Disney's Genie+
Lightning Lane's, Virtual Queues, and a personal Genie?
Disney Parks have abandoned the old Fast Pass system or vitural queues and paid "Lightning Lane".
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More info on this new system coming soon. We'll go over what it is, who can use it, how to get it and use it, and our thoughts on if it's worth it?
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Until then, I'm leaving our old Fast Pass page up as a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
available to you and when, dining reservations and entertainment show times and much more!
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Once inside the park or as I walk up to the main gate, I like to check the wait times for attractions like Space Mountain, Alice in Wonderland and Pirates of the Caribbean. This gives me an idea on how busy the park is and I also check Space Mountain, Indiana Jones and Star Tours on when the next available Fast Pass times are, this also factors in to my assessment on the business of the park. Now my assessment is based purely on my own experiences and opinions, this is not some secret Disney cast member knowledge or anything like that, I simply have been to the parks enough times and this is my opinion.
Now that you've planned ahead and you parked your car or walked and are inside the park at the time you wanted to be (rope drop for most people), now it's time to get going on your day. I'm sure you and your group have day dreamed and planned some things out in your head prior to arriving, this is where we bring it to life. The first thing that I recommend is downloading the Disneyland or Disney World app(s) to your smartphone prior to arriving, or at least during your tram ride from the parking lot you may be able to download it. The app will be your best friend inside the parks providing valuable information regarding attraction wait times, what Fast Passes you have
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Disney Fast Pass
Park Crowd Estimator
Attraction
Space Mountain
Wait Time
5-15 min
20-45 min
45+ min
Star Tours
5-15 min
20-30 min
30+ min
Indiana Jones
5-20 min
25-50 min
Alice in Wonderland
50+ min
5-15 min
20-40 min
Pirates of the Caribbean
40+ min
5-20 min
25-40 min
40+ min
Next Avail. Fast Pass
<1 Hour
1-3 hours
3+ hours
<1 Hour
1-2 hours
2+ hours
<1 Hour
1-2 hours
2+ hours
-
-
-
-
-
-
Crowd Level
Low
Moderate
Heavy
Low
Moderate
Heavy
Low
Moderate
Heavy
Low
Moderate
Heavy
Low
Moderate
Heavy
What I look for in the wait times is based on the chart above. Again I stress that this is just a reference that I use and has no real fact or scientific base to it. When I enter the park, at whatever time I get there, for this example let's just say it is at park opening on a Saturday during March, therefore it's not super peak season but it's not off-season, it's considered spring break so the park should be relatively busy. A couple of things, the parking lots, trams and main entrance will be crowded, as will the security check points because lots of people prefer to get there right at park opening to start their day. This does not necessarily mean the park is busy, but it may feel like it in the morning.
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As I'm waiting to enter the park or once inside, I immediately check my app to see what the current wait times are as well as when the next available fast passes are for those attractions that have it.
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SIDE NOTE: For those of you unfamiliar with the Disney fast pass system, this is a free service that is included with your park ticket that is designed to save you time and help you maximize your day. Compare it to a reservation system for the attractions. Certain attractions offer this fast pass service, and are marked accordingly on your park map as well as on the app. The way it works is that they offer "x" amount of fast passes per 5 minute increments. Once that "x" number is hit, the system changes to the next time frame. You as a guest do not see this "x" number, but you will see what is called the "fast pass return time".
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For example: If the current time of day is 9:00 am and Space Mountain says that the next available fast pass return time is between 11:00 am and 12:00 am now. After the system registers "x" amount of people, it will change the return time frame to 11:05 am - 12:05 am, this is the 5-minute increment mentioned before. The system will continue to do this and eventually the attraction will run out of its allotment of fast passes for the day. On heavy crowded days, this is not uncommon for the popular attractions to run out of fast passes by the afternoon or evening.
