Category — t. Disney’s MyMagic+ Project and Expansion Plans

As of last week, all “traditional” Fastpasses are gone and everyone will now be using FastPass+.

Those staying in Disney owned and operated hotels (and, shortly, select Annual Passholders who don’t yet have a MagicBand) can book their FastPass+ up to 60 days ahead of time.

Everyone else (those staying on-site at the Swan, Dolphin, and Shades of Green, and those staying off-site) is stuck with booking them for that day once they are in a park. (At least, for now…)

To test this, I bought a 4 day ticket and used it, instead of my MagicBand/Annual Pass combo, to see how this is working. That is, I acted like I was an off-site guest with only a ticket.

Well, here’s the short report. It was easy as pie and I had no trouble getting great FastPass+ even when I arrived late in the day at “non-recommended” parks.

On the other hand, I was there during one of the three or four lowest-crowd weeks of the year—and one that mostly had lousy weather (cold, rainy, or cold AND rainy, except for Tuesday at Epcot, which was lovely.

So possibly I only proved that everything is easy on low crowd days. Well, I’ll be back during a high-crowd week in mid-March, and will try this again then. But for now, here’s some do’s and don’ts

DO PLAN YOUR FASTPASS+ AHEAD OF TIME

Know which rides you plan to get FastPass+ for before you show up. That’ll speed up your process once you are booking. It’s fine to plan different ones for different members of your party.

DO STILL SHOW UP AT ROPE DROP, AND DO A HEADLINER OR TWO FIRST—NOT FASTPASS+

You still never go wrong with arriving before the park opens and knocking off first thing a ride or tow that’ll build long waits otherwise. For my recommendations on both what rides to see at rope drop, and what to use FastPass+ for, see this.

DON’T BOOK YOUR FASTPASS+ UNTIL YOU’VE HIT A HEADLINER OR TWO

So far, there’s no rush to book FastPass+, and crowds to book them are highest at park open. So wait a bit, hit a headliner first, and note as you walk to it the various booking stations and how long their lines are.

In general, the booking areas closest to the park entrance will have longer lines, but your results will vary.

I never had to wait for more than one or two other parties before I booked my FastPass+, but to do so often walked past other FastPass+ booking lines with 20 families in them.

If you can’t find the FastPass+ booking areas, just ask. The parks have printed material that tells you where some (but not all) of the FastPass+ booking locations are, but they are written for insiders—not first time visitors. (Example: at Epcot, they were described as being in the “East and West Breezeways, and by the Tip Board.”)

MY EXPERIENCE BOOKING FASTPASS+ AS AN “OFF-SITER”

Friday, January 24th at the Magic Kingdom. At about 3p, I walked past the long lines in the FastPass+ line in the Adventureland veranda and booked the rides above in the FastPass+ location near the Hall of Presidents. (As always on this site, click to enlarge)

Saturday, January 25th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. About noon on a morning Extra Magic Hour day I booked the above in a location between Echo Lake and Hollywood Boulevard.

(Sunday, January 26th—no parks this day—instead me and Josh schemed at his condo.)

Monday, January 27th, at the Magic Kingdom. On a night when the park closed at 8p, I showed up at 6.15p and still got Space Mountain! For late arrivals, you can get one FastPass+ for each full hour left. If I’d arrived 30 minutes earlier I could have gotten two FastPass+, and 90 minutes earlier all three allowed.

Tuesday, January 28th, at Epcot. I arrived around 1p on a day with morning Extra Magic Hours at Epcot, walked past long FastPass+ lines at the Tip Board, and got these in the breezeway on the way to Soarin.

Note that you can either take photos of your schedule, or have it emailed to you.

Things may be a bit different once the spring break crowds start showing up…and if so I’ll let you know. But for now, getting FastPass+ as an off-siter was easy and simple.

For the results of my earlier tests, see

• First Test of FastPass+–attractions
• Second Test of FastPass+– fireworks, parades, and character greetings
• Third test of FastPass+ — making plans on the day of use

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One of the frustrations expressed with Disney World’s new FastPass+ program is that unlike in “legacy” Fastpass program–which is now gone–guests are limited to three FastPass+ per day.

Moreover, at two of Disney’s parks–Hollywood Studios and Epcot–FastPass+ are “tiered.”

For example, you can have only one of Soarin and Test Track among your three Epcot FastPass+, and only one of Rock n’ Roller Coaster and Toy Story Mania at the Studios.

