Disney World FastPasses are the best way to experience popular attractions without long waits. However, understanding the Disney World FastPass system can be confusing when you are first planning a trip. In this article I’m sharing the basics of Disney World FastPasses plus our recommended FastPass attractions in each park. If you already know this information, go to this other FastPass article to learn about getting more than three FastPasses per day at Disney World.
Due to Disney World’s COVID-19 reopening policy all FastPass+ are currently suspended.
What Are Disney World FastPasses?
FastPass+ is a free service that allows you to skip waiting in lines for attractions.
Who Can Make Disney World FastPass Reservations?
Anyone with a valid Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, or Hollywood Studios park ticket can use this free service.
How Do Disney World FastPasses Work?
With the purchase of a park ticket you can reserve up to 3 FastPass+ attractions at 1 park per day in advance.
For example: If you are planning to spend your whole day at Magic Kingdom you would schedule up to 3 FastPass+ at Magic Kingdom for that day. However, if you plan to visit Magic Kingdom in the morning and Epcot in the evening of the same day you may only choose 3 FastPass+ in advance for the day at either Magic Kingdom OR Epcot. You can not reserve 3 FastPass+ at each park or 2 at Magic Kingdom and 1 at Epcot in advance.
Once your scheduled FastPass+ are used for that day you can add more. You may add 1 additional FastPass+ reservation in the same park (or in your second park of the day). For a more detailed explanation on how to get bonus FastPasses read this article.
Adding an additional FastPass+ is done via the My Disney Experience mobile app or in-park kiosk. You can continue to add 1 FastPass+ at a time until all FastPass+ windows are gone for the day or the park closes.
When Do I Make My Disney World FastPass Reservations?
The short answer is make your FastPass reservations as early as possible. If you are staying on-site at a Disney World resort you can make these FastPass+ reservations 60 days before your trip. If you are staying off-property you can make the reservation 30 days before you arrive.
If you plan on buying tickets on the day you visit Disney World you can not make FastPass reservations in advance. However, once you are at the parks you can make FastPasses via the app or at FastPass kiosks. Please note: when booking FastPasses the day of a visit there is limited availability.
Why Should I Bother Planning My Ride Times?
FastPass+ can be a huge time saver. For example: Say you are going to Magic Kingdom for the day and you want to ride some of the more popular rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight and Space Mountain.
In the middle of the day (during an average week of crowds) it is possible for the wait to be an hour or more for each of those attractions. If you instead plan ahead and get FastPass+ for these attractions (always subject to availability) you can instead spend 5 to 10 minutes waiting for each of these same rides. By reserving these Fastpass+ times in advance you could potentially save yourself 2.5 hours and still ride the top-tier attractions based on this example.
No way! I Would Rather Be Spontaneous At The Parks!
Some people feel constrained by these scheduled blocks of FastPass+ times. However, consider that this small amount of planning can pay off in much less waiting in line at popular attractions. Based on this time savings I think you should be swayed toward making FastPass+ reservations.
And remember you have a whole hour window to show up at the attraction! This hour long window gives you flexibility in your day. You can also change your FastPass+ while you are in the park by using the My Disney Experience app.
Okay, I’m Sold. What Do I Need To Do Before My Disney World FastPass window opens?
- Make sure you have registered for a Disney account.
- Download the app (if using it instead of the website).
- Make sure everyone in your party is part of your Family and Friends list on the My Disney Experience website or app.
- Confirm everyone in your party has a valid park ticket. Make sure the ticket is associated with the correct profile. If it isn’t you will be unable to make reservations for them.
Magic Kingdom FastPass Attractions
At Magic Kingdom there is no tier system. This means you can choose any of the 3 following attractions:
The Magic Kingdom FastPasses I recommend are in bold. Fill in other options as you have availability.
- The Barnstormer
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Haunted Mansion
- It’s A Small World
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
- Meet Cinderella and Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Meet Tiana and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater
- Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
Epcot FastPass Attractions
Epcot has a tiered FastPass+ system where you choose one tier 1 attraction and then two tier 2 attractions:
The Epcot FastPasses I recommend are in bold. Fill in other options as you have availability.
Epcot Tier 1 FastPasses
- Frozen Ever After
- Epcot Forever Fireworks
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Test Track
Epcot Tier 2 FastPasses
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends
- Spaceship Earth
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Hollywood Studios FastPass Attractions
Hollywood Studios has a tiered FastPass+ system where you choose one tier 1 attraction and then two tier 2 attractions:
The Hollywood Studios FastPasses I recommend are in bold. Fill in other options as you have availability. Tiers were changed to this new list on January 23, 2020. These Hollywood Studios FastPass tiers start on February 19, 2020 .
Hollywood Studios Tier 1 FastPasses
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Slinky Dog Dash
Hollywood Studios Tier 2 FastPasses
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and The Beast Live On Stage
- Disney Junior Dance Party
- Fantasmic!
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- MuppetVision 3D
- Rock ‘N’ Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith
- Star Tours
- Toy Story Mania!
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Animal Kingdom FastPass Attractions
Animal Kingdom has a tiered FastPass+ system where you choose one tier 1 attraction and then two tier 2 attractions:
The Animal Kingdom FastPasses I recommend are in bold. Fill in other options as you have availability.
Animal Kingdom Tier 1 FastPasses
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Na’vi River Journey
Animal Kingdom Tier 2 FastPasses
- The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo – The Musical
- It’s Tough to be a Bug!
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
- Primeval Whirl (open seasonally)
- Rivers of Light
- UP! A Great Bird Adventure
How Do I Make Advanced Disney World FastPass Reservations?
Make FastPass+ reservations via the Disney World website under the “My Disney Experience” tab or by using the My Disney Experience app. Download the My Disney Experience app using these links (Google Android, Apple iOS) .
My Park Day Is Here! Now What?
Any attraction with a FastPass+ option will have a sign above the queue. One line will say “Stand-By” while the Disney World FastPass line will have “FP+” or “FastPass+” above it.
Before you enter the FastPass+ line a cast member will ask you to touch your MagicBand or park ticket to a Mickey shaped device. If you arrive during your scheduled time window, the Mickey icon turns green and you enter the line.
Final Thoughts On Disney World FastPasses
Now that you know what FastPass+ is and why you should use it, find out how to use our advanced FastPass strategy to get more FastPasses each day. This underused skip-the-line option is one of the things I love most about Disney World.
Do you need more help planning your Disney World trip? Check out other Disney World tips and tricks in my Disney World Guides.
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