DVP: All ABOUT FASTPASS AT MAGIC KINGDOM

We are cruising right along in the Disney World Vacation Planning Series! In case you missed it, be sure to check out all the installments on the Main Page. Planning a Disney World vacation is no small undertaking. It takes a little bit of research and a lot of time to determine when to visit, how long to stay, how much you’ll be spending, and all about the parks! Walking into a Disney park for the first time with no clue about what’s there will only set yourself up for a frustrating day. Having a game plan when you enter the gates is the best way to make sure you get to check off everything on your wish list.

Magic Kingdom is the biggest and most popular park at Disney World. There are far more attractions, and crowds than Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom. Because of that it is arguably a 2 or even 3 day park. It’s nearly impossible to see and do everything in The Magic Kingdom, especially in just a few days. The FastPass+ Reservation system, however, is a huge help in seeing as much as you can in a limited amount of time.

Here’s Your Options at Magic Kingdom

Again, Magic Kingdom has the most FastPass+ options but they’re not all great. Unlike many of the other parks there is no tier system, you’re able to just pick any 3 that you would like.

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Sping
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Enchanted Tales with Belle
• Haunted Mansion
• “It’s a Small World”
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
• Meet Cinderella and Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Meet Rapunzel and Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monster’s, Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• The Barnstormer
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid

Top Priority

While the FastPass+ system is extremely useful it is also responsible for causing outrageous standby lines. These are the attractions you do not want to ride without a FastPass Reservation and the reservation is extremely hard to get. If you want to go on these you will need a FastPass or be able to arrive for rope drop.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

The Snow White themed rollercoaster is the newest addition to the Magic Kingdom. Because it is still brand new and it’s a high thrill rollercoaster the line is always long. The worst part is that it is incredibly short. This ride is absolutely not worth standing in line for more than 45 minutes. If you’re planning on hopping on this attraction you definitely need the FastPass and it should be your top priority to snag.

Space Mountain

All of the mountains are popular, because they’re more thrilling than the dark rides. Space Mountain is a staple in the magic Kingdom and people know it. The standby line usually hovers around 90 minutes on a good day. The upside is that most of the line is indoors, which is a god send in the Florida heat.

Splash Mountain

Unfortunately, the line for Splash Mountain is not. The queue is covered but it is outside for the most part. The wait is also 90 minutes on a good day, but I’ve seen it above 3 hours on a really hot day. I suppose that waiting in a long line in the heat could make the experience that much better when you’re finally able to get on the ride. But I wouldn’t recommend that as a very good strategy.

Long Wait Times

These attractions are very popular and often have long wait times for standby riders, however the FastPass+ reservations are a little easier to get.

Meet Cinderella and Elena Fairytale Hall

People like princesses. Not everyone is a character person, and that’s why the FastPass+ reservations are a little easier to get. But if your child, or you, wants to meet Cinderella you do not want to be standing in this line.

Peter Pan’s Flight

Something about this ride makes people so happy. It is the only dark ride in the park that is able to rival wait times for the bigger rollercoaster type rides. The wait time on this Wednesday afternoon is over an hour. The queue is partially indoors, but standing in the heat doesn’t deter many fans at all.

Jungle Cruise

Another classic and Disneyphile favorite is Jungle Cruise. The thing about this ride though is that the line is covered, and close to the Dole Whip stand. There are tons of elements in the queue that set the stage for the attraction, so I wouldn’t recommend this for a FastPass unless you just really don’t like lines.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Toy Story is popular and guests want to ride anything related. With the upcoming opening of Toy Story Land the line for this ride could drop, but until then it will probably just get worse and worse. The ride itself isn’t particularly special, so it could be skipped and because of that I can’t recommend using the FastPass reservation.

Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion line is similar to the Jungle Cruise (minus the dole whip). Disney is just really good and distracting you from the fact that you’re standing around for 45 minutes. The queue has all kinds of interactive elements that are fun. Even just watching kids reactions to the noises that random walls make is a great way to pass the time. Again, unless you simply can’t stand lines I would save to stick out the standby.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Yet another Mountain! This one is way in the back of the park though, so maybe that is what deters people from FastPassing it. It’s a great ride and the line gets up there. But, it’s a fantastic Rope Drop option – especially with Splash right next door. If you can’t rope drop this ride then you will want the FastPass for sure.

Minimal Wait and Low Priority

One great thing about Magic Kingdom being so large is that the crowds are spread out across the park more. This means that there are a lot of attractions that have, relatively, short lines. Many of these you can do comfortably without a FastPass. They also make for great use of a 4^th or 5^th FastPass if you use up your original reservations.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Enchanted Tales with Belle

 “It’s a Small World”

Mad Tea Party

Meet Ariel at Her Grotto

Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Monster’s, Inc. Laugh Floor

Pirates of the Caribbean

The Barnstormer

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Tomorrowland Speedway

Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid

The Magic Kingdom is the most challenging park to strategize for, with so many rides and options – we could probably do a whole series just on planning out your day at MK. What’s your top FastPass for the park?

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