All You Need To Know About Disney World FastPass Plus For The Military Traveler

Comments

1. Amy Tupper says

   14 January 2014 at 10:34

   I have just booked on-site reservations for my family of 3 (AP holders) and our friend/babysitter (DAFS ticket holder). We have Magic Bands on order & have booked our FP+ times for 2 of the 4 days.

   My biggest issue with the new system is that you can only have/get FPs for one park per day. This basically eliminiates the park-hopping benefit. For example, we have our FP+ times for 16 Feb booked at MK, but they’re only in the afternoon. So, I figured we could go to Epcot and perhaps get regular FPs for Soarin’ or TestTrack. Now, I hear that the legacy FP machines will be discontinued by the end of this month.

   So, why would I even go to Epcot now? I suppose I *could* go wait in line, but I’d rather not if it’s possible not to – and it was, under the old system.

   I think they’ll see a lot less park-hopping. Maybe that’s what they want? But that’s less potential revenue (in the park-hopper upgrade of tickets).

   Reply

2. Melissa B says

   14 January 2014 at 11:43

   My husband and I went to WDW in December. We had purchased our tickets at Shades of Green before we left (he is National Guard so the closest base to purchase them at is 2+ hours north at Fort Knox and we don’t really go that way.) We stayed at Riverside and were selected for the test for the Magic Bands. We were so excited when we were chosen but we worried about the FP+ reservations because we knew that we would not be recieveing our tickets until we go to WDW.

   Our first day that was just our free day. We went to SOG to buy our tickets (we did the salute our soldiers so it was just the vouchers) then of to DTD. Guest services was able to exchange them to a ‘paper ticket’ and then linked them to our Magic Bands. This was nice to be able go to DTD to exchange the vouchers without having to wait to go to the parks to do it.

   (For an FYI, if you have a party ticket such as MVMCP or MNSSHP DO NOT LINK IT TO YOUR BANDS before you leave. It cause just a little bit of a problem at guest services. They had to deactivate our xmas tickets to unlink them from the bands and then issue us brand new paper tickets. Hopefully when the testing is done, they will have that ironed out and they will be able to link them along with normal park tickets.)

   That night back at the hotel room, we got on to the My Disney Experience app to see if we would be able to book our FP’s. I was concerned about being alble to do this because I had been reading on the boards for months about not being able to get reservations that close to actually going to the parks. But we had no problems at all. We were able to get a couple of reservations that we were wanting.

   The next day when we went to MK for the rope drop, the first FP we had book was for the Little Mermaid. We were so early that there was only a 10 minute wait. We decieded not to ‘waste’ a FP for only a 10 min wait. So we cancelled it. That was a mistake.

   Our only grip about the FP reservations on the MDE is canceling and rescheduling. You cant just book one FP. You have to book all three for the day. So if you book one then the app will automatically book 2 other ones for you. Also, you cant just cancel one. It will cancel all of them for you. Thankfully we were able to get our reservations back after we had cancled little mermaid. A little while later we randomly ran into someone from the Magic Band department and he explained so things to us.

   First he told us that you always have to have 3 reservations booked for the FP’s. Second, he said because all of those reservations are linked, if you cancel 1 it cancels all 3. He told us instead of canceling your FP to change the time or the experience. That way you have all 3 all the time. After he told us that, we had no other problems through out the rest of the trip until the very last day we were in the parks.

   On our last day in Epcot, I wanted to try the kiosks for our FP. Up until that point we had only been using the MDE app. However once I used the kiosk, it screwed everything up for the FP’s. It had cancelled all of them and all I was trying to do was change the time for Test Track. The kiosk showed that it changed correctly but then the app said we had none. Guest services was able to help us out, gave us all back our FP’s and even a ‘free’ one for our trouble. I don’t know if it was just a one time thing or it always happens. My suggestion for that is just to either stick with the app or the kiosk. Try not to use both.

   Once we figured out everything, we loved it the whole time. The big issue guests have to remember is that it is still in the testing phase. I understand that people have issues with the bands, the FP’s, and everything else that comes along with it, but they are still testing. The CM told us that the Magic Bands are having to read information from 6 or 7 different systems.

   I know that this has taken much longer that any of us expected to the full role out but they want to make sure it’s perfect before they full give it to their guests. I cant wait for us to go back and us it again.

   Reply

   • Steve says

     15 January 2014 at 19:09

     Wow Melissa,

     You really put the system through a good test! Thanks so much for all the great info.

     Steve

     Reply

3. Chris says

   15 January 2014 at 12:32

   We are looking at the stars and stripes tickets and how can we purchase them ahead to link them to the experience to get FP +. Staying as Carribean Beach

   Reply

   • Steve says

     15 January 2014 at 16:19

     Hi Chris,

     Unfortunately that isn’t possible. Shades will let those staying at Shades pre-pay, but everyone has to pick up the Stars and Stripes Passes in person.

     Only tickets from your base ticket office can be purchased prior to arrival, which means the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets or the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets.

     Reply

4. Mark says

   23 January 2014 at 15:46

   I went to WDW with my family the week of Jan 5. We stayed at SoG the first 5 nights then moved to Art of Animation for 2 nights (just to try it out and because a suite at AoA was cheaper than 2 rooms at SoG once the Pre-Marathon rate expired). We got our Magic Bands upon check-in at the Disney resort.

   On the MDE app, I was able to link our plastic tickets (Keys to the world) to the Magic Bands (which also serve as room keys and means of payment for adults- it’s linked to your credit card). Magic Bands also eliminate the need to have a PhotoPass or Memory Maker (formerly PhotoPass+) card- both of which are a good deal if you buy 3+ days in advance of your first park visit. The photographers can scan your Magic Band and the photos will be linked there.

   I was able to make FP+ reservations a day or two prior to check-in: but only for the days I was to be in the Disney hotel. It worked pretty well, although I found the app slow, and the “must have three” aspect of it was annoying, as an above poster mentioned. I am pretty sure I was able to make reservations in more than one park (morning in MK, afternoon in HS).

   People who are savvy can save themselves a lot of time using FP+. My daughter got terribly ill and was unable to use two days of her ticket, so she and my wife are flying back in February and staying at SoG. I will have her hit the FP+ kiosk first thing in the morning upon entering the park.

   I am curious to know if the Magic Bands will still work. I assume they will since our Military Salute tickets were linked to the bands. But she’ll bring the “keys to the world” just in case.

   One more tip: once you make your three reservations, you can go in and change the times to tighten them up- e.g. you can get Option 1 from 9-10, Option 2 from 10-11, and Option 3 from 11-12. Initially they’ll be spread out over 4-5 hours.

   Reply

   • Steve says

     23 January 2014 at 18:55

     Hey Mark, thanks!

     Yes your Magic Bands will still be active. I now have 3 for myself, from 3 stays, that all have my seasonal pass on them and all work at each resort I check into, so I can wear the color I feel like each day.

