Want to know how to best utilize your Magic Kingdom FastPasses? Going to DisneyWorld for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. Magic Kingdom is one of the most popular Disney Parks in the world, and there is a lot to see if you have only one day. The park is crawling with characters for your kids to meet. Lots of the rides have long lines, making you wonder if you’ll be able to see everything you and the kids want to see that day. Will you be able to see everything the park has to offer?
If you strategize your day and take advantage of the FastPass+ system, then you will significantly increase your ability to do everything in one day. With the FastPass+ system, you’ll be able to bypass long lines and use the time to do other things you’ve wanted to do. Having FastPasses will make your day in the park much more efficient when you can avoid those pesky long lines.
What is the FastPass+ system?
It is surprising to me that some people do not even take advantage of the FastPass+ system. I’m not sure why they don’t, but maybe it is because they do not know what it is. The FastPass+ system is a paperless reservation system for some of the different rides and attractions in the parks.
There are several different ways you can reserve your FastPasses. You can make these reservations online at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ and then clicking on “My Disney Experience.” You can also make your FastPass+ reservations at one of the Disney resorts, or by using the My Disney Experience mobile app. It’s a complimentary service that gives guests more time to see more attractions.
It is essential to know that guests can reserve their FastPasses up to sixty days in advance if they stay at a Disney resort. If they don’t stay at a Disney resort, they can book their FastPasses up to thirty days in advance.
How to you get FastPass reservations?
That last paragraph is essential to stress. Your best bet at getting FastPasses for your desired attractions is to book them as soon as you can. That is 60 days in advance if you are staying at a Disney resort and 30 days in advance if you are staying off property. Some attractions will run out of FastPasses, so you want to make sure you are obtaining them as soon as you possibly can for the best chance to get them for the attractions that are most important to you.
Before you come to the park, you can use your Disney tickets to make up to three FastPass reservations. After you have used all three of your FastPasses, you can make one FastPass reservation at a time on your phone or at the kiosks in the parks. This is also very important to know. Once you have used all three of your FastPasses for the day, you can obtain additional FastPasses, one at a time. Once you use the additional FastPass, you can then make another and so on.
When you make a reservation for a ride, you have a one-hour window to go to that ride. For example, if you make a reservation for an attraction at 11:00 a.m., you have between 11- 12 o’clock to go to the ride. When you reach the attraction, you’ll enter into a shorter line, where either your ticket or your Magic Band gets scanned. After that, you’ll wait in a shorter line to get on the ride.
FastPass+ Tiers in 2020
All four Disney Parks in Orlando that get use the FastPass+ system:
Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios
For three of the four parks, the FastPass attractions are divided into two tiers. Tier 1 attractions are the high demand ones, and the Tier 2 attractions are all the other rides or attractions for which FastPasses are available. Magic Kingdom does not have any tiers in their attractions. However, if you went to the other three parks, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the tiers so you can strategize the most out of your day at the parks.
What attractions can you FastPass at the Magic Kingdom?
There are twenty-five attractions for which FastPasses are available in Magic Kingdom. Not all of these places are in high demand, but it’s good to know you can use them on busy days.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Barnstormer
Dumbo
Enchanted Tales with Belle
The Haunted Mansion
“It’s a Small World”
Jungle Cruise
Mad Tea Party
Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Meet Ariel at her Grotto
Meet Cinderella and Elena at the Princess Fairytale Hall
Meet Mickey at Town Square Theatre
Meet Rapunzel and Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall
Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theatre
Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor
Peter Pan’s Flight
Mickey’s Philhar Magic
Pirates of the Caribbean
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Tomorrowland Speedway
Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid
How to choose the best attractions for the Magic Kingdom FastPass
When looking for the best attractions to reserve your FastPass, you need to remember the rules for the FastPass. Let’s say you reserve Splash Mountain for 11:00 a.m. You can’t have another FastPass later than 10:00 a.m. or earlier than 1:00 p.m. Disney has this rule to prevent FastPass overlap.
Every day you’re in the park, you can reserve up to three FastPasses in advance for that day. You can reserve one additional FastPass at a time once you have used your initial three.
You can only reserve one FastPass for any one attraction. For example, you cannot book two FastPasses for Space Mountain in advance. You will need to keep these rules in mind if you need to change your FastPass reservations. Sometimes, you could find that the attraction you have reserved a FastPass for has a short wait time. If that happens, you can change your FastPass reservation, so you don’t feel like you wasted it. The purpose of the FastPasses is to avoid the long lines. That way, the whole family can enjoy the most popular rides without waiting for hours in line.
Plan ahead and know which FastPasses you want to reserve. This will depend on what is important to you. For example, do you have small children who just must meet the Disney Princesses? or do you have teens who are most interested in thrill rides?
Other tips and suggestions
FastPasses exist so you can experience as much as you can while you visit the Magic Kingdom. Here are some other suggestions for you so that you can have the best experience at the Magic Kingdom!
Download the My Disney Experience mobile app. Downloading the app will make it easier to check to see what attractions would be better to use your FastPass reservation with. For example, if you made a reservation for Dumbo, but Splash Mountain has a longer wait time, you can change your booking for Splash Mountain and go through the regular line for Dumbo.
Make sure you know where the kiosks are. When you run out of your FastPasses, there are kiosks available in the park for you to obtain more FastPasses. After you use your three FastPasses that you reserved in advance, you can book one at a time for the rest of the day. There isn’t a limit to how many FastPasses you have during the day. It will just be a matter of what is available.
In my experience and since we tend to visit on busier days, the most popular attractions will be out of FastPasses for the day, but you may be able to get FastPasses for some of the less popular attractions. Remember, all of the FastPasses are free. The additional FastPasses are free, too! So take advantage of them! Make your reservations in advance as soon as you are able for the most popular attractions. Your whole family will thank you for making the day magical for them.
Conclusion
The first day at the Magic Kingdom doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience. Nor does it have to be a day of waiting in long lines. With the FastPass+ system, you can make the most of your day in the parks. You can walk out of the Magic Kingdom feeling like you and your family had a magical day.
Just remember these essential things:
- Reserve your 3 Fastpasses per park per day as soon as possible online prior to your trip. This is 60 days in advance if you are staying on Disney property or 30 days in advance if you are staying off property.
- Follow these must-know tips for your Disney vacation.
- Reserve additional Fastpasses, one at a time, after you have used all three of your Fastpasses. The easiest way to do this is through the My Disney Experience Mobile App. Just a tip, make sure you have a portable phone charger in your backpack in case your phone battery runs low.
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