As I saw on your website, there is a new thing called "fastpass" for certain rides. I searched your archives, but i couldn't find a detailed description. I was wondering what fastpass exactly is?

Can you explain to me what fastpass is? it seems a bit confusing to me and it sounds like if you do not know if a ride has fastpass and you queue up normally you are going to get screwed.

So I decided to put up this page - everything you need to know about FastPass, and how it is supposed to work.  [Plus we answer a few of your many questions about it.]  I hope the fine folks at Disneyland figure out soon that LOTS of people seem to still be very confused by it.

The FastPass concept is really pretty simple - using it allows you to do something else other than stand in line while a ride time is reserved for you.  

FastPass is a very clever way to both address the number one complaint people have about Disney parks, those long lines -- and also get visitors to spend a bit more as they wander around eating and shopping, which those very lines had kept them from doing a lot of.

Of course if you choose not to use FastPass, you can still stand in the regular line for the ride, and usually that wait will be just as long as if you didn't use it. But you don't get the luxury of wandering around and doing other things that FastPass can give you. It really is a great tool to see more of the park during peak periods.

Here's how it works on Space Mountain:

As you walk up to Splash Mountain, you will see the following set of FastPass signs [below], as you walk up to them, this will be your cue to dig out that admission ticket you used to get into the park - you will need it because it has a bar code on it that is used for the FastPass tickets to be issued to you.

The FastPass sign shows you the following information [shown in better detail below]:

It will tell you what times you will be coming back to ride once you get your FastPass [above] and...

...about how long it will take if you want to go ahead and wait in the regular line instead of using a FastPass.  

[Usually you'll see that basically you can wait in the regular line for just about the same amount of time as you can wander around before coming back to board the ride with a FastPass.]  

Once you decide you want to go ahead and get a FastPass, it couldn't be simpler, you'll walk up to a nearby machine that dispenses tickets [below]...

...and as you see above, you insert your admission ticket or annual pass into the slot and pull it right back out [it never leaves your hand] ...and as the green light flashes, you get a ticket like the one shown below...

Ticket art © Disney

...that will let you on the ride anytime between the two times shown on it. It will also let you know if a second ticket may be obtained now for another ride IF your wait time exceeds four hours.

Do not lose this ticket!  When you come back, you will need it so the Cast Member [CM] will take it and then direct you to a special very short FastPass line that will let you board without any kind of a long wait.

With your FastPass now in hand for example, instead of waiting an hour in line for Space Mountain you can use the time before you go back while in Tomorrowland to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience, [avoid Innoventions if you know what is good for you], have a churro, or shop, which is something Eisner will be delighted you'll be doing instead of just standing in line. You then come back sometime between the times printed on the ticket and get in a special shorter line to get right on the ride.

By the way, a second FastPass may be obtained at the same time ONLY if your ticket goes beyond a four hour window - for example Space Moutain on a busy day.

Usually the wait in that special FastPass line should be under five minutes, but sometimes it can run up to ten or fifteen on big rides such as Splash.  Even at this length, it's much better than waiting ninety minutes or so in the regular line on a busy day.

By the way, near all the FastPass ride entrances there is a clock just in case you forgot your watch.

Commonly asked questions about FastPass:

Q. Will FastPass get me on rides sooner?

A. No - it just allows you to do something else while a ride time is reserved for you.

Q. Can I run around the park and pick up all my FastPasses for the day all at once?

A. No - the idea behind preventing this is to keep you in the park [and hopefully spending your money] as long as is possible.  

This is accomplished by networking all the FastPass machines together - which allows them to reject a FastPass request if it comes in before the latest time printed on the last FastPass you were issued.

Right now the policy is to allow you to get one FastPass for up to two hours. If the FastPass return time on your ticket goes beyond four hours - on a busy day at Splash Mt. for example - then you may also get a second FastPass.

Confusing? Yes. Will it change in the future? Probably. Keep in mind things may change as systems could go down, or the park needs to adjust flow on busy days.

 

Q. When I get a FastPass is that good for everyone in my party or do we each need our own?

A. Each admission ticket / annual pass is only good for one FastPass. 

One person can gather all of your group's tickets / annual passes together to get everyone's FastPasses all at the same time though - covering situations such as Mom holding onto all the little one's tickets so they won't lose them.

 

FastPass machines getting ready to come up on Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin

Q. Should I just hang around the ride area until it's my time to ride?

A. In real world use, we've found that it would be better to actually get away from the land or area that the FastPass ride is located in - since everyone else with a FastPass also heads to all the other nearby attractions and facilities near it to kill time before riding.

