A lot has changed at Walt Disney World over the past few years, and if you haven’t been in a while, you may be surprised. I was pretty well-versed in the old legacy FastPass system at Walt Disney World, and knew exactly how to best use it for my family. When we traveled on our family vacation to Walt Disney World over Thanksgiving, it was the first time we’d all been since the new MyMagic+ and FastPass + changes had been implemented.
FastPass+ reservations can be made in advance (60 days if staying on property, 30 days if staying off property), and since Thanksgiving is a busy time of year, I went online right at midnight of my 60th day (note that if the parks are open past midnight, the FP+ window opens when the parks are all closed). I had a few dinner ADRs (advance dining reservations – those can be made 180 days in advance), but otherwise didn’t have any specific plans for which park(s) to visit each day. I had one goal – to get FastPass + reservations for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Before my window opened, I went to the My Disney Experience site to explore. The system is a bit tricky to get used to, so I recommend checking it out before hand. You can make three FastPass + reservations per day – know in advance what you want to reserve. I made sure to review our choices with everyone in advance so my family would be part of the decision-making process.
Lines at the Walt Disney World parks tend to be less crowded in the mornings, so I chose to book our FastPass + reservations for the afternoons. I started at the end of my trip and moved forward – which gave me the best opportunity to book that all-important Seven Dwarfs Mine Train reservation. I was lucky enough to get the exact day I wanted. I also made sure to customize our MagicBands on My Disney Experience well in advance. I didn’t choose to order MemoryMaker, but in retrospect, I wish I had.
So, how did it work when we arrived? We liked having reservations for the attractions that we really wanted to experience, but still had lots of flexibility. Because I made all of the reservations, I was completely responsible for the family schedule. In the future, I’ll make little laminated cards with our schedule so everyone in the family knows what our plans are for the week.
Specific advice:
- Make FastPass + reservations right at the 60/30 day point
- System is a bit tricky, so review it in advance
- Review plans with the whole family before booking
- Download the My Disney Experience app on all devices so you can check your plans on the go.
- Book reservations for the afternoons
- Start at back of your vacation and move forward for hard-to-get reservations
- Make copies of the schedule for everyone in your party so everyone has access to see the plans
How you used MyMagic+? What tips would you recommend?
Jody Robbins says
Solid tips. I’ve never used Fast Pass, but it looks like a great option for busy days. Love the laminated cards suggestion.
Katie says
We may head to WDW this summer so I appreciate hearing how this works!
Colleen Lanin says
I didn’t know you were a Disney Parks Moms panelist! Cool!
Linda says
Since we are staying off-site (in 3 weeks!), we could only book FP 30 days out. We didn’t have the option of seeing our whole week at one time. I had to book one day at a time, at 12:01 midnight each night (although the date didn’t switch over until 1:00 AM several nights) I was able to get the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but not Anna and Elsa’s Meet & Greet.
Susan Easterday says
Good tips! We were able to use these new features the month they started in 2013 (though things have changed quite a bit). If you have kids 13 or over, they can have a Disney account and you can share your schedule with them via MyDisneyExperience (like you can with any other adults). I also added items like parades, and fast service restaurants onto the MDE schedule using “add to my plans” or “add a note” so that I didn’t have to carry my paper schedule around. I also got on at 12:00 AM to get some of the coveted dining reservations and rides. It seems crazy, but oh-so-worth it. Going back in October and looking forward to using these tips!
Sheila says
We just got home from our family trip to Disney using the new Fast Pass +. We stay offsite and could book 30 days prior. Like a previous poster said – you can try looking for things at 12:01am but my experience was it was after 1:00am every day which was a huge drag. The system itself should let you choose one thing at a time – not have to choose three things at once. We couldn’t get Anna & Elsa either but I knew that going in. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was available and the only way I would ever ride that ride is with a Fastpass. It was truly disappointing. Much too short and the seating is terribly uncomfortable unless you are a small child or a VERY SMALL adult. Even my 7 year old ranked it last on her list. We bought magic bands at the park and linked them to our Disney Experience account. That was convenient – not having to dig a ticket out all the time. Mornings at the parks are by far my favorite time – ride all you can before 11:00am or Noon.
Destinations by Parrotte says
Thanks for the great post! I’d recommend downloading the My Disney Experience app (iPhone, iPad,). The app organizes reservations and activities AND allows you to share your plans with friends and family, thus eliminating the need for laminated cards. We used the app to select and modify FastPass+ experiences, view real-time wait times, showtimes, parades, character experiences, dining reservations, view menus, etc. It makes for a hassle free, magical day!
P.S. Don’t you just love your limited edition Frozen magic band 🙂
Jodi Grundig says
Thanks for stopping by! I have a whole post on My Disney Experience – I really like using the app but I’m the only one who has access to it. My kids don’t have smartphones, and my husband uses his work phone (can’t download personal apps) so the laminated cards are essential for us. Without them this past trip, I answered the question “what’s next?” about 25 times per day.
I do LOVE the Frozen Magic Band – I would have bought all of the limited edition bands if I could. They are so cute!