Disney World FastPass Tiers for Magic Kingdom: Key Tips and Strategies

Discover some of the best Disney World FastPass Tiers for Magic Kingdom
Adventureland” by HarshLight licensed under CC BY 2.0

Magic Kingdom is the busiest, most popular park at Walt Disney World. This is probably because it has the most attractions of any park, clocking in at 25 attractions!

This means that FastPasses are an incredibly important part of your vacation at Walt Disney World! So, it is vital that you prepare by understanding how FastPasses work and what strategies you need to ensure you truly take advantage of them!

  • Editor’s Note: Disney has begun the removal of their popular FastPass system. You can learn more about how to use the replacement for FastPass, which is Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lanes

Magic Kingdom’s Tiers

So, lets walk through the Disney World FastPass system along with its tiers and other strategies! The first thing you should know is that many of Disney World’s FastPasses are categorized into tiers. This prevents specific vacationers from reserving all of the best FastPasses and leaves enough for everyone!

First tier FastPasses are typically for new rides or the best Disney World rides. For instance, all of the new Toy Story rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are first tier FastPasses rides. However, Magic Kingdom doesn’t have a tiering system. 

So, you don’t have to worry about splitting your FastPasses between the tiers. In other parks, you are only allowed to book one first tier FastPass and the rest of your FastPasses have to be second tier. 

Because there are no tiers at Magic Kingdom, I decided to walk you through the best way to book your FastPasses in order to save the most time and ride the most rides! So, I’ve ordered the rides from busiest to slowest. This order also represent how quickly the FastPasses book up! So, I would choose the rides highest on this list to book FastPasses for first, and then go down from there! 

Busiest Rides

These are the top busiest rides with the longest wait times at Magic Kingdom in Disney World. It might be difficult to grab a FastPass for these, so be sure to hop on early in order to get them! Read through the descriptions in order to determine which rides you’re most excited to reserve a FastPass for! 

  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – Hop in a mine cart for a wild ride through a haunted gold mine. This thrilling coaster is one of the most exciting ones in Magic Kingdom. Make sure you look for the flash and smile for the camera!
  • Peter Pan’s Flight – Board a pirate ship to fly across the story of Peter Pan. You’ll start in London, make your way to Neverland, and see all of your favorite character from the hit film. This is a slow ride, and we’re not sure why it always has such a long wait. However, if this is one of your favorite movies, you might want to book a FastPass for this one! 
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – This ride takes you through the jewel mine of seven dwarfs and past their cottage. This fast-moving right is filled with fun hills, twists, and turns!
  • Space Mountain – Board a space shuttle for the wildest ride in Magic Kingdom! You’ll be taken to outer space where it’s pitch black as you ride this insane coaster, be wary of the crazy ride ahead! 
  • Splash Mountain – Themed after Walt Disney’s Song of the South, you’ll hop on a log to ride the waves through this crazy ride. Expect a big drop and a huge splash at the end!

Second Busiest Rides

These are the second busiest rides in Disney World. They have long-ish wait times depending on the time of day, so I would go ahead and book a FastPass if you are really interested in riding one of these!

  • Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin – Grab a gun for this galactic space battle against the Evil Emperor Zurg. Help Buzz defeat Zurg by aiming your laser gun at the Zurg targets all over the rooms! Don’t forget to use your joystick to turn your space shuttle!
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle – In this personal experience, you’ll join Belle in her very own cottage where you’ll here the story of her journey! Stay tuned as the walls disappear and you are transported to the Beast’s castle. Guests of all ages can participate in Belle’s story!
  • Haunted Mansion – Get comfortable in your doom buggy as your ghastly host walks you through the creepiest mansion to ever exist. The special effects on this ride are incredible, so pay close attention or you might miss something! 
  • Jungle Cruise – This comedic boat tour takes you through the most exotic rivers on Earth throughout Asia, Africa, and South America! Face tigers, hippos, head hunters and more on this wild boat ride!
  • Meet Ariel at Her Grotto – Dive under the sea to meet this nautical princess herself! Join Ariel on her seashell for a cute picture too!
  • Meet Cinderella and a Guest at Princess Fairytale Hall – Head into Princess Fairytale Hall to meet Cinderella and her special guest! You may see Rapunzel, Tiana, Aurora, or someone else! 
  • Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater – Head to Town Square Theater for a fun conversation and a better picture with Mickey and Minnie themselves!
  • Meet Rapunzel and a Guest at Princess Fairytale Hall – Head to the other side of Princess Fairytale Hall to meet Rapunzel and her special guest, you never know who might be there with her!
  • Pirates of the Caribbean – Board a boat to ride through the story of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Keep your eye out for Captain Jack Sparrow as he’s hidden throughout each of the scenes! 
  • The Barnstormer – Hop in Goofy’s plane for a ride over the tops of Storybook Circus! This coaster is perfect for newbies and young kids who are just getting into roller coasters. 
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – Get stuck in one of Winnie the Pooh’s hunny pots for a fun ride through the 100-acre woods. 
  • Tomorrowland Speedway – Tomorrowland Speedway will be closed for refurbishment through mid-May of 2019. When it’s open again you’ll be able to board some go-karts for a scenic ride on this tiny motorway!
  • Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid – Climb in a clamshell and head under the sea for a magical journey through Ariel’s world! Meet Flounder, Sebastian, and Ursula in this colorful and musical ride through the deep blue!

