Disney Fastpass and Fastpass Plus are two reservation systems used by Disney. Introduced in 1999, Disney Fastpass allowed the visitors to skip lines and board their favorite rides without any delay. However, Disney Fastpass was replaced by a new digital reservation system called Fastpass Plus in 2014. The key difference between Fastpass and Fastpass Plus is that with Fastpass the guests could reserve the rides on the day they visited the park whereas with Fastpass Plus the guests can reserve the attractions thirty days prior to the visit.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Disney Fastpass
3. What is Disney Fastpass Plus
4. Side by Side Comparison – Disney Fastpass vs Fastpass Plus in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Disney Fastpass?
Disney Fastpass is the innovative ride reservation system introduced in 1999 for Disneyworld visitors. This allowed people to avoid long lines at the attractions and get tickets that allowed them to return to the attraction at specific times and hop right on board. There was no additional cost to use Fastpass service since it was already included in the park ticket.
To obtain a Fastpass, visitors had to insert their park passes into the Fastpass machines at kiosks, which were located in front of the attractions. Then the machine would issue paper tickets that mention a specific time (the next available reservation time). When the guest hand this ticket over to Disney cast members within this time frame, they will be allowed to skip the lines and board the rides. The tickets, however, were only available in the park on the day you visit.
Figure 01: Fastpass Tickets
Disney Fastpass was only available for selected attractions. For example, Magic Kingdom had about 9 attractions that could be reserved with a Fastpass ticket. In 2014, this Fastpass system was replaced with Disney Fastpass Pluss.
What is Disney Fastpass Plus?
Disney Fastpass Plus is a digital reservation system that allows guests to make advance reservations for attractions and experiences at Disney World. This is a free service that allows every ticket holder the chance to skip-the-line on three specific attractions at one park per day. Guests can start making selections as early as 30 days before they visit the park. If you are staying at a Disney Resort Hotel, then you have the chance to make reservations 60 days prior to your visit. Since Fastpass Plus has replaced the original Fastpass system, physical Fastpass tickets are no longer distributed. The Fastpass Plus reservations are stored in My Disney Experience profile on your tickets or MagicBands. Once you have booked your Disney tickets, you can log into My Disney Experience website and make the selections.
Figure 02: Magic Bands
Since Disney Fastpass Plus is the upgraded version of Fastpass, there are many benefits in this system. Disney Fastpass Plus can be used to visit many attractions in Disney World. However, it is not recommended to use Fastpass Plus on attractions with fewer crowds. Moreover, Fastpass Plus offers the guests the chance to select the times more convenient for them to visit the attractions. The ability to reserve up to three experiences per day is another great advantage offered by Fastpass Plus.
What is the Difference Between Disney Fastpass and Fastpass Plus?
Disney Fastpass vs Fastpass Plus |
|
| Fastpass was the original ride reservation system introduced in 1999. | Fastpass Plus is the upgraded version of Fastpass. |
| Reservation in Advance | |
| The ride can be reserved on the day of the visit. | The ride can be reserved as early as 30 days prior to the visit. |
| Tickets | |
| Fastpass has physical tickets. | Fastpass Plus selections are stored in Magic Bands or park passes, which look like credit cards. |
| Number of Fastpasses | |
| Guests were only available to get one Fastpass at a time. | Guests can reserve up to 3 experiences in advance. |
| Changing the Time | |
| Guests cannot change the Fastpass reservation time. | Guests can change the reservation times as well as the attractions they planned to visit. |
| Attractions Available for Fastpasses | |
| Only a few attractions could be reserved with Fastpass. | Many attractions can be reserved with Fastpass Plus. |
| Multiple Reservations for the Same Ride | |
| Guests can get more than one reservation for the same attraction (they can visit several times). | Fastpass Plus allows the guests to make only one reservation for a ride per day. |
| Number of Parks | |
| Guests can ride reservations at more than one theme parks during a day. | Guests can only obtain ride reservations at one park per day. |
Summary – Disney Fastpass vs Fastpass Plus
Disney Fastpass was replaced by Fastpass Plus in 2014. The main difference between Disney Fastpass and Fastpass Plus is the new features available with Fastpass Plus. With Fastpass Plus, guests can reserve attractions many days prior to the visit. Moreover, the reservation times, dates, as well as the attractions in Fastpass Plus can be changed via My Disney Experience. These facilities were not available with the original Fastpass.
Image Courtesy:
1. “doing it right” by Chris Makarsky (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Magic Bands (14038458950) (cropped)” By Doug Butchy (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia