Magic Kingdom - How to utilize the FAST PASS system!

I have so much I want to say about Disney World that it is hard for me to pick a starting place. I thought since the Magic Kingdom is probably the most popular I would just start there.

Get there as early as possible. I just can't stress this enough. You can get so much done the first two hours if you get there at the opening. Think about what you want to achieve and have in your mind a route that will work good for your family. You don't want to be walking back and forth all day long. We have tried several routes and all worked about the same. It just depended on what we really wanted to do the most. For instance, one time we really wanted to make sure we got on the Buzz Lightyear ride. This is my kids favorite ride. So, as soon as we made it through the gate we headed straight there to pull fast passes ( will explain this later ). Because there was no line we were able to pull our fast passes for a good time of day and then immediately get on the ride and then get on the ride again. We got to ride it three times that day! So, it really paid off to hustle over there.

Utilize the fast pass system. This will save your hours of standing in line. There are many rides at the Magic Kingdom that have fast passes. Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railway, and the Jungle Cruise.

There are also fast passes for Carousel of Progress and the Philharmonic show but DO NOT waste your fast passes on these rides. When you pull fast passes for a ride near these you will also be give a Bonus Fast Pass for one of these two rides.

Remember to consider who can ride the ride before you pull the passes. For example my daughter is not tall enough to ride Space Mountain, but my son is. So, we will pull two fast pass tickets for it. Then we will go up and get a rider switch card (will explain this later). My husband and son will use the two fast passes to ride first and then I will use the rider switch card to ride the ride with my son.

Also, make the most use out of time by deciding how many fast pass tickets to pull for each ride. For example both of our children can ride Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad. But my husband and I can not ride at the same time because our toddler can not ride. So, we pull two fast passes for one ride and then two fast passes for the other ride. Then we get a rider switch card for both rides. Now we don't have to stand in line for either ride because we have fast passes and the switch card. Even though we have to switch off riding the ride we still get both rides done in the time it would have taken to stand in just one line.

Now if we were riding Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, or Buzz lightyear we would have to pull all four fast passes because we can all ride the ride at the same time.

Remember that at the Magic Kingdom your toddler or baby can ride almost every single ride in the park! Our son was about a year and a half the first time we took him and he was able to ride all the rides except for 4 of them.

Use the rider's switch card! If you have a young child with you that can not ride the ride or doesn't want to ride get a rider's switch card. To do this you go up to the fast pass return place for that specific ride. Let them know you need a card. They will want to see all of you to verify who is riding first and who is riding next and they want to see the kid that makes you eligible for the card. It is that easy. And the best part is you get to use the fast pass lane with that card.

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