How to choose your Magic Kingdom Fastpass Rides
Walt Disney’s World’s FastPass+ system makes it possible to ride popular attractions with minimal wait times. There are, however, some tips and strategies that differ for each park. Let’s discuss the best Magic Kingdom Fastpass rides so your family has an amazing Disney experience.
Please note: FastPass+ is discontinued and replaced with Genie+. Click here to read if Disney’s Genie Plus is worth it.
What is FastPass+?
Let’s start with the basics. FastPass+ is the system in place at Disney World in Orlando (in contrast, Disneyland is still on the older Fastpass system without the PLUS). It is linked to either your park ticket or your magic band – whichever you have. Use My Disney Experience on the web (or use the app on your phone) to add your ticket number to your profile. Once that is set, you can request your Fastpasses.
If you don’t have your Disney World tickets yet, I highly suggest Undercover Tourist. I have used them for about 10 years without any issues. They are a Disney authorized reseller and often offer several discounts saving you money over buying directly from Disney. Follow the link below to purchase.
Disney Fastpass cost
Disney gives you 3 Fastpasses per day. They are completely free, you do not buy them. A Fastpass allows you to enter a ride or attraction through a separate line that is usually much shorter than the standby line. It is a timed entry ticket with a one-hour window.
Begin planning out your Magic Kingdom itinerary. Select your initial Fastpass attractions on My Disney Experience. Those staying at a Disney World resort (also the Swan, Dolphin and some Disney Springs hotels) can make reservations 60 days before arrival date (at 7 am Eastern). You can also make your selections for your entire stay.
If you are staying offsite, you can reserve your Fastpasses 30 days out, one day at a time. You would need to login to My Disney Experience each day to make your reservations for the entire trip.
Disney Magic Kingdom Fastpass Strategy
Not all rides and attractions are eligible for Fastpass. However, there are no Magic Kingdom Fastpass tiers, unlike the other 3 parks. This means you can choose your 3 Fastpasses from all the Magic Kingdom Fastpass rides.
Magic Kingdom Fastpass rides 2020:
Adventureland Fastpass rides:
– Jungle Cruise
– The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
– Pirates of the Caribbean
Fantasyland Fastpass rides and attractions:
– The Barnstormer
– Dumbo the Flying Elephant
– Enchanted Tales with Belle
– It’s A Small World
– Mad Tea Party
– The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
– Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
– Meet Cinderella and Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall
– Mickey’s Philharmagic
– Peter Pan’s Flight
– Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
– Under the Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid
Frontierland Fastpass rides:
– Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
– Haunted Mansion
– Splash Mountain
Tomorrowland Fastpass rides:
– Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
– Monster’s, Inc Laugh Floor
– Space Mountain
– Tomorrowland Speedway
Main Street USA
– Meet Mickey and Minnie at Town Square Theater
– Meet Tinkerbell at Town Square Theater
Magic Kingdom Fastpass rides with height requirements:
– Tomorrowland Speedway 32”
– The Barnstormer 38”
– Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 38”
– Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 40”
– Splash Mountain 40”
– Space Mountain 44”
Take these into account if you have younger children and are trying to plan your Fastpass reservations for Magic Kingdom.
Best times to Fastpass Magic Kingdom rides
My preference is to arrive at Magic Kindom before it opens (read these Disney Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make) and ride as much as you can as soon as you get there.
If you need help deciding what ride you should go to first, check out a Touring Plan. I did this for the first 5-7 times I went to Disney World and, I kid you not, we were able to complete 11 rides before noon. There are a couple of free touring plans, but you can also customize them for a small fee. If you have the book, Unofficial Guide to Disney World, you qualify for a discount off your Touring Plan subscription.
Don’t start your FastPass times until 11:00 am or Noon. This way, you have a solid 2-3 hours to use as you wish first thing in the morning. Many times, we ride until 11:30, then take a small break for a quick lunch. Then, we resume with our FastPasses.
FastPass times are in increments of one hour and they cannot overlap. You can enter a ride anytime during those 60 minutes.
Remember that the Festival of Fantasy Parade is at 3:00 pm. If you are interested in viewing that, be cognizant of not getting a Fastpass during that time.
