THE FAST PASS
The Fast Pass is somehthing the a pass holder can find so simple but yet so hard to explain to a new comer. There are some things that an average passholder might not know about. And that is what this is for. To explain the Fast Pass.
I am walking through the gates. The cast memeber swipes my pass and says, "Welcome Back, Sean!" I say, "Thanks!" The person inside holding the little clipboard wants to ask us "A Few Questions". We of course turn that down. Now we head down main street. My younger cousin (She will come into play later) begs us to go into the Candy Store, and I ask if we can go into the Houdini Magic Shop. This is the same thing we get from everyone: "No!" "Ok." is our reply but we never seem to give up hope. Anyways, we head down Main Street and hook a left after our favorite restaurant, The Plaza Inn. Tomorrow Land, THE LAND OF TOMORROW!!! We pass Buzz Lightyear- With the 15 Minute wait that it always has. Which personally I think is b.s. but that is just me. We head past the closed down Star Tours and go to Space Mountain. The tree is blocking our view of the Stand-By line. I see the number 5 on the Standby line. I was am so excited... when we get closer... the tree reveals that it is really 65 Minutes... GREAT.
From here we have one of two options. I will reveal to you the second option in another post. Right now it is 8:45 a.m. The fast pass is for 11:05 to 12:05. We say o.k. and get our fast passes.
That may have sounded simple, but there is way more to it.
- YOU CAN TOTALLY DISREGARD THE 12:05. As long as you are there from 11:05 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., you are fine. Say you hve to et lunch at 12:00 and you still haven't used your fast pass and you're freaking out- It's OK!!! It doesn't matter. You can go any time as long as it is after 11:05.
- If you want to get a fastpass for your freind who is coming at 3:00, Sorry. Even if you have his/her pass (or ticket), you can't get a fastpass for it. The reason is this. If your card (or ticket) is not swiped at the Disneyland Main Entrance, you cannot get a fastpass with that card (or ticket). Disney is very smart with this.
- If you have a Fast Pass for a popular ride and you want to use it after World of Color or the Fireworks, (Space Mountain, *Indiana Jones*, even Big Thunder Mountain) The FAst Pass line will take FOREVER. (This is mostly happens at Disneyland) You should try to go on during the day, before, or during the fireworks or World of Color. Just not after.
- Ok. It's 8:47. I just got 4 Fastpasses for Space Mountain. We all head over to Indiana Jones. We try and get Fastpasses there, but all the machine spits out are Fast Passes the read: "FastPass Ticket has already been used. You are already holding a pass for Space Mountain. You can get another FastPass at 10:45" The reason is this: If, at 8:45, you get a 11:05 FastPass for Space Mountain, you cannot get another ticket until two hours later: 10:45. BUT if you get a FastPass, at 8:45, for Thunder Mountain at 9:30, you will be able to get another FastPass at 9:30 because it is less than two hours away. If you don't get it comment below.
Before I go into detail about how my family uses the "stroller pass", I will first explain the way you are supposed to use it.
Your party has a small child that needs someone to stay with it. But everyone wants to go on California Screamin' but you're afraid your little one can't handle it. NO PROBLEM. Parent: All you have to do is go up to the cast member standing in front of the line's entrance and ask him for your Rider Switch Pass. While the rest of the party goes in the standby line, you parent wait with the young child and the stroller pass. When everyone has gotten off, you and a lucky friend get to go on while the people who waited in the standbyu line stay with your young child. The good part: YOU CUT ALMOST THE WHOLE LINE! It's a breeze!
Now this is how my family uses the Rider Switch Pass: We really want to go on Toy Story but the rest of us really don't want to wait in that hour line. So, My uncle goes up to the cast member standing in front of Toy Story and asks for a Stroller Pass because this little 7 year old girl doesn't like the ride. How can they turn that cute girl down? Most of the time they don't. YA! 2 of us can go on Toy Story now. But WAIT! There are four of us in the party. Me, my grandma, my uncle, and my cousin and we ALL want to go on! No problem. There are one of two options. We either wait for the cast members to change shifts and do the same routine with a new cast member OR try the other cast member out in front and risk getting caught by the other guy you just asked for a stroller pass.
WARNING: They are VERY STRICT on Space Mountain. They actually need to see your party enter the line. Do what you wish with that.
COMING SOON: Single Rider
