Tips For Booking FastPass+ Reservations - Plus My Own Pics!

MyDisneyExperience FastPass reservation screen

I booked FastPasses for my own Disney Vacation last night, so I thought that I should share a little bit about my experience. First, it's important to remember that Walt Disney World Resort Guests can begin booking their entire trip's worth of FastPass+ Reservations up to 60 days prior to their vacation. And, when I say they can book them up to 60 days in advance, I mean they definitely should book them at that point in time. So, for me, yesterday marked 61 days before my trip. At about 11:45pm EST, I hopped onto my computer, navigated over to the MyDisneyExperience website, and waiting for Midnight. Because, of course, at Midnight is when 61 days becomes 60. Again, this is all based around Eastern Standard Time.  So, if you're, say, in California, you would look to start booking at 9pm your time (since that would be Midnight EST).

Now, when Midnight did come around, I didn't actually begin booking my FastPasses from Day 1. I started with the final day of my trip. Why? Because, when you book FastPasses, you can lock them in for up to 10 days of your vacation at a time. That means that, while I first had access to my Day 1 last night (60 days prior), anyone whose first day is 70 days out or less has already had access to the FastPasses for that day! So, super hard to get reservations, like the Anna & Elsa Meet and Greet at Magic Kingdom, have more of a likelihood of being gone by that point. So, the later in my trip that I start booking for, the fewer other Guests who have had prior access to that day's worth of experiences. This strategy works especially well if you have, at least, a 10-day vacation planned. Because, then, you'll be among the first people to get to book for that day. As it stands for this trip, I am only going to be at Disney for 7 days and, so, by the time I popped on at Midnight, Anna & Elsa Fastpasses were already gone (as were FastPasses for the Festival of Fantasy Parade and the Main Street Electrical Parade). I'll probably keep checking for those Meet & Greet FastPasses as we get closer, especially at 30 days prior to my trip, as well as on the morning that I would like those reservations for. Why 30 days? Non-Resort Guests (including Guests with Day Passes as well as Passholders) can begin booking then, and Disney does like to keep some availability for those folks. The same holds true for the morning of. Worth a shot, right? And, remember, this is just for FastPass. If there is something that I really want to do, but haven't been able to get a FastPass for, I'll make sure that I head straight to that attraction or experience at Park Opening on the day of, and get in the Standby Queue.

I'd like to share, with you, the FastPasses that I did book last night. It is, by no means, the end all and be all when it comes to what you should book for yourself and your family. It is a combination of the experiences and times that work for me and mine - but it does give you a really good idea of my "Must-Dos," at any rate! I'll also include the couple of Dining Reservations that I booked all the way back at the 180-Day mark, as well as some thoughts and notes, to give you an even better picture of how we've arranged our days, with those included.

Day 1 (Magic Kingdom):
- We're driving to Disney World, and expect to arrive at Magic Kingdom around Noon.

• 12:50pm-1:50pm - Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater
• 2:05pm - Lunch at Tony's Town Square Restaurant
• 2:30pm-3:30pm - Meet Tinkerbell at Town Square Theater

- If we arrive at Magic Kingdom early, we're just planning on hanging out in that Town Square Area. There are lots of other characters available to meet there, like Mary Poppins, Princess Aurora, Snow White, Marie from The Aristocats, and Pluto. There are also some fabulous shops to check out in the area. The point is not to wander too far. We're just there for lunch that day, and then it's back to the hotel to swim and relax for the "official" start of our trip, the following morning.

Day 2 (Magic Kindgom):
- Watch the Welcome Show at Park Opening

• 9:30am - Breakfast with Pooh and Friends at The Crystal Palace
• 10:45am-11:45am - Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
• 1:35pm-2:35pm - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• 4:35pm-5:35pm - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Day 3 (Animal Kingdom):

• 12:10pm-1:10pm - Meet Mickey & Minnie at Adventurer's Outpost
• 1:45pm-2:45pm - Kilimanjaro Safaris
• 2:55pm-3:55pm - Expedition Everest

Day 4 (Epcot):

• 9:15am - Breakfast with Goofy & Friends at Cape May Cafe at Disney's Beach Club Resort (walking distance from Epcot's International Gateway Entrance.
• 11:00am-12:00pm - Test Track
• 12:20pm-1:20pm - Meet Disney Pals (Mickey & Friends) at the Epcot Character Spot
• 4:04pm-5:05pm - Spaceship Earth

Day 5 (Hollywood Studios):

• 11:05am-12:05pm - For The First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• 1:55pm-2:55pm - Toy Story Midway Mania!
• 4:50pm-5:50pm - Star Tours

Day 6 (Magic Kingdom):

• 10:40am-11:40am - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• 11:50am-12:50pm - Enchanted Tales with Belle
• 2:45pm-3:45pm - Space Mountain
• 4:00pm - Dinner at Be Our Guest

Day 7:
- Getting up, packing the car, swimming, and heading home! Of course, I'll make sure that I call the great Disney Reservations folks to find out about any possible Bounceback Offers.

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