     The bands are tied to you (or your MDE profile) as a person and whatever ticket you have or resort you stay at they have on them.

     Reply

5. Marianna says

   28 January 2014 at 16:37

   We just got back from a 5 night stay at SOG. We did not like the FPP because we weren’t able to make advance reservations and the FPP are so limited. We lost a lot of our spontaneity on this trip and spent much more time in standby lines than ever before. As previously mentioned, the new system pretty much negates the benefits of Park Hopping. I really hope they improve the system and give SOG guests MagicBands or we will vacation elsewhere

   Reply

   • Dustin K. says

     28 January 2014 at 18:50

     Marianna, We too are afraid of what this means for our trip. We have booked a vacation for October in hopes that the Salute Ticket offer is extended. And with the way the FP+ band system is going and not being extended to Swan & Dolphin and SoG (we have S&D reserved) it seems we may no longer want to go to Disney! We stayed at S&D in 2012 and loved the resort! That w/salute tickets and the old fast pass system everything was awesome. Very little wait lines and just being able to tour the parks was nice. I don’t want to spend my entire day waiting in lines. I have been reading reviews where people are saying when they do get to a FP+ kiosk that all of the times are taken. With Disney resorts able to book 60 days in advance how is this fair to others. Specially S&D being claimed as a Disney Perk resort! Very frustrating! For a trip that is upwards of $10,000 it will be severely disappointing to have this as the Magic we remember, waiting in line. Tried the MDE app and they have S&D as a link option but won’t link. Call the help line and they say they are not including the S&D, why have it as an option then? I re-booked the Dolphin by past experience and the App saying that its a qualified resort, after I pay and try to link the confirmation number I’m told its not. This trip is months away and already very frustrating! Disney, the new Apple! Really hoping they have this figured out by October.

     Reply

     • Steve says

       29 January 2014 at 08:14

       Hi Dustin,

       Why not switch to a Disney resort? I’m sure the Disney Armed Forces Salute will be renewed. I was not impressed with the Swan, the room seemed old. Plus they have all the extra fees on top of the room charge, resort fee (for phone and whatever else), parking fee.

       Reply

       • Monique says

         14 February 2014 at 01:48

         I agree Steve, the Swan isn’t that great. Being on Disney grounds is always great! I always book Disney Resort. I love all the extra perks.

         Reply

     • Meredith says

       7 March 2014 at 11:05

       Hi, Dustin. Unfortunately, it looks like Disney MAY be converting to what most parks do, and be making the FP+ a perk for staying on a Disney resort property. Only time will tell if they decide to change this. That being said, S&D are actually STARWOOD resorts on Disney property. This is why Magic Bands are not available to guests. There are some perks available to staying on a resort property, but they do not equal those of staying at a DISNEY owned property….at this time. As suggested, I would definitely consider staying at a Disney owned property, even if just for one night to get your Magic Bands. We did this, and our AFS tickets remained on our bands, including the ability to make FP# reservations. The rates are comparable at many of the resorts, and may be even less if they extend the military discounts on the rooms.

       Reply

6. Bill says

   30 January 2014 at 19:24

   See correspondence below directly from Disney:

   Dear Bill,

   Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.

   We appreciate you taking the time to contact us about this and we
   apologize, but the 4-Day Armed Forces Salute Tickets are given to you as
   vouchers that will need to be activated upon entering the park for the
   first time. Since these are vouchers and not actual tickets, you won’t
   have access to the ticket number associated with the voucher in order to
   link your tickets to My Disney Experience.

   My Disney Experience and the Fastpass+ system are still in their testing
   phases and we hope to be able to allow the addition of military ticket
   vouchers in the near future.

   Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

   If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
   us.

   Have a magical day!

   Sincerely,

   Lee Hampton
   eCommerce Sales and Service Team

   PLEASE NOTE: All information is subject to change without notice and
   should be confirmed just prior to your visit.

   Original Message Follows:
   ————————

   Am I able to register the 2014 Disney Promotional Tickets (Military 4
   day ticket) to MyDisneyExperience just like any other ticket Disney Park
   ticket. Will I be able to register 60 days in advance for the Fastpass+
   reservations using MyDisneyExperience before arriving at Walt Disney
   World. The reason I ask, I believe the Disney Promotional Tickets
   tickets have to be activated before use that may prevent military
   families from making Fastpass+ reservations in advance.

   Reply

   • Steve says

     30 January 2014 at 21:21

     Hi Bill,

     Thanks for checking in and for sharing the note from Disney.

     Disney officially refuses to comment on My Disney Experience to the press, as they say it is still in testing.

     All I can do is pass on what other readers have shared with me.

     Many have successfully linked their vouchers from base ticket offices by either typing in the number on the back (it is longer that MDE says, but some have said it will accept it) or scanning the barcode on the back with their MDE smartphone app. I have only heard from one or two who could not do this (one did not have a smart phone).

     I’ve had quite a few reports of the FP+ reservations made against the vouchers carrying over to the actual ticket without issue (or in one instance tech support from the ticket window).

     I love Disney but their internal training and information sharing, at least where military discount issues are concerned is not good.

     Reply

7. Julie says

   13 February 2014 at 12:08

   Question:
   I previously stayed at AOA last Sept during the testing phase of Magic Bands (MB). it worked out great but, I had an annual pass. My pass has expired and we are returning in May to SOG using military salute tickets. My mother is joining us and does not have an old MB. Will those of us with MB be able to link the Salute tickets to those older bands? I will be managing all the tickets and FB+ under my account. Or is this too much trouble and we should just stick with the tickets/cards and link those to my account before we go into the park? Either way I know we will have to make FP+ res at the park.
   Maybe I should just take the bands, tickets all to guest services and let them link everything after the tickets are validated. Big wast of time though. I”m looking for the the easiest approach.

   Love your site,
   Thanks,
   Julie

   Reply

   • Steve says

     13 February 2014 at 16:52

     Hi Julie, thanks!

     Yes you sure can link the new AFS tickets to your old bands, either the exchange vouchers you get from your base ticket office or the actual tickets once activated. You should be able to add your mother and her ticket to your account to manage them all. either way you are linking your tickets and they will work and the bands being tied to the person the ticket is tied to will also work. Hope that makes sense!

     Guest Relations can always help if there are issues.

     Reply

8. Timothy says

   16 February 2014 at 09:44

   I really hope they get this figured out before Summer. We are going in July and I can bet the fast pass times will all be used up before we get into the park.

   Reply

9. Tim says

   28 February 2014 at 19:10

   I was on the Disney site looking at reservations and the online chat box opened. So I used the opportunity and I asked the CM if I booked a Disney resort would I be able to link my military tickets to the account and make FP+ selections 60 days out and they told me yes. They said I would receive a 16 digit code with my tickets and I would enter that.

   I have not yet picked up my tickets and am more than 60 days out, so I cannot confirm that this is the correct answer…………..

