnight EST 60 days before your visit for resort
guests. That’s about 40% of the available ride times. Another 40% get released
30 days before your trip – NOTE: this is happening in the next couple
of days so WATCH for popular rides like the Mine Train, Smuggler’s Run and
Flight of Passage to suddenly become available next weekend! It’s not
uncommon for them to get grabbed up really quickly at that 30 day mark, because
a lot of people stay off property. The other 20% are released at midnight the
day of your visit. So if you STILL can’t get that awesome ride, check the
night/morning before we go. Or even the morning of your visit, because like I
said – you can change your mind and change your experience any time.
Once you create your My Disney Experience account and link your resort stay and
park ticket, you can add friends to “Plan and Share” using the website or app.
To do that, click on “Friends and Family” and “Add a Guest”. Choose “By entering
his or her name and age” and select 18+ as their age. Next,
select “I will invite this friend to make plans with me through his or her
Disney account”.
PLEASE do NOT “manage all the plans for this friend”,
because that will change their resort reservation!!
If you need help, ask Mrs. West!
When you invite them to “plan and share” with you, then you can make FastPass reservations together. You do NOT need to walk around and ride solely with the people in your room. You can link plans and FastPasses with anybody in the band. You can also add people to your plans later – as long as there are slots. Again, try next Monday morning if you can’t get a FastPass slot now.
Click here for a VERY helpful step-by-step tutorial on making FastPass+ reservations: https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/making-fastpass-reservations
Q: What rides should I get FastPasses for?
A: That depends on what kind of experience you want. Some people like to ride roller coasters, some people want the best seats for fireworks or parades and some people want to meet all of the characters and get their pictures taken. But pretty much NOBODY likes to stand in line. So I made a list!
April 16 – Magic Kingdom (Do NOT schedule anything before 12 PM)
Choices
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – think Thunderbolt with train/mountain theming.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – it’s like riding inside a giant arcade game. Very fun!
Dumbo the Flying Elephant – like the airplanes in Kiddie Land at Idlewild, but with elephants. Usually a pretty short line.
Enchanted Tales with Belle – Belle tells you stories. Not a long line.
Haunted Mansion – You should really make a point to go on this ride. It’s like riding through a haunted house, but without the chainsaws. It was refurbed a few years ago and is pretty cool.
“it’s a small world” – little puppet children singing the same song for 10 minutes or so. And you’re in a boat. A must-do, but the regular line usually isn’t bad at all.
Jungle Cruise – a nice relaxing change of pace boat ride. The tour guides are pretty hilarious.
Mad Tea Party – It’s the spinning tea cups ride from the commercial.
Character meet and greets
-Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
-Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall
-Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater – ok, so this one is really cool. This Mickey talks and knows your name from your Magic Band.
-Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater
Mickey’s PhilharMagic – I like this one because it’s about MUSIC. It’s a 4D theater with sights, sounds and smells. It’s very well-done!
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor – another theater. They take jokes from the audience before the show and make it kind of interactive. Cute, and also air conditioned.
Peter Pan’s Flight – You and your friends “fly” through London and Neverland. Also very well-done (and AC again!)
Pirates of the Caribbean – if you go to Disney World and DON’T ride this ride, people at home will get angry with you. Seriously, this is a staple of Disney. We will warm up for our parade behind Pirates, and you don’t realize how big the ride is until you see it from backstage. They have a pirate ship!
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – If you have any interest in riding this, get a FastPass. The lines are extremely long and you will waste a lot of time waiting to ride it without a FP.
Space Mountain – another Disney staple. A dark roller coaster with crazy lights. A Fast Pass MUST DO if you like roller coasters.
Splash Mountain – the inside part of the ride has some scenes from a movie nobody has ever seen, and then you get WET! I love Splash Mountain. It’s like the Log Jammer, but with really awesome scenery and animatronic rabbits. If you can’t get a FastPass and have to stand in line, this is at least an entertaining line to stand in. You will also sing “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” for hours after this ride. And you get WET!
The Barnstormer – have you ridden the Little Phantom at Kennywood? This is kind of like that, but with planes. It’s only a minute long too.
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin – Like the elephants, but with magic carpets
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – A dark ride with scenes from Winnie the Pooh
Tomorrowland Speedway – like go carts! Do this between Space Mountain and the Mine Train; it’s fun!
Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid – a dark ride with scenes from the Little Mermaid
April 17 – Hollywood Studios
Tier 1 (Choose 1 attraction)
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway – this JUST opened this week so it’s going to be very popular. It’s a trackless dark ride like Rise of the Resistance but all classic Disney themed.
Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run – the new Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge area is the reason we are staying at Hollywood Studios for a full day. If you can’t get a FastPass to this ride, run there at rope drop to get in line for it. While you’re running, make sure you get into a Rise of the Resistance boarding party. This ride is a lot like Star Tours except that you are piloting the Millenium Falcon so it’s a different experience each time. If you like Star Wars, make sure you get on this ride!
Slinky Dog Dash – this is a coaster in the new Toy Story area and it looks really fun. Don’t worry if you can’t get a FastPass because standby times aren’t bad. The line is actually really cute.
Tier 2 (Choose 2 attractions)
Alien Swirling Saucers – basically the tea cups but updated in a Toy Story theme
Fantasmic! – This arena seats about 10,000 people but it will be completely full half an hour before showtime. If you don’t have a FastPass, get there an hour before showtime or you won’t get a seat.
Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage – a live-action shortened version (25 minutes) of the hit musical with all the big songs, including scenery, costumes and dancing.
