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Planning for Disney World. What is the deal with Fast Passes?


Momma H
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Hi all,

We are going to Disney World very soon and I have issues about Fast Passes. I don't know what rides we want to go on!  I don't know what is popular!  I don't know where stuff is so how can I know when I want to go on what ride?

No, I don't want to look at maps, study each ride and educate myself on which rides are most popular.  Why does is have to be so much work?  Can't we just get in line for one we want to go on and if the line is super long, sign up for a later time to go on it?  Is that the same thing as a Fast Pass or is that something else?  There is already so much planning for all of this and I have been pretty good so far but the Fast Pass thing is just setting me over the edge a bit! 

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At Magic Kingdom the longest lines are for Seven Dwarves Mine Train (45 mins within minutes of rope drop to 2 hours), Elsa and Anna Meet and Greet (45 minutes to multiple hours) and Peter Pan Flight (slower morning start but by 12 up to 2 hours).  If you have more than 1 day at MK and have kids who like big rides I recommend Splash Mountain, Big Thunder and Space Mountain because those are the next big ones in terms of wait times.

 

At Animal Kingdom the big 4 rides are Safari, Everest, Kali and Dinosaur so pick 3 and make the other the first thing you do when you arrive in the park.

 

At Hollywood Studios and Epcot they have tiers where you only can get 1 of the most popular rides and then 2 smaller rides.  

 

At Epcot I recommend getting a Test Track fast pass and plan on waiting an hour (or less) for Soarin.  Then just pick 2 more that look interesting (for this trip we did Figment, Character Spot, Nemo and Spaceship Earth but we had 2 days at Epcot).

 

At Hollywood Studios you want Toy Story Mania if you can get it!  If you have a Frozen lover I recommend getting a sing-along fast pass and because we have a star wars lover we get star tours...but that is usually walk on so if you prefer grab tower of terror.  Then plan on going on rock n roller coaster first thing when you arrive unless you want to do Jedi Training Academy then you have to sign up for that immediately (and that was the highlight of my son' trip this year).

 

So yes you can just go wait in lines but Fast Pass makes it easier to do some of the huge lines faster so you only spend time in the shorter lines.  If this was confusing please ask me more questions...we are just finishing up 8 days at Walt Disney World and love Fast Pass (except when it goes down like it did today lol)

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At Magic Kingdom the longest lines are for Seven Dwarves Mine Train (45 mins within minutes of rope drop to 2 hours), Elsa and Anna Meet and Greet (45 minutes to multiple hours) and Peter Pan Flight (slower morning start but by 12 up to 2 hours).  If you have more than 1 day at MK and have kids who like big rides I recommend Splash Mountain, Big Thunder and Space Mountain because those are the next big ones in terms of wait times.

 

At Animal Kingdom the big 4 rides are Safari, Everest, Kali and Dinosaur so pick 3 and make the other the first thing you do when you arrive in the park.

 

At Hollywood Studios and Epcot they have tiers where you only can get 1 of the most popular rides and then 2 smaller rides.  

 

At Epcot I recommend getting a Test Track fast pass and plan on waiting an hour (or less) for Soarin.  Then just pick 2 more that look interesting (for this trip we did Figment, Character Spot, Nemo and Spaceship Earth but we had 2 days at Epcot).

 

At Hollywood Studios you want Toy Story Mania if you can get it!  If you have a Frozen lover I recommend getting a sing-along fast pass and because we have a star wars lover we get star tours...but that is usually walk on so if you prefer grab tower of terror.  Then plan on going on rock n roller coaster first thing when you arrive unless you want to do Jedi Training Academy then you have to sign up for that immediately (and that was the highlight of my son' trip this year).

 

So yes you can just go wait in lines but Fast Pass makes it easier to do some of the huge lines faster so you only spend time in the shorter lines.  If this was confusing please ask me more questions...we are just finishing up 8 days at Walt Disney World and love Fast Pass (except when it goes down like it did today lol)

 

Do what she said. :-) 

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When are you going?  It will make a huge difference in how long the lines are.

 

Are you staying on property?  Last time we went we could not get a fast pass for Dwarfs, those who stay on property can get Fps first and they were all gone when I went to book.

 

However, we did get there at rope drop one day and went straight and were able to ride with only a 20 min. wait.

