![\"Retzlaff](\"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_ms_news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Retzlaff-Magically-Speaking-Article-April-All-Done.png\")
<\/a>Over the past few months, the changes to the FastPass+ system have dominated the Disney media sites. \u00a0From blogs to Facebook pages, Twitter to Disney-related websites, all are full of information regarding this major switch in the way people experience Walt Disney World. \u00a0\u00a0With my own trip coming up this summer, I have been frantically searching these sites, learning all I could about this new system.<\/p>\nI will be honest, my initial opinion wasn\u2019t a happy one. \u00a0This conclusion stemmed from the fact that during our past Disney vacations, my family usually used anywhere from seven to ten FastPasses in a day. \u00a0\u00a0The idea of originally being limited to three a day seemed awful. \u00a0(Editors Note: \u00a0This has since changed and guests will now be able make additional FastPass+ reservations, one at a time, after they’ve used their first three.) However, as I read more about the new system and the Disney logic behind it, I felt better about the change to the FastPass+ system. \u00a0In my research, I’ve discovered that if you enjoy planning ahead you\u2019ll likely appreciate the new system; however, if you like to tour on the fly you might find it a little less magical.<\/p>\n
Here is a breakdown of my personal experience with preparing to make my FastPass+ reservations through My Disney Experience, as well as how the reservation making process works. These four quick steps made the process a little less overwhelming.<\/p>\n
Step One: \u00a0Educate<\/strong><\/p>\n If you read my previous article \u201cFive Quick Planning Tips to Make Your Disney Vacation Magical\u201d, you know that I am a big believer in educating yourself before making any decisions. \u00a0So that is exactly what I did. \u00a0I read as much as I could about the new FastPass+ system from Disney themselves and also unofficial Disney sites. \u00a0I read all the positives and negatives that people had to say about the new system. \u00a0I also looked into which rides were listed as FastPass+ attractions and out of these, which attractions the experts were suggesting guests actually needed to make FastPass+ reservations for. \u00a0Educating myself on the overall system made it seem less overwhelming and made me feel more confident as I moved forward.<\/p>\n Step Two: \u00a0Prioritize Rides<\/strong><\/p>\n Once I had a better understanding of how the system itself was meant to work, I prioritize which rides I thought we\u2019d want FastPass+ reservations for in each of the four theme parks. \u00a0I used some of the information I learned from the experts, but I also relied on my knowledge of which rides my husband and I would want to guarantee with a FastPass. \u00a0I knew that each day we were at Magic Kingdom we\u2019d need a FastPass+ for Splash Mountain. \u00a0I also knew that not riding Peter Pan’s Flight wouldn\u2019t break our trip. \u00a0Having a good understanding of what rides I wanted FastPass for gave a me a strong game plan.<\/p>\n Step Three: \u00a0Days\/Times<\/strong><\/p>\n Now that I knew which rides I wanted FastPass for, I needed to plug them into days and times of our vacation. \u00a0I already knew what days we\u2019d be in specific parks, as we had already books our dining reservations, but now it was narrowing down times that would be the most beneficial for our touring. \u00a0I created a quick FastPass+ reference sheet (fancy name for a spreadsheet) where I blocked out times I didn\u2019t feel FastPass would be useful to us due to dining reservations, travel times, or because I didn\u2019t feel lines would be long. \u00a0Some might find this very limiting, but for me it helped, as I wouldn\u2019t have to stop and think about times when actually making the FastPass+ reservations. \u00a0It was already laid out for me.<\/p>\n Step Four: \u00a0Book Them<\/strong><\/p>\n It was now time to book our FastPass+ reservations. \u00a0I was up at 5:00 am ready to book. \u00a0This is what the process currently looks like for booking FastPass+.<\/p>\n The first step to making your FastPass+ selections is to log into your My Disney Experience account on the Disney website or app. \u00a0Once logged in, you can use the quick links to find the FastPass+ section. \u00a0\u00a0From there you can select the day you\u2019d like to start making reservations for. \u00a0(Editor’s Note: \u00a0Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel may make their FastPass+ reservations up to 60 days in advance. \u00a0Those who are staying off-site or are Annual Passholders may make FastPass+ reservations up to 30 days in advance). Following your date selection, you select which park you\u2019d like to visit that day. \u00a0This page helped as it stated which parks have extra magic hours, in addition to the park’s regular hours.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once a park has been selected, you are ready to choose the attractions you want to make reservations for. \u00a0At the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, when you start your planning process, you can select any three rides from any of the FastPass+ choices; however, with Epcot and Hollywood Studios rides are tiered so you must choose one attraction from tier A and two attractions from tier B.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After you select the three attractions, you will then be prompted to prioritize your ride selections. \u00a0I am not sure what this exactly does as I didn\u2019t see a major connection between this and times but that could be because I was booking 60 days in advance.<\/p>\n The next screen is the big deal because this is where Disney prompts you with four different options of different FastPass+ times to choose from. \u00a0Each option provides a variety of times, from early morning times to late evenings. \u00a0The key here is to just choose one that, in general, you like as you are able to make specific changes in the next step.<\/p>\n After you have selected an option, you are then moved to a page where you are able to make changes to each individual ride and time. \u00a0This was one of my frustrations with the system. \u00a0I felt like I was wasting a lot of time as I had to choose one of Disney\u2019s options, but then for the majority of my rides I had to go back in and change my times to be more of what I wanted. \u00a0I am wondering if it would be better if Disney would just give you a list of times available for that ride and allow you to choose a time for each ride individually instead of an overall option. \u00a0Again, that was just my opinion.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n