Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
187
Tips
FASTPASS
“Get a time—why wait in line . . .” says Disney. If lines aren't your thing—well . . .
you had better turn back now. Lines are a part of the deal at Disney (and the
other parks, too, for that matter). On the other hand, if you're savvy, you can
usually avoid the worst of them if you take advantage of Disney's FASTPASS
system. The free system allows you to wait in a far shorter line at some of the
park's most popular attractions. Seems easy enough, right? Well, it is. There is,
however, a small price to be paid for skipping the big lines. Here's the drill:
Hang on to your ticket stub
when you enter and head to the hottest ride on
your list. If it's a FASTPASS attraction (they're noted in the guide map you get
when you enter), you'll see a sign marking the FASTPASS kiosk just near the
entrance. Feed your ticket into the ticket taker.
Note:
Every member of your
group must get an individual FASTPASS. Retrieve both your ticket and your
FASTPASS slip. Printed on the slip are two times. You can return anytime during
that 1-hour window and enter the ride (there's a much shorter and faster line
for FASTPASS holders). Be sure to keep your slip handy, as you'll need it to get
in the right line.
Note II:
Early in the day, your 1-hour window may begin as soon as 40 min-
utes after you feed the FASTPASS machine, but later in the day it may be hours
later. Initially, Disney only allowed you to do this on one ride at a time. Now,
your FASTPASS ticket has a time printed when you can get a second FASTPASS,
usually about 2 hours after you got the first one, though it can sometimes be
as soon as 45 minutes later, even if you haven't used the first pass yet.
Note III:
Don't think you can fool Disney by feeding your ticket stub in mul-
tiple times, figuring you can hit the jackpot for multiple rides or help others in
your group who lost their tickets. These “smart” stubs will reject your attempts
by spitting out a coupon that says “Not A Valid FASTPASS.”
Note IV:
FASTPASS slips can run out. So if you have your heart set on a ride
and it's the middle of the peak season, be sure to head to your chosen attrac-
tion's FASTPASS machine as soon as you can. Tickets for top rides often run out
by the early afternoon, sometimes even earlier.
6
SUGGESTED ITINERARIES
My suggested itineraries will allow you to cover most of the ground in each park in
as efficient a manner as possible. Do note, though, that using FASTPASS may require
you to double back to a land you've already covered.
There are a ton of ways to see the parks, and time and budget permitting, it's
often better to do it in limited doses—where you spend 2 or more days in a park at a
casual pace. I'm offering suggested itineraries as options for those on a tighter sched-
ule. The following itineraries are organized to get the most out of the least amount of
time. Where appropriate, I break things into one game plan for families with kids and
another for teenagers and adults. With few exceptions (I note them later), Disney
World doesn't have enough true stomach-turning thrill rides to warrant a special
