While some guests prefer to wing it, we enjoy making our FastPass+ selections well ahead of time and adjusting them as needed while on vacation. There’s been a great deal of debate about whether the FastPass+ diminishes spontaneity or adds time and value to your magical vacation. FastPass+ selections can always be adjusted once in the park. Personally, I love it. The trouble isn’t in the planning ahead for me, but in trying to decide which attractions we want to utilize each beloved FastPass+. Having small children, their preferences and tolerance for standing in lines are taken into consideration.
For our upcoming trip, both boys will be tall enough to ride almost everything but the big thrill rides. Since we haven’t been to Magic Kingdom since May 2014 when the newest attraction debuted, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a no-brainer for our FastPass+ wish list. The wait times for this mildly thrilling ride often reaches 2 hours and the ride lasts about 3 minutes.
Our second pick for FastPass+ is Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. My kids are huge Toy Story fans, bigger Buzz fans, and maybe even BIGGER shooting gallery game fans. This ride is also a popular one with longer wait times on busy days. Riders shoot targets from a spinning car to try to rack up a high score and defeat Emperor Zurg in the process.
Last but certainly not least, we will try to get a FastPass+ to ride one of our classic favorites, Splash Mountain. On hot days, people flock to this ride for a break from the heat in hopes of getting splashed (and hopes of not getting completely soaked). The characters are welcoming and the ride ends with a thrilling drop.
Other must-ride attractions for us include Haunted Mansion, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Pirates of the Caribbean but we have found those lines to go quicker and/or be more entertaining. Which rides do you FP+ at MagicKingdom?
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Candice was raised in east Tennessee. While in college, her best friend dragged her to a Walt Disney World College Program recruiting session at the University of Tennessee and the rest is Disney history. In the Fall of 1999, Candice became a quick service food hostess for Sunset Ranch Market and Fantasmic at Disney-MGM Studios – or what is now known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While soaking up her time as a cast member, she met Ryan, a neighbor and a fellow college programmer who worked as a custodial host at Epcot. Four years later, Candice moved to the Midwest and married that boy from across the hall. They now live in Greenwood, Indiana with their two little boys. The Disney-loving foursome took their first family trip to The Happiest Place on Earth in 2013 and Candice is eagerly planning their return. Candice also works full-time at a community mental health center and enjoys taking photographs and blogging at Mommy in the Midwest.
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