   As when you book a resort at military rates they are not very interested in quoting you a ticket price (telling you to purchase at a base or SOG) as part of that package it seems to me that they are steering us in a very bad direction if we are unable to link until actual activation,

   Reply

   • Steve says

     1 March 2014 at 11:17

     Tim,

     I’ve only had one report of someone not being able to link Salute ticket vouchers purchased on base. He said the number on the back wouldn’t work and he had no smart phone to scan them into the MDE app. Everyone else I’ve talked to has had no issue.

     Reply

   • Jennifer Bable says

     21 March 2014 at 20:05

     I just purchased my and the hubby’s Salute exchange certificate at the Post ticket office today. When I got home I went on the MDE site and linked them to my reservations at the Campground at Ft Wilderness. With no problem. Our trip is Sept 13-20, so we are a little less than 6 months out.

     Reply

10. Theresa says

    1 March 2014 at 17:25

    We have reservations to stay at a Disney hotel and I just bought our Salute ticket “vouchers” last week at our base. I was able to link the vouchers to My Disney Experience with no issue – just typed in the number on the voucher for the ticket number. In fact, My Disney Experience even listed the “tickets” as “Military Salute 4 day Park hopper” so the system clearly understood exactly what my tickets are. We’re more than 60 days out, so I can’t comment on actually making FP reservations, but the ticket linking is working a-okay.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      1 March 2014 at 20:22

      Thanks for the update Theresa. Great to know it was a smooth process!

      Reply

11. Cierra Arthur says

    14 March 2014 at 12:25

    I am not planning a military vacation but can not seem to find the answer to my questions any where. I am planning a trip for a large group 13 people with three different reservations. I have to be the planner for every aspect as every one else is either tech challenge or is a Disney newbie. Is there a way to book fast past times for the same rides at the same time for each reservations besides booking them all sperately. Thanks for any help.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      14 March 2014 at 20:49

      Yes Cierra,

      You can make them for one person and then copy them to everyone else in your party. With 3 reservations, you may have 3 parties, so would need to do it 3 times, one for each party.

      Reply

12. Debra says

    23 March 2014 at 18:19

    Has anyone who registered their military voucher numbers and gotten their fast pass plus reservations made well before their trip actually found that they had no problems with keeping those fast pass reservations once they traded their vouchers for their tickets and linked them to their wrist bands when they got to Disney?

    Reply

    • Steve says

      23 March 2014 at 21:25

      Hi Debra,

      I’ve had several reports of no issues at all with the transition from voucher to actual ticket. From all I’ve heard the FP+ reservations carry over just fine.

      Reply

      • Mike says

        4 April 2014 at 05:25

        Purchsed Stars & Stripes tickets using the advanced purchase option from SOG. We arrive in a couple weeks. I received an email with a scan of the backs of the cards showing me the code numbers from each ticket. I was able to link the tickets to MDE with no problem. I made FP+ reservations for one of the days of our trip with no problem.

        When I tried to select FP+ for another day, the system told me that I had used all of my FP+ selections and would have to forfeit the ones made for another day to accept the new selections.

        Since those tickets are only good for the number of days purchsed based on the nights staying at SOG or a Disney resort, I’m thinking that they don’t actually become active until the first day of use. All I can figure at this point is that they are recognized as valid for one day until activated.

        Disney recognizes the ticket code I entered as a “0-Day ALPHA S TICKET” right now. My guess is that they will recognize the other eight days once it is first used. I am calling Disney today or tomorrow to find out for sure.

        Reply

        • Steve says

          4 April 2014 at 05:55

          Mike,

          Call the Disney Internet Help Desk 800-848-6413.

          THis is the second time I’v heard of the issue with “0-Day ALPHA S TICKET” this week.

          Reply

          • Mike says

            9 April 2014 at 10:15

            SUCCESS!! after a couple calls, I finally was able to make mutiple FP+ selections. The Stars and Stripes length of stay ticket was causing me fits. It seems that Disney recognizes this ticket only as good for an unknown number of days until the first day it is used. Since SOG ticket sales issued it, Disney had no way to verify the number of days purchased (no access to SOG database). The fine folks at the Disney Helpdesk were able to help me get the tickets recognized properly as 8-Day length of stay and now I have FP+ ressies for all next week. Of course, my wife will likely decide to go to a different park than the one I selected FP for each day but that’s another story. COL Mike

          • Steve says

            9 April 2014 at 16:25

            Awesome!!!

            Thanks for the update Mike. I’ll get this info onto this post.

13. Megan says

    24 March 2014 at 09:10

    Has anyone tried to use two “Salute” vouchers per person in MDE to make fastpass+ reservations? In the past my husband and I have been able to use two of the four day passes back to back since we planned a stay longer than the four days. We have a trip planned in June for 7 days and were hoping to each use two of the AFS tickets, but I’m worried we will only be able to link one voucher number per person, which will limit our fastpass+ selections.
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      24 March 2014 at 17:11

      Hi Megan,

      I’ve not had any feedback on back to back use of etsDisney Armed Forces Salute with FP+ yet.

      Steve

      Reply

14. Shelbe says

    27 March 2014 at 08:13

    I’m so confused. “Starting on 31 March 2014 non Disney resort guests using regular single day or multi-day tickets (Including Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets) will be able to make FastPass+ reservation up to 30 days before their park visit.”

    We are heading to Disney end of May for 10 days. We are staying at SOG. We won’t buy our tx until we get there. I do have a MDE account and have made several lunch/dinner reservations. Does this mean I should go to our nearest base (an hour and half away) and purchase our tickets prior to SOG? We were going to do the 4 day Park Hopper, Kennedy Space Center and some water parks so we were thinking just buying it all at SOG would streamline everything. I really don’t want to spend a lot of time waiting to get FP+ day of since I doubt we’ll be able to get what we want! I’m excited they are doing this but am thinking maybe we should at least get the Disney tx now. We are going over Memorial Day weekend. Advice?

    Reply

    • Steve says

      27 March 2014 at 18:59

      Hey Shelbe,

      Yep, if you want to make your FP+ reservations ahead of time you will need to get your tickets from a base at least 30 days out from your check in.

      TouringPlans.com shows the parks on Memorial Day weekend as 7s, 8, and 9s out of 10 and it is a Star Wars weekend at DHS. It will be busy!

      SO you might want to get those Salute tickets, call first to see if they need to order them (My ITT has to).

      Reply

      • Shelbe says

        30 March 2014 at 08:43

        Thanks Steve! We just saw the post about SOG emailing you the voucher numbers! Kudos to SOG for that convenience!

        Once I get the voucher, I will link everything on MDE. I know we have to pay extra for the MB’s. Will they ship them to my home? Will I get them in time?