Best Magic Kingdom Fastpass rides
The following rides will always have long wait times:
– Peter Pan’s Flight
– Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
– Space Mountain
– Splash Mountain (when it’s hot)
In fact, I have never been able to get a FastPass for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train when I stayed offsite and reserved passes 30 days in advance. It is the newest ride at The Magic Kingdom and extremely popular.
Know in advance what rides your family wants to do. We no longer ride Peter Pan because the wait is always 90 minutes and, now that my daughter is older, she would rather FastPass Space Mountain.
Best rides to Fastpass at Magic Kingdom based on age and height:
With children 5 and under:
– Peter Pan’s Flight
– Jungle Cruise
– Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (if kids are taller than 38” and staying onsite)
– Or a character Meet and Greet
With children between 38” and 44”
– Peter Pan’s Flight
– Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (if you can obtain it)
– Splash Mountain (if it’s hot)
– Big Thunder Mountain
– or a character Meet and Greet
With anyone at least 44” tall:
– Space Mountain
– Splash Mountain
– Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (if you can get it)
– Or Big Thunder Mountain
Your Magic Kingdom Itinerary for Rope Drop
Familiarize yourself with a layout of the park if you have not been there before.
At rope drop, know the point you want to be at so you can be one of the first people in that ‘land’ as soon as it opens. From what I have read online, most people turn to the right (Tomorrowland where Space Mountain is) or head straight back into Fantasyland.
We head left to Adventure and Frontierland. You can easily do Aladdin’s Magic Carpets, Pirates of the Carribean and Big Thunder Mountain within the first hour. In fact, we usually end up riding Big Thunder Mountain 2-3 times because we have been able to get right back on immediately (of course, you need to exit and walk through again).
NOTE: Adventureland and Frontierland are not open during Magic Kingdom’s morning extra magic hour (for Disney resort guests), so this only works if it is not a day that has this extra time.
Next, we ride the Haunted Mansion before heading into Fantasyland.
However, if you have littles, I would suggest walking straight back into Fantasyland upon rope drop. You can easily do Winnie The Pooh, the Carousel and Under the Sea. Keep in mind that It’s a Small World is a 14-minute ride, so you will be using a lot of your first hour if you choose to do that ride now.
Head back further into the park for Dumbo and The Barnstormer (my daughter loved that little coaster when she was 2-4 years old).
Once your morning hours are over, grab some food before starting your 3 Magic Kingdom Fastpass rides.
Magic Kingdom ride information
If you have never been to Disney World before, I highly suggest reading up on their rides and attractions before you leave home. I’ve listed several books below that will help you determine what rides are best for your family.
Magic Kingdom tips – More Fastpasses
As with any Disney park, once you use your initial 3 passes, you can log in to your Disney World app (download this ahead of time) or head to a Fastpass kiosk and request another. Most likely they will be gone for the major attractions such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and the three ‘Mountain’ rides, but any Fastpass you can snag will save time.
Actually, once you have scanned your 3rd Fastpass in line, you can request a new one via the mobile Disney World app. If you find yourself waiting in a small line for your Fastpass ride – may as well request your next pass!
There are 6 Fastpass kiosks in the Magic Kingdom where you can request another pass instead of doing it online:
1 – Mickey’s PhilharMagic
2 – Pete’s Silly SideShow
3 – Diamond Horseshoe
4 – Jungle Cruise
5 – Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
6 – Near the Tomorrowland Bridge
Check Fastpass Availability
Wouldn’t it be nice to see a list of rides and what Fastpass availability they have left?
Go back to our handy Touring Plans site (this part is free) and check their ride availability calendar. It defaults to the current date, but you can look into the future as well.
This comes in super handy once you have used your 3 initial Fastpasses. Everything can be seen on one screen so you can plan out the rest of your day.
Rides and attractions not needing a Fastpass
In my opinion, both Mickey’s Philharmagic and the Monsters, Inc Laugh floor do not need Fastpasses. Ever. Save yours for something else!
I hope this article helps you plan the best Fastpasses for Magic Kingdom. If you plan correctly, you can do the majority of rides before 3 pm. Then, relax and grab additional Fastpasses!
Other Disney posts to help plan your vacation:
Enjoy your day at the Magic Kingdom!
What are your thoughts on Magic Kingdom Fastpass rides? Do you do anything differently? Please let me know in the comments!
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