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Disney Fast Pass

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Fast Pass


Is there really a way to save time standing in line at Disney World? In fact Disney itself has provided the perfect solution for all of us. The Disney Fast Pass. It is completely free to use. and once you understand how it works you will realize just what a time saver it really is.

Each time I visit Disney World I see that not everyone makes as much use of the Fast Pass system as they could. Perhaps not all Disney guests know that a Fast Pass is available for some of the attractions. Or they know about it but are confused as to how it works.

Here is a Guide to the Disney Fast Pass for you. So that you can cut down your time spent waiting in line at Disney World. It really does make a big difference.

What is a Disney World Fast Pass?

Walt Disney World is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Unfortunately at times this means that you can spend a lot of time standing in line! Of course no one wants to do this. But there is a simple way to cut down the amount of time you spend waiting to get on the rides. The Disney Fast Pass.

A Fast Pass is a free ticket which gets you into the priority Fast Pass line. It doesn’t get you to the front of the line. But it does mean that you will bypass most of the line.

Even with a Fast Pass there may still be a wait of 5 or 10 minutes – but it gets you to the Fast Pass Entrance. This makes a huge difference to the amount of time you have to wait. Some attractions such as Soarin’ or Test Track at Epcot have standby wait times of 90 minutes at times. And I have sometimes seen the wait time up to 120 minutes,yes that really is 2 hours. Now these are great rides but even the most patient amongst us is going to get pretty bored in line after about 30 minutes.

You don’t have to spend that amount of time in line if you use the Fast Pass system. A Fast Pass is going to save you a lot of time! Use it wisely and it means that you will see a whole lot more of the rides and attractions each day.

How Do I Get a Fast Pass?

So now you are sold on the idea of a Fast Pass you need to know how to get one.Fast Passes are available for selected Disney attractions only. All of the attractions are listed here. Each attraction is also listed on the Disney World maps you will pick up at the entrance and on the wait time boards inside the parks. If it is a Fast Pass attraction it will be marked on the map and the board.

When you arrive at the entrance to the attraction you will see the Fast Pass kiosks. Firstly check the Stand By Entrance time which is shown at the entrance to the ride. This lets you know what the approximate wait time for the ride is. These are usually pretty accurate, but if it looks a little off then check with the Cast Member at the ride entrance. Don’t try and second guess it unless you are an expert! Certain rides have hidden part of the line. Peter Pan at the Magic Kingdom is a classic example of this – you may think the line looks short but you realize soon enough that there is a lot of it hidden behind a wall……

If the wait time for an attraction is 20 minutes or under I usually just get in the Standby line. This is the cut off point I use to know that I want a Fast Pass for a ride. Others will have their own tolerance point – it also depends on how busy the park is that day.

But if you decide you want a Fast Pass how do you get one? Firstly you will need your Disney World entrance ticket and one for each member of your party. Insert the ticket in the slot and it will give you a Fast Pass. This will have the name of the attraction printed at the top and a 1 hour time slot for which you can return and get access to the Fast Pass Line. Sometimes it doesn’t work first time and you will get a ticket with the error message Not A Valid Fast Pass. This could be because you already have a Fast Pass or it could just mean that machine isn’t working. There is usually a Cast Member on hand to assist you if you are having problems.

Every member of the party must have a Fast Pass. The only exception is children under the age of 3. They do not need a Fast Pass. If they meet the height requirement they can ride with an adult who has a Fast Pass.

Which are the Fast Pass Attractions?

Disney Magic Kingdom

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – Frontierland
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – Tomorrowland
Jungle Cruise – Adventureland
Mickey’s PhilharMagic – Fantasyland
Peter Pan’s Flight – Fantasyland
Space Mountain – Tomorrowland
Splash Mountain – Frontierland
Winnie the Pooh – Fantasyland

Disney Animal Kingdom

Dinosaur – DinoLand USA
Expedition Everest – Asia
Kali River Rapids – Asia
Kilimanjaro Safaris – Africa
It’s Tough to Be a Bug – Tree of Life
Primeval Whirl – Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama

Disney’s Epcot

Soarin’
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Test Track
Living with the Land
The Maelstrom
Mission: SPACE

I would suggest that at most times of the year you really do need a Fast Pass for Soarin’ and Test Track. These are extremely popular rides – for good reason! So unless you don’t mind spending an hour or more in line then as soon as you get to Epcot head either for Test Track or Soarin’ and get a Fast Pass!

Disney Hollywood Studios

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Rock N Roller Coaster
Star Tours
Hollywood Tower of Terror
Toy Story Midway Mania
Voyage of The Little Mermaid

Toy Story Mania,Hollywood Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster are all very popular rides. If you want to make the most of your trip I would suggest getting a Fast Pass for one of these attractions as soon as you arrive in the park.

Can I Have More Than One Fast Pass?

You can have more than one Fast Pass at any time – but there are certain restrictions with this.

Here is how it works. Say you have just got a Fast Pass for Toy Story Mania. It is for a time slot between 2.00 and 3.00pm. The Fast Pass will show you that you can get another Fast Pass ticket at 2.01. So at that time you would be holding 2 Fast Passes.

You cannot go around the park collecting Fast Passes – of course everyone would do it and then you would still have the long lines!

The Disney Fast Pass is going to save you so much time at the parks. If you take a little time to understand the system then you are going to save a lot of your valuable time – and be able to experience ore of the rides at the parks.

Photos used under Creative Commons from Joe Penniston

mary

Monday 27th of July 2009

HELLO I AM REALLY CONFUSED ON THIS FAST PASS CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW TO USE IT IF I BUY THE TICKETS FROM AAA OFFICE OR THROUGH A WEBSITE CAN I STILL GET A FASTPASS IS THE FAST PASS USED PER RIDE OR ONE TICKET AND I COULS USE IT THROUGH THE DAY FOR THE RIDES LISTED PLEASE SOMEONE EXPLAIN !!!!!!!!!!!!

Tiki Tommy

Friday 24th of July 2009

Maybe when Disney starts charging extra for fast passes you'll be able to hold more than one at a time { charging for fast passes sucks ! } almost like when Ebay sellers had dozens and dozens of Year of a Million Dreams Fast Passes for sale on Ebay , people were paying as much as $100.00 for a premium fast pass that was intended to be handed out in the parks by Dream Makers FOR FREE! Geee how did so many Ebay sellers from Orange County Ca. have dozens and dozens of these to sale onn Ebay ? I'm an annual passholder that frequents the DLR on average once a week and never recieved anything from a Dream Makers nor did anyone else in my family Hmmm ? Anyway , fast passes are all weve got now so use them wisely and have fun. They can save a couple hours on a good day. Just plan wisely

Beverly

Thursday 23rd of July 2009

I'm trying to figure out the fast pass system. If I get a fast pass 2:00 can I get another one for a ride at 2:10

Alison

Thursday 23rd of July 2009

You can't hold more than one Fast Pass for the same time frame. But if you have one for 2.00 to 3.00 pm for Space Mountain for example you could go and get another one for another ride at 2.01. But the second Fast Pass will be for a different time slot.

Larry Courtney

Wednesday 15th of July 2009

This information is really great. The last time I was there was 15 years ago. This helped me get up to date to make my visit more enjoyable. Thank you