In fact, getting around these FastPass+ limits is quite easy.  Just throw money at the problem.

GETTING MORE THAN THREE FASTPASS+ AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

The key is to realize that the limit is not three FastPass+ per person. Rather, it’s three FastPass+ per active ticket.

The basics are simple: buy two tickets per person, enter the park twice, using each ticket once, and you can book six FastPass+ per person.

For example, on Friday I entered the Magic Kingdom at about 3p using my four day hopper and booked at a FastPass+ kiosk the rides shown above.

Then I got on my phone, and using my annual pass–which is linked to my MagicBand–I booked the same three rides (because I was also testing using this technique to ride the same ride more than once in a day using FastPass+) another 3 times. Then I exited the park, and re-entered using my MagicBand/Annual Pass combo.

And there you have it–six FastPass+ in a day.

Then I rode them all–I just needed to keep track of which FastPass+ was on my ticket and which on my MagicBand!

(Well, actually, I used both my FastPass+ for Space Mountain, but only one each for the Jungle Cruise and Enchanted Tales with Belle–I’d seen each recently enough to not need to do them twice within an hour…hey, this was a test, not a human sacrifice!)

I did the same thing Saturday at the Studios.  First, about noon, I booked the above on my hopper.

Then I booked three more on my MagicBand/Annual Pass combo. This time I was testing the ability to get more than one Tier One, and I wanted to ride Tower of Terror twice.

So I ended up on Saturday with two FastPass+ for Tower of Terror, and one each for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. 

Now this is an expensive solution to a problem most people won’t have.  Families following one of this site’s itineraries and going one of its recommended weeks simply don’t need to do this.

But other families–those on very short trips, those going during one of the four or five most crowded weeks of the year, those who want to sleep in and arrive at the park after noon, but still see all the best rides–may find this approach worth thinking about.

Disney World is already remarkably expensive, and adding just another two-day ticket for a typical family of four will cost more than $750…or a little more than $30 per “extra” FastPass+.  

For many,  there’s no way the extra FastPass+ will be even remotely worth this extra cost–and for others value for money won’t matter, as the extra money just won’t be there.

But for others, depending on the circumstances noted above, and willingness to pay, the chance to ride Space Mountain again–or even at all–without waiting in the stand-by line will be worth it!

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I’ll be at Disney World from late Thursday of this week through early Wednesday of next week.  Here’s the goals:

TESTING FASTPASS+ AS THOUGH STAYING OFF-SITE

Buy a four day ticket, and, ignoring my annual pass, MagicBands, and such, test FastPass+ as though I were staying off-site.

That means making day-of reservations at kiosks in the park.

(All the parks will be FastPass+ only by January 23).

For the earlier tests, see

• First Test of FastPass+–attractions
• Second Test of FastPass+– fireworks, parades, and character greetings
• Third test of FastPass+ — making plans on the day of use

SEEING IF I CAN BUY MY WAY OUT OF THE THREE FASTPASS+ PER DAY LIMIT

Using both the new ticket and my Annual Pass, see if my way of throwing money to fix fastpass constraints under the old fastpass system works for the new system too.

That is, if, by using two different tickets per day, I can get six FastPass+ per day.

CONTINUING THE GREAT DELUXE RESORT TOUR OF 2013-2014

As some of you know, I’ve stayed in every Disney World resort (and within them every major room variant) since I opened this site.

Specifically, I’ve stayed in 86 different Disney World rooms, 70+ of those since I opened the site.  Reviews from these visits are here. 

Some of my reviews of the deluxe and Disney Vacation Club spaces are getting old, though, so over 2013 and 2014 I’m revisiting them all, to re-write their reviews.

So over this visit I’ll continue the re-visits to the Contemporary and Animal Kingdom Lodge that began in late 2013.

• In December I revisited the Contemporary’s tower rooms and a two-bedroom villa at Bay Lake Tower. On this visit it’ll be a garden room.
• In November I re-visited a Jambo House pool view room and in December a two-bedroom villa at Kidani Village.  On this trip I’ll have a Jambo Arusha bunk bed room, and a Jambo studio and one bedroom villa.

Among these visits, the Epcot DVC bookings I have for March, the four more deluxes I will be revisiting later in 2014, and some other plans, I’ll cross 100 different resort room visits sometime in 2014, and none of my reviews will be from visits earlier than 2012.