Least Busiest Rides

These are the least busy rides at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. So, you can typically hop in line for these and wait to get on. If you have some spare time, get in line for one of these after you check the wait times! If you really want to ride on of these, grab a FastPass the day you’re in the park after you have used up your advanced reservation FastPasses!

  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant Hop on Dumbo’s back for a flight around Storybook Circus on the cutest elephant ever! Use your lever to go higher and lower while circling around.
  • It’s a Small World – Board a boat for a whimsical journey around the world where animatronic children all sing to you in their own language!
  • Mad Tea Party – Dip into a teacup to join Alice and the gang for a spin around the tea party! Spin the wheel in front of you to twirl even faster!
  • Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater – Visit Tink herself in her own little house! Head down Main Street to Town Square Theater to meet this iconic character. Smile big for the picture too!
  • Mickey’s Philharmagic – This 12-minute, 3D performance is absolutely incredible! Join Donald as he tries to get Mickey’s magical hat back. You’ll see a ton of your favorite Disney characters along the way!

Things to Remember When Booking Your FastPasses

There are a couple of very important things to remember when booking your FastPasses. First, you need to make sure you book them as early as possible! If you have decided to stay on Disney property at a Walt Disney World resort, then your FastPasses can be booked at 7:00am EST, 30 days before the first day of your vacation.

However, if you have booked a room at a hotel off of Disney property then you can begin booking your FastPasses at 7:00am EST, 60 days in advance of your first day at Disney! 

You want to be extra sure to set an alarm and book your FastPasses as soon as they become available. This will ensure you can book the FastPasses that you desire most before they completely book up. If you are extremely excited about the rides at a specific park, then you need to book those first when your FastPass booking window begins. Then, book FastPasses at the parks in order of attractions you are most excited about from there!

If you are staying at a Disney resort, you will have access to Extra Magic Hours. Utilize these the same way you utilize FastPasses as the park will be much less crowded and the lines will be much shorter. This is another tool that allows you to ride as many of the best rides at Walt Disney World as possible during your day at the parks!

I prefer to schedule my days at the parks around which ones have Extra Magic Hours that day. This allows me to ride and see all of the attractions I want to in the time I want to. 

I also am sure to book my FastPasses close together as early in the day as possible. This allows me to use up my advanced reservation FastPasses quickly and then book more throughout the day so I can continue to ride even more rides without the lines! Remember, every FastPass has an hour-long window in which you can redeem them.

Be sure to be on time for your redemption period so you don’t waste a FastPass. Typically, cast members will be gracious and let you use your FastPass either a few minutes before or a few minutes after your redemption window. 

How to Use Your FastPasses Strategically

So, when you book your FastPasses either 30 or 60 days before the beginning of your Disney World vacation, you have three in your FastPass wallet. When you arrive for your first day at the parks, you can begin redeeming your FastPasses. After you have redeemed all three of your advanced reservation FastPasses, you can begin booking more one-by-one throughout the rest of your day! 

There are a few ways to accomplish this. You can download the My Disney Experience app on your phone. Click on the “+” sign at the bottom of the screen after you’ve logged in. You can then click to Get a FastPass and book new ones there! Choose from different parks and times that you would like to have the FastPass for. 

If you don’t have the My Disney Experience app, you can head to one of the FastPass kiosks located within the park. The screens will walk you through how to book a new FastPass. Then, you are good to go! Head to your next FastPass to enjoy a new attraction. After you have redeemed it, you can continue to book and redeem new FastPasses for the rest of your day at the parks!

Conclusion

FastPasses are a vital part of your vacation at Walt Disney World. So, be sure to take advantage of this FREE service. That’s right, FastPasses are FREE. Be sure to hop online either 30 or 60 days before your vacation begins right at 7:00am in order to snag those most coveted FastPass spots. 

There are tons of amazing rides at Disney World, so don’t get too upset if you don’t get the FastPass you wanted. Keep your eye out for a spot to open up as people do cancel as plans change.

Hopefully, this article gave you a better idea of Magic Kingdom’s rides and which attractions are most valuable in terms of FastPasses. Get excited, you only have a little longer to wait until you are traveling to the happiest place on Earth with your favorite people!

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