 

We went in early Dec. and honestly, we didn't really need fast passes for *most* lines.  Toy Story, Dwarves, and Kilimanjaro got a bit long, but not too many others.

 

We also do single rider on rides like Test Track, Rockin' Roller Coaster, and Expedition Everest (I think those are the only ones) and get right on.  So we never bother getting fast passes for those rides (but we have gone so much we don't mind being split up.)

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Disney sounds like a miserable experience to me (for the parent who is a planner). Sheesh.

OP I do hope you have a great trip.

 

And esp. for the parent who is NOT a planner! There's a reason, besides cost, that my kids have only ever been to Disney with my parents ;)

 

OP, I too hope you have an amazing trip!

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Disney sounds like a miserable experience to me (for the parent who is a planner). Sheesh.

OP I do hope you have a great trip.

 

Well, not if that parent loves to plan!

 

dd and I love planning for Disney World. it's almost as much fun as school planning  :coolgleamA:

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At Magic Kingdom the longest lines are for Seven Dwarves Mine Train (45 mins within minutes of rope drop to 2 hours), Elsa and Anna Meet and Greet (45 minutes to multiple hours) and Peter Pan Flight (slower morning start but by 12 up to 2 hours).  If you have more than 1 day at MK and have kids who like big rides I recommend Splash Mountain, Big Thunder and Space Mountain because those are the next big ones in terms of wait times.

 

At Animal Kingdom the big 4 rides are Safari, Everest, Kali and Dinosaur so pick 3 and make the other the first thing you do when you arrive in the park.

 

At Hollywood Studios and Epcot they have tiers where you only can get 1 of the most popular rides and then 2 smaller rides.  

 

At Epcot I recommend getting a Test Track fast pass and plan on waiting an hour (or less) for Soarin.  Then just pick 2 more that look interesting (for this trip we did Figment, Character Spot, Nemo and Spaceship Earth but we had 2 days at Epcot).

 

At Hollywood Studios you want Toy Story Mania if you can get it!  If you have a Frozen lover I recommend getting a sing-along fast pass and because we have a star wars lover we get star tours...but that is usually walk on so if you prefer grab tower of terror.  Then plan on going on rock n roller coaster first thing when you arrive unless you want to do Jedi Training Academy then you have to sign up for that immediately (and that was the highlight of my son' trip this year).

 

So yes you can just go wait in lines but Fast Pass makes it easier to do some of the huge lines faster so you only spend time in the shorter lines.  If this was confusing please ask me more questions...we are just finishing up 8 days at Walt Disney World and love Fast Pass (except when it goes down like it did today lol)

 

These are great, but my one exception would be at Epcot. I'd go to Test Track at rope drop, then hit Mission Space right next to it, then do Nemo and have my fast pass for Soarin. Soarin is a slow loader and a really long wait so if you do it first thing, it takes up too much time to really get in several rides that first hour, whereas if you do quicker loading rides, you can knock out several.

 

I do Disney travel planning and this is my recommendation to all my clients (if they want to ride all of the above). Also, depending on those who want to ride, Test Track can be ridden as a single rider, virtually eliminating any wait at all (of course, you can't ride as a group in that case, but it works well if not all care to ride it)

 

Also, ALWAYS Everest first at AK. If you like it, you can ride 3-5 times in the first half hour (depending on crowds). Make your fast passes for the safari for right after lunch and do other things in between - saves on backtracking so much across the park.

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You've already gotten great advice!  Time of year will make a big difference.  I don't know how long you have until your trip but if there's still quite a bit of time, consider a Disney travel agent.  They are free and a great help!  I can give you the name of the lady I used if you'd like.  She helped me on our first trip with things like this, and she made all of our reservations for us so I didn't have to go through that stress.

 

A Disney vacation is a lot of work if you want to get your money's worth, but it's so fun!  I LOVED doing all of the research!

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Disney sounds like a miserable experience to me (for the parent who is a planner). Sheesh.

OP I do hope you have a great trip.

 

If you go during non-peak times (not summer or Christmas) and get there early and ride the big stuff first and then ride the less popular stuff in the afternoon, and then ride the popular stuff again when it gets late, you can really have a great experience without loads of planning.  