This seems worthy of some kind of celebration–or intervention!

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With the parks tearing out their old “legacy” Fastpass machines and converting entirely to FastPass+ by January 23…well, I’ve had to adapt and change my Disney World  itineraries!

I’ve now got you covered until the end of August—and likely, I think, through Thanksgiving week, though I won’t know that for sure until the September, October, etc. calendars come out.

But just as in the rest of the year, there’s always the possibility that in a given week you’ll need to swap things around in response to operating pattern changes that week.

My basic approach has been to keep park days the same for dates up to 180 days ahead (as of the time I started publishing these new itineraries, in November), so that dining recommendations remain valid, but take this opportunity to completely re-do itineraries for dates that were beyond 180 days. Since I started this in November, that means all-new itineraries beginning for arrival dates May 31, 2014 and later.

So here’s the details—but double check here for suggested or required changes

• Most arrival dates between now and the week before the week before Easter: Supplement the Autumn-Winter-Spring Itinerary with this
• The two weeks before and after Easter: Supplement the Summer Itinerary (not a typo!) with this
• The weeks from the week after the week after Easter through Memorial Day Week: Supplement the Autumn-Winter-Spring Itinerary with this
• The weeks from May 31 through mid-August: Use the new FastPass+ Itinerary for High Crowd Weeks
• The second half of August: use the new FastPass+ Itinerary for Lower-Crowd Weeks

As Disney’s operating calendar continues to roll forward every month (it publishes about six and a half months ahead), you’ll be able to find recommended itineraries for the upcoming months after August here.

There’s also multiple seven night variants (all the above are the recommended eight nights)—these are all either supplemented or newly created too:

• Autumn-Winter-Spring Seven Night Variant, Saturday AND Sunday Arrivals —supplement with this.
• Seven Night FastPass+ Itinerary for High Crowd Weeks
• Seven Night FastPass+ Itinerary for Lower-Crowd Weeks, Saturday Arrival
• Seven Night FastPass+ Itinerary for Lower-Crowd Weeks, Sunday Arrival

I still need to do the “daily details” and finalize the To-Do Lists for the brand-new itineraries—these will come out well before the 60 day FastPass+ mark for them. Sixty days before the earliest new itinerary arrival date is early April—I’ll be done with these daily details by then, and likely by the end of February.

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I’ve recommended my “Summer Itinerary” for the weeks before and after Easter, not because it’s summer then, but because up until this year these two weeks had the same high-crowd operating patterns in the Disney World  parks as the busy summer weeks do.

Well, as noted here, the summer itinerary doesn’t work for summer any more…and with the parks shifting to Fastpass+ only, it doesn’t quite work for the weeks before and after Easter either.

There’s two basic issues.

1. Earlier openings than currently posted, and added Extra Magic Hours–both of which might even change the night before–mean that you may need to be at the parks one or even two hours earlier than the Summer Itinerary indicates. You need to keep aware of Disney’s operating and Extra Magic Hours calendar if you are going these weeks, even checking the night before.
2. The itineraries are designed around old style Fastpass–and those will be entirely gone by then. It’s be FastPass+ or nothing…

On the first point, you just need to stay close to these hours.

On the second, below is an approach for how to handle Fastpass+–which you can begin booking, if you are staying at a Disney owned-and-operated hotel, 60 days before your arrival date.  (All dining and park days stay the same–what’s different is FastPass+)

First Saturday

• If you have time to see them, given your dining reservations and Orlando arrival times, see Soarin with a Tier One FastPass+–and if your times don’t work for Soarin, book as your Tier One Illuminations.
• If you don’t or can’t book Illuminations tonight, see it as scheduled Tuesday night.  If you do see it tonight, the viewing area is as close as you’ll find to the bus stops and monorail station, so head for them the moment Illuminations ends, walk fast, don’t stop, and you should miss most of the crowds departing Epcot!
• If your schedule permits additional FastPass+, for Tier 2, aim for Spaceship Earth and Mission Space Green, planning to see one before dinner and the other after.

