ELI5 FastPass

Y’all last time I went to WDW was four years ago. There was an app and you could fastpass three things at a time, no restrictions on what you could fastpass… the only limit was having three at any given time.

But now… I’m SO CONFUSED.

Can someone explain like I’m 5 the FastPass situation? We are 37 days out, so I think I’m f’ed. I’ve been trying to get fastpass for Frozen Ever After on any day/time during our visit and it says they aren’t available. I’m totally F’d right?

Please someone explain these different tiers. And if you could throw in a legit reason why it’s like that, that would be cool. :slight_smile: I thought the last method was pretty good.

Thanks all!
Stephanie

Well, as you can see there are certain attractions for which the FastPasses are in very high demand and this is what they’ve done to spread that demand out and ensure that more people get at least 1 high demand FastPass. For instance, at Epcot nearly everyone would take FastPasses for Frozen Soarin, and Test Track and those who weren’t in there right on 60 days out (like you, and also like anyone who isn’t staying on property) would not get any of the high demand FastPasses, so by limiting everyone to a single choice from among those three they are opening up more slots… with my group of 8 only being able to choose 1 tier 1 option (we chose Frozen) that leaves 16 more tier 1 slots (8 at Test Track and 8 at Soarin) available to others.

Also, you’re not completely out of options… at this point your best option is to plan on being there 30 minutes before rope drop, and “moving purposefully” back to Frozen as soon as you get through. That will minimize your wait, though it’s still likely to be longer than with FP. Then you can use your Tier 1 on Soarin or Test Track and avoid those lines completely. It’s not ideal, but since Frozen seems to be a low-capacity ride they really won’t have as many FastPasses available to begin with, and they do go FAST, even for low crowd level days.

Oh, and for explaination on how to use the system… Epcot and Hollywood Studios are the only ones that have tiers. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom both allow you to choose any 3.

For the parks with Tiers you can choose 1 option from Tier 1 (which is the highest demand attractions) and 2 options from Tier 2 in advance. On the day of, after you’ve used all of your FP choices for that day you can either use the app or an in-park kiosk to choose 1 more, and then another after you’ve used that 4th one. All 3 advance FastPasses must be in the same park, but on the day of you’re free to select a different park for your 4th if you’d like… that must be done from the app.

THANK YOU!! You’ve been really really helpful!!

For FEA, I think our plan will be to just be there at Rope Drop one day and run to it… we are staying at the Boardwalk Villas so very close to the International gateway… I think that gives us a leg up on the competition :slight_smile:

1 Like

I think there were some Liners in the August FB group who were going to actually test out the IG/MG question. Also, if you could manage to get the earliest possible Akershus breakfast reservations (use the reservation finder!!) and it was a 9am opening then you might be able to have even more of a head start.

Also, I love Boardwalk Villas… the best part is that you’re not at the mercy of transportation for your arrival. It’s an easy walk!

What is the reservation finder?

It’s a feature here at Touring Plans (look under Dining… there’s a link on the left side to the tool). You put in what reservation you want… where, when, how many people, and they have minions who search every morning. If the time you want becomes available they message you.