SproutMamaK Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 We can book FastPasses for our Disney trip in just a few days and I'm trying to decide what to go for. We're staying off-property, so we can only book 30 days in advance as opposed to guests staying on-site who can book 60 days in advance. I'm assuming this means that most of the FastPasses for the longer rides will already be claimed. (We're likely getting a disability pass anyway, so we're not overly concerned about this.)However, I'm wondering if I should try to get FastPasses for parades and fireworks? I'm a bit confused as to how that works. I mean... people without FastPasses can still watch a parade and fireworks, right? What's the benefit of the FastPasses at these? Is there a better seating.standing section reserved for people with them? If I show up early without a FastPass, will I get better seats than someone *with* a FastPass who shows up just in time? Just trying to figure out if this is worth using a FastPass for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 There is no reason to get a fastpass for a parade or fireworks in my opinion. I have heard that they don't put you in the best viewing places. There really isn't seating, everyone will stand up once the parade or fireworks start. If you are going to WDW, the fireworks are best viewed on Main Street and it is basically a mass of people. People line the parade route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 (edited) I haven't been yet either, so I'm not entirely helpful. We're getting a couple days when we go down for a wedding, and one of them I'll be alone with ds (with autism). I am concerned about crowds, so I decided to go for the dessert party on the Tomorrowland Terrace. It's a horrific splurge and would be $$$ with your large family. That's just how I resolved it. I just can't fathom going to some sidewalk with 40K people and saying sit here for an hour, and I'm concerned about losing him, us being tired, etc. I've also seen some of the Disney sites with pages where people tell their favorite Wishes viewing spots. I really don't know though. If you haven't seen it, this article was helpful on combining the DAS and Fastpasses. http://autismattheparks.com/das-blogs/coordinating-the-das-and-fp Maybe you'll luck out? I think attendance is a bit down. If you're going to Epcot at all, get your Frozen Ever After pass as soon as you can. Actually, you can even DAS that. Bummer is you can only have one DAS going at a time. Do you have the Lines app? You get it by subscribing at (I forget, UndercoverTourist.com?)... I think in the Lines app it let you see which things had remaining fastpasses for a given day, so you could see how it rolls. Maybe you'll do better than you fear! If you put your whole itinerary of what you want to ride into the Lines app and tell it you are going to have 7 Fastpasses (haha), then it gives you a list of which rides you should use them for and in what priority. So you could generate that plan with the suggested FP list and use it when you go to schedule, going ok I didn't get #1 and 2, but I did get 4 and 5, kwim? Then just DAS #1 and 2. Edited September 27, 2016 by OhElizabeth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 Will you have enough adults with you? Did you know you can hire help for the parks? In- Park Mothers Helper? | The DIS Disney Discussion Forums - DISboards.com The one recommended on Disboards is Extra Hands. I never did figure out price. Just might be something to consider. I've been thinking through logistics like bathrooms, etc., and I only have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SproutMamaK Posted September 27, 2016 Author Share Posted September 27, 2016 Oh, I'm not worried about being overwhelmed in the parks, as long as we can get a DAS. (Our oldest gets quite aggressive physically and with stimming when he's excited/anticipating something. Not violent, but loud shrieking, extreme hand flapping, forceful stomping and hugs, etc.) As long as we can keep him moving from one thing to another, we'll be fine. :) And I'll have my husband with me; we're each used to handling all five with even one of us, so having both of us together, and with a DAS, it'll seem almost like a vacation, lol. Our younger two are too young to need tickets, so we can't book FastPasses for them for anything; we "only" need to get a group of 5 if we want to go on anything as a group.Can the Lines app tell you ahead of time which FastPasses are still available? I should definitely buy it and check it out; I wonder if it could tell me right now which FastPasses are still available for November 3rd, etc. It definitely seems like a fantastic planning tool, especially since you can modify your plans on the go.Good to know that the parade/fireworks FastPasses aren't too useful; frees me up to use them for something else (if anything else useful is still available). Thanks for all the info, everyone! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 On the parade, there *is* a way to get VIP spots reserved. You do it on the Disney site and you end up eating lunch at Tony's, the lady and the tramp themed restaurant. I took it the food wasn't very good from the reviews. I *think* from the maps that the parade route is extensive. The VIP viewing location for the 3pm parade is shown on the map and I think it's near the castle and main street. I have no clue what I'm talking about, lol. Anyways, I gave up on it. The best tip I read, and my plan for the parades, is to eat at Liberty Tree Inn and then come out and watch the parade from there. That's my plan. But if you wanted to splurge for the VIP, sure it might be cool. There's also an electrical parade dining package, if you are going when it will still be going. They're ending it before we go, and I don't know if there will be a replacement. I was trying to find you a link for the 3pm parade VIP lunch gig and couldn't find it. It's in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 If you go to the Touring Plans site and click things, they'll offer you a $2 coupon. It made the one year membership on the site $10. The app is AWESOME. It links with the website, and the website is even a bit snazzier. I wish it could do DAS. Like I need to figure out if it can and write them, because everything else you can imagine is in the app. I'll look those up. I'm a novice and I find things and then get crazy in the head on where. But I know I had pulled up in the app something and it gave FP availability for dates, just not sure what. I'll check. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 You can make custom plans on the website. Do you know this? And the plans you make there sync to the app. And you can tell it less walking and slide items up and down. Then you check as they get done. You can make a plan that says DAS runner if you want and then have your dh pull that on his phone so he knows what to DAS next without you telling him. You can totally work it. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 Ok, I found what I was looking at. In the Lines app, you have a bunch of options at the bottom (home, parks, plans, chat, 10-day). If you click Parks, it lets you select a park and see all the updated stats. I'm assuming that info is in MDE (My Disney Experience) also. Honestly, that app is a little crunchy for me. Like it works great for reservations, but I haven't explored it further. But Lines gives you every attraction in a list you can scroll through and it syncs all your data and the Disney data to it. So like the first listing is 7 Dwarfs Train, and it has predictions on how the lines will stay for the rest of the day, when to ride and opposite that expected wait, posted wait, heigh requirements, and what the next FP available is. That's a TON of data is super usable form for only $10, kwim? Like that would totally make your trip better and minimize waiting. So it shows the parades, things that don't use FP, EVERYTHING, and you can quickly tell what you could do next, etc. I went into MDE. It has a really simplified view of attraction wait times, with the shortest wait items at the top. There's FP in the user menu, but I don't have tickets linked yet (too far out), meaning I can't see anything. I think it's probably going to be straightforward. (what's available, what did you choose) If you want uberdetailed info, go with Lines. I think I've also seen on the sites just the history of FP, like how they tend to get used up. But that, again, is what Lines is telling you. You make a plan, which you can do for free on touringplans.com, and put into the thing that you plan to use 7 FP. Then it will look at your plan and tell you the order of priority when to use them. It's really the fastest, easiest way to get what you're wanting I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SproutMamaK Posted September 27, 2016 Author Share Posted September 27, 2016 I think I need to buy the app tonight (after the kids go to bed; the trip is a surprise for them) and do some exploring. It sounds like it'll do pretty much all my work for me if I can figure out how to use it most effectively. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 I haven't done it yet, but you could load the DAS touring plan from that autism blog post into the TouringPlans.com and see what it pops you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 (edited) I think I need to buy the app tonight (after the kids go to bed; the trip is a surprise for them) and do some exploring. It sounds like it'll do pretty much all my work for me if I can figure out how to use it most effectively. Yes, yes! And technically you're subscribing to the premium content on the site. So you can work on it on your laptop and it will carry over to your mobile. The mobile app does *not* have some of the advanced sliders, or at least I haven't found them. I'm taking my dad as well one of the days, so I need to use the sliders to adjust for less walking, etc. It kicks you out a bunch of data, like how many minutes you'll actually walk, etc. And you can adjust for your family's walking SPEED. Super love... Edited September 27, 2016 by OhElizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 Our 3rd trip is coming up in November. The only fireworks show I'm getting a FP for is Fantasmic for the preferred seating option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 And for Fantasmic there's a dinner and VIP ticket option too. So you can FP *or* you can VIP it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SproutMamaK Posted September 27, 2016 Author Share Posted September 27, 2016 Our 3rd trip is coming up in November. The only fireworks show I'm getting a FP for is Fantasmic for the preferred seating option. We wanted to go see Fantasmic at some point. Does that mean if we book a FP for it, we get a better spot, like a reserved area or something similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epicurean Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 I found this article useful: https://touringplans.com/hollywood-studios/attractions/fantasmic It doesn't sound like FP helps with Fantasmic much, unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 I found this article useful: https://touringplans.com/hollywood-studios/attractions/fantasmic It doesn't sound like FP helps with Fantasmic much, unfortunately. I love Touring Plans I've had subscriptions for each of my trips. This guy on Disboards is awesome for maps of the parks, routes for parades, best places to see parades, shows, and fireworks, and how far in advance to get in place for whatever you want to see. His advice was so helpful my past 2 trips. This trip I think I'm going to wing most of it, but Fantasmic is our favorite show and we got shut out our last trip due to pouring rain and no park hoppers. This trip we are going with park hoppers and I'm going to FP it. Here is the link to my question and his response with diagram (at the end of the thread). http://www.disboards.com/threads/fp-times-for-shows.3539370/#post-56380217 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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