        Reply

        • Shelbe says

          30 March 2014 at 08:48

          just answered my own question. Looks like it takes 10 days from ordering them to having them shipped to you! Wow…that seems awfully fast. This is from the MDE website:

          Q.
          My MagicBand has been shipped. How long should it take to reach me?
          A.
          MagicBand fulfillment and shipping should take about 10 days. However, it could be a few days more or less depending on factors such as holidays, weekends and inclement weather.

          If your MagicBands have not arrived and your visit to Walt Disney World Resort starts within 3 days, please contact us.

          Don’t worry! If you are eligible and you do not receive your MagicBands before you have to travel to Walt Disney World Resort, you will be provided with MagicBands or cards when you arrive. MagicBand shipping is only available to United States addresses.

          Reply

        • Steve says

          30 March 2014 at 09:49

          I think you’ll have to buy them on property. Disney hasn’t said yet…

          Reply

15. Jessica Davis says

    29 March 2014 at 19:23

    My family just came back from a week at Disney World, Fl. We had a Disney worker tell us at the Animal Kingdom that if we link our tickets to Disney “my experience” (that’s part of the official Disney website) that we could choose our fast passes 24 hours in advance of the park we wanted to go to. We also received emails from Disney after booking dining reservations to take advantage of FP+ ahead of time. Unfortunately we had two extended family members that had single day tickets, so we could not take advantage of this offer. Those with single tickets were limited FP+ the day they are going to use them.

    Reply

16. JDR says

    31 March 2014 at 07:43

    Hey there! Any update on purchasing Magic Bands as SOG guests?
    Thanks for all of your awesome info!! Couldn’t have planned this trip without it 🙂

    Reply

    • Steve says

      31 March 2014 at 16:07

      Hi there,

      Just home from work and haven’t heard anything today, but I assume you will be able to buy them at WDW Ticket and Guest Relations locations.

      Reply

17. Jennifer Husted says

    3 April 2014 at 14:05

    Last week I ordered my tickets and got my voucher information from Shades of Green – we are going on our first trip to Disney in May and are staying at SOG. I tried to link them up by entering the numbers on the MDE website, but had no luck, so I used the app to scan the bar codes and had no problem at all. We have 8 people in our party and want to go into the parks for 5 days, so I had to order a variety of tickets (6 Military Salute, 6 1-day Magic Kingdom tickets, and 2 5-day Stars and Stripes children’s tickets. When I entered them all into MDE, the Military Salute tix showed up as 4-day Military Salute tickets. All the others though, showed up as ‘0-Day Alpha S Tickets’ Any idea what that means? I’m worried that something is wrong….. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      3 April 2014 at 15:40

      Hi Jennifer,

      You didn’t mention your dates, so I don’t know how far you are out. But with at least one ticket linked for everyone in your party, you should be able to try to make a FP+ reservation for the whole party anytime within the next 30 days.

      But you might want to call Disney’s internet help line they have been very good at helping people w/ My Magic Plus issues. 800-848-6413

      Reply

      • Jennifer Husted says

        10 April 2014 at 13:58

        Yep – apparently it’s a known issue. SOG told me I have to call Disney help desk to get it fixed. Doing that later today – Will post again if there’s anything more to know.

        Jenn

        Reply

18. Precious says

    11 April 2014 at 10:23

    I am having serious issues with my ticket.. I am trying to type in the WSG number .. the trans number and the TKT number and it is not working.. can someone who already liked there tickets give me an example of what the exact sequence of numbers I should put in.. I did get my tickets from Shades of Green and will be staying at Shades of green.. thank you

    Precious

    Reply

    • Steve says

      11 April 2014 at 17:39

      Hi Precious,

      Try this solution offered by one of the MDT Facebook contributors, Brian:

      In your MDE click on “my reservations and tickets” click on “LINK TICKETS”…. on the lower right hand side you will see a blue link ” ADD AN OLDER TICKET”, click that. On the next page just click the bubble for the top left hand ticket example, then NEXT. On the bottom right hand side of your voucher you will see a group of numbers… on this current page enter those numbers/letters….and it should work!!

      If that won’t work call the Disney Internet Help Desk at 800-848-6413.

      Reply

19. Laura says

    12 April 2014 at 07:24

    I used your suggestion to split our hotel reservation. I booked one night at a Disney property and the rest of our nights at Shades of Green. At 60 days out I started booking our fast pass + reservations. It worked fine for the night we are staying at a Disney property but after that it will not allow us to book our other days. When I called Disney, they said for the rest of our stay we have to wait until the 30 days out.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      12 April 2014 at 12:10

      Hi Laura,

      Initially this was working, but with the recent implementation of the 30 day limit they seem to have plugged the hole.

      Sorry

      Reply

      • Laura says

        13 April 2014 at 10:58

        I stand corrected on this one. We got on My Disney Experience today and the calendar finally rolled over to the next day. It allowed us to make our fast pass+ reservations. It took an extra day for the calendar to switch so we made them at 59 days, instead of 60. Thanks

        Reply

        • Steve says

          13 April 2014 at 16:11

          Awesome, thanks Laura!

          Reply

20. K S says

    13 April 2014 at 19:56

    Hello! We plan on going in July (I know, crazy). We are buying numerous 4 day hopper Disney World tickets and I understand the activation process. However, I am curious if we give park dates when we order our tickets from our local base? If not, how does My Disney Experience know when we can start our FP+ reservations??

    Reply

    • Steve says

      13 April 2014 at 20:48

      Good question.

      The here is always a 30 day window active for any ticket you link in My Disney Experience. So 30 days prior to your visit, when the first day you want to make your FP+ for comes open you can make that first day’s. The next day you can make the second set of FP+ and so on.

      Have fun!

      Reply

      • KS says

        24 April 2014 at 14:48

        Ohh, gotcha … so 30 days out from the date you want to make a reservation for. That helps a ton, thanks!

        I am wondering if anyone has had an issue with linking their voucher and then their FP+ reservations not working with their activated tickets once they get there?? Like, what if the vouchers and tickets have a different code/number, or are they the same? Basically do the vouchers and activated tickets act as one in the same or will we lose our reservations and then have to delete the vouchers from MDE and add the activated tickets instead? (hopefully I didn’t make this more confusing lol)

        Reply

        • Steve says

          24 April 2014 at 15:38

          The different numbers were a big concern initially, but it turned out to be a false concern. I haven’t heard of any issues.

          Reply

          • KS says

            24 April 2014 at 17:08

            WOOOOHOOOOO this makes me even more stoked than initially! 🙂 Thanks for everything you do!

21. Chris says

    13 April 2014 at 20:17

    Staying at Caribbean Beach in July for 8 nights. Would like Stars and stripes tickets as they are best value by far. Can these be pre-ordered now due to FP+. Would like them at least 60 days out for FP+ reservations.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      13 April 2014 at 20:52

      Hi Chris,

      Shades of Green’s Stars and Stripes Passes (or the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets) can only be pre-ordered from Shades of Green by those staying at Shades of Green.

      If FP+ at 60 days is your focus, then you’ll need another type of ticket. Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets can be purchased at most base ticket offices.

