Disney FastPass Secrets, Tips, and Tiers for Your Disney World Vacation

Are you planning a Disney World vacation and wondering what are FastPass at Disney World? Today I am going to share all the Disney FastPass secrets, tips for your fastpass reservations and the FastPass tiers at Disney World to help you plan your best Disney World vacation.

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UPDATE: Disney has retired FastPass at the Disney Parks. Read Disney World 7 Day Itinerary Planning Guide for all the best planning tips for your Disney World vacation.

If this is your first visit to Disney World, this information may seem a bit overwhelming. I promise once you go through the steps it is easy and will save you so much time at the parks.

Most of the set-up is done before you get to the parks. Doing research and setting up your account before your arrival will ensure less waiting in lines at the parks and maximize your family time.

Disney FastPass Secrets

To get started with making your Disney World FastPass reservations you need to start with a My Disney Experience Account. You can set this up on a computer or download the app to your phone. The steps to do this are below.

I prefer to initially set it up on my computer, but this is a personal preference and both work great. After I have set-up my account I will sign in on the app as well.

First I want to share an overview of the frequently asked questions about Disney Fastpass.

What is a FastPass at Walt Disney World

FastPass at Walt Disney World is an attraction reservation system that allows guests to reserve their place in line before they arrive at the park. You will be given a reservation window for when you can ride the attraction.

How Much Does FastPass at Disney World Cost

FastPass at Disney World is free to all guests with a park ticket.

What are Magic Bands

Magic Bands are the bracelets given to guests that stay on-site at Disney World. Guests may also purchase them if they are staying off-site.

You will link your tickets, reservations, and FastPass to your band and will scan it when entering an attraction. Guests can also use their ticket to scan at FastPass entrances.

FastPass Rules at Disney World

If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort you can book your FastPass 60 days from check-in for your entire vacation. If you are staying off-site you can book 30 days from your each park day.

Reservations begin at 7:00am EST and can be made by logging into your My Disney Experience account.

The FastPass time reservation is an hour window. For example, a 4:00pm-5:00pm time means you can arrive any time within that time.

FastPass are hourly. You can’t reserve two in the same time period. So for example you could get a 9:00am-10:00am window and a 10:00am-11:00am window, but you couldn’t get a 9:00am-10:00am and a 9:30am-10:30am.

Disney FastPass can be made for 3 attractions at the same park. After the 3 are used you may make a 4th FastPass+ at another park or the same park using the My Disney Experience App.

You can continue making Fastpass reservations until the end of the day or until Fastpass reservations run out.

Guests can make FastPass reservations from the My Disney Experience App or sign-in from your computer. I suggest using a desktop for making your first reservations.

There is limited availability as the day goes on. Some FastPass will be gone or sold out.

FastPass are connected to your MagicBands. As you enter the Fastpass line you will scan your magic band. You can also use your ticket if you do not have a magic band.

You may arrive at a ride that you have a FastPass for and find a short wait. If the wait is 20 minutes or under, ride in the regular line and change your Fastpass while you wait.

How Do I Make FastPass Reservations

Guests will make FastPass reservations by logging in to their My Disney Experience account on the app or desktop. From there you can make reservations. Detailed steps are below.

Disney FastPass Ride Tiers

Magic Kingdom is currently the only park that does not have FastPass tiers. Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom give you tiers that you must pick attractions from.This means you cannot pick the top 3 attractions at any park. You pick one from group A and two from group B.

Magic Kingdom FastPass Attractions + Tiers

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Barnstormer
• Dumbo
• Enchanted Tales with Belle
• Haunted Mansion
• “it’s a small world”
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
• Meet Cinderella and Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
• Meet Rapunzel and Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater
• Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid

Read this post for full details on Magic Kingdom FastPass Tips.

