Which FP strategy?

[mikewdw]

which do you favor and why?
get early FP and try to get 4th & 5th later on
get them for afternoon when crowds back up the standby lines?
also, if go back to hotel & swim how does this factor into decision?
just looking for different angle than I have thought of?
thanks
mikewdw

 

[PoorSkippy]

I think this will depend on when you are going, your touring style, if youre planning to use Park Hoppers, and the age/s of your traveling companion/s. There are probably a zillion ways to go about this, but a few things I've learned from experience:

-If you book your first 3 FPs for early in the day in the hopes of snagging "4th & 5th" FPs, depending what park you are in and what the crowds are looking like, the pickin's might be slim. This also depends on the types of attractions youre targeting. I personally don't believe in hanging my hat on the hopes of 4th & 5th passes anymore, as I've been disappointed in the past.

-If you are traveling with a small child (or...I guess anyone!) who might need a nap, I usually recommend that you just make the FPs for earlier in the day. Once the little one is at their breaking point for the morning/afternoon, you aren't going to want to try and eek out that last FP. Better to just get things done rapid-fire in the morning, and then after a break if you make it back to the park, then that's when you can see what the fates have left for you with regards to additional FPs. This also allows you to easily select a different park for the later part of your day (assuming you have PHs), perhaps depending on the length of break needed. Otherwise, you might feel like you're rushing through your midday break (which was supposed to be relaxing, right?) to get to use those FPs you've waited for all day. Plus, if anything goes wrong timing-wise you might be interfering with dinner ADRs.


Again, there are so many ways to look at this. This is just how I would approach the FP scheduling if it was up to me.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

I think this will depend on when you are going, your touring style, if youre planning to use Park Hoppers, and the age/s of your traveling companion/s.

This is the key to Disney touring plans - it depends on you and nobody else.

If you're at the park for rope drop then there's no point in FP until later in the day. Where as a later arrival you may benefit from 3 FP straight away and attempt to get others later

 

[LAKid53]

We select the rides we want to ride the most at each park, but the times start later in the morning. Then after that, we check a kiosk to see what's available if the wait times are greater than 30 minutes. We usually head back to our resort in the afternoon, around 2-3PM for something to eat, a nap (me) and a visit to the pool (daughter and BF). We visit frequently enough that we don't have to ride every single ride in the park - just the ones we like. So I'm not disappointed to see 80 minute standby times for Peter Pan's Flight - I just chuckle when I walk by....

However, we haven't tried to cram 3 adults into a tea cup lately...so our next visit might include a ride on the Cups. And now that I know the purple one in the center supposedly spins the fastest.....

 

[andy773]

It varies for me.

On a typical day when we get there in the morning, I book the first FP for 11 am or noon, take a break for lunch and then book the remaining two after lunch. After that we usually head back to the hotel for a break and then figure out what we want to do after that.

When we were there in February, the MK was open until 3 am Saturday night, which we did (lasted til 1:45 am!). So for Sunday, I booked our FP's for Epcot starting at 3 pm or so. Slept in Sunday morning, which was great.

I think the trick to effectively using FP is to realistically think about how you tour and relax and book accordingly. What works for one,wouldn't for another.

 

[LAKid53]

It varies for me.

On a typical day when we get there in the morning, I book the first FP for 11 am or noon, take a break for lunch and then book the remaining two after lunch. After that we usually head back to the hotel for a break and then figure out what we want to do after that.

When we were there in February, the MK was open until 3 am Saturday night, which we did (lasted til 1:45 am!). So for Sunday, I booked our FP's for Epcot starting at 3 pm or so. Slept in Sunday morning, which was great.

I think the trick to effectively using FP is to realistically think about how you tour and relax and book accordingly. What works for one,wouldn't for another.

Precisely. Which is why when people have detailed discussions about what time to get to the park for 8:00 AM rope drop and how early will the buses start running and which rides should they do first so not to use that precious allotment of 3 FP+ advance selections, I yawn because we are just waking up at that time.