      Reply

22. Shelbe says

    17 April 2014 at 13:36

    We just got our tx from SOG and linked them up. It wasn’t as user friendly as I had hoped but thanks to the nice lady at the SOG that I called, it all got worked out. Now we want to get MB’s. I know we don’t need them but we want them. Because they are cool. 🙂

    Can you tell me how to go about getting those?

    Reply

    • Steve says

      17 April 2014 at 18:30

      WDW is selling them at all their merchandise locations Shelbe.

      Reply

      • Shelbe says

        19 April 2014 at 06:57

        Great! Thanks Steve! You’ve been a priceless resource for us!

        Reply

        • Steve says

          19 April 2014 at 07:53

          It’s my pleasure Shelbe!

          Reply

23. Julie says

    23 April 2014 at 04:04

    Hi. We are using 2 for day park hoppers back to back for 3 people. We were able to scan 6 vouchers and link 2 per person. However, I can only pick 4 days of park hoppers and it tells us we reached our limit. It doesn’t recognize the next park hopper for 4 days. However, we see 2 tickets linked per person. Not sure what to do on this one…..

    Reply

    • Steve says

      23 April 2014 at 05:58

      Julie, call the Disney Internet Tech Support number at 800-848-6413 they will be able to help you.

      Reply

24. Julie McCray says

    5 May 2014 at 14:00

    We purchased our hoppers at Ft Bragg – how can we get a ticket no. to do the FP+ ?

    Reply

    • Steve says

      5 May 2014 at 18:08

      It’s on the back Julie

      Reply

25. Mike says

    21 May 2014 at 13:00

    Our family just spent a week at WDW. After carefully studying the charts for the optimal visit time we decided on the first week in May. It could not have been better; the weather was phenomenal and the lines were minimal. It made for a great first visit for my wife and daughters. We had a great overall experience, but wanted to share our hindsight.

    To start off, we made our reservations well in advance through our local Base Ticket Office (Quantico, VA) and purchased our military ticket vouchers at the same time then signed up with My Disney experience website to link our reservations and tickets to begin planning our stay. This is important because it allowed us to make dining reservations and schedule our FastPass+. With this being our first visit, we also opted for the dining plan (only available if staying at a WDW resort – Shades of Green not included).

    Meal Plan – We chose the deluxe plan (3 table service meals a day, plus 2 snacks per day). Let me tell you, that is a lot of food! Every meal comes with an appetizer, main entrée and dessert. Sounds easy, but the portions are big at every place we ate. We planned and reserved a table for dinner each night of our stay. For our other meals, we went with quick service spots and all worked out well. For our group of 4, we left after our week long stay having gained 5 pounds each and forfeiting only 1 meal and 7 snacks overall. We even had a meal in Cinderella’s castle which deducted 2 meal credits per person. It was just an insane amount of food! For our snacks we kept those to bottled water which we shared and chilled fruit cups that can be found at various venders throughout each park.

    Diner reservations – very important, tables go fast. Make reservations early. If I remember correctly, you can make reservations at 190 days out. If you wait too long after that mark, you may be in for a shock with no tables available; especially for the character dining experiences. Although our visit was during a not very crowded week, we witnessed people being turned away at every restaurant we had reservations for. We were even turned away once for lunch at a table service venue. Each place does accept walk-ins, but those spaces are limited and we found that it all depends on the time of day you are looking to eat. Prime-time meal hours are hardest to find a seat while off-hours are generally more accommodating without a reservation.

    My Disney Experience – Get on the site and use it. We were able to navigate our stay with ease. We could look up wait times for rides, change FastPass selections and times on the fly and even set up reminders for events, parades and other fun stuff. After I registered for my account, linking reservations and tickets was a snap. Tickets was the easiest to link. The app took a scan of our tickets and I just assigned a name to each one. Each ticket was then coded for our magic bands and we were set to have fun. With the app and our magic bands we never waited more than 20 minutes for any ride. The app let us adjust our FastPasses on the go.

    Capture the Magic – You have to take advantage of the Disney photographers for this to be of any benefit. Very convenient, but only worth it if you stop to get the pictures taken. If you buy it, use it. Magic bands make it easy so no reason not to if you spent the money on it.

    Strollers – Our kids are 8 and 5. Don’t overestimate your kids stamina. Use one of the myriad businesses to deliver a rental stroller to your hotel. Do not rent at the park – Disney prices are outrageous. We rented a double stroller and it was well worth it. Not only does it keep the stress level down on having to keep an eye on your children while navigating through the masses, it keeps them from compete exhaustion and the parents from aching shoulders and arms after having to carry them when they are too pooped to walk.

    Lodging – We stayed at Disney’s Coronado Springs. It was average. The grounds were nice and the main pool was large and a fun way to relax after long days of walking. Hotel dining was good and the variety kept breakfast interesting. For the price, we expected a little more than a motel type facility, but a typical motel room is exactly what we got. Every room is accessed from outdoor walkways and the rooms were comparatively average to any interstate motel room.

    We did add one day to our stay and chose Shades of Green for that extra night. Looking back and planning for our next visit, Shades of Green is the way to go. The rooms at SOG are so much bigger and the facility overall is wonderfully appointed. Although SOG does not qualify for the meal plan, our family found that the meal plan was overkill. We plan to use the Sunrise package or the Red White & Blue package for our next visit and bring our own snacks. Plus the in-house PX has almost anything you might need during your stay.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      21 May 2014 at 16:20

      Hey Mike,

      Thanks so much for the very through trip report!!!

      I have heard that about the large volume of food… I laughed when I read the 5 pounds part.

      All excellent points.

      Thanks again, Steve

      Reply

26. Bill Harkins says

    22 May 2014 at 09:45

    I’m what most would call a WDW pro, but as with most new things this FastPass+ has me baffled. We are a family of four (kids 4 & 6) that would like to use the 60 day FP+ option with magic bands and park hop for 7 days. I currently have reservations at Shades of Green. I’d like to add one day at a Disney resort at the end of our trip (that’s the day we want to extend anyway and the suite isn’t available at SOG isn’t available for extension). I think the one day at the Disney Resort will get us the magic bands and 60 versus 30 day prior option. I’m guessing I’ll only be able to make FP+ reservations 60 days prior to the end of my trip, or 52 days from the beginning of it (7 days at SOG + 1 at a Disney property). Is my assumption correct and what type of tickets to you recommend to minimize cost, but ensure greater than 30 days prior FP+ booking?

    Reply

    • Steve says

      22 May 2014 at 18:21

      Hi there Bill,

      Yes you are correct, you will be able to make your FP+ reservations 60 days out from your Disney resort reservation check in date.

      The best price option for you guys would be two 4-day Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for each adult, used back to back. $169 x 2 = $338 each adult vs 7-day Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets $375. Plus two 7-day Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way hopper tickets for the kids $355 each. A combo of Salute and 3-day regular tickets would be more expensive ($169 + $302).

