Disney’s FastPass+ is a FREE service that allows you to reserve your place in line for popular attractions, shows, and character meet and greets. It is very convenient and allows you to enjoy more time doing rather than waiting! I especially appreciate the little to no wait time when my son is at his crankiest! Here is information you need to know in order to maximize your Disney FastPass+ usage!
Who can Make FastPass+ Reservations
Anyone with a valid Disney World theme park ticket or Annual Pass can make FastPass+ reservations regardless of where you are staying. However, wether you are staying on- or off-property determines when you can make those reservations. Guests with on-property resort accommodations book FastPass+ beginning at 60 days prior to check-in for the duration of their stay. Guests at off-property hotels can make reservations 30 days prior to check-in. Off-site guests can only make FastPasses 30 days out for each day of their vacation (not for the duration of their stay). Thus, these guests will have to be online multiple days in a row if staying off-property.
There are exceptions to this rule! Some “off-property” hotels have an agreement with Disney that allows their guests to book FastPass+ 60 days out (as if their guests are staying on-property)! These include:
- Swan and Dolphin
- B Resort & Spa
- Best Western Lake Buena Vista
- DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
- Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
- Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
- Holiday Inn Orlando
- Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
Making FastPasses at the 60 day mark for our stay at Swan and Dolphin was extremely easy! We just linked our resort reservation to the My Disney Experience app and proceeded as usual.
Number of FastPass+ Reservations per Guest
Each guest will be able to make 3 FastPass+ reservations in advance per day. Each of these 3 FastPasses are for 1 theme park (you cannot make, for example, 2 FastPasses at Magic Kingdom and then 1 in Animal Kingdom). Once you use all 3 FastPasses (or they expire), you have the option of making additional reservations for that day! These additional passes can be made for other Disney parks, not just the one you started in.
Pro Tip: Make another FastPass+ as soon as you use your last one! I always open the My Disney Experience app while in line. This helps you to get the best option for your next reservation!
How to Make FastPass+ Reservations
It is very easy to make these reservations in advance! Sign in to My Disney Experience account online or log into the app. On-site guests can do this at 7 am EST beginning 60 days prior to check-in. Off-site guests can do so 30 days out beginning at 7 am EST.
Once in the parks, you can change or make additional FastPass+ reservations online, on the My Disney Experience app, or via a FastPass+ kiosk. Easy peasy!
How FastPass+ Works
You will select a start time for your FastPass+ and it remains active for 1 hour from that time. You can then redeem your pass anytime within that hour! Cast members will usually allow you to check in 5 minutes early and 15 minutes beyond that 1 hour. The exception to this is for shows… you must be there during the indicated time frame since it is dependent upon a specific start time!
When you arrive to the attraction, meet and greet, or show go to the designated FastPass+ line. You will then scan your MagicBand or RFID-enable park ticket! Super easy!
Pro Tip: Make your initial 3 FastPasses+ as early in the day as possible! As a result, you will finish with those 3 passes early and have more time left for additional FastPasses. I usually schedule my first pass right at park opening and then one every hour after.
Tiered FastPass+
With the exception of Magic Kingdom, Disney parks have their attractions divided into tiers. The system will only let you book 1 FastPass+ from attractions listed in tier 1 and 2 passes in the 2nd tier. Typically, the most popular attractions are included in the 1st tier.
Club Level Guests- Special FastPass+ Options
If you decide to stay Club Level at one of the Disney on-property resorts, you have to option to pay for 3 additional FastPass+ per day. The cost for this is $50 per person per day (3-day min.) and includes:
- No tier restrictions (more on FastPass+ tiers below!)
- Ability to make reservations at multiple parks per day (requires Park Hopper ticket option)
- 90 window prior to check-in
Secrets to Getting Difficult FastPasses (shhh! don’t tell!)
Sign in at 7 am sharp with a FastPass+ game plan!
I always make an Excel spreadsheet that lists which park we will visit every day of our stay including the must-have Fastpasses for each day. I can easily log in to My Disney Experience at 7 am knowing exactly which passes I need to get!
Reserve FastPass+ for difficult rides at the end of your stay (on-site guests only)!
As I mentioned earlier in this post, on-site guests have the luxury of booking FastPasses 60 in advance for the duration of their stay. This is a huge advantage when attempting to secure those hard-to-get reservations! If you are staying at a Disney resort for 10 days, try to obtain passes for the most popular rides at the end of your vacation! Chances are fewer people have booked FastPasses that far in advance. For example, Pandora- The World of AVATAR opened just before one of our Disney World vacations. Regardless, I scheduled FastPasses for Avatar- Flight of Passage for the morning of the last day of our vacation!
While in the parks, don’t give up!
The FastPass+ system is updating real time!! As Disney guests alter their FastPass+ schedule, the system changes as well. Therefore, if you can’t get a FastPass+, keep trying!! What I do is keep clicking on the FastPass+ times. Let’s say, for example, that I want to ride Haunted Mansion at 2:00pm EST. In the My Disney Experience app, I’ll alternate clicking on 1:30pm EST, 2:00pm EST, and 2:30pm EST until a FastPass+ appears at or as close to 2:00pm as possible! Just keep reloading!
One special note is that the rides in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (namely, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run) will NOT have Fastpass+ available initially. For more information about this ride and the new Star Wars Land, check out my latest post!
I hope this helps you get those FastPass+ reservations! Let me know if you have any other tips and tricks, comment below!
Cheers!!