Disney Junior Dance Party! – if you’re 8 years old and love Doc McStuffins, you’ll love this.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration – this is also live-action in a theater. The “Royal Historians” tell the story of Frozen, and you can sing the songs along with the movie. If you go to this, skip the FastPass.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! – check the showtimes guide. Most of the time, you can get into this without a FastPass, because a lot of people can fit inside the show area. It’s a nice show to see if you like Indiana Jones and/or explosions.
Muppet*Vision 3D – if you’re hot and tired this is a good excuse to get inside and rest for a while. You don’t need a FastPass for this one.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – this dark coaster shoots you out from a complete stop and there are lots of twists and turns.
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue – this is still one of my favorite rides. It’s a flight simulator and the car you are in moves around so that it feels real.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – you’re in an elevator that’s struck by lightning and drops to the basement of the Hollywood Hotel
Toy Story Mania! – this is like a carnival game where you ride around and shoot targets, and compete with your partner to see who gets the higher score
Voyage of the Little Mermaid – a sit-down show that’s part on-screen, part (lip-synced) live-action. You can always get in without a FastPass.
April 18 – Blizzard Beach
No FastPasses today!
April 19 – Animal Kingdom (morning and afternoon)
Choices
DINOSAUR – this is a dark ride, but a really exciting one. It starts off as a trip back in time, but then a dinosaur ends up chasing you.
Expedition Everest – if you like roller coasters, just go ahead and sign up for this one right now. You seriously do NOT want to wait for this one. It’s fantastic.
Festival of the Lion King – it’s a musical, but not exactly like the movie or musical. It’s pretty cool. It’s also inside and air conditioned. Oh, and hey majorettes – FIRE BATONS.
Finding Nemo-the Musical – another live-action show, and really well done! The people wear costumes that have the fish built into them. I love this one and try to always see it. Sit in the bubble zone for the most fun.
Avatar Flight of Passage – I’ve only seen videos of this, but it looks amazing!! It’s like Soarin’ but you are strapped to what feels like a bike seat with front support, and you fly through the scenes. These FastPasses are hard to come by, so keep trying to get one this week.
It’s Tough to Be a Bug! – This is inside the Tree of Life. It’s a 4D theater thing. Very cute. AC!
Kali River Rapids – like Raging Rapids, with better theming
Kilimanjaro Safaris – if you like animals at all, go on this. Try to get an early AM FastPass if you can. It’s a drive through their African Savannah in a big truck with lots of animals everywhere. Think a zoo, but you’re driving through. I never miss the Safari.
Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost – a meet and greet, usually with Mickey and Minnie.
Na’vi River Journey – this is a boat ride like “it’s a small world” but with beautiful theming and no singing.
Primeval Whirl – it’s like the Wild Mouse at Idlewild!
April 19 – Epcot (evening)
Tier 1 (choose one)
Test Track – you’re in a car you “designed” yourself, and you get to go fast! If you get stuck in line, it’s really not that bad. It’s indoors (AC!) and there are interactive things you can do while you wait.
Frozen Ever After – this boat ride replaced the Norway ride called Maelstrom (which was less exciting than it sounded). If you’re a teenager (and you are) I would not waste a tier 1 choice on this ride!
Soarin’ – this is a flying simulator like Flights of Passage. You sit on a flying skilift-like bench and fly through the air.
Tier 2 (choose two)
Disney/Pixar Short Film Festival – short films, short wait.
Journey Into Imagination With Figment – cute moving ride that goes through different parts of the imagination. Also never a wait.
Living with the Land – a dark ride where you go through different environments. Good special effects and not as “meh” as it sounds.
Mission: Space – you’re in a SPACESHIP going up and down and around. No, actually, you’re in a centrifuge that spins you really fast so that it feels like you’re going up and down and around. This ride is awesome. There are two versions of it, by the way – one for people who can handle spinning and one for the rest of us.
Spaceship Earth – You ride up into the big white ball. They redid this a few years back and it’s much better. I generally don’t skip this one.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends – you ride in a big shell through some cool saltwater scenes inside their ginormous building-sized tank. A FastPass is seriously not needed here – the shells are on a constant loop.
Turtle Talk with Crush – this is at the end of the Nemo ride, and I’ve never gotten in, but it looks cute.
Q: Do you have any tips for avoiding long lines for my non-FastPass rides?
A: I sure do!
Time of day: Get your butt out of bed, eat, and get to the park early. If you’re there at Rope Drop (they do a musical number, which is quite adorable) you can shoot straight for the popular rides.
Short lines in the early morning
- Space/Thunder/Splash Mountains
- Haunted Mansion
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Expedition Everest
- Test Track
- Mission SPACE (if you do the “Green” ride there is NEVER a wait)
- DINOSAUR
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
You can also find shorter lines during meal times, parades, fireworks and Fantasmic. They list the wait times on the My Disney Experience app, and they are pretty accurate.
Single Rider lines: Some popular rides have “single rider lines” if you don’t mind being split up from your group. I use this to ride something a second time. You are still waiting in line with your group, but they grab one person at a time to fill up a car or ride with a random person. Seriously, you can ride things like the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster or Expedition Everest over and over again this way.
Rides with single rider lines
- Expedition Everest
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Test Track
Q: This is so confusing. Will you help me???
A: Absolutely!!! I will be having “Mrs. West’s Super Fun My Disney Experience Time” after practice on Thursday. I am also at the HS EVERY MORNING during 1st block. Come and visit!
