We are taking our grandson to Disney World in Orlando in March. We are staying in Bonnet Creek resort on the property but it isn’t a Disney resort. We have 2 day, 1 park tickets but I do not understand the Fast Pass + versus the Fast Pass. Can anyone explain? Fun never used to be this complicated…
Go visit the Disboards.com
The site is ALL things Disney - On Property, off property, restaurants, tips, tricks etc.
I’d go to the Disney website, or call them. I wish I could be more helpful.
With Fast Pass+ you can reserve places in line (with Fast Passes – paper tickets no longer needed) 30 days before you visit (60 days before you visit if you stay at a Disney resort). You can get Fast Passes for 3 attractions at a time.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/fastpass-plus/
Get a current guide book from your library about Disney World. You will get more out of your vacation and can prioritize what you want to see.
i sent you a private message with a link
I have read a ton of Disney guidebooks, and I think the absolute best guidebook is the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, and their touringplans.com accompaniment.
Fastpass+ is just the current version. There was an older version of Fastpass.
Fastpass+ allows you to reserve a time to go on a ride. You then wait on a shorter line than you would otherwise; there is a Fastpass line and a standby line. For big attractions in the heat of the day, it could be the difference between a 15 minute wait and a two hour wait. Use it!
With Fastpass+, either stay on site and reserve three rides a day 60 days in advance of the first day of your trip for all days of your trip, or stay off site and reserve 30 days in advance for each day separately. You can get additional Fastpasses on the day you are there after you use up the first three, if any are still available.
The Disney site itself explains Fastpass well.
(Speaking of Disney— I need to add that I am so proud. My son is planning a high school graduation trip to Disney with 11 of his friends. He has been coordinating the whole thing for his entire group. I was not that independent or brave at age 17!)
Also, if folks are flexible, going in the single rider line CAN be shorter and faster many times as well.
If they have a singles line. Not all the rides have them.
Big Disney fan here. Go to easywdw.com. They have a plan for each park (not sure which two you are going to) that tells you where to use your Fast Pass and what order to ride each ride. He is spot on and has never let us down. Here’s the cheat sheet for Magic Kingdom, as an example:
https://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/mk_cheatsheet_fall_2017
Have fun!
Download the My Disney Experience app on your phone. You can make/change FastPass reservations (no need for a kiosk), dining reservations, see ride wait times and lots of other stuff.
And after you download the app, be sure to take a portable charger with you. You will use the phone app a lot and there are darn few places to charge a phone. I did not find chargers sold in the Disney park stores.
Wow, thanks everyone! I will be busy looking up these links and I will get that app. Thanks, again!
Disneyworld is one of those places that the amount of planning is equal to how much enjoyment you get. IMO
It’s kinda a pain to plan but worth it. Disney without planning = frustration. Disney with planning = blast.
Just wait until you try and book a table at Cinderella’s Castle. D-Day didn’t take this much coordinated timing.
I second the recommendation for disboards forum. It’s the absolute best place to get current and accurate information from individuals who know more about Disney than you can imagine. Some of these people go (and stay) several times a year. Fast pass is a great feature, especially if you’re staying at a Disney resort. Planning is important for a Disney trip, especially if you’re not staying for several days. We’ve had wonderful entire family (with grandchildren) visits where we were able to do every single thing we wanted, because we planned and reserved in advance. A table at Cinderella’s castle is no problem, if you plan.
Does Cinderella’s castle fill up with on-property visitors? The off-property places are much, much friendlier to the budget
I have no way of knowing the answer to that but my guess is that since Disney resort guests have the ability to book earlier (unless something has changed), there might be fewer spots available for others. It was a fun lunch but Mickey’s breakfast at the Contemporary was FAR more fun for all of us, of varying ages.
When I’ve eaten at Disney eateries, I’ve found that eating earlier than the crowd results in much better service and fewer other dining guests—much pleasanter to me.
I 2nd what @SnowflakeDogMom said. I’ve been going to www.disboards.com for years. It is an excellent resource of information. http://wdwprepschool.com is also an excellent place for WDW beginners to start.
The worst thing you can probably do, though, is just go there and not have any sort of plan on what to do, where to eat, etc. That’s a sure fire way to end up waiting hours and hours in long lines and it’s a sure way to end up with Theme Park Fatigue.
TPF is a real condition that my DH often gets on Disney trips. Good preparation on my part and a little bit of homework ahead of time keeps TPF at bay and usually results in our family having a really nice time.