For example, on a regular basis due to nearby Splash Mountain, the Country Bear show now fills up with FastPass holders.  Yes, this is great in that it allows better use of what used to be lower attendance attractions [keeping them from being shuttered] - but your time may be better spent in nearby New Orleans Square or Frontierland instead, visiting less overwhelmed attractions such as the Mark Twain or Columbia, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tarzan's Treehouse or the Haunted Mansion.

You can also shop and eat too if you so wish - which, face it, is what Disney executives would really rather prefer that you do.  ;)

Q. What if for some reason I miss my time to get on?

A. Right now, you'll just have to get another ticket for a later time, or go ahead and wait in the regular line.  

IF it is not all that busy, you MAY be able to ask a CM to let you board past your time, but don't count on it.  And be nice to them, OK?  They deal with enough nasty visitors as it is.

 

Q. What if a ride breaks down before or just at my scheduled time?

A. You will be asked to come back when the ride is back up - and you MAY get preferred boarding over the regular line.  It will all depend on how long the ride is down, and how busy the park is. 

Keep in mind that there is no guarantee of a ride with your ticket, if you complain you will be told there is no cost to FastPass.

 

Q. Do FastPass ticket holders get priority on ride boarding?

A. Usually they seem to - for example we've seen them hold up the regular line a bit while they whittle down the FastPass line quickly. They usually don't want the FastPass line to exceed five to ten minutes at most.

 

Q. What if I lose my admission ticket, can I still get a FastPass?

A. Yes - ask the CM at the ride and they will accommodate you. And don't think you can pull a fast one on them by claiming you've lost your ticket at each location so you can gather all your FastPasses at once, they have their ways you know.

 

Q. When you put your park admission ticket into the FastPass machines do you get it back right away?

A. Yes - the ticket only gets scanned for the bar code on it, it never actually leaves your hand.  It's similar to swiping a credit card at a point of sale terminal.

 

The newly redesigned FastPass station at Space Mountain

Q. How many FastPasses get issued for the same time you come back at?

A. For the visitor, the system isn't so much about numbers as it is about boarding times.  The blocks of tickets get issued in five minute batches, which insures a steady flow of people to the FastPass line. 

For example if you arrive at the Space Mountain FastPass box at some time between 1:25 and 1:30 PM -- and the wait to ride in the normal line is about 30 minutes -- your FastPass will usually be issued for between 2 and 3 PM.  

If you arrive sometime between 1:30 and 1:35 PM, the FastPass you get then will say it can be used between 2:05 and 3:05 PM.  Get there at 1:45 PM, and the FastPass is good between 2:15 and 3:15 PM, etc., etc. 

The biggest variable in the system that will affect you is how long the regular line for the ride is at the time you get your FastPass. 

If the regular line to ride is about 90 minutes at 1:30 PM, your FastPass will then allow you to come back between 3 and 4 PM - a minimum of a 90 minute delay - about what it would have taken you if you had waited in line.  But, of course, you got to do other things in the meantime.

It's such a clever system that Disney has even patented it - so that other theme parks won't be able to easily duplicate it.

 

Q. Does it cost me anything to use FastPass?

A. There is no cost to you now for using it.  

There have been discussions about selling step-up / higher priced admission tickets in the future that would offer it as a bonus, and pre- printed tickets may be included in Disney hotel packages but that is still not happening.  

Enjoy it while it is still included in the regular admission price.

 

Q. Will FastPass be available all the time, all year round?

A. It will really depend on how packed the park is. If it rains for example, lesser rides such as Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin may not offer it.  

Most likely the ultra-popular rides, such as Splash Mountain, will offer it all the time.

 

Q. Will FastPass be available on any other rides?

A. Check this page's right hand column on a regular basis, we'll update when rides are added to the FastPass program.

NOW AT DISNEYLAND:

SPLASH MOUNTAIN

SPACE MOUNTAIN

INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE

AUTOPIA

ROGER RABBIT'S CARTOON SPIN

STAR TOURS

HAUNTED MANSION

its a small world holiday

COMING SOON:

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

MATTERHORN BOBSLEDS

RUMORED:

PETER PAN

ALSO ALL THE MAJOR ATTRACTIONS AT THE NEW CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE PARK ARE BEING BUILT TO ACCOMMODATE FASTPASS

-TOP | SECTION CONTENTS | MOUSEPLANET MAIN PAGE

-Copyright © MousePlanetô Inc. | Really Scary Legal Page & Privacy Policy