Disneyland FastPass

The Disneyland FastPass system is a fairly complicated mess but it can be conquered with a few tips and a little patience! As mentioned previously, each FastPass at Disneyland must be pulled manually from a ticket machine outside of the desired attraction. Unlike Disney World, you can only hold one FastPass at any given time minus a few exceptions: character meet and greets, Radiator Springs Racers (California Adventure), and the World of Color/Fantasmic! shows are NOT on the same FastPass schedule as the regular attractions so you can hold a ticket for these items and still grab another.

Let's start from the beginning- the FastPass machine. Once you've decided which attraction you want a FastPass for, you'll go to the entrance and see a board similar to this one:

(photo courtesy of Undercover Tourist)

There will be a time range listed which tells you the return time for the FastPasses currently being distributed, as well as a wait time for the current attraction line. The time range continues to move later into the day as more FastPasses are pulled. If you decide that you want a FastPass for the time listed, you'll next look for the machines which look something like this:

(photo courtesy of Disney Geek)

Keep your park tickets handy because you'll need to slide them into the slot at the top (individually) and obtain a ticket below. I recommend that one person take charge of the park tickets and FastPasses to make the process simple. So now you have your FastPass ticket - how do you read it?

(photo courtesy of WDW Guru)

Each ticket will have the name of the attraction listed at the top with the return time range in the middle. It is very important that you stick to this time range because the cast members will only allow you a 15-minute grace period if you're late. You'll notice at the bottom is another time listed for the availability of your next FastPass. The best way to keep moving through the FastPasses is if you pull the next FastPass BEFORE you use the current one. This process will keep you from waiting extra long between FastPass attractions. Sometimes you may pull a FastPass for a much later time in the day - if that's the case, then pay extra close attention to the availability time at the bottom of your ticket because it will allow you to pull another one two hours later.

Not every attraction carries the FastPass option, which somewhat simplifies your plan of attack. Next, I'll go through each park and give you an idea of which attractions should be high-priority.

Disneyland:

Name	Type	Location	Demand	Notes
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad	Thrill	Frontierland	**
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters	Indoor Interactive	Tomorrowland	*	Low standby wait times
Fantasmic!	Nighttime Show	Frontierland	N/A	NOT on the regular FastPass system - don't forget to grab another one, too! This FastPass is picked up along the Big Thunder Trail in Frontierland
Haunted Mansion	Indoor/Dark	New Orleans Square	**
Indiana Jones Adventure	Thrill	Adventureland	***
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin	Indoor/Children	Mickey's Toontown	***	Long standby wait times and Toon Town usually closes early for Wishes fireworks
Space Mountain	Indoor/Thrill	Tomorrowland	***
Splash Mountain	Thrill/Water	Critter Country	**	Long standby wait times in warm weather
Star Tours - The Adventures Continue	Indoor/Simulation	Tomorrowland	**
Storytelling at Royal Theatre	Meet and Greet	Royal Hall	**

California Adventure:

Name	Type	Location	Demand	Notes
World of Color	Nighttime Show	Paradise Pier	***	NOT on the regular FastPass system - don't forget to grab another one, too! This FastPass is picked up at Grizzly River Run. Although FastPasses aren't required to view the show, a FastPass will get you a better view
Anna & Elsa's Royal Welcome	Meet and Greet	Hollywood Land	N/A	NOT on the regular FastPass system - don't forget to grab another one, too!
California Screamin'	Thrill	Paradise Pier	*	Low standby wait times
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration	Interactive/Show	Hollywood Land	**
Goofy's Sky School	Thrill/Children	Paradise Pier	**
Grizzly River Run	Thrill/Water	Grizzly Peak	**	Long standby wait times in warm weather
Meet Olaf in Hollywood Land	Meet and Greet	Hollywood Land	N/A	NOT on the regular FastPass system - don't forget to grab another one, too!
Radiator Springs Racers	Thrill	Cars Land	***	LONG standby wait times unless you want to use the single-rider line. This FastPass is distributed near It's Tough to Be a Bug! Get to the parks super early if you want to get a FastPass for this attraction and remember - it's not on the regular FastPass system!
Soarin' Over California	Indoor/Heights	Grizzly Peak	***
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror	Thrill/Heights	Hollywood Land	**

Indiana Jones Adventure can ONLY be experienced at Disneyland! I recommend that you make this attraction a priority because you won't see it at Disney World!

FastPasses can be pulled independently at each Disneyland park - so if you have a parkhopper option on your ticket and don't mind sending someone to the other park to pull a FastPass then you can experience double the fun in one day!

For an even faster schedule, utilize single rider lines and rider swap! The following attractions have single-rider lines available: Matterhorn Bobsleds, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom; Radiator Springs Racers, California Screamin', Goofy's Fly School, Grizzly River Run, and Soarin' Over California in California Adventure. Rider swap is a process by which a family waits in line together, then tells the cast member at the front that they'd like to use rider swap. One adult will ride with the eligible child and then the second adult can ride (without waiting!) with the child again. This is especially helpful for families with babies, families with children that do- and don't- want to ride, and families where there are more adults than children. There are multiple attractions with this option so keep an eye out for the signs!

I hope I've helped clarify a few things about the FastPass process. Feel free to send any questions my way! Next, we'll talk about Disneyland hotel options.