Frozen Ever After & adding family members to my reservation

[PrincessJulia1207]

I'm doing some hardcore strategizing to secure a fastpass to ride Frozen ever after (i didn't get to do it when i visited in March)

Specifically when booking FEA at 7am, is it super risky to book a fastpass for just me and then add the two people in my party to my reservation? (would adjacent time slots run out quickly?) or should i select my whole party to be safe?

i'd like to also know if this is risky to try when booking these options for my trip:
Illuminations
soarin
Toy story mania
star tours
tower of terror

(and what is the likelihood being able to change an existing fastpass to a sold out nighttime show like illuminations or river of light by constantly checking availability? if it pops up as an option, should i book myself and then add my family? or try my whole group?)

 

[correcaminos]

I see no reason why you shouldn't select your whole party. If it were a larger party I might understand wanting to break up the group size, but a part of 3 is pretty small and easier to get. I'm not sure how many days you have but FEA is no longer the hardest to book. I had no issues getting a time for it our very first day of our FP+ window with a party of 3. A day or two in wasn't hard either.

I wouldn't waste FP on shows. The FP locations are nice but not worth using one. If you have nothing else to do at the end of a day and one is there, then go for it. Again try the whole group. I don't see the point in going for just 1 with such a small group.

Just do your FEA first. Then Toy Story Mania & Star Tours and then Soarin' As said I would not do Illuminations as a FP - save it for something better so you can get more than 3 FP in your day after you used the first 3 up.

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

I wouldn't waste FP on shows.

we're doing F&W seminars all day so it would make sense to do the illuminations fastpass on a day when we have less time for rides

similar scenario for rivers of light. we're doing animal kingdom on day of arrival and we won't make it there till evening so it would also make sense for us to book a show

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

Specifically when booking FEA at 7am, is it super risky to book a fastpass for just me and then add the two people in my party to my reservation? (would adjacent time slots run out quickly?) or should i select my whole party to be safe?

I see no reason why you shouldn't select your whole party

some of the WDW planning websites like kenny the pirate or touringplans suggest a strategy where you book one person then add the rest of your party to your reservation.
what im wondering is if that's a risky thing to do

 

[correcaminos]

some of the WDW planning websites like kenny the pirate or toutingplans suggest a strategy where you book one person then add the rest of your party to your reservation.
what im wondering is if that's a risky thing to do

I find that excessive for a small group. It's also time consuming and not worth it IMO. I think if you have a very large group splitting up isn't bad, but for a group of 3, no way I'd bother. Especially with FEA, it's not like FOP which is getting really hard to get.

What you do with the shows is up to you. They don't book up quickly and often we find space for them even the day of for our party of three. This includes summer and spring break visits.

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

What you do with the shows is up to you. They don't book up quickly and often we find space for them even the day of for our party of three. This includes summer and spring break visits.

true but i already couldnt get Rivers of Light so im concerned!

thanks for your help! i dont think i'll take the risk

 

[Tuvalu]

true but i already couldnt get Rivers of Light so im concerned!

Rivers of Light is not performed every night so it's possible you were searching for fastpasses on a day the show is closed. You would have received the "currently unavailable" message when trying to book.

 

[correcaminos]

true but i already couldnt get Rivers of Light so im concerned!

thanks for your help! i dont think i'll take the risk

Use this to help https://touringplans.com/magic-kingdom/fastpass-availability
Though it's acting weird today.

I'll be blunt honest, a FP+ for ROL is not necessary to see the show. It really does not fill up that fast. But that's me and I don't think it's worth using a FP on something you don't have to wait long to get through the line.

And as said below you might not see it because of this -

Rivers of Light is not performed every night so it's possible you were searching for fastpasses on a day the show is closed. You would have received the "currently unavailable" message when trying to book.

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

Rivers of Light is not performed every night so it's possible you were searching for fastpasses on a day the show is closed. You would have received the "currently unavailable" message when trying to book.

i thought of that--the webpage for ROL on the WDW website listed a showtime

the fastpass system also says there are "no more fastpass times for this experience"

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

Use this to help https://touringplans.com/magic-kingdom/fastpass-availability
Though it's acting weird today.

I'll be blunt honest, a FP+ for ROL is not necessary to see the show. It really does not fill up that fast. But that's me and I don't think it's worth using a FP on something you don't have to wait long to get through the line.

And as said below you might not see it because of this -

touringplans is awesome-i love that tool!

except, just my luck, it's been acting wonky with data for the days i'm going next month.

i'm in the dark about what's still available for when i book DHS tomorrow but i did jot down the data for TSM, tower of terror, and star tours that was listed by touringplans a few days ago. hopefully it's updated again sometime today, but i have goals in mind for the times i want for each attraction (going for TSM first thing at 7am!)