      If you are having issues with 2 Salute tickets per adult and MDE, you may need to call Disney Internet Tech Support @ 800-848-6413.

      In order to have them ahead of time you’ll need to purchase them at a base ticket office near you.

      Steve

      Reply

      • Mike says

        29 May 2014 at 10:39

        Steve,

        I was told WDW will not allow the same person to use Armed Forces Salute tickets back to back. Our military ticket office would not even sell us additional tickets because they are non-refundable and Disney would not honor them if that person had already registered an Armed Forces Salute ticket. We purchased separate military discounted tickets to cover our additional days.

        Reply

        • Steve says

          29 May 2014 at 20:38

          Hi Mike,

          Was it your ITT that told you that?

          Sorry but not true. Did you end up spending more than you would have for back to back etDisney Armed Forces Salutes tickets?

          Reply

        • Steve says

          29 May 2014 at 20:39

          Hi Mike,

          Was it your ITT that told you that?

          Sorry but not true, WDW does this all the time.

          Did you end up spending more than you would have for back to back etDisney Armed Forces Salutes tickets?

          Reply

          • Mike says

            4 June 2014 at 15:22

            It was my local ITT office that told me that, and I may have paid much more than I needed to. We were a group of 4 and used 4 Armed Forces Salute tickets and purchased tickets to cover the remaining 3 days of our stay. If my math good, we paid about $400 more than we needed to. We still had a great time and learned lots to use as we plan for our next visit. But keeping my $400 would have made it even more fun.

          • Steve says

            4 June 2014 at 17:54

            So sorry about that Mike!!!

27. Jocelyn Marshall says

    20 June 2014 at 15:59

    I LOVE your site! But just an FYI, and I apologize if someone else posted this already, I used your tip and booked one night at the All Star Sports for Aug 18th- Aug 19th (the beginning of my trip). I want to go to Magic Kingdom on Aug 20th and stayed up last night to tll midnight to get the popular Anna and Elsa fastpass. It allowed me to make 60 day advance reservations for the 18th and 19th but no days after that because the rest of my stay will be at a “non-Disney” resort. I am staying at SOG from 19th-27th and will still have to wait until the 30-day mark to make my selections for the 20th and on. My suggestion would be to stay one day at the end of your trip at a Disney resort if you want to get the earlier fastpasses. You will be able to make fastpass selections starting 60 days before your stay at a Disney resort which means, if you book a Disney resort at the end of your stay, you won’t be able to make fp selections for exactly 60 days in advance because the 60-day mark won’t be until the end for your trip. But it still beats the 30-day mark. Hopefully that was clear 🙂

    Reply

    • Steve says

      20 June 2014 at 20:00

      Hi Jocelyn,

      Thanks for the report! I have heard from others who have been able to use all 4 Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket days for FP+ based on their Disney resort vacation at the beginning of their stay. Perhaps that loophole has been closed?

      Try calling the Disney Online Help Desk, can’t hurt: 800-848-6413

      Reply

28. Lauren says

    29 June 2014 at 07:36

    I read your tip about booking a Disney hotel at the beginning of a trip and activating the FP+ for the entire 4-day military salute ticket even if you would not stay at the Disney hotel the entire four days (I.e., if you book The Polynesian for one night and stay at SoG the next few nights). I tried this and was told by Disney that the FP would only be eligible for the days I was staying at the Disney resort.

    Do you have any updates on this? I still see the tip on your website, so I assume someone has done it…but Disney seemed to have that locked down (rightly so!). Thanks!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      29 June 2014 at 11:16

      Hi Lauren,

      Yes, this was possible early on, but as you say, seems to be no longer possible. I’ll edit the page. Thanks!

      Reply

29. Pam says

    2 July 2014 at 16:21

    Recieve email from SOG ticket sales at 57 days out. Faxed in request next day. Within 24 hours had my email back with ticket numbers. Went on MDE and plugged them in. Over and done in less than 10 minutes. I will call the number provided to get past the. 0 days glitch.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      2 July 2014 at 17:24

      Awesome Pam, thanks for the report!

      Reply

    • James says

      25 July 2014 at 11:17

      The new version of My Disney Experience does not have the old ticket button. What numbers do I type in? There are no 12-digit numbers on the back of the voucher. The scan doesn’t seem to work, either. Looking for any help. Thanks.

      Reply

30. Pam says

    2 July 2014 at 16:23

    Was told that the only thong that will link to our magic bands if you buy them are the fastpasses. Tickets will not link.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      2 July 2014 at 17:25

      I don’t see why you can’t take the bands by a Guest Services or ticket window and get the tickets linked.

      Was it the call center that told you this? I usually don’t believe anything the Disney call center says…

      Reply

      • Pam says

        2 July 2014 at 20:32

        No, the ticket office at SOG told me about not being able to link their tickets to the magic bands. Would be interested to know if anyone has tried this yet to find out for sure.

        Reply

        • Meredith says

          17 August 2014 at 09:44

          If you have the tickets AND the magicbands on your MDE, you will be able to link them. I know this from experience.

          Reply

31. Jim says

    24 July 2014 at 17:57

    I just received my e-mailed salute tickets from SOG. The instructions that came with the e-mail says to use the old ticket button to input the voucher numbers. That button is not on the newest version of MDE for the iPhone. Scanning the voucher doesn’t seem to work either. Help!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      25 July 2014 at 05:04

      DO you have a computer so you can try it on the website Jim?

      Reply

      • James says

        25 July 2014 at 11:33

        Problem solved! Thanks. You can only link from the website and not the app. I wish this was in the instructions that SOG sends out. Again, thanks for the info.

        Reply

32. Leslie says

    3 August 2014 at 15:41

    Hi Steve, I have a couple of questions. We are planning a family trip to Disney at the beginning of Oct. 2014. We have already booked our resort with All Star Music (we wanted SOG, but unfortunately they were booked that week). While I was booking with the Disney Travel Agent, I was informed that we would be able to make our FP+ reservations 60 days in advance. Well, when I look at the website to purchase the Armed Forces Salute tickets, it appears that I am not going to be able to purchase the tickets until Aug. 25th which will cut into the 60 days. I called SOG to make sure that I am understanding that correctly since they sell the tickets as well, and the person I spoke with informed me that even if I purchase them Aug 25th, that I won’t be able to make FP + reservations until 30 days prior to our arrival regardless of the fact that we are staying at a Disney resort and not SOG. This was a bit frustrating to hear seeing as the travel agent knew we were military and informed me that we would be able to make FP+ 60 days in advance because of where we are staying. Does this information seem accurate?

    Reply

    • Steve says

      3 August 2014 at 16:46

      Hi Leslie,

      The person at Shades was incorrect. If you buy them on the 25th and are staying at a Disney resort you can make them that day!