Epcot FastPass Attractions + Tiers

Choose 1 from Tier 1:

• Test Track
• Frozen Ever After
• Soarin’

Choose 2 from Tier 2:

• The Seas with Nemo and Friends
• Journey Into Imagination with Figment
• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• Turtle Talk with Crush
• Spaceship Earth

Hollywood Studios FastPass Attractions + Tiers

Choose 1 from Tier 1:

• Slinky Dog Dash
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Choose 2 from Tier 2:

• Alien Swirling Saucer
• Toy Story Mania
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
• Beauty and the Beast-Live on Stage
• Fantasmic!
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Disney Jr. Live on Stage
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• MuppetVision 3D
• Star Tours
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Read this post for full details on Hollywood Studios FastPass tips.

Animal Kingdom FastPass Attractions + Tiers

Choose 1 from Tier 1:

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Na’vi River Journey

Choose 2 from Tier 2:

• DINOSAUR
• Kali River Rapids
• Finding Nemo – The Musical
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
• Festival of the Lion King
• Primeval Whirl
• Rivers of Light
• Expedition Everest
• It’s Tough to be a Bug!

Read this for full details on Animal Kingdom FastPass tips.

Disney World FastPass Tips

FastPass Reservations Are Unlimited…Sort Of

Before you arrive at the park you will make up to 3 FastPass reservations. Once you use your 3 you can make a 4th, 5th, and so on. You will make one at a time.

After you enter your 3rd FastPass attractions you should log into the app and make the next FastPass reservation you would like. Then you will use the 4th, make the 5th. We continue this process until the end of the day or the FastPass reservations run out.

Always Make a FastPass for Popular Attractions

If we want to ride a popular attraction I always try to make a FastPass reservation for it as soon as my reservation window opens. This may mean I need to move our day around a bit but it is worth it to ride attractions that have very long lines.

Don’t Make a FastPass for Unpopular Attractions

There are some FastPass available for attractions that don’t really need it. Typically these are shows with preferred seating. If you would like preferred seating you can use your FastPass but I always recommend using one on popular attractions first.

You Can’t Make FastPass Reservations During Special Events

During the year there are seasonal events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party for Halloween and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party during the holidays. Guests can’t make FastPass reservations during the party hours.

Once You Make Your Reservations You Can Modify Them

Once you make your reservation you can modify it if your itinerary changes. This can be done at any time before you use it.

Everyone in Your Party Doesn’t Need to Make the Same FastPass Reservation

If you are planning on splitting up your group during your visit you can make FastPass reservations for different people in your group at the same time.

Keep Checking for Availability of Popular Attractions

At times when you try to make a FastPass reservation for a popular attraction it will be unavailable. Continue to check daily for changes in this because often times people modify their reservations and popular attractions become available.

Don’t Use Your FastPass if the Wait Time is Under 20 Minutes

If you arrive at an attraction and the wait time is under 20 minutes consider using the regular line and modifying your existing FastPass.

When Booking Your FastPass Consider Location of Attractions

When you are booking your FastPass reservations consider location of attractions and how long it will take you to walk from one attraction to another. If you have reservations on opposite ends of the park it could take a bit of time to get there and you could miss your window.

Book Your FastPass Reservations During the Busiest Time of Day

You want to use your FastPass to save you time during your day at Disney. Booking your FastPass between 10:30-4:00pm, when the park is busiest, will allow you to skip the long lines.

Steps to Make FastPass Reservations at Disney World

This may seem like a lot of steps but once you are set-up it is an easy process!

1. Create an Account at My Disney Experience

• Start on a desktop, not your mobile device. It is easier to set everything up. After set up you can use your mobile device to make changes. (Follow along on the screenshots below.)
• Go to the Walt Disney World website.
• In the right corner click on My Disney Experience -> Sign in (or Create an Account)
• You will start at the Welcome screen. From here you can do a few things:
  • Add friends or family
  • Link reservations to on-site resort
  • Link theme park tickets- You must do this before you can make FastPass+ reservations. I highly recommend doing it as soon as you purchase tickets. 
  • Make dining reservations
  • Make FastPass+ reservations
  • Personalize Your MagicBands

• First you need to add all guests you will be making FastPass+ reservations for. Go to My Disney Experience -> My Family & Friends List 
• Add a Guest -> Import through Resort Reservation
• Add all the guests that will be joining you. On our last visit it was my family and my parents. I was able to plan all 7 of our FastPass+ Reservations, Dining Reservations, and order MagicBands. This is really helpful when traveling in a large group.