We've done WDW so many times we now just pick the rides/shows we really like and wing the rest. Or walk around the park for a while after we've finished our FPs to see what's new (in the shops, of course), people watch, get a Dole Whip and then head back to the resort for some chilling time (literal in the summer) before heading back in the early evening. Yeah, I've tried to do the 3:00 AM EMH at MK, but I usually last until 1:30 or so. And end up dragging my sleepy daughter back to the resort. She once asked me to carry her - she just turned 27! That was a big NO. lol

Addition: that daughter is getting married next year. And some day after that, we will be visiting with little ones in tow. I've told her she needs to adjust to the wake time of children (don't you remember hearing the excited little boy/girl running down the hallway at our resort at 7:00 AM saying, "Daddy, we are leaving to see Mickey!") since our roll out of bed at 8:00AM and get to the parks around 10:30-11:00 AM isn't going to work with an excited 6 year old. Ah, a mother's revenge - when your child has children!

 

[Kingoglow]

There is no one best answer.
For my family, the strategy, that works for us, is to schedule Fastpasses early evening. We always arrive for rope drop and hit several of the attractions which will have long lines late in the day. We stay and eat lunch in the park and usually head back to the hotel shortly thereafter. We rest for a few hours typically by swimming and napping, then head back to the parks around 4 or 5. This is when I usually have my Fastpasses scheduled, after 5:00 pm.

 

[disneyfirstLJ]

My FP+ strategy is different for my upcoming trip then my last trip. We have park hoppers this time and are using that to take advantage of night time activities like fireworks and shows. Therefore, our first FP+ starts around 10 as we are hoping to make rope drop at least some of the days. We will ride the attractions in the morning, rest in the mid-afternoon (when it will be the hottest) and go to a different park in the evening. We only have 3 ADR's this trip so we don't have to worry about fitting FP+ and our rest time around food. Looking forward to seeing how this strategy plays out.

 

[bigorangeandy]

We are doing things different this short upcoming trip, with setting up our first two days for late FP and our last two early. Our arrival day we will not arrive till about 6pm, so I've scheduled late FPs. Second day we are doing Illuminations, so I expect we will take a afternoon break and set up our FPs for the afternoon return. Our last day I have early as I can get at MK, so we can grab a ride or three, then hit the road for the drive home.

 

[Pan]

It depends on how crowded the park is that day. If you go during a busy time, many popular rides have their FPs gone by noon or 1p or if there are any available, they will be for late at night. Forget about getting a 5th. My personal strategy is too arrive at the park for opening especially if EMH is available. I wouldn't schedule any FPs during those first 2 hours as you won't need them. Have your FPs for popular rides in the mid to late morning. At lunch, take a break but try to pull a FP before you leave for later in the day or night when you plan to return.

 

[lunchbox1175]

As many have stated, it depends on your preferances. We like to schedule them for as early as possible and always try to have them done by noon, so that we can get additional if we want later in the day. We also like to park hop, so this helps a lot with being able to get them at other parks as well.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

As a season passholder I NEVER get Fastpasses for early in the day, especially when I parkhop. I get to the park 30 minutes before it opens, and do the major attractions first thing after the park opens just like in the old days of the fastpass system...Especially if staying at a resort and using early entry, do not get fastpasses for the morning -- they will be available and you can do the "big three" before the park's regular hours open no matter which park you are in....I usually get fastpasses for the second park I visit each day...or for later in the evening at MK when things get more magical there and crowds increase....

 

[BigRedDad]

I could care less about the extra FPs. I will get the FPs for the rides after 6PM. In the morning, hit all the rides we want or plan. Go back at night to hit the ones we have FPs for.

 

[BrianV]

It depends.

For us, fast passes in the afternoon or early evening. That way in the am you can go on rides before the crowds. Then lunch and maybe back to the hotel for a swim and to relax. Then back in evening, and the crowds don't matter because you have three fast passes in hand.