      Normally it is 60 days out for Disney guests (and would be to for Shades guests too if SHades would pay to get their reservation system to talk to Disney’s) but the October 2014 timeframe is different due to the late announcement/release of the new Disney Armed Forces Salute.

      Disney really messed this up, even though I’d been telling them it would be an issue with FP+ since January.

      Disney has said they would do everything then can to speed up the release, but once they do their part it is in the hands of MWR. I’ve already weard the one ITT says they wont sell the new tickets till the old ones are no good, cause “they can’t sell both types…”

      See this post for the latest: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-armed-forces-salute/ticket-update-2014-2015-disney-armed-forces-salute/

      Reply

      • Leslie says

        3 August 2014 at 17:53

        Thank you so much for the quick response! I am relieved to know that I will at least be able to use my FP+ starting Aug. 25th. Whew!

        Reply

33. Linda Stevens Jones says

    15 August 2014 at 13:51

    Hi Steve,

    I was wondering if there was any update on the ability of Shades of Green guests to be able to book FP+ for Be Our Guest lunch.

    We were able to successfully set up all our other Fastpasses for our September trip using our Military Salute tickets. This article and the one you wrote on linking the tickets to FP+ were so helpful!

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      16 August 2014 at 08:34

      Hey there Linda!

      Not that I’m aware of… The issue as I’ve been told with 60-day FastPass Plus and the BoG lunch (for the same reason) is the two independent reservation systems would need to talk to each other so that the FP+ system would know you were an on property guest. This of course would require programming, which Shades is either unwilling or not financially capable of purchasing. Disney has no objections.

      Reply

34. Nancy says

    10 September 2014 at 14:45

    Hi Steve – We have a Disney Resort reservation for December. When I was on an online chat with Disney today, I asked them how to be able to get the FastPass tickets. I asked once we get our military tickets, if we just linked the ticket number into MDE? He said that with the military tickets, you cannot book FastPass tickets online in advance. I had to wait until the first day that we go to the park to pick up tickets. PLEASE tell me this was a new agent that has no clue what he is talking about! Is this a new policy? Help! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      10 September 2014 at 17:20

      Hi there Nancy,

      That info is absolutely wrong!

      Link those tickets (or vouchers) up and FastPass away at the 30 or 60 day mark based on your resort.

      I do love Disney cast members but one of my biggest frustrations is the lack of knowledge on the part of Disney cast members (call canter, internet chat, & email help center) on the military discounts that their company offers.

      While frustrating and a constant battle for me, it is the reason I keep the site going.

      Reply

      • Nancy says

        11 September 2014 at 14:03

        Hooray! Thank you for the prompt reply, Steve! This just made my day. 🙂

        Reply

35. Jo Ann says

    21 October 2014 at 17:06

    I’ve got a question I’m hoping someone can answer. I’ve recently purchased passes through the ticket office on our naval base for Disney World. It specifically says that it is not a ticket. So I was wondering do I have to actually have a ticket to try to reserve things with the Fastpass?

    Reply

    • Steve says

      21 October 2014 at 17:33

      No you sure don’t Jo Ann.

      See this page for directions on linking your Exchange Certificates so you can make your FastPasses.

      http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/z-popular/linking-disney-military-tickets-and-fastpass-plus-reservations/

      Reply

36. Brandon says

    24 October 2014 at 19:05

    Steve,
    The family and I are heading to WDW in November and I was wondering how the system is working with the Magic Bands, or if there were any updates to that effect. I want to purchase the bands to be able to purchase food, gifts, etc without having to carry my wallet. Is this a possibility with SOG?

    Reply

    • Steve says

      24 October 2014 at 19:50

      Hi Brandon,

      Charging to your room using the magic bands is only an option if you are staying at a Disney resort.

      Those staying at Shades who want to buy their bands once on property, can link them to their profile in MDE. This allows using the band as your ticket to enter the parks and also they will act as your FastPass Plus pass/ticket. THey will not function as your Shades room key or allow charging to the room though.

      Reply

37. Amanda T. says

    20 November 2014 at 12:34

    Just wanted to say thank you for the info in this post and for all of the additional info in the comments! My Fiance and I are leaving in 6 days (!!) and we just purchased our tickets from our tickets/travel office yesterday. (This was kind of a last minute trip. Haha.) We are staying off property but I wanted to link them to my Disney Experience app so I could at least check out what was available on FP+ but wasn’t sure if I could link them since they had to be activated. Quick google search brought me here and our tickets are now linked!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      20 November 2014 at 16:00

      So glad you found us Amanda!

      Have fun.

      Reply

38. Benjamin Bentley says

    26 November 2014 at 14:22

    Hello Steve,

    Just wanted stop by and say thanks for putting this together. It really helped putting together our trip plannig for when we in December. There is one piece of info I did not see posted yet that needs to be shared. Our trip is for 9 days with 8 days at WD parks and one day at Universal park. When putting in our Fastpass + selections 30 days out, we could not put in our last day. I called the help number at WDW and they told me there is a 7 day limit for non Disney resort attendees. Disney resort attendees do not have a limit. We will be staying at Shades of Green for all 9 days. Thanks again for a great work up of all the latest changes and we look forward to our trip.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      26 November 2014 at 17:34

      Thanks so much Benjamin,

      I wasn’t aware of that limit. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

      • Benjamin Bentley says

        28 November 2014 at 08:38

        The way they explained how to schedule our Fastpass + for the eighth day is to go to our MDE site on the night of our first day there and the eighth day will be unlocked as the system will have reset for the next day. The system will have seen our first day used up, dropping the Fastpass + number of days scheduled from 7 down to 6 which frees up a new spot.

        Reply

39. Trudy S says

    9 January 2015 at 15:09

    We went to WDW December 10-14, 2014 and stayed at a Disney resort. I bought tickets from Fort Belvoir in September and linked them to My Disney Experience. 60 days out I made Fastpass selections at 12 Midnight. I got Toy Story Mania for first time, Soarin’, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, but all at later times than I thought I wanted. I was unable to get Anna & Elsa, which I have heard often.
    We arrived a couple of days before our daughter’s family and activated our tickets at Guest Services in Downtown Disney. We asked nicely if we could do that for everyone and since we knew everyone’s birthday they let us. She even checked to make sure all of our tickets were linked to our Magic Bands. Everything worked very well with no problems while we were there.
    We went to the Extra Magic Hour and went straight to Anna & Elsa and waited about 20 minutes. They gave us a lot of time too, not rushed. We rode the SD Mine Train and kept our Fastpass to ride it again at 5:35 PM. We did not feel the need to have a Fastpass for many rides that week. In fact, my husband & I got in the singles line of Fast Track and didn’t have to wait at all and ended up in the same car. The Faspass terminals are not at all rides now, but they have people there to tell you where they are. You can change times and rides on your phone through My Disney Experience, however we were unable to delete a ride. We used one of their centers to delete the ride so we could add another one. The whole system worked very well and we were able to ride everything we wanted at least once or more times.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      9 January 2015 at 15:50

      Thanks for the great update Trudy

      Reply

40. Tricia says

    10 January 2015 at 23:58

    Just returned from Disney. We stayed at the Dolphin on SPG points (earned with Amex credit card bonuses of 25000 points each for new accounts for mom and dad separately charging $5000 each in 6 months- enough for 6 nights after transferring all points to one account).

