Tips for making FastPass+ selections in Walt Disney World in Orlando

For anyone who enjoys holiday planning in detail, the FastPass+ system in Walt Disney World can be incredibly exciting. To make the most of a visit to Walt Disney World in Orlando, holiday-makers can make their FastPass+ selections to minimise queue time weeks or months in advance.

The booking system opens 60 days before the arrival date for Disney Resort guests (earlier for guests staying in certain rooms and paying a separate fee to make a limited number of additional FastPass+ selections). Guests who are not staying in a Disney Resort can book FastPass+ from 30 days before the day they’re visiting a park.

After trying the 60-day booking window this year, here are my updated tips for families planning a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida:

1. Prioritise your bookings
With some FastPass+ selections being in high demand, it is worth preparing for booking the most difficult FastPasses first. Based on my experience, I would currently recommend starting with booking Slinky Dog Dash in Hollywood Studios and Avatar Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom if these two are on the list of FastPasses to try to secure. Some of the other very popular FastPass+ selections I would also try to be very quick to get are Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Magic Kingdom and Frozen Ever After in Epcot.

2. Plan ahead
To be able to make decisions fast, I prepare a list of rides and ideal times I would like to book before the booking window opens. To do this, it is useful to get an overview of all the rides and consult family members, and I would recommend reading Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2019 and Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World for Kids 2019. In addition, YouTube videos about rides can be useful, and it is worth trying the Disney Parks YouTube channel, DFB Guide and TPM Vids. I also subscribe to TouringPlans.com for $14.95 for a year, and I use TouringPlans for creating and optimising personalised plans to save on queuing time and get advice on which rides in our plans to try to book as FastPass+ selections.

3. Remember the restrictions
Not all rides can be booked in advance, and the list of FastPass+ options is available on the Walt Disney World website. In Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom the FastPass+ options are tiered, and the standard FastPass+ service allows guests to only make up to one selection from Group A rides. In Hollywood Studios, for example, guests therefore have to choose between popular rides Toy Story Midway Mania, Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers.

4. Optimise use of FastPass+ selections
To avoid using FastPass+ selections on viewing for nighttime shows, consider booking a dining package with show viewing or a dessert party. The same goes for character meet and greets, as there are a number of character meals to book, and we prioritise these as they are great for meeting favourite Disney characters and collecting autographs.

5. Keep checking for changes to time slots
The available time slots appear to change regularly, and it always seems to be worth checking back in to modify a FastPass+ selection. I have managed to change several of the times of my bookings, as I first didn’t find availability for all the times I had originally wanted for the rides.

Tags: Disney, FastPass, Orlando, Travel, Walt Disney World