Disney Fast Passes
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118529)
Gainesville, Florida
October 26, 2016 7:38pm CST
I'm taking my daughter to Disney World this weekend for her birthday. It will be just me and her. We're going to stay with some friends Friday night in Orlando, and then get up at the crack of dawn to be at the gates of the Magic Kingdom when it opens. And then, in the evening, we'll leave Magic Kingdom and head over to Animal Kingdom to experience that park at night (AK used to close at sunset, but Disney is now keeping it open at night, so that will be a new experience for us).
Fast Passes are reservations you can make in advance for rides. They're very effective for the more popular rides, as sometimes the line to get on certain rides can be several hours long! Fast Passes allows you to skip the line and get on the ride ahead of everybody else! Unfortunately, you're only allowed to reserve three Fast Passes in advance, and then as you use them up you can obtain more (if any are still available). Disney limits the number of Fast Passes that are available each day.
Normally, I would get Fast Passes for rides in the Magic Kingdom, but since this will be our first time at Animal Kingdom at night, I decided to reserve my three passes at that park. We'll start with a sunset ride on the Kilimanjaro Safaris (jeep safari ride), followed by Expedition Everest (roller coaster), and finally the Primeval Whirl (roller coaster). Of course, there are lots of other rides in the park as well that we'll go on, but those are three popular ones that it's better to have a Fast Pass for!
Sunday, we're going to go to Hollywood Studios and ride the Tower of Terror, Rock 'N Roller Coaster, and Toy Story Mania before heading over to Epcot in the afternoon and riding Soarin', Test Track, and Frozen Ever After!
Have any of you ever used Fast Passes at Disney World, or have you been to Disney Word?
7 people like this
9 responses
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
27 Oct 16
@moffittjc It is surprising that queues of that magnitude do not deter many potential visitors. It must be seriously disappointing for a child to visit Disney and spend hours standing in a queue.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
@Asylum but that's the Disney way! They have queues you stand and wait in just to get to the queue for the ride! The joke at Disney is "hurry up and get in line and wait."
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
It is very frustrating. Especially during the Christmas holidays, when some lines (er...queues) can be as long as a 3-hour wait on some of the more popular rides! Honestly, I don't like Fast Passes, and wish Disney would do away with them. But, as long as they have them around, I'm going to take advantage of them and use them! Fortunately, I've been to Disney enough times to know which rides I need to get a Fast Pass for, and which rides I don't.
1 person likes this
@just4him (306854)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
27 Oct 16
It sounds like you've got a great weekend lined up for you and your daughter for her birthday. I hope it all turns out better than you hope and expect. I've never been to Disney World. I was to Disneyland, but that was back in the early 70's. My brother and his family are at Disney World right now and expected to come home on Saturday.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
Wow, I hope your brother and his family are having a great time! The weather has been absolutely perfect--nice and cool--which doesn't happen often in Florida! And October is one of the best months to go to Disney, because it is one of their least crowded months. The beginning of November is also a great time to go.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
@just4him Oh wow, an entire week! Man, they must be in heaven then, because weather-wise you couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather! Do you know if they went to, or are going to, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? If's an after-hours special event in the Magic Kingdom that requires a separate ticket. It's like Disney's version of trick-or-treating (with all the rides still open, of course).
1 person likes this
@just4him (306854)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
27 Oct 16
@moffittjc That's good to know. They've been there since last Saturday.
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@marguicha (215711)
• Chile
27 Oct 16
I have been at Disney World in several occations, but the last time I went there (16 years ago) there weren´t any Fast Passes.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
Sometimes I wish they would just get rid of them. The regular lines are sometimes made longer because they make those people wait while they let all the Fast Pass holder onto the rides. If they would just get rid of the Fast Passes, then the regular lines would flow smoothly and quickly!
1 person likes this
@marguicha (215711)
• Chile
27 Oct 16
@moffittjc I never liked special privileges, specially if they depend on money. I agree that the elderly and the handycapped should come first.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
@marguicha The Fast Passes are free, so you don't have to pay any money for them, and anybody can get them. There is just a limited supply of them available each day.
1 person likes this
@dkh803 (66)
• United States
29 Oct 16
I love going to the magic kingdom during Halloween. Mom select nights in September and October they have Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party. You have to buy a separate ticket for the event. They allow you to enter 4:00 pm and it last till midnight. They give you a wrist band and only those with wrist bands can ride after 7. The lines are short usually 5 to 10 minutes except for the 7 Dwarfs ride it's maybe around 20 minutes. They also hand out candy. I'm sure it get more crowded closer to Halloween.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Oct 16
I take my kids to Mickeys Not so Scary Halloween Party every year!
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94921)
• United States
27 Oct 16
I have never used Fast passes but sounds very convenient :) I have never been to Disney World either. Have a great time! Happy Early Birthday to your daughter!
Your son doesn't want to go too?
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94921)
• United States
27 Oct 16
@moffittjc Aw that is sweet.
Do your kids get along for the most part?
I have a Disneyland and I don't even go often! Lol. I don't like crowds much..
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
I'm just going to have to take you to Disney World one of these days! You'll love it!
My son's birthday present to his sister is to stay home and let us have some father/daughter time at Disney!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
@infatuatedbby They are like typical brothers and sisters. Sometimes they love each other, sometimes they hate each other, sometimes they fight, sometimes they are best friends. But overall, they do seem to handle each other well!
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40246)
• United States
27 Oct 16
Have fun! I haven't been there... though using the fast pass sounds better than waiting several hours in line
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
We always do have lots of fun when we got to Disney! We go pretty often, so we know all the tricks to avoiding the long lines!
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40246)
• United States
28 Oct 16
@moffittjc Cool! I want to go with you, then! lol. There's a Halloween attraction in the area - they offer a "fast" ticket too. Last time I went I was too cheap to get the fast one. I spent almost 3 hours in line. The fast ticket is worth it. :-)
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (94782)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
27 Oct 16
The last time I visited Disney World was in 1976. There is one apartment complex in New Orleans that reminds me of the hotel in Disney World. My sisters went to visit Disney World in 2014.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
There is a resort at Disney World (Port Orleans) that reminds me of New Orleans! lol
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
27 Oct 16
Nope but this reminds me of the new movie vacation when they go to wally world and they beat the crap out of the fast pass people, that was hilarious!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118529)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 16
I haven't seen the new Vacation movie. Was it any good? I'm a huge fan of all the original Vacation movies though!
