Anyone use the new fastpass system while staying offsite?

[scrooks]

I am potentially planning a trip for early march and it's so much more cost effective to stay off site for us (we really need multiple sleeping spaces) but I just realized that we can only book out fast passes 30 days out versus 60??? Ugh!!! I am worried we won't get any fast passes we want and all the preferred times will be taken by resort guests. This is so frustrating! Has anyone here used the fastpass system while staying off site? Where there still good slots left when you went to book???

[egoldber]

Do you have tickets yet? You can only get FastPasses if you have ticket numbers.

[scrooks]

Not yet since the trip with be early march. Last time we went we bought the tickets at disney. This time i understand I will have to order them ahead of time. I am assuming maybe 60 days out so I will be sure they arrive for my 30 day window?

[WatchingThemGrow]

Not yet since the trip with be early march. Last time we went we bought the tickets at disney. This time i understand I will have to order them ahead of time. I am assuming maybe 60 days out so I will be sure they arrive for my 30 day window?
If you have time, you can order from undercovertourist.com and get a discount. We linked those tickets with fast passes (well, with our magic bands actually because we were staying onsite.)

[liz]

If you or someone you know has a AAA membership, try them first. We were able to save another $20 vs Undercover Tourist. Also, they give you their diamond parking pass which may get you closer parking. I have ordered from Undercover Tourist before and they were great too.

Just an FYI, it appears AAA and Disney are no longer working in conjunction after the new year. Supposedly that means no more discounts on rooms, cruises and no more diamond parking pass. Not sure if they will still sell discounted park tickets.

[scrooks]

I am bumping this.....we still don't know what to do...we loved the Wyndham bonnet creek. The space was great but I am wondering with the recent changes to the fastpass system coupled with the ability to get the dining plan maybe we should consider onsite....

[kristenk]

If you're still wondering what to do, I'm guessing that the trip has been delayed? When are you planning on going?

I currently have tickets, so I can look in the system 30 days from now to see what I can get for FP+ if that helps. Tell me what you'd like me to look up, if you want me to check.

[Chitowngirl]

I stayed onsite at disney last month, but I was not a "super prepared" tourist and didn't get around to making my fast passes far in advance at all. Even the ones I did make I changed just a few days before. I was able to get everything I wanted (even hot ticket items like A&E which I secured the day before) by being persistent and continually checking the website. I also took things I wanted at terrible times cause I learned it was easier to change a time once you had the FP than to snag a FP initially. We also did the meal plan. I loved it for the convenience and would do it again if I stayed onsite, but I don't think it's a great deal or bargain or anything. It is SO much food we really didn't need it all. I mean, under ordinary circumstances I would never order a desert with every meal, but we had to since it was included. More than once one or two bites would get eaten and it would get thrown away. Even when we wrapped a cookie in a napkin to take for later, it would usually get thrown away since we had a snack credit to use every day too!! Plus by then the cookie would be broken and no one wanted it. Anyway, based on my experience I would not change where I am staying just for fast passes or the meal plan.

My only caveat would be that this advice probably depends heavily on the time of year you go. While the crowds seemed huge to me, apparently Feb is one of the lowest crowd times to go. From the little research I did do, it seems as though fast passes become more necessary and harder to get during high crowd times so it would really depend on when you are traveling.

[belovedgandp]

Only answering the FP+ question. We were there in early February, so crowd levels were low. I was able to change FP+ times and/or attractions without a problem two or three days prior. The only FP+ attractions I'd say you would definitely have a problem at 30 days would be Anna & Elsa (I got them at 60 days, but three days later couldn't get them for the rest of my party that was arriving later).

The 7 Dwarfs Mine Train and Toy Story Mania are the only other two that might have an issue. Once there I had limited time choices for Test Track, Soarin and Space Mountain but all the other moving around I wanted to do was fine.

I'm sure at a busier time of year it would be a different story.

[scrooks]

I'm not 100% sure when we are going. I'm looking a week in mid October our school district has a couple of random days off but would be open to November as well (our only other trip was the first week of November). I guess I am worried because I have a friend going the first week of May and just booked her fast passes. She is staying on property and got everything she wanted (although not at preferred times) and she was on the system at 12 midnight. She said things just went fast. While not a deal breaker I really want the chance to get A & E and the Seven dwarfs ride via fastpass. For our family though...offsite is honestly probably better....we will be 3 adults and 3 kids (8,6 and 2). Space and a washing machine are key for us (we went for only 5 days last time and ds got bad diarrhea...the washing machine in our unit was gold to me!).

[egoldber]

My only caveat would be that this advice probably depends heavily on the time of year you go. While the crowds seemed huge to me, apparently Feb is one of the lowest crowd times to go. From the little research I did do, it seems as though fast passes become more necessary and harder to get during high crowd times so it would really depend on when you are traveling.

Absolutely. You can't compare a low crowd time to a high crowd time.

If you're looking at the week of Columbus Day, that is a relatively high crowd level time. October has become very popular with the Epcot Food and Wine Festival and the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party days.

[Globetrotter]

We went during probably the busiest week of the year and stayed offsite (on property but not a Disney hotel). I bought tix from undercover tourist and booked fastpasses 30 days in advance. I didn't get the seven dwarfs ride but got everything else. There were more openings later (popping up that week) so either they keep adding slots or people keep Canceling. Don't assume it's gone- keep checking. After all that, I had assumed we would be going early but we wanted to sleep in so I ended up changing the morning ones after we got there!

You really need fastpasses in the early afternoon, when it's most crowded! We ate at odd times so we were on rides during standard meal times.

[egoldber]

It's a good idea about constantly checking. I have also read that they hold some fastpass spaces back until the day of. Then you can check to see if you can either swap to a different time or different ride/attraction.

[newmomga]

We stay offsite. We are going first week of April and got everything we wanted for fastpasses except Anna and Elsa. I set my alarm for midnight and logged on as soon as 30 days out went live. I even got 7 Dwarfs fast pass although not the time I wanted, I got it. We went in December a few days before Christmas and had very old no expiration tickets that we couldn't reserve our fast passes on until at Disney to have them converted to the new tickets. We still were able to get fast passes for everything but 7 Dwarfs. And as someone else mentioned keep checking. We were able to get rock n roller coaster fastpasses midday for evening after there had been no availability. We just kept checking. And a tip no one told me until our last day in December is after you use your 3 fastpasses for the day you can get another but you have to go to a fastpass kiosk. Your disney app will not tell you that as it acts like it is malfunctioning.