Your thoughts on our fastpass choices?

[SamJYung]

Hey guys, I'm in the middle of planning our fastpasses, and thought I would share them with you to hear what you think. I know It really boils down to what individuals want to do, but I was interested in perhaps hearing your guys opinion say for example if you think an attraction we chose doesn't need to be fastpassed.

I haven't actually booked these yet, or got times, these are just my initial choices based on the rides I think will be the most busy during our time there. If you have any suggestions or change ideas, I'd love to know!

A lot of websites have advised that crowds will be slightly lower than the peak summer period, obviously it will still be pretty busy, but I factored that in slightly when it came to making my choices. Anyone who has visited in late August/early September, I'd love to hear your experience in terms of crowd levels.

27th August 2016 - MAGIC KINGDOM
1. Splash Mountain
2. Space Mountain
3. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
(I was considering fast passing Peter Pan's Flight, but I thought there would be some point during the day where we could fit it in without a fastpass, or perhaps use an additional fastpass for it after our 3 are used up)

1st September 2016 - EPCOT
1. Frozen Ever After/Soarin' (I've heard It's near impossible for 30 day non-resort guests to pre book these fast passes, but it would be our first choice if we could...If not then, I opted for Soarin'.)
2. Spaceship Earth
3. Epcot Character Spot (Which characters can you actually meet with this? I don't know much about it...)

2nd September 2016 - ANIMAL KINGDOM
1. Expedition Everest
2. Kali River Rapids
3. Kilimanjaro Safari
(I've read that Everest may not need a fastpass if you can get it out of the way early enough...if this is true, then what you swap this for?)

3rd September 2016 - HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
1. Toy Story Midway Mania
2. Star Tours
3. Tower of Terror

Let me know your thoughts!

 

[belledream]

MK and HS are identical to what I would choose.

EPCOT...depending on time of day, SSE is essentially a walk on but so are most things on Tier 2, so it could really be a wash there. At the Character Spot, you meet Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy separately. This is a good choice if nothing else interests you, as character M&G experiences do tend to book up.

AK...yes, we have definitely walked onto Everest many times (which is crazy cause it's AWESOME). If you care to do the Safari multiple times, that would be my recommendation as that line builds up and moves slowly.

 

[SamJYung]

MK and HS are identical to what I would choose.

EPCOT...depending on time of day, SSE is essentially a walk on but so are most things on Tier 2, so it could really be a wash there. At the Character Spot, you meet Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy separately. This is a good choice if nothing else interests you, as character M&G experiences do tend to book up.

AK...yes, we have definitely walked onto Everest many times (which is crazy cause it's AWESOME). If you care to do the Safari multiple times, that would be my recommendation as that line builds up and moves slowly.

Great minds think alike hey?

Can you meet Baymax with the Character Spot? Or is he somewhere separate?

 

[belledream]

Great minds think alike hey?

Can you meet Baymax with the Character Spot? Or is he somewhere separate?

I don't believe the FP can be used to meet Baymax - only Mickey & the gang characters. I think Baymax (and also Joy & Sadness) meet in the other Innoventions (a non FP experience). I haven't been since that thing started so I could be wrong.

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

They seem like wonderful FP selections! Are they mostly for in the am while at the parks?

 

[SamJYung]

They seem like wonderful FP selections! Are they mostly for in the am while at the parks?

I'm not 100% sure what time to book the fast passes for, my plan was to still arrive at parks for opening and just do all the 'big' rides early, as queues will be shorter, and then perhaps book the fast passes for later in the day when crowds start to increase. So we hope to do some 'big' rides twice, once in an early queue and once with fast pass hopefully!

 

[Kate Alan]

Can you meet Baymax with the Character Spot? Or is he somewhere separate?

You cannot meet Baymax or the Inside Out characters with the Character Spot Fastpass, only Mickey & friends.

You FP choices look great to me and are very similar to what we do. If you are going to Magic Kingdom the entire day, I'd start off by hitting up Peter Pan, which both eliminates the need for a FP and saves you the trouble of lines later (unfortunately, Peter regularly has a long queue no matter what the park crowds are like and if you leave it until later in the day, definitely be prepared to wait.)

For Animal Kingdom, if you decide not to use the FP on Everest, you could always use it on a show like Festival of the Lion King (there's not a ton over there that truly needs FP). I always keep the Everest pass anyway and time it for late-morning or early afternoon, which gives me the opportunity to ride standby when the park opens and the line is still short, and then use the FP for when crowds start to pick up a bit.

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

I'm not 100% sure what time to book the fast passes for, my plan was to still arrive at parks for opening and just do all the 'big' rides early, as queues will be shorter, and then perhaps book the fast passes for later in the day when crowds start to increase. So we hope to do some 'big' rides twice, once in an early queue and once with fast pass hopefully!

That sounds like a great plan! Just so you know once you fulfill the 3 FP you can go onto your MDE app and get another FP. That's why we've always done ours in the morning. But I think your plan could definitely work!

 

[SamJYung]

Thanks for all the input guys! Does anyone know how long the lines in general are to meet Baymax and maybe the Inside Out characters? Baymax is a must for me!

