A single day ticket to Disney World now starts at $109. That’s a lot of money for a family of four! With how expensive admissions are to Disney World and other Disney Parks, wouldn’t you want to make sure that you make the most of your stay in the Happiest Place on Earth? That includes spending less time on ride lines and more time to look for beloved Disney characters or to thoroughly enjoy the other attractions that Disney Parks have to offer.
We all know and heard of the FastPass that lets you skip the standby lines at popular rides and attractions. You may have used the FastPass the last time you visited a Disney Park But did you know that FastPass is tied to where you stay? Here’s a tip! I just found out that if you stay at a Disney on-site hotel that you can reserve three FastPasses per day in a single park 60 days before you arrive versus 30 days for someone not staying at an on-site Disney hotel. That’s 30 days earlier than someone who may not even get a FastPass because FastPasses may no longer be available for popular rides by the time they are able to purchase one.
Now here’s another tip if you want to double your FastPasses. I also learned that if you upgrade to Club Level at any Disney on-site hotels you now are able to purchase three additional FastPasses for $50 per person per day for a minimum of three days! And what’s even better is that you can reserve your FastPasses 90 days before your arrival giving you a much bigger advantage over most Disney hotel guests. If you do this– that’s six FastPasses per person in your group! It is mind-blowing but this can be the perfect strategy for families who love to sleep-in since most strategies to avoid long lines at the parks is to be in the park early to beat the crowds.
Another perk of staying at a Disney hotel is that you can also take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. Every day, one park opens at 8 am, a full hour before opening to the public and another park stays open after closing time. During the morning Extra Magic Hour, many popular attractions and rides will have no lines—- a perfect time to go to avoid waiting in line.
Let’s look at other ways aside from buying the FastPass to bust the lines at some of the top attractions at Disney Parks.
Magic Kingdom
Pirates of the Caribbean – to get FastPasses for Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland you should look for a scavenger hunt-style game called A Pirate’s Adventure-Treasure of the Seven Seas. Play this 20 minute game twice and you get your FastPasses! Wouldn’t you rather play the game and have fun doing it than stay in line wasting your time?
Disney After Hours – is a special ticket event that runs on select days for three hours after the Magic Kingdom closes. This is perfect for the night owls but comes with a price. The tickets are limited and cost $125 a pop. Because they sell a limited amount you can be assured that there will be no wait at 25 top rides and attractions that include the three Magic Mountain Kingdom mountain rides: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain.
Princess Fairytale Hall – If your kids are obsessed with Disney princesses then plan ahead and book the Winnie-the-Pooh character breakfast at the Crystal Palace. If you make a reservation for 8 a.m. then you can enjoy breakfast, meet the characters and leave the restaurant before the park opens at 9 a.m. to head to the attraction and get in line before the rest of the world arrive.
Early Morning Magic –If you have money to spend then you can splurge for the Early Morning Magic in the Magic Kingdom. For $70 per person, you can enter the park at 7:45 a.m. and enjoy the top-tier Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attractions before the gate opens at 9 a.m. Breakfast is included with this early access event. If you don’t mind the cost, then this might be a good strategy — no liens, no stress and you can move to the second tier attractions when everyone gets there and just getting started.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Avatar Flight of Passage – Plan to visit the park on a morning when the Extra Magic Hour is in a different park by making an 8 a.m. reservation for the Safari Donald Duck character breakfast at the Tusker House Restaurant. Leave the restaurant before the 9 a.m. opening and get yourself to the Flight of Passage to be the first in line. You can also take advantage of the Disney After Hours that will be available on several dates each month starting in December. However, remember this will cost you $125 per person.
Expedition Everest – if your kids are old enough or if you’re all adults on this trip, then get in the single rider line instead of the regular line. The single rider line moves faster. You won’t be sitting together but you won’t be in line longer and you can always reunite after the ride.
Hollywood Studios
Jedi Training – if your kids are huge Star Wars fans then you should have a strategy so you’re not waiting to get in for Jedi Training, where slots fill up quickly. There’s no way to register ahead of time for Jedi training. You and your child must show up in person to register for one of the time slots. The queue gets super long minutes after the park opens so you really need to do this first when you arrive at the park. This means missing out on the other rides while you register and wait on line. So what to do? Make an 8 a.m. reservation for the Disney junior character breakfast at Hollywood & Vine and leave the restaurant before the park opens at 9 a.m. to go to the Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost to register for Jedi Training.
Toy Story Land – take advantage of the Early Morning Magic that allows you to get in the park at 7:30 a.m. You and your kids will be able to enjoy Slinky Dog Dash, Alien Swirling Saucers and other rides two or three times each before the park opens. Early Morning Magic includes breakfast. If you want to enjoy and ride the Toy Story mania again, get in the standby line during the last hour the park is open. Wait times posted are usually inflated so you won’t really wait that long when you get in line before closing time.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – this ride offers a single rider line so if you are able to split up consider going on this line versus the standby line.
Epcot
Frozen Ever After – every evening the Frozen Ever After Dessert Party gives you VIP viewing for the Illuminations fireworks show while enjoying frozen inspired lineup of confections and beverages, including sparkling wines. As a finale you get an escort to the front of the line to ride Frozen Ever After. A perfect strategy especially if you have Frozen fans in your group.
Meet Anna and Elsa at Royal Summerhus – Again, if you have Frozen devotees in your group the only way for them to meet the beloved sisters from Frozen is to attend the meet and greet in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion. So how do you get the first in line for this meet and greet? Make an 8 a.m. reservation for the Princess Storybook Dining character breakfast at Akerhus Royal Banquet Hall which is also in the Norway Pavilion. And as you guessed—leave the restaurant before the park opens at 9 a.m. to walk a few steps to the Royal Summerhus and line up for the meet and greet.
Test Track – This popular design-you-own racecar speed ride offers a single rider line. If this applies to your group then consider lining up in this line to get to the end faster.
Will you implement these tips to beat the lines the next time you go to one of the Disney Parks?
Which one will you do? FastPass? Book your hotel at one of the Disney on-site otels? Extra Magic Hours? Or will you make reservations to one of the berakfast evemts to be at the park before it opens. Or are you a night owl and will opt for the Disney After Hours? Whatever startegy you choose to do, make sure you plan ahead. You want to make the most of your Disney Parks vacation!
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