To-Do Lists Updated with FastPass+ Targets

By Dave Shute

This site posts recommended itineraries for first time visitors, and for each also a To-Do List.

I revised all the itineraries for June through October visits months ago for FastPass+ (months ago so that people could get their dining at the 180 day mark).

Last week I added suggested FastPass+ targets to the To-Do Lists (because 60 days before the first relevant arrival date is April 1).

I’ll have daily agendas for these out in April, but with what you’ve got now, you can book both dining and FastPass+ for your visit the first day available.

Moreover, as Disney posts its operating hours for future months, I’ll continue to add recommended itineraries and To-Do Lists tuned to the specifics of each week.

The daily recommended FastPass+ generally follow the  principles laid out later in this post, but modified for the actual number and timing of days each itinerary has you in each park.

• For the High-Crowd FastPass+ To-Do List, see this
• For the Lower-Crowd FastPass+ To-Do List, see this
• Note that the itineraries as written don’t match to every week–find your week here for any needed changes
• The seven night variants of each of these  also have had FastPass+ added–see this for links to these, and also for links to itinerary and To-Do lists mods for visits between now and June.

FASTPASS+ SELECTION PRINCIPLES

I published back in August 2013 FastPass+ selection principles. Tested over more than 30 days of park visits using FastPass+ since then, they are still right and so I’ve have copied them below.

These assume that most days you will still arrive at the parks early in the morning, well before opening—which is typically nowadays 8.45a everywhere but the Magic Kingdom, which is still going with a 9a opening.

Arriving plenty early means you can experience at least one more headliner with a low wait beyond what you can get to on FastPass+.  Since you will be limited (at least for now) to 3 FastPass+, with no repeats, this is a big deal.

Picking your early morning target is tricky.  There’s two good ways to pick:

1. A ride with a really distinctive queue that you will largely miss if you go through the FastPass+ return line—for example, Test Track and Expedition Everest.  (Recently Test Track FastPass+ visitors have been getting the whole experience, no different than those using the regular line–but I’m not confident–yet–that Disney will stick to this…)
2. A ride you know you will want to see again, since you can only do one FastPass+ per ride per day—more relevant to returning visitors who know what they want than for first timers.

So based on this, and on what’s being offered right now for FastPass+, here’s my suggestions by park:

FASTPASS+ AT EPCOT

Epcot: Plan to arrive early and see Test Track.  Target for FastPass+ first Soarin, then Turtle Talk with Crush,  and then Spaceship Earth (the last two aren’t that hard to get now, but I predict they’ll become tougher as FastPass+ takes more of their capacity).

FASTPASS+ AT DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Plan to arrive early and see Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster. Have Toy Story Mania be your Tier One FastPass+.

FASTPASS+ AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

Disney’s Animal Kingdom:  Plan to arrive early and see Expedition Everest.  Prioritize Kilimanjaro Safaris as your first FastPass+ selection, then Festival of the Lion King (once it re-opens), then Finding Nemo—the Musical. (These last two aren’t that hard to get it to now, but their schedules can otherwise be awkward, and I expect they’ll become tougher to access as FastPass+ takes more of their capacity.)

FASTPASS+ AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Magic Kingdom: Much tougher, as there are many rides that build long lines quickly.

• The ones to target are Big Thunder Mountain, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and –when it opens—the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
• Others will suggest adding Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh,  and Under the Sea—Journey of the Little Mermaid to this list.

There’s enough there for two or three days’ worth of FastPass+ at the Magic Kingdom while extra headliners are available, and even more days if the number of headliners on offer gets tiered.

Moreover, there’s number of great rides not on these lists, because I’m expecting that with their high capacity they should have OK waits—these include Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and Mickey’s Philharmagic.

So here’s the thought for now:

• FastPass+ Priority Targets:  Enchanted Tales with Belle (lines can be too long even at open), the Mine Train Ride when it opens (same reason), Splash Mountain (you don’t want to get wet at open)
• Park opening first ride (without FastPass+) targets: Space Mountain, Peter Pan, Big Thunder Mountain
• Other possible priorities: Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh, Under the Sea—Journey of the Little Mermaid

So for as long as you can book multiple headliners per day up to 3, here’s a suggested approach for dates before the Mine Train is available:

• Day 1 at the Magic Kingdom: Plan Peter Pan at open, then FastPass+ Enchanted Tales with Belle, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain
• Day 2 at the Magic Kingdom: Plan to repeat the favorite from Day 1 at open, then FastPass+ Big Thunder Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, and one of Winnie the Pooh, or Under the Sea—Journey of the Little Mermaid
• If you have a third day at Magic Kingdom with a morning, then plan to save the first ride for a repeat of a favorite, then book as FastPass+ repeat visits to Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Peter Pan—almost everyone’s list of Magic Kingdom favorites includes at least two of these three…

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