Fastpasses, people will tell you they can make or break your Disney World Vacation. If you are trying to ride the most popular rides a Fastpass is easily your best bet as it can save you so much time while at the park. The question is, what are the best Fastpasses in every park? Today I will tell you the Fastpasses you should be booking, and the common mistakes I see people make all the time.
Fastpass Overview
A quick rundown about booking Fastpasses in advance:
- You get 3 advanced book Fastpasses per day – you can only book one park per day (be sure to read the mistakes about how to get the most out of those 3 Fastpasses)
- You can book 60 days out from the first day of your trip if you are staying on property, 30 days if you are not staying on Disney property
- When you reach 30 or 60 days out from your first day you can book Fastpasses for the entirety of your trip
- Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios all operate with tiers. This means you only can get one pass at a time for their top tier rides, so anything in Pandora or Toy Story Land.
Disclaimer: I am typically head to the park with 1 or 2 people, so if you are booking for an entire large party some of these rides and tricks might not work for you.
Magic Kingdom
On a busy day at Magic Kingdom lines can get out of control, so if you can book Fastpasses, do so. There are rides that you should grab a Fastpass for if you see one, and one’s you should totally pass over.
Book these passes at Magic Kingdom:
7 Dwarfs Mine Train This is probably the most sought after Fastpass at Magic Kingdom, if you want to ride it and don’t want to wait hours, book it if you see it. Pro-tip: If you are attending a party, ie. Halloween or Christmas, you can’t book Fastpasses during the party, however the lines are always significantly shorter.
Peter Pan This queue on this ride gets insane REAL fast. I have in the past snagged last minute Fasspasses, but if this is a must ride for your kids I strongly suggest it. Unless you don’t mind waiting 95 minutes for a ride that will having you saying, “cute, but not worth 95 minutes.”
Space Mountain If you are looking for a little adventure, do it.
Rides that others might suggest, but use your own judgement:
Big Thunder Mountain This is always my go-to last ride of the night and the line is usually short after fireworks. I have had a Fastpass for it in the past, but every other time I have gone I just wait and almost walk on. Plus, this ride is sooo much fun to ride at night and gives you a great view of the castle all lit up.
Jungle Cruise Hello ‘Day of Fastpass’! I typically never book in advance because day of there are often Fastpasses available, and they tend to be ones where the ride is on a pretty hefty wait, but the next Fastpass booking is in 5 minutes.
Animal Kingdom
So, like I previously mentioned Animal Kingdom is a tiered park, with Avatar being the only rides in the top tier. This means you are putting Flight of Passage up against Nav’i River Journey, while everything falls to a lower tier.
Book these passes at Animal Kingdom:
Tier 1
Flight of Passage This is by far my favorite ride is all of the parks (minus The People Mover) but I would NEVER wait 300+ minutes that this ride climbs to on some peak days. If you see a Fastpass for it, book it.
Nav’i River Journey If you cant get the Fastpass to Flight of Passage, of course book Nav’I River Journey if you have the chance. Also, if you are not a fan of motion simulated rides, I also suggest Nav’i. This ride is like Pirates of the Caribbean on steroids.
Tier 2
Kilimanjaro Safari The lines for the safari can get long. I always use one of my fast passes for this ride. I have scored some same day Fastpasses for this ride as well, but you never know. Pro-Trip: Book your Fastpass for early morning, it’s when the animals tend to be most active.
Expedition Everest If you are looking for a serious thrill ride, Everest has you covered. My one tip would be if you are going during the off season and are a single rider, don’t bother on a Fastpass. Everest is the only ride in Animal Kingdom that has a single rider line. During peak times it can get a little busy (I have seen it online at about 45 minutes) but I personally have never wait more than 10-15 minutes.
Dinosaur If you have people on your trip that you think will like this ride, do it. I usually always skip this one but haven’t really been able to score a same day Fastpass.
Rides that others might suggest, but use your own judgement:
Kali River Rapids If you are headed there during the summer and want to cool off, booking a Fastpass can work.
Epcot
Again, Epcot is another tiered park, things will probably shift with the addition of Guardians of the Galaxy in 2021, but for now, here is what you should book.
Book these passes at Epcot:
Tier 1
Frozen If you love Frozen this is a must ride. The animatronics on this ride are amazing, and I have ridden it every time I have gone to the park.
Test Track If you have a need for speed I would suggest Test Track. The queue is pretty interactive, so it keeps you well entertained beyond the ride itself.
Soarin’ I love Soarin’, I mean love it, however I would 100 percent prefer a Fastpass for either Frozen or Test Track. Plus, if you hit this queue at the right point of the day you typically can find standby down to about 30 minutes.
They are all great, so honestly, don’t make me choose. I personally love Frozen, so that is always my go to as it tends to have the longest line. However, all are equally good choices. I also tried to hold out of the same day Fasspass for Soarin’ on my last trip and it didn’t work for me at all.
Tier 2
Spaceship Earth This ride is closing in 2020 for almost 2 ½ years, so get it in while you can. Also, there are many times throughout the day where the line is less than 15 minutes, if you don’t have a Fastpass, ride it then.
Mission Space Again, I have walked on this ride, but it’s a good choice.
Rides that others might suggest, but use your own judgement:
Living the Land One might say I am crazy for putting this on the list, but last time I was there the line was 45 minutes. I mean I love Living the Land, but I am not waiting 45 minutes for it… unless it’s raining.
Hollywood Studios
With Star Wars: Galaxy Edge now opened, there will probably be a shift in things at Hollywood Studios. However, they are not offering Fastpasses with the area opens. Again, it’s tiered and as of recently they have bumped more rides into the top tier.
Tier 1
Slinky Dog Dash This is on my list because I have been to Disney twice since Toy Story Land opened and I have yet to ride it. At no point have I been able to secure a Fastpass no matter how many times I look. Book it if you see it! Side note: I was in Disney on Toy Story Land opening day, and someone noted the line was over 300 minutes, or how they put it “that means you can watch all three Toy Story movies just while waiting in line.” No thanks, I will pass.
Alien Swirling Saucers I have chosen this time and time again since Slinky hasn’t been available and I do not regret it. I love so much about this ride.
Toy Story Mania Again, another good option. However, this ride was around before Toy Story Land, so it is something to note.
Tower of Terror
Rockin’ Roller Coaster
Tier 2
I feel like day of Fastpasses have been harder than ever to get in Hollywood Studios, and I don’t feel like Galaxys Edge opening will help in the least bit. Remember that when you are in the park and you use all three of your pre-booked Fastpasses for the day you can book another tier 1 attraction if it is available.
Star Tours Honestly, this is the only Fastpass I would say you should score in tier 2, everything else is typically easily booked day of. So, pick another ride or show and go with it.
I hope you take some of these tips and tricks in order to help make your Disney experience amazing. What Fastpass did you score using these tricks? Let me know in the comments.
