Selecting your Fast Passes for the theme parks can be one of the most important decisions you make about your Disney Trip.  Your fast passes are going to set the pace for the day and determine what other rides you are going to hit. If you are making dining reservations, you are going to want them to work directly with your fast passes as well.

Before you bust out your Excel spreadsheet and begin to set your family towards an every-minute-detailed trip, it is important to know some basics.

There is stand by lines! So if you do not receive a fastpass for one of the rides you really want, no fear! You can always wait in the stand by line, but be aware the lines can get really long!

The Walt Disney Resort in recent years has updated their fastpass system. Instead of having to run around the park to receive hard paper tickets, you can preplan your fast passes before you even arrive in Orlando.  If you are staying on at a Walt Disney World, you can make your fastpass reservations 60 days before you arrive.  If you are staying at an off site resort you may make your fastpass selections 30 days before you arrive.

You have multiple options to select your fast passes. If you want to make your fastpass reservations before you arrive,  you can use the My Disney Experience planning page or My Disney Experience mobile app.  Once you arrive on the Disney Property, you can make your reservations with the hotel concierge in the lobby or wait until you get into the Disney park and make them at the selected kiosk areas.

Each park runs their fastpasses differently, some parks use a tier system which means you can only selection one ride from a group of multiple attractions.  Thankfully, Magic Kingdom has not implemented this policy, so you can pick the three rides you want to go on the most when selecting fast passes.

You also can book THREE fastpasses before you arrive at Magic Kingdom (or whichever park you are going to).  Once you use your three fastpass selections, you can select one at a time for the rest of the day of the park you are at.  You can do this by either going to the kiosk in the park or right from your mobile phone!

REMEMBER! Once you select your fastpasses do not worry! You are not locked in and can modify them at any time as long as there is availability. 

So now you have the basics down for your Fastpass booking adventure.  You wake up bright and early on your 60 days out, log into your My Disney Experience App and realize you do not even know where to begin! Have no fear, we have the top 10 Magic Kingdom Attractions you should reserve.  Remember, every family’s needs are different.  If roller coasters are not your thing, do not waste your fastpass reserving one and instead focus on Fantasyland or Adventureland instead.

• 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.  

The Best Rides to Fast Pass at Magic Kingdom

Let’s begin with a relatively new ride–the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride!

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: This is by far the most coveted fastpass experience at the Magic Kingdom park.  It is one of the new attractions at Disney World. So if your family is a fan of roller coasters and you have not experienced one of the newest attractions on property, this is going to be your first choice.  But beware, these go fast.  Really fast.  So you need to make sure if this is on your list, book it first. If you have never ridden Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train before, it is a roller coaster set through the mine shafts from Snow White.  Little ones over 38 inches can ride, but it does have small drops and is considered a thrill ride.  It is located right in the heart of Fantasyland. Without a fastpass, lines can get up to 2 hours long, so it is definitely worth the struggle to snag one.

Peter Pan’s Flight: Now if roller coasters aren’t your thing, instead make sure you grab a fastpass for Peter Pan’s Flight. Located right across from It’s A Small World in Fantasyland, Peter Pan’s Flight brings you right into the world of Neverland, where you never have to grow up.  Climb right aboard your ship and experience a high flying low thrill adventure.  The line for Peter Pan is by far the longest in Fantasyland of all the toddler friendly rides.  Also, a majority of the line is outside and it gets hot during the summer.  So if you want to enjoy the world of Neverland, snag a fastpass and save yourself the trouble. There is no height restriction for this particular attraction.

Space Mountain: The landmark of Tomorrowland is Space Mountain, a high speed thrill ride with big drops and near total darkness to give the effect of zooming through outer space.  If roller coasters are your thing, snag this fast pass.  Although the stand by queue is a spectacle itself and it is air conditioned, if you want to speed through the process to get in some other rides, it should be one of your top fast passes.  The line for Space Mountain can be well over an hour during the height of the day. There is a height requirement of 44 inches to ride this attraction.

Splash Mountain: If you are going during the warm Florida months, this HAS to be a fast pass.  It is a quick thrill ride with a splash down that will make sure you get wet! Take a ride with Bri’er Rabbitt and his pals with a catchy tune and a huge 5 story drop! So if you do have little ones in your party, this might not be a go to.  But do not worry, you can take them over to the Casey Jr. Splah ‘N’ Soak Station to cool off. I strongly recommend a fast pass here in order to fight the other crowds trying to get their quick cool down.  The line can get hot due to a majority of the stand by queue being outside, but does make the splash down at the end worth it. This particular attraction has a 40 in height requirement.

