How Fast Pass+ Reservations Were Made
A look back at the formerly free Disney FastPass+ system
Previously, Disney FastPass+ reservations could be made 30 days before the start of your trip. Once you order and receive your tickets from Orlando vacation, download the My Disney Experience app on your tablet or smart phone and link the tickets on a computer to prepare for the planning process. Then, starting at 30 days out, you were able to chose up to three FastPass+ attractions per day all in the same park. However, once all of the FastPasses were used, you could make an additional fourth selection (if available) at one of the park kiosks, and it can be for any of the four Disney® parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom). Additional selections could then be made if available or when your family is just plain exhausted from all the fun.
Update: FastPass+ System was discontinued in 2020 and has been replaced by Genie+. Please visit our blog post on Genie+ system to see how it works and if it is worth the additional add on for your Disney World tickets.
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Step by Step on setting your Walt Disney World® FastPass+
Step: 2
Add your family members to the account.
Step: 3
Link the tickets to the family members’ names. The system will then know how many days of FastPass+ experiences you can reserve. You cannot use the system if you do not link your tickets. If you don’t have a ticket to link you will not be able to reserve FastPasses.
Step: 4
On the My Disney Experience® tab, select FastPass+. This will take you to a screen that says Select a Day. (If you click on the calendar icon after the date it will bring up the month and show the 30 day window.) Once a day has been selected, a green check will appear under that date. Click the green next on the lower right corner
Step: 5
Next, select your family members. You can use the “select all” button to easily choose everyone. Click “next” when the green selected check marks appear.
Step: 6
Now select the park you wish to visit that day. Choose wisely because all three of your initial FastPasses will have to be at that park, even if you have park hopper tickets. Click “next” after you make your selection.
Step: 7
For the Magic Kingdom® and Animal Kingdom®, select the three attractions you want to reserve. Epcot® and Disney’s Hollywood Studios® are a little more complicated because they have a tier system. You can select one attraction from Group A and two from Group B. Some of the attractions might be greyed out and not selectable. This happens when something is down for refurbishment or, more commonly, if all the available FastPass+ times have already been selected for a very popular attraction. A “prioritize the order” screen will pop up, but you can skip it and click “next.”
Step: 8
You’ll see four tabs of options and times, with “Best Match!” highlighted. Click on each tab to see the times automatically selected for you and click one of the options. The times can be adjusted on the next screen.
Check to make sure that the attractions you want are on the list. Sometimes the system will substitute something else when limited times are available and the time gap between the reservations gets too long. Click “next”to confirm your selections.
Step: 9
Congratulations! You now have confirmed FastPasses. At this point you have three choices. If you are happy with the times and have more days to plan, click “Plan Another Day” and repeat the selection process. If you have no more days left to plan, click “Done.”
Additional information
Keep in mind that two overlapping FastPasses was not permitted and that two FastPass+ reservations for the same attraction on the same day also was not permitted. Once you were all done, you would simply wave your ticket at the FastPass+ reader at the entrance to each attraction or if you had already linked your account to a Magic Band, you would touch the Mickey sensor until it gives you the green light and sounds a chime then, you could waltz into the special short line.
Now however, the FastPass+ system became temporarily suspended due to Covid restrictions. Disney® may not bring back the FastPass+ system, but may replace with a Disney® Genie Pass (that offers Premier Access or MaxPass). We will have to wait and see what Disney intends to do with the future of either the FastPass or Disney Genie system. Plan your trip early to get your tickets ahead of time, and ride all your Disney® favorites.