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It is also common for the fast pass return time to be several hours later. For example, let's say again, it is a Saturday in March, it is 9:00 am in the morning and the fast pass return time for Space Mountain is between, 3:15 pm and 4:15 pm. If you scan your park ticket or annual pass at this time, you return time will be between 3:15 pm and 4:15 pm as stated, however after 2 hours, you will be eligible to get another fast pass for a different or the same attraction. This is an important rule to note if you want to maximize your day. In this example, if you were to scan your ticket, your Space Mountain fast pass would be good for 3:15 pm and 4:15 pm, but at 11:00 am you could go to The Haunted Mansion and get a fast pass for that attraction. Keep in mind that each attraction is independent, meaning they will each have their own fast pass return times based on how many fast passes have been reserved. If you do not make it back to that attraction between that fast pass return time, you do have a limited grace period of 5-15 minutes, which is at the cast members discretion. So it is important that you return during that posted time. They will also not allow you to scan and enter prior to that posted fast pass return time. You may continue collecting fast passes using this system, there is technically no limit, however I'm sure you can understand that the clock is against you and therefore there is a limit based on the park hours and time of day etc.
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Back to my assessment of the parks crowds. My chart above, the current wait time and how far out the next available fast pass return time are not correlated, meaning the current wait time could be between 5-15 minutes for Space Mountain but the return time might be 3+ hours. This is unlikely, but it could happen if the majority of the people are getting fast passes but not standing in line, using the stand-by, or non-fast pass line/queue.
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When I look at my app, if Space Mountain, or any of the fast pass attractions have a return time that is soon, I might go grab that even though the stand-by line is short.
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For example: Lets say the current time of day is 8:30 am, the stand-by line is only 15 minutes for Big Thunder Mountain, but the fast pass return time is from 8:35 am - 9:35 am. This is also fairly common in the mornings or on slow days. What this means to me is that I can scan my ticket and get a fast pass, simply wait 5 minutes, then get in the fast pass queue, and my overall wait time will most likely be less than that 15 minute stand-by line, plus once I scan my ticket for the fast pass, the system registers that I've used it and then I am instantly eligible for another fast pass. This is a good trick and can save you 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there which at Disneyland can go a long way.
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Okay, so I got off track a little again, sorry about that. So if the return times are near the current time of day, or they're beginning to get a long way out, for example, if it's only 10:00 am but the next fast pass return time is already 7:00 pm, then I know the park is busy, and if I want to fast pass that attraction, I need to go get that fast pass sooner than later otherwise I run the risk of them running out.
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Occasionally an attraction goes down for various reasons (weather, safety stop, injury, or just a malfunction etc.), regardless of the reason, if you have a fast pass for that attraction and it breaks down during your return time, on the app, it will let you know that the attraction is not available. If that attraction is down for "x" amount of time, typically it seems that if it's longer than 30 minutes, your fast pass will turn into a "multiple experiences" fast pass. Below is a screen shot of one that I received on February 6, 2018. Originally it was Indiana Jones, but the attraction went down and our fast pass changed to this. A couple of things to note about these, they are great because they are good for any attraction that has the fast pass system and they do not have a time restriction, they can be used anytime that the attraction that you wish to ride is operating during park hours. They do expire after that day, so you cannot save them for a future visit. As you can also see below, you may use your smart phone to scan at the fast pass return machines if you do not wish to take your ticket or annual pass out. Just make sure your screen is on its brightest setting and it helps if you do not have a screen cover. One last note regarding the multiple experience fast pass, they are only good for the park in which the original fast pass was for. For example, if this was for the Matterhorn Bobsleds, then this multiple experience pass would be good for Disneyland only. However, if it was originally good for Soarin' Over the World, then it would only be good for Disney California Adventure park.
Multiple Experience
Fast Pass
Choose Any Attraction You Wish
No Time Restriction
Other things to be aware of, when you scan your ticket to get your fast pass return time, the machines, as of writing this on 3/27/18 will print out a small paper Fast Pass reminder. You do not need this piece of paper for anything other than a reminder for yourself or many people keep them as a souvenir or for scrap booking. Here are some examples below:
These fast pass reminders are all from the same day. I chose these to give you an idea on how many and how frequently you can get a fast pass. On this particular day, we arrived at the park just after 8:00 am and we wondered around some shops before seeking out fast passes.
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Generally you can get another fast pass after 30 minutes or after 2 hours, which ever is sooner based on how soon your return time is. So for example, you can see for the Space Mountain FP, we got it at 8:41 am, our return time was less than an hour later at 9:35 am.
Here is an example of a non-valid fast pass. If you attempt to redeem another fast pass but it is not your time to do so, because you already have another fast pass, you will receive a ticket that looks like this. It will have a reminder on when you can get another FP. In this example, the current time of day was 9:30 am, and we were not allowed to get another FP until 9:35 am.