First Sunday

• As I write this, there are no tiers at the Animal Kingdom.
• If this is still true when you book, get FastPass+ for Kali River Rapids, Festival of the Lion King (if it has re-opened for your dates; book Dinosaur otherwise), and Finding Nemo—The Musical.
• Set Nemo for the morning after 10, and the other two in the late afternoon—5p or later. This will lead to less backtracking and let you take the early afternoon off!
• If FastPass+ is tiered when you book it, choose Kali River Rapids late in the afternoon as your Tier One selection.
• When the park opens, see Kilimanjaro Safaris first thing, then Pangani Forest Trail, then Festival of the Lion King (if open) next.
• Note that you return to the Animal Kingdom on Wednesday

Monday

• This day is scheduled mostly in Fantasyland.
• If there’s no tiering, book as your FastPass+ Enchanted Tales with Belle, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (if open) and Winnie the Pooh.  If the Mine Train is not open, sect Buzz Lightyear instead. Target the times for the afternoon, with the windows ending by 3p, so you can see the 3p afternoon parade if it has re-opened by now. See Peter Pan at park open.
• If there is tiering, then set Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as your Tier One if open (Enchanted Tales with Belle if not open) and see Peter Pan at park open. With tiering, hold on Enchanted Tales with Belle until Saturday morning.

Tuesday

• As written, this itinerary has you at Epcot late to see Illuminations.  If you booked a FastPass+ for Illuminations on First Saturday, that part of today’s evening you’ll be free for rides—or to head back to your hotel!!—instead.
• If you did not get Soarin as your Tier One FastPass+ on Saturday, do it as your Tier One Today, targeting it for late afternoon.  If you did get it First Saturday, pick Illuminations as your Tier One today—that givesyou the option to beat the crowds if you choose to leave the park when Illuminations ends.
• For your Tier Twos, pick Turtle Talk with Crush and Living with the Land, both in the late afternoon, adjacent to your Soarin time if you have one.
• Go to Test Track at park open.

Wednesday

• Set Expedition Everest as your Tier One late in the morning—e.g., at 11a.
• At park open and until Expedition Everest, see anything you missed or want to see again from Sunday.
• If you are a huge roller coaster fan, head to Expedition Everest at open and ride it, on the theory that even with your FastPass+ you’ll want to see it twice!

Thursday

• Book Fantasmic Thursday as your Studios Tier One. This won’t get you better seats—you’ll still need to show up early for good seats—but means you won’t be shut out from the show!
• For your Tier Twos pick Great Movie Ride and Tower of Terror. Aim both for the late afternoon—with that, your visit tomorrow morning, and the absence of an afternoon parade at the Studios, you will then be able to take the afternoon off!
• See Rock N’ Roller Coaster at park open.

Friday

• Set Toy Story Mania as your Tier One selection, and Star Tours and Voyage of the Little Mermaid as your Tier Twos, all in the late morning or very early afternoon (so you can take the rest of the afternoon off.)
• At park open, hit your favorite ride from Thursday a second time.  If nothing from Thursday sharply resonates, hit Toy Story Mania at park open–on the theory that you may wish to see it twice, anyway!

Second Saturday

• If there’s tiering, and if you were not able to book a FastPass+ for Enchanted Tales with Belle on Monday, have it be your Tier One ride today, and see Space Mountain at park open
• If there’s no tiering, set as your FastPass+ Space Mountain, the Main Street Electrical Parade (you’ll also watch the Castle Show Celebrate the Magic and Wishes from this same spot—I got this idea from  Josh), Enchanted Tales with Belle if you haven’t booked that yet, or Space Mountain if you’ve seen Belle.   Set all of these FastPass+ for late afternoon or early evening, so you can take the afternoon off. At park open, see Big Thunder Mountain!

Second Sunday

• If there’s no tiering, book FastPass+ for Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and the Jungle Cruise, with times that suit your departure plans. Try to make Splash Mountain last.  See your favorite from earlier this week at park open.
• If tiering is on, book Splash Mountain as late as you can as your Tier One, and see the Jungle Cruise, and then Pirate of the Caribbean, at park open.

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Update: there’s a new–and much better–version of this itinerary here.

Below is a FastPass+ based Disney World seven night itinerary with a Sunday arrival.

There’s a Saturday arrival version too–but if you could do either, the one here, with a Sunday arrival, is better…)

This itinerary reliably works only during weeks that the normal eight night variant works without changes. To see if that’s true for your week, look your week up here. If your week is listed with changes–e.g. “swap Sunday and Tuesday” then use the comment form below to ask for help!

• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
• Sunday

Thanks are especially due to Josh from easyWDW. With his permission, I picked the targeted park days based on both my own practices and his daily park recommendations.

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