    Our first problem was the hotel reservations only had 2 adults listed not 2 adults, 2 children. This took about a week of calls back and forth between the Dolphin and WDWIT. At one point we had 4 rooms and 12 people- it was a mess and put me behind the 60 day FP+ reservations.

    About 54 days out I was able to get whatever we wanted. I also booked dinner reservations but when I checked my Disney Experience about a week out it had unlinked our hotel again.

    I did not lose the FPs but did lose all dinner reservations. I was able to rebook everything but could not book a dinner reservation for Be Our Guest. We did end up getting in standby with an hour wait on the day of our visit.

    We had military salute vouchers and linked them without issue. We exchanged them on our first day at the Studios for cards. We did not have magic bands and did fine. You can purchase magic bands and magic band accessories all over the place and they can put your ticket on there as well as a photo pass number.

    I made most of our FP reservations for shows which was a big mistake. I suggest watching the line times on the app for a while and figure out which rides you want to get. Use your first three for the longest wait times. And get them as early as possible but not so early that you miss the no wait period. If you take what they suggest you get them spread out over the whole day.

    Go in and individually change the time of the attraction so you have 10-11, 11-12, and 12-1. They will not let the times overlap but some rides have smaller windows so you might get through them by lunch.

    So be at the rope drop and jump on your first ride with no line, then do your others, then get to a kiosk for an additional one. But watch the line times. We had one busy day (Sunday jan.3) where it made no sense to stand on line at the kiosk for 30 minutes to get a FP for an attraction that had a 30 minute wait!
    Even on quiet Wednesday at Animal Kingdom there were no more FP for Mt. Everest after lunch.

    We were also juggling with the new disability pass ( hence no need for show FP as they always let us in immediately as opposed to the rides where they give you a return time mostly equivalent to the wait time.) I can give more advice on that if you would like. It is a matter of alternating your disability pass with your FP selections in a way that you are not sending dad running across the park to get times on the card too much.

    It took this trip to figure it out but in the end I think it is much better than the old system with the exception of those with severely autistic kids who will freak out even in the fast past lines. Sometimes the FP still took 10- 20 minutes. For example Big thunder mountain was a problem because the FP joins the regular line too early so you are still waiting through 3 switchbacks in very close proximity to everyone else.

    For autistics, Insist on the wheelchair entrance through the exit not the FP queue and choose the no stairs option in Toy Story.

    Also we had the problem of wanting to do multiple parks in one day and having to go to guest relations to have a late FP reservation cancelled so we could get additional ones. Once you use one FP you are obliged to use 2 more in the same park before getting an additional one in the same park or another. We missed our 3:00 time for a show and wanted to change to the 4:00 show which was available however we had a FP at 4:00 for a bugs life which had no line and we had seen earlier anyhow. They could not cancel its a bugs life because we had used Mt. Everest FP that morning. You can only cancel all three prior to use of any one. Once you use one you have to wait for the others to expire. You can’t have two overlapping but you can individually change the attraction or the time on your phone. To change parks you have to go to a kiosk.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      11 January 2015 at 10:17

      Tricia, thanks so much for the awesome trip report. Lots of good advice in it.

      Steve

      Reply

41. Megan N. says

    7 February 2015 at 11:13

    Hey, Steve!

    We have booked a split stay in April for the Beach Club Resort and Shades of Green. We will start our trip at the Beach Club, which will be non-park days, and then move to the Shades of Green to finish out our trip days in the park . My question is: will staying at the Beach Club open up the 60-day FP+ reservations for us to book and use during our park days while staying at the Shades of Green? I’ve being hearing contraindicating information when I’ve called Disney and asking this question.

    Thank you in advance for any insight you can give!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      7 February 2015 at 12:29

      Hi Megan,

      Your 60 day window should just open the days on your Disney reservation, including check in and check out days. So you could make FP+ for the day you are switching from the BC to Shades. The rest of the days will have to wait till the 30 day window.

      Reply

42. JoAnn says

    18 March 2015 at 08:21

    Let me begin by saying that this website is such a valuable resource!. I recently ran into trouble trying to link our Salute tickets to MDE, and that Disney IT help number posted here worked like magic!
    My brain is pretty much fried from all of this intense planning for 9 family members, and I am a bit nervous about making those FP+ reservations, so this is my question……We are staying at SOG next month and our first park day will be on April 19. Will our 30 day window open at midnight on March 19th? Thanks for your help.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      18 March 2015 at 17:32

      Hi JoAnn,

      Thanks so much!

      Looking at my calendar and doing “math in public” counting back 30 days from the 19th is 20 March, so that will be the day.

      But you can log in right now to see what days are open to you, it will be the next 30 days. So today (3/18) you’ll see you can make FP+ for 17 April (and all the days prior). Each day that passes the next day in April will open up.

      Reply

      • JoAnn says

        18 March 2015 at 22:11

        Steve,
        Thanks so much for your help. Disney vacation planning is getting a little too intense for me !

        Reply

43. Gary says

    8 June 2015 at 09:06

    Steve,

    We are coming down 4th of July for a week. We are staying at Wyndam Bonnet Creek. Since its on Disney property, are we eligible for the fast pass bands and extended hours for the parks? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      8 June 2015 at 15:39

      Hi Gary,

      Sorry, but no.

      Only Disney owned resorts get the free magic bands, you can buy them from the Disney Store ahead of time: http://goo.gl/yni2Tb

      Also Extra Magic Hours are for the Disney owned resorts and a select few other on property resorts (Shades of Green, Disney Swan and Dolphin, and the Downtown Disney Hilton).

      Reply

44. Debbie K says

    20 August 2019 at 21:00

    My husband is a disabled veteran but not 100%. Is he still eligible for a military discount? I was also told recently that a veteran and his family were at WDW this past April 2019 and went to the gate to purchase his tickets with his DD13 and he and his family were given fast passes for everything at the park. Does that sound reliable?

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    • Steve says

      22 August 2019 at 07:27

      Hi Debbie,

      Non-retired and non-permanent 100% service connected disabled are not eligible for discounts from Disney.

      There is the this one discount available for all non-retired veterans which is from Shades of Green. It is only for the months of January and September. Here is my post with details including what documentation is required: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Shades-of-Green/Non-Retired-Veterans.html

      As far as the fastPasses, no that sounds way out of the ordinary! I can only see that happening if the family was making a big scene due to not being eligible, and would expect only 3 fastPasses per person.

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      • Debbie K says

        22 August 2019 at 07:52

        Thank you for answering my question! I could not find the answer after searching for hours. I appreciate your response!

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