 

DH and I went on a Saturday a month ago.  I figured out the fast pass stuff reading on my phone on the way to the park.  It doesn't have to be a giant jigsaw puzzle, but you can definitely spend eons planning.  And, thinking about a Disney trip is more fun than lots of things I waste time thinking about.

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You couldn't pay me enough to go to that place, but OP, hope you have a great trip !

 

And esp. for the parent who is NOT a planner! There's a reason, besides cost, that my kids have only ever been to Disney with my parents ;)

 

OP, I too hope you have an amazing trip!

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Hi all,

We are going to Disney World very soon and I have issues about Fast Passes. I don't know what rides we want to go on!  I don't know what is popular!  I don't know where stuff is so how can I know when I want to go on what ride?

No, I don't want to look at maps, study each ride and educate myself on which rides are most popular.  Why does is have to be so much work?  Can't we just get in line for one we want to go on and if the line is super long, sign up for a later time to go on it?  Is that the same thing as a Fast Pass or is that something else?  There is already so much planning for all of this and I have been pretty good so far but the Fast Pass thing is just setting me over the edge a bit! 

 

I think it all depends on your attitude, IE what do you want to get out of this trip?   You can do all kinds of pre-planning, because that is how you will have a fun time.   Or, you can just go and not care what rides you get on or how long you have to wait in line.   Just figure out what YOU want, what is going to satisfy you.

 

FWIW, we went to Disney in August a few years ago.   It was sheer HE*L.   I did a ton of planning, and they were having some sort of heat wave even for them, and some other issues going on specific to my trip, and bottom line the trip was pure torture.   No amount of planning could have saved that trip.   One specific thing that happened is that we killed ourselves to get fast passes to Soarin' (back before the app) and we waited around all day long, even though we wanted to go home at that point, and got there, and it was broken.   They gave us fast passes for the next day, yep, thanks a million!   So, even the best laid plans....!  

 

Anyway, we are hopefully going back in the late fall, and have decided to just go with the flow this time.   It shouldn't be insanely busy, we do not care if we have to wait in line some, or miss certain rides, and the weather should be nicer.  Again, it's all about what experience is going to make you happiest.

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Also, ALWAYS Everest first at AK. If you like it, you can ride 3-5 times in the first half hour (depending on crowds). Make your fast passes for the safari for right after lunch and do other things in between - saves on backtracking so much across the park.

 

I disagree.  Do safari first since the animals are most active in the morning, if you care about that.

 

Stefanie

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Fastpasses drive me insane because it commits me to a watch. I rarely use them anymore. But, I have to admit I have been to Disney over 100 times (lost count years ago). So, if I do not do something this trip, I know there is another trip soon. I also do not make dining reservations anymore since Disney started charging for changes on the day of the reservation. It is just too much stress trying to experience the day rushing here and there within a short window of time. Now I just stroll around.

 

Instead, I carry around a hot spot and Ipad which entertains me while standing in lines. And I am no longer running from one end of the park to the other all day trying to get to a place on time,

 

Good luck with your trip. There are a million ways to do Disney, most of which are fabulous.

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If you go during non-peak times (not summer or Christmas) and get there early and ride the big stuff first and then ride the less popular stuff in the afternoon, and then ride the popular stuff again when it gets late, you can really have a great experience without loads of planning.  

 

 

 

Great advice!  A few years ago we went to Disney a week after Thanksgiving for two whole weeks.  Only at the tail end of that when the Christmas visitors started to trickle in did we have to wait in any serious lines or worry about fast passes.  

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I am a local, and my husband works for Disney. We go often for last minute trips with no Fp's scheduled. It is totally doable except for the following rides/experiences: Anna/Elsa, Toy Story Mania, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Soarin'. If you want to eat at Be Our Guest, you need a FP for breakfast or lunch or an ADR for dinner. While Fp's for Wishes, Fantasmic, Illuminations and the parades are nice, they aren't necessary if you are willing to stake out a place to wait for a while.

 

If you can, take advantage of the single rider lines for Expedition Everest, Rock n Roller Coaster and Test Track. My daughter and I were at AK 3 weeks ago, and we rode Expedition Everest, single ride about 5 times in a row.

 

Don't stress about the fast passes. Go and have a great time!

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