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To the right, this is just so you can see what the backside of the reminders look like. Again you do not need to keep these reminders if you do not want to but they will print out automatically.
Here is an example of the "trick" I mentioned earlier about cutting the wait time down by checking the fast pass return time. In this example the wait time for the stand-by queue was 30 minutes for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster. This is a fairly long line for this attraction. In my opinion, I would not wait longer than 20 minutes for this attraction unless I was with someone who had never been on it before or if they just really wanted to ride it.
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Take note of the time we scanned our ticket to get this fast pass. It was 7:51 pm and the return time was only 4 minutes later at 7:55 pm. So instead of waiting 30 minutes, we only waited 4 to get in line for the fast pass, and that queue was zero, which allowed us to join the regular stand-by line instantly and our total wait was less than 10 minutes including the 4 we waited for the fast pass return time.
I mentioned above that the fast pass queue merges with the stand-by queue. This is true on all attractions so that by the time your reach the loading point, the cast member(s) know exactly how many are at that point in the queue as they have to have a head count to load the attraction. In some attractions such as Space Mountain or the Haunted Mansion there are 2 separate scan points for the fast pass returns. This means you scan once near or at the main entrance to the attraction and then you will need to scan a second time at a later point in the queue. This is so people in the stand-by line don't jump the queue after they enter the stand-by line. This also means that if you are redeeming your fast pass, keep your ticket or smart phone out as you will need to scan again.
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At the second scan point, once the cast member has you scan, then you will merge with the stand-by queue and now everyone is in the same queue. Generally, the distance remaining until you board the attraction from this point is minimal and now that you're apart of a single line, you no longer need to have your ticket out. Not all fast attractions have a second scan point or sometimes the second scan point is not being manned by a cast member, therefore is basically not there, but it is a good idea to keep you ticket handy in any fast pass queue just to make sure.
FAQ:
Q: Do I have to return to the attraction between the times listed on my reminder or on the app?
A: Yes! You may remember or possibly speak with others who visited the parks in years prior and will tell you that you don't have to...this is incorrect. It is true that there was a time when the cast members did not enforce the return times, but as of writing this, 4/2/18 they absolutely do enforce them.
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Q: What if I'm early for my fast pass, can I scan ahead of time?
A: No. If you scan, the scanner will turn red and the cast member will ask you what your return time is and remind you to wait until that time.
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Q: What if I'm late for my return time, can I still ride?
A: Yes, but there is a limit. Disney uses a grace period of 15 minutes. If you are late, just let the cast member know before you scan that you and anyone else with you are late. The cast member may ask you why, but in my experience they will just look to see how late you are, and as long as you're within that 15 minute window, they will press a few buttons on their end and then ask you to scan as normal; the light will turn green and you're good to go!
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Q: Can I have fast passes for both parks at the same time?
A; Yes, but again, for those who visited in the past, this has changed. Now both parks are linked together so if you get a fast pass at Disneyland and your return time is 5 hours from the time you get the fast pass, then after 2 hours you can get another, this is when you would go to Disney California Adventure to get a fast there. Before, you used to be able to scan and get a fast pass in Disneyland and then head right away to DCA and get another because they viewed each park as separate systems, this is no more.
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Q: What if I lose my fast pass reminder paper ticket?
A: It is okay, in fact, the cast members will not ask you for them and turn them away if you attempt to give them the paper ticket. All you need to redeem your fast pass, is your park ticket or annual pass.
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Q: Do they run out of fast passes?
A: Yes. On busy days they can run out. As mentioned above, they distribute an "x" number for the day, and the return times move later based on the actual time of day and how many passes are distributed. So it is possible to run out and on busy days they often do for the more popular attractions like Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, the Matterhorn and Star Tours for Disneyland. For DCA, Soarin' Over the World, California Screamin' (soon to be the Incredi-coaster) and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout!
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Q: Do I need to purchase fast passes?
A: At the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, no. However, they do offer a paid version called Disney Max Pass which utilizes the smart phone app and allows you to obtain fast passes without physically walking to that attraction. With the Max Pass service, you also get Disney Photo Pass photos for that day. You can either add Disney Max Pass for $10.00 per person, per day, or if you have an annual pass you can add it for an additional $75.oo on top of your annual pass total, but you get the Max Pass for as long as your annual pass is valid.