Disney Fast Pass Plus Part 2

Greetings!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We started Christmas off right with a trip to WDW! You may remember in my last post that our family was one of the lucky ones picked to experience the Fast Pass Plus. This is my review of how FPP, as I will call it, worked for us.

One thing I absolutely loved about the FPP experience is that every day that we had a FPP time booked, I got a reminder email. I was wondering before our trip how I would remember them all – so I actually ended up printing the page that listed all of them just in case. Then, on the day that we had FPP for Hollywood studios, I was on my IPhone checking my gmail and up popped the reminders. Love it!

How did FPP work? Well, you may have already read about the whole new My Disney Experience that they are pulling out. I think our FPP trial had something to do with this? Every where in the park these new little machines with a Mickey inside a circle at the top of it. These are little electronic swipe contraptions (called RFID machines, Radio Frequency Identification) and all we did was wave our green FPP cards in front of it, wait for the Mickey to turn green, and then we were let in. Our names would pop up on the Cast Members computer to confirm and we’d head on in to what ever attraction we were experiencing. The Cast Members would say, “Have fun Tina!” or, “Enjoy your ride, Ashley!” Super fun and easy! I hear that Disney is breaking out wristbands now that sort of have the same concept going. You can read more about that here.

The process was almost seamless. ALMOST. We did have one snafu when we tried to check in with our FPPs at Space Mountain. Ashley and I were waved through but then they stopped Dave when he scanned his card and told him that he was supposed to be at Haunted Mansion at that time. Our Haunted Mansion FPP weren’t scheduled until 2 hours later, so I was thoroughly confused. I explained to the Cast Member that we were a family and I planned all the FPP check in times all together and he was awesome about it. I think he made a note in the system, and then waved Dave on through. Then, at Haunted Mansion, we were expecting to get stopped again when he used his pass, but they waved him on through? So I am not sure if they changed it when there was an issue at Space Mountain, or if it was a weird system error. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a big deal and the Cast Members were so great about it.

All in all I really liked the system. We could tell that Disney was stepping up everything about their game when we were there. They even installed the new RFID machines at the front of Epcot (maybe even the other parks too) so all we had to do was swipe our Key to the World in front of it, instead of sticking it through the feeder one.

There are a lot of different opinions about the RFID machines and the new wristbands, so I would encourage everyone to read up on it. What’s your opinion? Is it convienent? Or do you think its a little creepy? We really enjoyed how easy it was, but I can see how some people think the process is too invasive. I’m curious to see how it all turns out! I really loved the fact that I could plan what we were riding and when. Plus, if we wanted to change our plans last minute and pick different rides, I could have pulled the website on my phone and changed them with no problems. So awesome!

I’ll leave you with a few pictures of New Fantasyland, it was AWESOME! I’ll post more in a few weeks, have a magical day!

Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple and stress-free! And for a limited time only, all Disney World packages over $2000 qualify for a great in-room gift from Disney Florist!

Tina works full time as a school counselor in an elementary school. She lives close to Baltimore, MD with her husband Dave and her 13 year old stepdaughter, Ashley. They also have a furry family member, a cat name Frodo, that keeps life interesting in their house! Tina began visiting Disney World as a child with her family, and now her, Dave & Ashley take a trip to the World every year. She considers herself a Disney “fanatic” and once her family is finished one trip, she is already planning their next one. Tina loves to find the best deals, even in the busy seasons (she can only go when schools are off!) and loves sharing those deals & tips with anyone and everyone! What Tina loves most is the magic of WDW, it makes her feel like a kid again. She hopes that every family has the opportunity go to the World and experience the magic for themselves because it has a way of reminding its visitors that dreams do indeed come true! Read more of Tina’s work on her blog A Not So Bland Life, where she writes about home decor, cooking, couponing, traveling, and and of course, Disney!