Fastpass+ System: Ride ALL the Rides!

Hey, fam! Today I’m going to talk to you about Disney's Fastpass+ system and ways to get those hard-to-get Fastpass+ reservations to ride ALL the rides.

Okay, let’s be real here for a minute. Who doesn’t LOVE when you get to bypass a long line and get what you want immediately? I know I sure do. People in the standby line giving you the death glare while you tap your MagicBand and they keep sweating it out in that hot Florida sun. SMH.

Outta my way, hubby is having withdrawals!

First things first: how many Fastpasses+ do you get in a day and are they free? You get three initially, and yes, yes they are.

Once you’ve used the first three, you can make one more. Once you’ve used that one you can make one more, and so on. The Magic Kingdom allows you to get Fastpasses+ indiscriminately. The other three parks have a tiered Fastpass+ system. You can get one of your Fastpasses+ from Tier One and two from Tier Two.

Epcot:

Tier One

Frozen

Test Track 

Soarin’ Around the World

Illuminations: Reflections of Earth

Tier Two 

Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival

Journey into Imagination with Figment

Living with the Land

Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot

Mission: SPACE 

Spaceship Earth

The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Turtle Talk with. Crush

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Tier One

Fantasmic!

Beauty and the Best Live on Stage

Toy Story Mania!

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

Tier Two

Disney Junior - Live on Stage!

For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Muppet Vision 3D
Star Tours - The Adventure Continues
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Voyage of The Little Mermaid

Note: These tiers may shift once Toy Story Land opens on June 30, 2018 with the arrival of Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers - TBD!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Tier One

Avatar Flight of Passage
Na’vi River Journey

Tier Two

DINOSAUR
Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Festival of The Lion King
It’s Tough to be a Bug!
Finding Nemo - The Musical
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Meet Your Favourite Disney Pals at Adventurerers Outpost
Primeval Whirl
Rivers of Light

Pretty sure these two can keep a lion from eating us. Maybe, anyways.

Now what???
Now that you know how the system works, let’s discuss how you can use the Disney Fastpass+ system to ride ALL the rides. Some of the same rides that were discussed in my Extra Magic Hours post will be the hardest to book. The toughest bookings are going to be Frozen Ever After, Avatar Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey, and Seven Dwarves Mine Train. We didn’t even get to ride Frozen Ever After on our first trip (and neither of the Avatar rides had opened yet). Yet at my 60 day window, I have managed to score a Fastpass+ for ALL these rides as well as the other Disney favourites we are very excited to see again!

How did I do it?
A little faith, trust, and pixie dust. Just kidding.

First things first, I did my research into how hard it was to get Fastpass+ reservations for the tougher to get rides. This included going on the MyDisneyExperience App (you can go on the website or download the app) and trying to book Fastpasses+ as far out as possible just to see what my options were. Almost entirely, 30 days out was impossible to get Avatar Flight of Passage. I also routinely checked wait times in the park just to get a sense of how popular certain rides were at the time. This helped me to determine which rides were in demand and would need a little extra legwork.

I’m not going to lie, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows getting yourself some of these Fastpasses+. It’s down, it’s dirty, and it can be downright stressful if done incorrectly. There are going to be two options for you to book Fastpasses+: 60 days out if staying on-resort or 30 days out if staying off-resort. One thing to note: for those booking 60 days out, you can book for your entire trip up to 10 days when you hit your booking window. Those booking 30 days out will only be able to book one day at a time.

My strategy is going to mostly focus on those with a 60 day booking window. However, one thing will hold true for both. You need to be ready to go on MyDisneyExperience App by 7 AM Orlando time. For me, that was 6 AM. Unfortunately to those with the shorter 30 day booking window, you will need to be up early each day until all your Fastpasses+ are booked... or until you get all the hard-to-get ones, whichever comes first.

Strategy for Fastpasses+ 60 Days Out:

• Decide which are your must-see rides. Make sure these are on your list of rides to book.
• Determine how many Fastpasses+ you can book. If you will be in the parks for four days, that's 12 Fastpasses+.
• Determine which days each park will have Extra Magic Hours in your stay: this could influence your ability to score a tough-to-get Fastpass+ and to ride other hard-to-get rides at Rope Drop in the morning or after the park closes to regular guests (depending on when the Extra Magic Hours will take place).
• Make a list of each Fastpass+ you want. You will not be doing this by date: you will be doing this by ride popularity. When you get up extra early to book at your 60 day window (you'll thank me, I swear!), you will go down the list and book rides in order of difficulty to obtain. I found it handy to have the date written next to the ride so I knew what I was doing. I also kept a tally of the days and made a tick mark when I was planning until I got to three for each day to make sure I didn't go over or under on Fastpass+ allotments.
• If possible with your personal preferences/Extra Magic Hours, book to go to parks with the most difficult-to-obtain Fastpasses+ later in your trip. Others with an earlier booking window may have already had a chance to book for the beginning of your trip.

Booking your Fastpasses+ will be easiest with your MyDisneyExperience App. I'll give you a how-to below:

1. Open the app. Click on your avatar.

2. Click Get Fastpass+. 

3. Create your Fastpass+ party. Make sure you select ALL the people who will be riding when you are making your selection. I didn't once, and my husband had no Fastpass+ for The Haunted Mansion. I could just hear Madam Leota rolling in her grave/crystal ball! Don't do this. So embarrassing. 

Get it together, foolish mortal!!!

4. Select the date and the park your Fastpass+ will be for.
5. Pick a time for your Fastpass+, if available. If not, you shouldn't have slept in. Just saying :)
6. Rinse and repeat.
7. You're done!
If you're looking to Rope Drop a specific ride, you may wish to book your Fastpasses+ later in the morning to give you time to do so before the crowds get astronomical.

I'll give you an example of two of my days:

Day One - Epcot
Frozen Ever After
Spaceship Earth
Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot

Day Two - Animal Kingdom
Avatar Flight of Passage
Kali River Rapids
Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Fastpass+ Booking List
1. Avatar Flight of Passage - Day Two
2. Frozen Ever After - Day One
3. Kali River Rapids - Day Two
4. Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain - Day Two
5. Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot - Day One
6. Spaceship Earth - Day One
(Plan to rope drop Na'vi River Journey while in AK, so I book my first Fastpass+ for 10:40 AM to allow for any unforeseen delays).

As a note, regular ticket holders can only book their three Fastpasses+ in the same park. If you book a Fastpass+ for Epcot, the rest must be in Epcot also. Once you have used the initial three, you are free to book the next one in a different park if you choose.

If you follow this strategy, you have a very good chance of getting the Fastpass+ you wish and being able to RIDE ALL THE RIDES *cue harp music playing in the background*.
However, there is the off-chance that you may not get every Fastpass+ you want. If this happens,  keep checking that app of yours; people cancel Fastpasses+ so you may have a chance to snatch a Fastpass+ after all.


Above all, don't worry, be happy. Disney is the happiest place on Earth after all!

What would you use your Fastpass+ selections for? Comment and subscribe :)




Let me book the magic for you! Click here to have me do the work for you!