 

[Kate Alan]

Thanks for all the input guys! Does anyone know how long the lines in general are to meet Baymax and maybe the Inside Out characters? Baymax is a must for me!

Baymax was roughly 45 minutes when I was there in February.

 

[andy773]

Also, remember that EE and RnRCoaster have single rider lines

 

[SamJYung]

On a slightly un-related note, as you can see by the dates on my provisional fast pass choices, they co-incide with the weekend directly before Labour Day. Is it generally a good idea to avoid the parks in the weekend before the day? I can easily change the dates around so we do the Disney parks earlier on in our itinerary, I just want to know if it is advisable to do so. I can imagine crowds would be hectic? Weird how none of the crowd calendars for 2016 mentioned this... and they actually stated crowds would be low beginning of September.

 

[Old Perfessor]

Hey guys, I'm in the middle of planning our fastpasses, and thought I would share them with you to hear what you think. I know It really boils down to what individuals want to do, but I was interested in perhaps hearing your guys opinion say for example if you think an attraction we chose doesn't need to be fastpassed.

I haven't actually booked these yet, or got times, these are just my initial choices based on the rides I think will be the most busy during our time there. If you have any suggestions or change ideas, I'd love to know!

A lot of websites have advised that crowds will be slightly lower than the peak summer period, obviously it will still be pretty busy, but I factored that in slightly when it came to making my choices. Anyone who has visited in late August/early September, I'd love to hear your experience in terms of crowd levels.

27th August 2016 - MAGIC KINGDOM
1. Splash Mountain
2. Space Mountain
3. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
(I was considering fast passing Peter Pan's Flight, but I thought there would be some point during the day where we could fit it in without a fastpass, or perhaps use an additional fastpass for it after our 3 are used up)

1st September 2016 - EPCOT
1. Frozen Ever After/Soarin' (I've heard It's near impossible for 30 day non-resort guests to pre book these fast passes, but it would be our first choice if we could...If not then, I opted for Soarin'.)
2. Spaceship Earth
3. Epcot Character Spot (Which characters can you actually meet with this? I don't know much about it...)

2nd September 2016 - ANIMAL KINGDOM
1. Expedition Everest
2. Kali River Rapids
3. Kilimanjaro Safari
(I've read that Everest may not need a fastpass if you can get it out of the way early enough...if this is true, then what you swap this for?)

3rd September 2016 - HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
1. Toy Story Midway Mania
2. Star Tours
3. Tower of Terror

Let me know your thoughts!

Hey Sam,

We returned from WDW, from our last grand adventure, back in Oct. 2015. Spent a week at Port Orleans Riverside and fell in love with the place. Highly recommended.

As for your choices of fast passes, I like them a lot.

Magic Kingdom

Only suggestion I would add would be "Big Thunder Mountain". The line at the Seven Dwarves ride is killer long, so that would be my first choice too. Splash Mountain is another great choice and it and Big Thunder Mountain are very close together (less walking is always a must).

EPCOT

Frozen was not available when we were there in Oct., but I have read that the lines are immense. A fast pass would seem a must here. Also, they have or are upgrading "Soarin" and, I must say, this ride is our favorite at EPCOT. An absolute must! I like Spaceship Earth myself, but it can be a little slow for younger folks who are looking for MORE daring adventures. It is a good place to cool down and relax though. "Test Track" had a major line when we were there, so that may be another that you need to fast pass. As for the "EPCOT Character Spot", last time we were there it was usually Disney's "Top 5" (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto) with Chip and Dale. You'll also come across other characters in the individual "country" areas as you go through the park (Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie in Morocco, etc.) and even may see Duffy the Bear.

Animal Kingdom

The fast pass choices you have here are spot on IMO, however let me make one suggestion. I'd pick up "Finding Nemo" or "Lion King" live action shows in place of Kilimanjaro Safaris. Here's why. Be at the park as it opens and make a bee line, straight thru Africa, to the Safari. The line should be shorter in the AM, and you can get in line quickly. Even if it's not...it's cooler and more comfortable for everyone. Also, the animals will be more active before the hottest time of the day, AND Disney feeds them early in the AM, so they are out and about. Then you can enjoy Africa during the AM up through lunch, and then move over to Asia for "Everest and Kali". Hope that makes sense to you. You can hit the Dino area later in the evening. Lastly...the "Nemo" or "Lion King" area give you, much needed rest and relaxation during a hot and tiring day.

Hollywood Studios

Those selections look spot on and I wouldn't change a thing. Only 2 suggestions..."Rock N' Roller Coaster with Aerosmith" and "Fantasmic". Perhaps if you get there early enough, head over to Aerosmith first?! Take your ride and then head back to your fast pass selections. Fantasmic is wonderful, but the lines can be daunting.

Man, I'm jealous of you going this year. Doesn't seem like I'll get back there for another couple years (even though, my wife and I have mentioned it dozens of times and even sat down and planned "our escape" again).

Enjoy and I hope my suggestions have helped.

Old Perfessor