Fastpass was designed by Disney to relieve some of the congestion at their theme parks and ultimately let visitors avoid many of the long lines most guest at WDW become so use to experiencing. It is surprising though how many people simply don't take advantage of the Fastpass opportunity and continue to wait in two hour theme park ride lines that they could have easily avoided.
I think there's a lot of misunderstanding how it works so let me explain how you can avoid some of the worst lines at Walt Disney World on your next vacation.
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First of all, Fastpass is free to anyone holding a Disney parks admittance ticket. So if you've got your ticket to enter Walt Disney World, then you've got your ticket to use Fastpass. In order to use it, all you need to do is place your Disney theme park ticket into the Fastpass machine at any ride where it is available and it will then give you a ticket with a return time for that attraction. You then return to that attraction anytime during the "return time" which is usually an hour long, so you don't have to race back to get on the ride the moment your pass becomes valid.
Once your return time has rolled around, all you have to do is return to the attraction, get in the fastpass line and hand it over to the Disney cast member. You will still sometimes have to wait a bit before getting to ride the attraction, but usually it is no more than 10 minutes.
When Disney first started this system, you could only hold one pass at a time, but they've since relaxed the rules slightly. Now, you can get your next one either at the start of the "return time" for your current pass or two hours after the one you are holding was issued. Because you will generally be holding only one at a time, it makes sense to have an attack plan for the attractions where you want to use it. Fastpass attractions tend to be spread throughout the park to prevent bottlenecks in one area of the theme park, so you'll want to plan a route that keeps you from criss-crossing the park all day long.
Because Disney uses an algorithm based upon the number of fastpasses issued for any particular attraction, it's important to go and get yours early for the most popular rides on very busy days. Otherwise you may find yourself with a return time that is scheduled late in the evening, after you've long since left the park. On the busiest days, some attractions will run out of their allotment very early in the day. This is a common occurrence at Animal Kingdom's Everest rollercoaster and Disney-MGM's Tower of Terror, so get yours early for both these attractions if you're at Disney World in the summer or on a holiday weekend.
Fastpass isn't available at every attraction in the Walt Disney theme parks, but it is usually in place for many of the most popular rides, including: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom; Soarin', Mission Space and Test Track at Epcot; Rock-n-Roll Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios; and Kali River Rapids, Dinosaur and Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom.
Walt Disney World - How to Use Fastpass at Walt Disney World
For more Disney tips and advice, read my article on How to Survive Your Walt Disney World Vacation or check out the Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for links to other resources for planning your trip.
One of the most popular collectibles at Walt Disney World is Disney Pins. You can pick some up before you head to the park to do a little pin trading!
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