Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The same logic applies at Disney World's parades and fireworks. We don't usu-
ally recommend using FastPass+ for the Main Street Electrical Parade or
Wishes
fire-
works at the Magic Kingdom,
IllumiNations
at Epcot, or many theater shows (unless
you've got extra FastPasses at the end of your second day). FastPass+ at parades, fire-
works, and shows usually guarantees you only somewhere to sit or stand. Because
you still have to arrive early to claim a prime viewing location, you end up not saving
much time. A reader from Charleston, South Carolina, figured this out on his own:
FastPass+ for
IllumiNations
and shows like
Beauty and the Beast
is a waste. They
give away many more reservations for
IllumiNations
than actually provide a good
view, so unless you arrive early and stake out a place (which you can do without
FastPass+), there really is no point. For
Beauty and the Beast,
they don't reserve any
special seating—you just get a guaranteed seat, which, at least in my experience, is
unnecessary if you just arrive 15-20 minutes before the show
.
Readers React to FastPass+
FastPass+ generates more comments than anything we've seen in years. A mother
from Kansas likes the ability to schedule rides in advance:
It was great to schedule our FastPasses ahead of time and know when and where we
were going to be. If a ride was closed during our scheduled time, we got an e-mail,
and we were able to go back at any time the rest of the day or switch the attraction or
time.
A Columbia, Maryland, woman, however, laments that ride reservations are yet
another chore on her vacation to-do list:
Between the need for scheduling meals 180 days in advance and rides 60 days out,
Disney World has become a vacation for those who enjoy planning every hour of their
day.
A common complaint is that FastPass+ is targeted to tech-savvy younger guests,
as this 60-something from Bemidji, Minnesota, notes:
Many seniors, and a surprising number of others, aren't into technology. I know a lot
of people can't go anywhere without their gadgets, but there are a LOT of us, young
and old, who don't have them or don't want to use them on vacation. It seems that
those without iPhones, etc., are at a disadvantage
.
