Fast Pass Basics at Disney World

This is going to be a really easy post for me to write. I know the fast pass system at Disney World like the back of my hand. I could book your fast passes in my sleep! But I know this isn’t second nature to everyone. And I get a lot of questions about how they work, when you can book them, what they cost, and which are the best choices. So it seemed it was time that I put all the info you need into one place!

1. What is Fast Pass+ or FP+?

This is the electronic reservation system for reserving ride times for attractions at Walt Disney World. When you have a fast pass, you get to pass by the regular line and go to an alternate, faster line! When you book a fast pass, you will have a one hour time window to visit that attraction.

2. What does Fast Pass cost?

Nothing! It’s free! Or to put it more precisely, it’s included with your park admission. There is no cost to any fast passes, and every park guest can book them. If anyone ever charges you specifically for booking fast passes, you should be very suspicious. Fast passes are free. Now, when you can book them is a whole other story…

3. When can I book my Fast Pass?

This is a bit more complicated than the first question. There are basically two different tiers for when a guest can book a fast pass. And it all depends on whether you are staying “on property” at a Disney resort, or “off property.” Also, if you are just coming for the day because you are local, or you are an annual passholder, you also fall into the second tier category.

Disney resort guests, who are staying on property, can book their fast passes 60 days ahead of time, at 7 am on that day, for the entire duration of their stay. All other day guests, or those staying off property at another Orlando area hotel or rental, can book 30 days in advance, at 7 am, one day at a time. As you can probably imagine, staying at a Disney hotel has a distinct advantage in being able to book fast passes earlier. This makes a big difference for those hard to get fast passes, like Slinky Dog Dash. If you have some hard to get choices on your list, you will want to be on the app at 7 am on your exact day that is 30 days out. But more on this soon…

4. How many fast passes can I get?

You can reserve three fast passes per day, but they all must be at the same park. So you can make three selections at Magic Kingdom. And then on the next day of your trip, you can make three more at Epcot. You can book three in advance per day, per Park.

However, when you are at Disney World, and you have used all three of your fast passes for the day, you can then reserve one more, one at a time. For example, let’s say you reserved three fast passes for Magic Kingdom in advance of your vacation, and the third one is over at 3 pm. You can then go on the My Disney Experience App, or visit a kiosk, and reserve one more. After you have used that next one, you can reserve another if time allows. This also shows that there is an advantage to reserving all of your fast passes in advance earlier in the day.

5. How do I book my Fast Pass?

To reserve your fast passes in advance, you’ll need to download the My Disney Experience app. You can also book Fast Pass online at the Walt Disney World website, but in my opinion, it’s a much more user-friendly experience to do this through the app.

When you purchase your Park tickets, whether it’s a vacation package, through a third party, or from Disney directly, you can then link your tickets on the app. When you do this, you will then be able to book your fast passes at the exact day that you are 60 or 30 days from your arrival. The app is very easy to use, and you’ll get the hang of it very easily! It can be a fun game to refresh the app, try different days and Parks, and see what you can get to show up.

6. What fast passes should I choose?

This is a question that Disney fans will debate for hours on end. Which rides you choose for your three fast pass selections really depends on a lot of personal factors. If you have a 5 year old daughter who is obsessed with Disney Princesses, you should probably make at least one fast pass for a Princess meet and greet. If your son absolutely must ride Space Mountain, book that one! You need to figure out what your priorities are, and then book around those first.

There are rides that are always more popular, like Slinky Dog Dash, Peter Pan’s Flight, Avatar Flight of Passage, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and a few others. So if any of those are your must do list, you better be on the app, ready to book those at the exact minute it turns 7 am on your booking day. Those will all book up very fast, and they almost always have long wait times. So pick those first, and then fill in characters, or less popular attractions around those top choices.

7. Does every ride have a fast pass?

No, not all rides have a fast pass. This means that your only choice for riding an attraction with no fast pass is to wait in the regular line.

Every single attraction at Walt Disney World does not have a fast pass. But most of the popular attractions do. Also, at Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, there are tiers of fast passes. This means that you can only choose 1 selection from the most popular rides, and then you can choose two others from the other options. It’s too much to list here, but when you start exploring the My Disney Experience app, you’ll quickly get the hang of which ones you can choose, and how many.

That’s the basics! Still have questions?

Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram or leave a comment here with any fast pass questions! I’ve helped many friends plan their fast passes and I’m always happy to answer questions about which rides are best for which ages, and more. I’ve been to Disney World with children of every age, from two weeks old to teenagers! And at every stage, it’s magical in a different way. Fast passes help you add some more guaranteed magic into your visit, so be sure to use them!