Today’s article is a guest post from Magical Memories Travel
Disney vacation specialist, Jen Zinno.

One of the most important parts of a successful touring strategy at Disney World is making good use of Fastpasses. Although they are most important during busy times, they will allow you to make the best use of your time during slower periods as well. The basic concept of a Fastpass is simple, but using it effectively requires some more in depth understanding.

What is Fastpass?
Fastpass is a virtual line system. It is a free perk to anyone visiting any of the four Walt Disney parks in Florida. All you need to use it is your admission ticket. Each of the four parks has a number of Fastpass attractions. These are generally the busiest and most popular rides. Fastpass effectively allows you to have your place in line held while you go do something else.

How does Fastpass work?
When you approach a Fastpass attraction, you have two choices. You can enter the regular (standby) line and wait. Or you can go to the Fastpass kiosks that will be somewhere next to the attraction. When you approach the kiosk, you insert your park ticket into the machine. The park ticket will come back out, and a piece of paper (your Fastpass) will print. On the Fastpass, it will say the name of the attraction and a return window of 1 hour.  So it may be 9:30AM right now, and your Fastpass has a return window of 11:10 to 12:10. That means you can go and ride other rides, eat, or anything else you want, and then return to the ride later. When you return, you enter the special Fastpass line. Since there are a limited number of Fastpasses distributed each day, the wait time in this line is usually only about 5 or 10 minutes.

How often can I get another Fastpass?
When you get a Fastpass, the time that you are eligible for another will be printed at the bottom of the ticket. In general, that time will be the earlier of the start time of your return window and 2 hours from when you got the Fastpass. So if you got a Fastpass at 9:30 with a return time of 10:15 to 11:15, you would generally be eligible for another Fastpass at 10:15. If you got a Fastpass at 9:30 with a return time of 2:15 to 3:15, you would generally be eligible for another at 11:30. However, there can be variations to these guidelines, so always check the time listed on your Fastpass.  Note that you don’t have to use your first Fastpass before you get another. You just have to reach the time listed on your current one.

What about my under 3 year old child who doesn’t have an admission ticket?
Children under 3 who don’t have a ticket (and therefore can’t get a Fastpass) can go through the Fastpass line with an adult who has one. Most rides with Fastpasses are thrill rides that have height restrictions that an under 3 wouldn’t be riding anyway. But there are some exceptions (most notably Toy Story Mania). Your child will have no problem going through the Fastpass line with you.

How strict is the return time? Continue reading →