If you’re reaching the 60-day mark for your Walt Disney World vacation chances are you’re doing a lot of thinking about the best uses of Fastpasses at each of the Disney theme parks. Something you’ll quickly realize is that not all FastPasses are created equal. Some attractions are much busier than others and these are the ones you generally want to nab FastPasses for in order to drastically cut down on your wait times. However, some FastPasses (particularly for newer attractions) are so hard to come by that by nabbing one you sort of feel like you’ve won the lottery. That means obtaining Fastpasses for these select attractions can require a bit of forward planning. To help you anticipate the tough ones here’s our list of tough to get FastPasses as well as some strategies for putting yourself ahead of the curve in terms of getting them!
1. Slinky Dog Dash – Toy Story Land – Disney’s Hollywood Studios – If there is one attraction causing pandemonium right now at Walt Disney World it is definitely the Slinky Dog Dash. This family-friendly coaster is appealing to kids of all ages with its fun theming and state of the art technology. It’s the headlining attraction at the all-new Toy Story Land expansion which since its opening this Summer has really packed in the crowds! Definitely prioritize this FastPass when making your booking (we’ll talk more about that later.)
2. Flight of Passage – Animal Kingdom – If you ever want to see grown men or women cry, stand at the exit line for this Pandora attraction – it is just that amazing. The moment you climb on the back of your Banshee and feel it breathing underneath you, it’s obvious that you are on a ride like no other. The technology allowing you to dip, wind, plummet and soar your way around this magical land is so immersive it’s hard to remember at times that it’s just a ride. As a result, FastPasses for this are so difficult to come by and with the minutes you’ll wait in the stand-by lines frequently hitting triple digits you’ll definitely want to FastPass Flight of Passage.
3. Frozen Ever After – Epcot – Anna and Elsa are still all the rage amongst preschoolers and this is definitely reflected in the staggering wait times you’ll typically find with lines snaking their way through the Norway Pavilion. If you’ve have fans of Frozen in your family then you’ll definitely want to make this your to FastPass priority at Epcot. Because of the tiered FastPass system, this may mean missing out on some other fabulous headlining attractions but trust me when I say it’s worth it to avoid the lines!
4. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Magic Kingdom – As one of the newest attractions at Walt Disney World there is still an incredible buzz around this wonderful family coaster which means that FastPasses can be difficult to come by. However, with lines regularly exceeding an hour, this is an important use of a FastPass to cut down on your time waiting in line while at thepark. With the ride also coming in at under 3 minutes it’s over in a flash. which may make you feel a wee bit disappointed if toughing it out in the standby line. FastPasses are definitely the way to go on this one!
5. Soarin – Epcot- If you plan on giving the Frozen Ever After attraction a miss then make this your next priority at Epcot. The lines for this hang-gliding simulator are pretty consistently over 60 minutes and they remain like that throughout the day. If this is top of your family’s priority list then definitely nab a Fastpass for Soarin’ if you can!
6. Peter Pan’s Flight – The Magic Kingdom – This classic Magic Kingdom attraction has always been a bit of an enigma to me! Don’t get me wrong, I love Peter Pan as much as the next person but with lines frequently 90 minutes or more, FastPasses are the way to go if you can get one! The perfect way to spend your Fantasyland afternoon, getting one of these coveted FastPasses will save you bags of time at Magic Kingdom but you’ll need to be an early bird when it comes to booking.
FastPass Booking Strategies: If any of the FastPasses listed above are big on your priority list then it’s important to have a bit of a strategy when it comes to booking when your window opens up (60-day mark for onsite guests or 30-day mark for offsite guests). Here are a couple of pointers to get you started:
- Be online as soon as booking opens. The FastPass bookings will open up on your My Disney Experience Account at 7 am in the morning. Be sure to refresh your browser if 7 a.m rolls around and you aren’t seeing them.
- Go in with a game plan. When it comes to booking hard-to-get Fastpasses, there can be a lot of nervous excitement as you compete with other bookers for slots. A great way not to lose your cool is to have a list handy with the selections you’d like to make at each park and know the days! Also, it’s good to have a back-up or two in case one or two of your selections aren’t available.
- Don’t go chronologically – Many first-time FastPass bookers think you have to go day-by-day in chronological order when booking your FastPasses. This is not the case. As a matter of fact, go in order of FastPass difficulty by following the list above. For instance, if you arrive on a Monday but want to do Slinky Dog Dash on a Thursday, make your Thursday FastPasses bookings first to get that hard one locked in. Then move on to Flight of Passage etc.
- Consider splitting up your party. If you are booking FastPasses for a large group and aren’t seeing availability, consider splitting up your party and trying that way. You may get results!
- Don’t give up!- If you don’t get all the FastPass bookings you wanted on your first try all is not lost. FastPasses are a pretty fluid system with people adding and dropping selections all the time. Keep checking back every few days. You may be surprised by what crops up.
- If you didn’t get the selections you want hit the parks early. So you never did get that Slinky Dog Dash Fastpass. My biggest piece of advice then would be to arrive at the parks as soon as they open and make a mad dash for the attraction. Will it be a bit like Black Friday? You betcha. Will there still be a line? Of course. But they will be nothing compared to the lines you’ll find later in the days.
We here at Disney Addicts and our sister site Chip and Co. want your time at the parks to be smooth sailing. If you have any questions about making your FastPass bookings please do not hesitate to reach out! We are always here to help.
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