How easy is it really to get same day FP?

[shan981]

We are trying to plan out our park days so that we can make ADRs toward the end of this month, and I'm wondering how to go about this. We are traveling 11/25 - 12/2. Our party is me, DH, DS10, DS(almost)2, DS(almost)2. We definitely want to do all of the Toy Story Land attractions, and with twin toddlers, standby won't likely be an option for those rides if the waits are outrageous, as I'm sure they will be, so I'm thinking we will need at least two days at HS, but not full days.

So for example if we are able to secure a morning FP for, say, Slinky Dog, I would guess it will be unlikely to then get a same day for TSMM or Aliens at that time. What would be the chances of hopping to Epcot and getting FEA? Can most rides at MK can be obtained same day? And most things at AK besides FOP? In reality we probably wouldn't be so much "hopping" as we will be taking an afternoon break then going to a different park in the evening, so even if the FP is much later, that would be okay.

 

[JB097]

We’ve been able to snag same day fast passes for some rides but they were usually the less popular ones. (Example: able to get same day fast passes for the seas with Nemo and spaceship earth but not frozen or test track.) Doesn’t hurt to try and check though

 

[pitpat]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/here-now-may-9-17-great-start.3681986/

takes persistence and it's easier with less people, but you can get plenty of big rides same day.

With two people, Kenny the Pirate got 30 FPs in 4 parks a day or two ago.

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

We didn't have any luck with same day FP for big headliner rides on our trip last week, party of 3. No FOP, 7 Dwarves, Soarin/Test Track etc. I know people have done it but it did not work for us. However, we did get same-day additional FP for rides like Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder, Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, and Expedition Everest. We also did not rope drop and our first FP were never until 11-12. We might have had better luck had we started our FP earlier in the day.

 

[gharter]

Same day Fps for the really popular attractions can be difficult, but it can happen.
When TSL opens, as I understand it, HS will go to a tiered approach like EPCOT. All of TSL will be tier 1 and you will only be able to do 1 Tier 1 FP ahead of time.

 

[MonCostivelle]

That's assuming you get an AM FP to a TSL attraction.
Maybe you can try the other way around: PM FP in HS and rope drop FEA. I have been seen short wait times for Frozen for the first hour the park is open, so it's bound to be a much smoother rope drop than any other park.

 

[ghtx]

This website has current same-day FP availability for all rides at all 4 parks: https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/fastpass-availability

Of course there are no data yet on the new TSL rides, and the availability on your visit may be different, but this gives you an idea.

E.g. as I am writing this (Fri May 11, 11am), there is no more FP availability at Epcot for Frozen, Illuminations, Mission Space, or Test Track, but there is availability for everything else.

 

[shan981]

That's assuming you get an AM FP to a TSL attraction.
Maybe you can try the other way around: PM FP in HS and rope drop FEA. I have been seen short wait times for Frozen for the first hour the park is open, so it's bound to be a much smoother rope drop than any other park.

Good point! That may be a better strategy since I'm not sure what else we will want to do in Epcot. My DH loves the WS, but that doesn't require FP so that could work out.

 

[shan981]

This website has current same-day FP availability for all rides at all 4 parks: https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/fastpass-availability

Of course there are no data yet on the new TSL rides, and the availability on your visit may be different, but this gives you an idea.

E.g. as I am writing this (Fri May 11, 11am), there is no more FP availability at Epcot for Frozen, Illuminations, Mission Space, or Test Track, but there is availability for everything else.

Thank you! I didn't know this existed, very helpful to get an idea!

 

[pitpat]

E.g. as I am writing this (Fri May 11, 11am), there is no more FP availability at Epcot for Frozen, Illuminations, Mission Space, or Test Track, but there is availability for everything else.

That doesn't mean you couldn't get them as additional FPs by refreshing however. Things change constantly.

 

[sullivan.kscott]

Last fall, for a party of 9, we were able to get FP+ for all HS shows we attended as soon as 10 minutes prior to the window. Also, we got extra FP for Soarin', Mission: space (green), Under the Sea at MK, Dumbo, PoC, Laugh Floor, and EE (even though th ride went down and we missed out). That was for a group of first timers with only one person doing the refreshing for everyone. It was an awesome trip!

 

[ShelbyK]

I was in the parks last week and with just a little refreshing I was able to get same day FOP for 2 people 2 separate times and Soarin for 4 people and those were the difficult ones... getting multiple same day FPs for rides like Space mountain, Splash, Big Thunder, Everest, Safari etc was super easy.. we didn't get into a single standby line for our entire trip. We had pre-booked FEA and 7DMT so those were the only ones I didn't actively try for.

 

[walker0829]

At MK it's pretty easy if you are in the park all day(some of the times are afternoon/evening). At Epcot it was just about impossible for anything but Figment/Nemo/Spaceship Earth and similar. DS was a blank slate on the good attractions. AK I could get non Pandora FP's same day.

 

[jaysmom4285]

My DH and I go to WDW twice a year, early December for Christmas stuff, and April for F&G. I book FP+ for the first few days, but we never know where our schedule will take us after that. On the last trip (April 9-16), I could get a FP+ for everything and and we didn't ever use a standby line. I'm sure it was easier because there were just two of us, but I could get same day FP+ for anything I wanted, including 7DMT, FEA, Soarin', Test Track, TSMM, FoP - you name it. Some took more dedicated refreshing - mostly FoP - but it always worked if I was persistent enough. A trick that is useful is to take any time that comes up if you're trying for a hard to get FP+. If I wanted FoP for the afternoon and an 8:15 PM time showed up, I would take it, and then try to modify that time to one that I wanted. It's easier partly because that attraction will be the one at the top of your screen and you don't have to scroll down through a list of others to see it, so you can grab something faster if it shows up.

