Five Reasons to Love Fastpass+
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When Chris and I first started visiting Disney we’d disagree a bit on how we’d do things (specifically which rides to get a Fastpass for). I have always been a plan ahead type of person while Chris is more of a laid back, I’ll get to it when I get to it type of guy. I won’t lie and say that’s fine with me, because it honestly drives me crazy! But I’m learning to let go a little and he’s learning that a little planning ahead of time really isn’t so bad.
Because we’ve finally come to the realization that planning ahead means less stress and more fun. And even though I love to plan ahead I know that the best laid plans never seem to work out exactly how we want them too. So I also have learned to let go a bit and be okay when things don’t go exactly as I expected. But that’s the beauty of the Fastpass system. You can plan ahead, change things on the go, or even plan when you get there. It’s honestly up to you. And that’s why we love Fastpass+!
I’ve heard a lot of people say that the new Fastpass system really isn’t great for people who like to go with the flow, but Chris (who is that type of person) has always liked the system and feels like it works well for us. We like to plan certain parts of our day and then leave a few hours up in the air so we can use that time to eat, go back for seconds on our favorite rides, and give me time to shoot some photography in the park.
Fastpasses are what you make of them. If you let them dictate your whole trip and you don’t deviate from your “plan” then you’ll become stressed out when things go awry. But if you learn to let the little things go and use the Fastpass system as a guide rather than a strict schedule, you’ll find that you won’t be as bothered or upset when plans change suddenly.
Since Chris and I love the Fastpass system, I wanted to share with you our reasons why. So, here are our five reasons we love Fastpass+, and why you should too!
You can reserve your spot in ride lines early
The second you are 180 days out from your next Disney World vacation you can start picking your Fastpasses. You can do this by setting up an account on the Disney website and linking your resort stay and magic bands to it! I always love getting on there a day or two beforehand to look at park times and extra magic hours so I can plan which days I want to spend at which park. Then I write it all down in a notebook so I have it all ready to go when I can book my passes!
Quick Suggestion: Book Fastpasses for your last day at Disney first. All the other people whose vacations overlap with yours have been able to book their passes already, so you’ll have more luck getting passes for the more popular attractions (ie: Anna & Elsa Meet and Greet) if you start by booking passes on your last day!
You can sleep in
So, this one may be a bit controversial. Chris and I hate waking up early, period. So any time we can sleep in we take full advantage of it. But there are some people who think sleeping in while at Disney is a sin. They love getting up early because you can get a lot done in those early morning hours. It’s really personal preference. What does this have to do with Fastpasses though? It means you don’t have to be up at the crack of dawn and fight crowds to be the first one in to run to whatever ride you want to go on first! Unless, of course, you book your fastpasses for those early morning hours. Which Chris and I never do!
No running required
With the old Legacy (paper) Fastpasses, you had to run from attraction to attraction to get Fastpasses for the rides you wanted to go on. If you showed up to a park about an hour after they opened it was likely you’d miss out on the fastpasses for the more popular rides (like Peter Pan’s Flight at DMK, Soarin’ at Epcot, etc). With the new Fastpass+ system you can reserve everything ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about getting to the parks before they open and doing the mad dash across the parks. Unless that’s the sort of thing you like to do. I don’t judge. 🙂
No paper trail
If you ever went to Disney and used their Legacy (paper) Fastpass system you’ll remember what a pain it was to have your Fastpasses printed out on paper and then have to carry them around (and hopefully not lose them!) before you could jump on the ride. One thing I absolutely love about the new system is that everything is electronic and linked to your magic band. Now a Fastpass can’t be misplaced, it is always with you and the rest of your party!
Change plans easily
One thing you should do before you even set foot on Disney property is download the My Disney Experience (MDE) app and make an account (or log in to the one you made on the Disney website). From there you can access your resort stay, park tickets, and even dinning and Fastpass reservations! Chris and I love it because if we’re at the park and can’t make one of our Fastpasses, we can easily get on the app and change the time so it’s more convenient for us. Or, we can cancel an existing Fastpass and book a new one instead. You can also check wait times for rides, check parade and fireworks times, and even access the park maps.
While there are still a few things I think Disney needs to improve on when it comes to the Fastpass+ system, all in all I think it’s pretty solid. Chris and I use it every single trip, and we have never had a problem getting a pass for a favorite ride or a dinning reservation. And we’re the type of people who book our trips about a month ahead of time (because my husband thinks any more than thirty days out is just “over-planning”).