The Problems With Fastpass +

So in my last Disney post about Magic Kingdom, I briefly mentioned about the Fastpass system in place at Disney World called Fastpass +. I really don’t think it is a good system. In fact I think it’s just awful and in this post I am going to tell you all about it.

Disney as some of you probably know have a system in their parks for people who don’t want to wait in the regular line for different rides and attractions. It’s called Fastpass and is in place in every Disney park around the world. You basically go to whatever ride you want to go on and stick your park ticket in the Fastpass machine. You are then given a Fastpass ticket with a return time on, allowing you to enjoy the rest of the park without having to wait in line. Walt Disney World in Orlando have in the last few years changed their Fastpass system to this thing called Fastpass +.

Fastpass + replaces the original style Fastpass. At Disney World you will no longer find Fastpass machines at different rides. Instead you can make Fastpass reservations online, provided you link your park tickets up with your Disney account. You can also make them in the park too from Fastpass + kiosks. They are located at different places in each park. If you have a ticket or pass you can make reservations up to 30 days in advance. It’s 60 days if you have booked to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort. Once your reservations are made you just scan your ticket or magic band on the reader at each ride.

Tower Of Terror

So you’re probably wondering what is the problem with the system. When I go to Disney World I am on vacation. Having to plan out my day in advance seems to be more stressful. I like the freedom of just doing a park as I go, not having a tight schedule to work to which is what happens with Fastpass +.

The other problem with it is, if you have not got your tickets in advance or have no access to the internet (believe it or not, there are people who don’t) then you are left to make your reservations on the day. This is exactly what happened when I went to Magic Kingdom in October. I bought my ticket to get in on the day and this wasn’t even late. Bought them around 11 and was in the park by 12. By the time I had found a kiosk, the really popular attractions like Space Mountain had no Fastpasses left. This is because people had booked them so far in advance, people coming in on the day had no chance at all. Disney have always had a limited number of Fastpasses for their rides, but with the old system there was always plenty left up until late afternoon.

I first used this system back in 2014 and had trouble with it then. A new ride called Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had not long opened and was on Fastpass+. For my whole 2 week vacation I had trouble getting a pass for this. Too many people are still using the system at once and it makes getting on these rides even harder than before.

The way Fastpass+ works is, you can make 3 reservations per person at once. Once your 3 have been used, you can’t book another three, but can only book one at a time. In Magic Kingdom it’s not so bad. Go over to Hollywood Studios it is even worse. Over there the system uses ride grouping.

Unlike at Magic Kingdom where you can make reservations for any 3 at once, the grouping works a bit differently. Attractions are split into two groups – A and B. You are only allowed to pick one attraction from group A and two from group B. You can’t combine which I think is completely stupid. I wanted a Fastpass for Star Tours, Rock N Roller Coaster and Toy Story Mania. I couldn’t get them because Toy Story and Rock N Roller Coaster are both in group A, meaning I had to drop one of them.

By the time my Fastpass for Rock N Roller Coaster had finished, I couldn’t get another one for the ride I wanted. There were none left for Toy Story and the wait time in the regular queue was just crazy. I think the grouping system really sucks. The system they had before was nothing like this. You could go up to a machine, get your Fastpass and when you were ready for the next one, go to the ride you wanted. Disney also uses this grouping system at Epcot. Animal Kingdom’s is identical to Magic Kingdom.

Disney say they want everyone to be able to use the system, but the thing is everyone can’t use it. The system has too many people using it, meaning they can’t get reservations for things they want. In Florida, Disney is competing with Universal. If you look at Universal’s Express system it is far superior. You may have to pay for it, but it’s far ahead of Disney and Universal haven’t had to go and spend a lot of money on a new system either. And it’s not just me who thinks Fastpass + sucks, any Google search about it will tell you about loads of different bad experiences other people have had with it.

Fortunately this new system of Fastpass is only at Disney World in Florida. Disneyland California, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Paris still use the old system. The old system of Fastpass still isn’t the best but I think it’s much better than this so called improvement Disney World have done.

Has anyone else used Fastpass+