5 FastPass Tips You (Probably) Haven’t Heard Yet

One of Walt Disney World’s most popular complimentary services is FastPass+, which offers an expedited wait time for some of the most popular rides and attractions.

This service can save you tons of time throughout the day, and we want to save you even more time with some tips that you may or may not have heard before.

Here are five FastPass+ tips that you (probably) haven’t heard yet.

Not all FastPasses are created equal!

Just like the attractions themselves, not all FastPass selections are worth the same weight in gold. There are dozens of attractions throughout Disney World that offer this complementary service, and it’s wise to research which attractions are more popular than others so you know the best use of your valuable FastPass reservations.

Some attractions will generally have longer wait times than others, like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Slinky Dog Dash, and Flight of Passage. Likewise, there are some attractions that offer FastPass that you can probably get away with not having a FastPass for. Some of these rides include Pirates Of the Caribbean, Spaceship Earth, and Living With the Land.

Frozen Ever After is a popular FastPass attraction!

At the end of the day, your FastPass strategy will come down to you and your party’s preference, so be sure to do your research ahead of time before you make your FastPass+ selections.

The Secret ‘Refresh’ Hack on My Disney Experience

Some attractions are notoriously difficult to get FastPasses for.  Or perhaps you can find a FastPass return time, but it conflicts with a dining reservation, or it’s at an inconvenient time for your party.

FastPass+ selection screen

There is a secret hack on the My Disney Experience app that you can utilize to your advantage while in the parks. As you search for FastPass return times, select the attraction you want to ride, then toggle between return times (switching back and forth between times). Often, return times will ‘magically’ appear, even for those hard-to-get attractions. You can use this to find additional FastPasses after your third reservation is used, or you can use this method to update existing reservations.

Under the Sea FastPass Entrance

When you think about it, people change their plans constantly throughout the day at Disney Parks. This involves changing FastPass reservations or cancelling them altogether — and you can capitalize on that!

You Can Make FastPass+ Reservations for Entertainment

When people think about FastPass, many will immediately think about those popular rides in the parks. But did you know you can also book FastPass reservations for entertainment? Shows like Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and Beauty and the Beast at Hollywood Studios both offer FastPass.

Nighttime shows such as Epcot Forever and Fantasmic! also offer FastPass reservations, providing guests with premium seating or viewing locations.

You Can Have More than Three FastPass+ Reservations Per Day

When you book FastPass+ reservations ahead of your Disney World vacation, you are limited to just three selections per day. However, what many people do not realize is that once those three FastPasses are redeemed, you can make additional FastPass reservations.

FastPass+Return Queue at Haunted Mansion

As soon as your third FastPass is scanned at the front entrance of your final reserved attraction, you can begin booking additional FastPasses on My Disney Experience, one at a time.

This also allows you to park hop when selecting additional FastPasses; you’re not limited to the park you are in or the park where you made your first three FastPasses. Because of this FastPass hack, it’s wise to try to book your reserved FastPasses earlier in the day so you can grab “on-the-fly” FastPasses the rest of the day!

 

There is a SMALL window of grace before and after your reservation

This is solely at the cast member’s discretion, but typically you can redeem your FastPass reservation up to five minutes before the hour window. You can also arrive a little late, up to approximately ten (and sometimes 15) minutes after your window has ended.

Again, this is subject to cast member policy and could change depending on how busy the parks are. But, if you find yourself waiting outside of the attraction for the exact minute to strike, and if it’s not too busy, you can always ask the cast member if they’ll let you scan your band early!

What are your best FastPass tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments!

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6 Replies to “5 FastPass Tips You (Probably) Haven’t Heard Yet”

  1. The grace period doesn’t necessarily work on FPs for live shows. The FP time is usually a 15 minute allotment before the show starts. Shows like Voyage of the Little Mermaid do not seat late comers. So if you show up 10-15 minutes late, you will be put in the next show.

  2. I would like to see the FastPass+ system return to how you needed to be in the park to get your fastpass. It could be expanded for all parks for that day but this 60 day out reservation system is not working for most people. People change their minds every minute of every day and what rides to get a Fastpass for is no different. And we are very sure that if a person is not going to use their fastpasses, they more than likely do not cancel them. So availability suffers more often than not. We get the whole not having paper tickets part, but with the wrist band technology, it would be fairly simple to reprogram the system to only accept fastpass reservation on the day you are in the park. Just a different look at how it was with paper and now with magic bands.

    1. I agree 100%. They don’t need to do the paper tickets, but they can easily allow people to schedule fastpasses once they’re in the park.

  3. I guess these are great tips for those who enjoy going through life with their noses in their phones. I’ll pass, thank you. I didn’t need a FastPass in Yellowstone last summer. In fact, there wasn’t even cell service there. It was great. And all the animal characters were real.

    1. I can vouch for the fastpass grace period. We had a FP for the Rupunzel/Tiana attraction for 8:40 p.m. It was about 8:20, not enough time to go do something else, so we were just standing around the entrance of the FP queue. After a few minutes the cast member asked if she could help us. We said we were just waiting for our window to open, and she just let us in earlier. We were out before 8:40 p.m. and had enough time to get back to the front of the castle (off center that late in the evening) to watch the fireworks.