How to Order Magic Bands

• To customize your MagicBands: My Disney Experience -> MagicBands
• Now that you have your Friends and Family added you can move on to creating your FastPass+ reservations.
• You do not need to customize your MagicBand before you make your FastPass+ reservation. MagicBands should be ordered within 30 days of arrival and will be shipped to your home.

2. Understanding the FastPass+ Tiers

• Once you have everything set up review the Fastpass+ Tiers and decide what attractions you would like to reserve.
• I suggest doing your research before your reservation window opens. Popular attractions will run out of FastPass tickets and it can go fast.
• Do your research and make a list of your top 5 attractions.

This is where I will tell you to stop and take a breath. It is a lot to take in and before you can actually start making reservations you need to learn a little more about the rides and attractions.

3. Do Your Research

• Go to the Walt Disney World website and start reading about the rides. Think about the ages of your kids and anyone else traveling with you and spend some time thinking about what would make everyone happy.
• If you are unsure what a ride might be like, search it on YouTube. You can watch most rides to get a feel for what to expect. Is is a dark ride? Wet ride? Is it scary? What are the height requirements?
• Some helpful resources:
  • Best Magic Kingdom Rides for School Age Kids
  • Disney World Height Requirements from Love Dwells Here
  • Toddler Approved Favorite Attractions at Magic Kingdom from BRB Going to Disney
  • Best Animal Kingdom Rides for Families
  • A Day at Hollywood Studios with Kids

4. Create a Flexible Itinerary

• Once you know what you want to ride. You need to think about the parks.
  • What parks do you want to visit?
  • How many days will you go to the parks?
  • Do you need a park hopper?

Check out these detailed Disney World touring plans to help you get started.

• Disney World 7 Day Itinerary
• Magic Kingdom Itinerary for Families
• Epcot Touring Plan for Families
• Hollywood Studios Touring Plan for Families
• Animal Kingdom Itinerary for Families

With your list of parks, go back to the Walt Disney World website and look at the calendar for the days of your vacation.

Make a flexible itinerary of the days you will go to the parks. (Need an easy worksheet? Download my vacation planning guide.) 

You are looking for hours the parks are open and if any park has Extra Magic Hours(Early Entry for On-site guests)

Write your park into your vacation planner and you are ready to book your FastPass+!

5. Make Your Disney FastPass Reservations

• Sign in using My Disney Experience.
• Click on FastPass+ Reservations
• Choose the day you would like to make your reservations.
• Choose the park you would like to make your reservations.
• You will not be able to make FastPass+ reservations if you do not have a linked ticket. Make sure you do this before your 60 or 30 day window.
• Here is an example of making a FastPass+ at Hollywood Studios

• Select all the guests that will need the FastPass. Everyone needs a FastPass that will go in line with you. That includes young children and seniors, even if they do not plan on riding.
• Click -> Next

• Choose the day and park you would like to make FastPass reservations for.

• Choose the attraction and the time for your FastPass+ reservations.
• If the given choices don’t work click View Detail and More Times.
• Remember to consider your dining reservations and time it takes to walk to each attraction when making your reservations.
• Once your reservations are made they will appear under your reservations page.
• You can also modify, change party, or cancel your reservation.
• If you decide to change parks or times you can usually change your FastPass+ reservations but keep in mind the most popular attractions do run out quickly.

FastPass+ Attractions that Typically Go Fast:

• Pandora Attractions at Animal Kingdom
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom
• Frozen Ever After at Epcot
• Toy Story Land Attractions at Hollywood Studios
• Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Attractions

It can feel like a lot of work, but having a plan will save you so much time during your vacation at the parks. Read this for our Best Tips for First Time Visitors to Walt Disney World.

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