 

[JETSDAD]

Any ride can be found same day. Most rides take very little time to find. Today at AK it is very busy but we still managed a FOP as an additional FP. I see my post is quoted above so I'll just try to keep it updated as we go through the week.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

The touring plans website also has done some pretty cool analysis on general availability of same-day FPs. The last update was about a year ago so it's not completely current but it's neat to check out. Just go to the touring plans website, and in the search bar type in "same day fastpass"

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

It depends. The answer seems to be different for different people. I've been trying to research this for a while and finally talked to a software engineer at work who also goes to Disney a lot. He thinks he knows why that is and how Disney is doing it. Bottom line is that Disney may have different classes of access for different people in the parks. So some people just keep getting everything they want and some have a harder time. This is totally unproven but he was convinced and based on posts here I'm convinced too.

My advice would be to buy tickets that are not in a package so you can start making pretend FPs before your window opens. Play around with it. See what success rate you personally get. I found the success rate I had at home was very similar to what it was in the park last week (a little easier in the parks actually).

I was able to get everything I tried for except Talking Mickey ( I did not try 7DMT, RNR, and TSM did not have FPs during our trip). I was able to get TT and Soarin with little effort. It took half an hour of constant refreshing to get FEA for 2. I was able to get FOP for 5 in 10 mins of casual freshing (I chalk that up to dumb luck), FOP for 5 after 20 mins. Safari at a time other than dusk for 5 and EE for 3 easily. Dusk Safari took me half an hour. At MK I was able to get princess M&Gs and mountains for 5 with ~10 mins refreshing. Most other things I got in 5 mins or less.

In short, you can get a lot of good things. How much effort it takes seems to vary considerable. I found it to be super successful to FP the hardest to get FPs as pre-booked in the morning (I was only able to move things up twice) and start doing same day FP in the afternoon. I alternated FP experiences with shows and things like Pirates Adventure to have time to get additional good FPs. But if you have the kind of success that some here have, that's probably not even necessary.

 

[kniquy]

able to secure a morning FP for, say, Slinky Dog,

No such chance of that happening. You will be lucky to get it 60 days out. And the other rides you are mentioning (FEA) are also necessary to book at the 60 day mark. Your best bet for planning would be to plan your 2 HS days maybe one day a morning and one an afternoon. Keep in mind there is MVMCP going on so MK will be closing early many nights you are there -- but this can work to your benefit because party days at MK can be slower- you can go to MK for rope drop, take a break in the afternoon (naps for the little ones) and then book your FP for HS in the evening. RD can be hugely beneficial to tackle a lot of rides with very short waits.

Can most rides at MK can be obtained same day? And most things at AK besides FOP?

At AK you will likely not see day of FP for the Safari FOP or Navi - Everest might be tough, but you are going at a time that isn't super busy. MK you will not get mine train, so if that is important snag a FP for another day. Epcot - FEA Soarin and TT are some that will need to be booked at 60 days. there is nothing saying that these won't pop up but unlikely or the times available will be late in the evening.

Hopefully you have or will buy hopper tickets for your entire stay - so at least 6 or 7 day ticket (depending on your flights). I say this because it will make planning much easier even if you are able to go to a park on arrival or departure day for a few hours and use your 3 FP.

 

[shan981]

No such chance of that happening. You will be lucky to get it 60 days out. And the other rides you are mentioning (FEA) are also necessary to book at the 60 day mark. Your best bet for planning would be to plan your 2 HS days maybe one day a morning and one an afternoon. Keep in mind there is MVMCP going on so MK will be closing early many nights you are there -- but this can work to your benefit because party days at MK can be slower- you can go to MK for rope drop, take a break in the afternoon (naps for the little ones) and then book your FP for HS in the evening. RD can be hugely beneficial to tackle a lot of rides with very short waits.

At AK you will likely not see day of FP for the Safari FOP or Navi - Everest might be tough, but you are going at a time that isn't super busy. MK you will not get mine train, so if that is important snag a FP for another day. Epcot - FEA Soarin and TT are some that will need to be booked at 60 days. there is nothing saying that these won't pop up but unlikely or the times available will be late in the evening.

Hopefully you have or will buy hopper tickets for your entire stay - so at least 6 or 7 day ticket (depending on your flights). I say this because it will make planning much easier even if you are able to go to a park on arrival or departure day for a few hours and use your 3 FP.

Thank you! Yes, I meant if we get a morning FP for Slinky Dog at 60 days... then what would I be able to do as far as getting FP for the rest of that day after using it, because we won't want to spend the whole day at HS. I know there is no hope of getting one later. But yes, we have 7 day park hoppers because we have no idea how the little ones will be so we want to have as much flexibility as possible.

 

[shan981]

So what do you think of this plan?

Sunday - MK (this is a party night but I still want MK to be the first thing we do)
Monday - AK
Tuesday - MK morning with no FP (Crystal Palace breakfast maybe?), break, HS at night hopefully with a FP+ for something (this is a MK party night)
Wednesday - HS (short day)
Thursday - rest/Chef Mickey breakfast maybe?, attending MVMCP at night
Friday - MK (party night)
Saturday - Epcot (could switch with Wednesday if I can't get a FP+ for TSL for Wednesday), maybe finish with MK at night since all of our other days there were party days and would be nice to end with MK
Sunday - ? we have 7 day tickets and it's barely worth it to downgrade, so I guess this would leave us the option to do whatever we wanted to repeat, but I think we'll be wiped out.