How does Fast Pass work at Disney World and Disneyland?

The Fast Pass Process

A fast pass is essentially holding your place in line.  It’s a ticket you receive at a ride that tells you what time to return to the ride and enter through the Fast Pass queue.  The process works like this:

1. At a Fast Pass enabled attraction, look for the Fast Pass machines near the ride.
2. Insert your ticket into the machine, and the machine will print a Fast Pass for you.
3. You must insert a ticket for each member of your party who wants a Fast Pass.
4. The Fast Pass will show a window of time in which to return.  This is an hour long window.
5. You must return to the ride during that time – late arrivals are not accepted.
6. When you return, you will enter the ride via the Fast Pass line, where a Cast Member will collect your tickets and make sure you are within your window.
7. This Fast Pass line is usually extremely short.

Using a Fast Pass saves you substantial time over waiting in the Stand By line.  When you arrive at a ride with a 90 minute wait, it’s a much better idea to grab a Fast Pass that allows you to return in a few hours and bypass the Stand By line.

Fast Passes Are Not Never-Ending

They do, in fact, run out, and the more popular the ride is, the faster this will happen.  In addition, the longer you wait in the day to get them, the farther out the return time window may be.  So while getting a Fast Pass for Toy Story Midway Mania in Disney World at 9am may give you a return time of 9:40am-10:40am, just 40 minutes away,  waiting to get a Fast Pass until 11am may mean a return time of 7pm – 8pm.

How Often Can You Use A Fast Pass

Once you obtain a Fast Pass for a ride, you cannot get another one until either the return window time or until 2 hours have passed, whichever comes first.   So, if you have a Fast Pass for Splash Mountain, you can’t immediately run over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to get another one.

Strategic use of Fast Passes is wise!  Take a look at your overall goals for your park day and see where you can plan use of Fast Passes to make your day easier.

Creating custom park touring guides for my clients is what I do, and I include strategic use of Fast Passes in my plans.  If you’d like to know more about how you can use my services to make all of the planning a piece of cake, please email me at sabrina@theenchantedtraveler.com

 

 

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