Big Thunder Mountain: Right next to Splash Mountain, you will find the Big Thunder Railroad.  A riveting roller coaster with small drops while speeding around a mountain at fast speeds.  Just like every other high speed ride at Magic Kingdom, the lines can get long and the stand by que is outside, although shaded, when the weather is hot you are definitely feeling it.  So if you want to do a triad of roller coasters for your reserved fast passes this should definitely be one of the choices. There is a 40 in height requirement for this particular attraction.

Jungle Cruise: Great for the smaller crowds and families, Jungle Cruise in Adventureland is a fantastic choice.  Now it is no Animal Kingdom, but it is classic Walt Disney World full of punny jokes and adorable critters.  The interactive host makes it a belly full of laughs for families and is a peaceful break during a long day.  Keep in mind, this is also a ride know for 60+ minutes wait during the busy season and it is another que that is predominantly outside, so in order to save yourself some sweating, this is a great option especially for families who will not be rushing to do every single roller coaster in the park. There is no height restriction for this particular ride.

Haunted Mansion: The Haunted Mansion is a classic Disney ride that every guest has to do during their stay! The environment is eerie so if your little ones are spooked easily this may not be the ride for them.  A majority of the stand by queue is outside, but the wait can vary throughout the day, so it is possible to find a 15 minute or a wait that is well over an hour! So keep an eye out throughout the day.  I would recommend saving this as a fast pass to grab after your three, but if riding the classics is important to you, grab one of these and knock it out first thing into your day.  And enjoy the pre show.  It is a definitely spooktacular! There is no height restriction for this particular ride.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Just a short walk from the Haunted Mansion, you will find one of the originals, Pirate of the Caribbean.  If the Disney classics are you thing, you may want to snag a fast pass. The wait can vary from 15 minutes to over 45 minutes long so it really depends where you rank of importance is.  If you do decide to risk the stand by, the entire que is air conditioned! So it is also a quick break from the heat during the hot summer days or during a quick Florida shower to stay dry. There is no height restriction for this particular attraction.

Enchanted Tales with Belle: If you have little princesses in your party, Enchanted Tales with Belle is a MUST DO.  Seriously! Do not skip it.  You wander into the world of Belle, Beast and the rest of the charming cast to retell the story of Beauty and the Beast.  And the best part? You can to retell the entire story to Belle herself.  It is like a show and character attraction rolled into one.  Great for the little princesses and princes.  The line can get long, so if you have small children, this is a must need fastpass.  There are also many priceless photo opportunities. There is no height restriction for this particular attraction.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin: Nestled in Tomorrowland, you will find Buzz Lightyear and the Space Ranger Universe!.  This is a competitive ride where you get to compete with the rest of your family against the dreaded Zurg! You can fit two to three people in one cart, but keep in mind there are only two blasters per vehicle as you move from room to room trying to gather the most points as possible.  This queue is both inside and outside, but if you have any Toy Story fanatics within your party, this should be one of your first selections since the wait can get long through high parts of the day. There is no height restriction for this particular attraction.

While booking your fast passes you may see some attractions that you want to ride, but your little one might not be too keen on.  If you book fast passes for that particular attraction, you can always ride, and then let the rest of your party go on.  If you end up using the stand by line, you can opt for a Child Swap pass which would allow you to go on the ride in the stand by queue, receive a pass and then the other portion of your party can go through the fast pass line. 

This way everyone can enjoy the attractions. The signs posted outside of the attractions will allow you to know if there should be any concerns including darkness and loud noises that could startle children while on the attraction.  Also, if a child looks too short, they will measure as well to make sure they can safely be on the ride.

While on your vacation you want to make sure you hit the Disney World’s best rides, and in order to complete that, I suggest making sure you have a priority on which rides will be best for you family.  You can watch  some Youtube videos or browse the Disney website itself.  Get a taste for what you think will best benefit your family the best. 

Knowing your family’s preferences before you arrive is going to allow you to prepare you day accordingly and get the fast passes that are going to magnify your day instead of hindering it. And most importantly, enjoy the queue!

Seriously, Disney hides so many hidden secrets within the stand by lines never view it as inconvenience but instead, just another part of that Disney Magic!

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