Florida Guide > Disney General
Getting the Most Out Of Your Fastpass
Fastpasses are great if you use them well but you really do need to put some thought into when and where you will use them before you get to the Parks.
Disney first introduced FastPass in 1999 and it was welcomed as a brilliant innovation to get some priority scheme working to help its guests avoid queuing for all the rides.
This computerized system allows visitors to avoid standing in queues for the most popular attractions throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. When first introduced we like many others just could not understand the system. Some people really still do not understand it and when you go through the Fastpass line you will often hear other guests proclaiming that it is not fair that your queue was shorter than theirs but you are being admitted first! Some people even think you have paid more for this advantage but unlike Universal Studios and Seaworld in Disney Parks there is no extra charge. It can all feel very confusing so I will try to help you get the most out of using your Fastpass.
In order for Disney' s FastPass system to work properly restrictions on the amount of FastPasses a guest can hold during a given period of time had to be imposed. If they had not done this guests would simply go to all the Fastpass machines at the beginning of the day get all their Fastpasses and because all the passes had been issued later guests would not be able to get any at all. Each guest may hold one FastPass for one attraction every two hours or after the one hour window expires; whichever comes first.
The FastPass attraction reservation system is really very simple to use and of course it is free. When you enter the park go straight to the participating show or ride you have chosen as your first choice and find the FastPass machine. When you get to your chosen attraction you will see the wait time in the usual line and also a separate board will show what Fastpass time slots are being issued. You then insert an admission ticket for each person in your party who wants to enter the attraction. The FastPass machine reserves a return appointment for your party and prints a pass for each ticket with a one-hour window (for example, 10:20-11:20 a. m. ). You can then go and ride on the less crowded attractions in the park.
However sometimes the wait in the usual line is short and then it is not worth using a Fastpass.
If you do get a Fastpass give yourself at least 15 minutes to be able to get back in time for your designated FastPass time. When you arrive at the attraction, just give the cast member standing in front of the FastPass entrance your passes and you go straight in.
The very popular Fastpass rides like the new Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios can get very busy. Last time we went in early December we did not go to get our Fastpass until 12 noon and the earliest Fastpass we could get was at 7. 00pm at night. As we had intended to go to Epcot in the evening we had to queue in the usual line for an hour and a half! Plan your Fastpasses and you will make the most of the time in the parks.
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