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

I'll be blunt honest, a FP+ for ROL is not necessary to see the show. It really does not fill up that fast. But that's me and I don't think it's worth using a FP on something you don't have to wait long to get through the line.

but let's say my family wants to line up for ROL early-is it a problem if we have a fastpass for navi river at 7:25? the showtime for ROL that night is 8:15

i don't know what the standby line gets like lol (and fastpass sold out )

 

[correcaminos]

but let's say my family wants to line up for ROL early-is it a problem if we have a fastpass for navi river at 7:25? the showtime for ROL that night is 8:15

i don't know what the standby line gets like lol (and fastpass sold out )

Granted this is just historical viewings of ROL, but the standby line is not usually bad at all. I've heard more people say they wished they used it on something else (Illuminations as well). That even 15 minutes prior they were fine. Being honest, I don't think the show is that well loved so many don't rush to see it.

So with Navi at 7:25, get there 5 minutes early and you can go through (you get 5 mins prior and 10-15 after). Then when that is over you will have plenty of time to walk to ROL.

touringplans is awesome-i love that tool!

except, just my luck, it's been acting wonky with data for the days i'm going next month.

i'm in the dark about what's still available for when i book DHS tomorrow but i did jot down the data for TSM, tower of terror, and star tours that was listed by touringplans a few days ago. hopefully it's updated again sometime today, but i have goals in mind for the times i want for each attraction (going for TSM first thing at 7am!)

Yeah not sure what's up with the site there, but I like looking just for fun now and then. Are you off site then? I am guessing since you are doing it day by day. TSM first is a good idea. In our experience do Star tours next and then Tower of Terror. We often find that one the day of

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

Yeah not sure what's up with the site there, but I like looking just for fun now and then. Are you off site then? I am guessing since you are doing it day by day. TSM first is a good idea. In our experience do Star tours next and then Tower of Terror. We often find that one the day of

my parents have to leave DHS around noon because they have a commitment and then they're coming back to DHS meet me for dinner. my goal is to secure FP for TOT and star tours in the morning and a fastpass for TSM right before our dining reservation. to get the ideal time for TSM i'm gonna aim to book that first, then TOT and star tours. hopefully the time slot i have in mind is still available....welp

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

Granted this is just historical viewings of ROL, but the standby line is not usually bad at all. I've heard more people say they wished they used it on something else (Illuminations as well). That even 15 minutes prior they were fine. Being honest, I don't think the show is that well loved so many don't rush to see it.

So with Navi at 7:25, get there 5 minutes early and you can go through (you get 5 mins prior and 10-15 after). Then when that is over you will have plenty of time to walk to ROL.

this sounds like a pretty solid plan! thanks for the advice

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

and @helenabear normally i do share your view that using fastpass on shows is a waste. but this visit is a bit different. one factor is that on particular days, we're tight for time (as i described), so it makes sense on those days to book shows, as it is would normally prevent us from making additional fastpasses. on our other days, my goal is to make FP selections as early in the day as possible to allow us to make additional selections same-day. (with FEA, that might be difficult because what's left for off-property plebeians like me seem to start from 4pm and on )

but a big reason is that this is the first time in a long time that i'm visiting WDW with my parents, and my mom really enjoys the nighttime shows so i wanted to make sure she has the best seats. my mom also has a foot problem, and hurrying around the parks isn't ideal for her. so being able to rest at the end of the day at a nighttime show makes sense for us.

also, the main reason for our visit is the food and wine festival, so we'd much prefer to enjoy that rather than wait on long lines. if i don't get a FP for frozen, i don't feel it's fair to ask them to wait on the 90-120 minute standby line with me, or leave them to wait on the line by myself. i would probably skip it altogether (again )

in other words, this is the most challenging trip i've ever had to plan

 

[figmentfan03]

some of the WDW planning websites like kenny the pirate or touringplans suggest a strategy where you book one person then add the rest of your party to your reservation.
what im wondering is if that's a risky thing to do

If you can get all three, book all three. Disney has a the customer is always right policy, but not with fastpasses. They take letting people into that line very seriously and the best way to do it is following their rules 100%. DO NOT try to book just one or two and thinking they will let you all on. I know this wasn't your plan, but don't even consider it unless you would like to be let down. Overall, Disney is very strict with their fastpasses, so be careful and have fun! FEA is a great ride!

 

[figmentfan03]

true but i already couldnt get Rivers of Light so im concerned!

thanks for your help! i dont think i'll take the risk

The theatre for Rivers of Light is so big that you really DO NOT need to get a fastpass. I saw it and did not think it was as good as the hype. However, if you really want to see it, the regular line is fine. Don't make fastpasses that late because it prevents you from adding more later at a kiosk or on the MDE app. A good alternative is the tree of life awakenings.

 

[figmentfan03]

touringplans is awesome-i love that tool!

except, just my luck, it's been acting wonky with data for the days i'm going next month.

i'm in the dark about what's still available for when i book DHS tomorrow but i did jot down the data for TSM, tower of terror, and star tours that was listed by touringplans a few days ago. hopefully it's updated again sometime today, but i have goals in mind for the times i want for each attraction (going for TSM first thing at 7am!)

Be careful with DHS, their fastpasses may use a two tier system

 

[correcaminos]

Be careful with DHS, their fastpasses may use a two tier system

It is tiered.

Fortunately Star Tours and Tower of Terror are level 2 so you can put them with a "pick one" like TSM. RnR is a level one so you do have to pick between TSM and RnR. I looked for today though and RnR has some available right now for a few hours later.