Best Fast Passes to Make at Magic Kingdom

You have your reservation, you have your park tickets and you’ve hit that 60 day mark until your trip, which means you’re ready to make Fast Passes! Stressful, right? It doesn’t have to be!

Before you do anything, make sure you have My Disney Experience downloaded to your phone and have your reservation and tickets linked. This will all be very difficult- read, impossible- if you’re trying to do it without linking tickets first. You can also make fast passes on the My Disney Experience website.

We like to map out our park days based off of 1) if we have any dining reservations and 2) looking at a crowd calendar. Now, to be honest, in recent trips, I’ve found that it’s pretty much just always busy. We generally try to avoid Magic Kingdom on Mondays, but other than that, everything is fair game.

Making Fast Passes (FP+) at Magic Kingdom should be easier than the other parks because there aren’t any tiers to choose different attractions from…yet. I’m sure that will change when new rides open- I’m looking at you, Tron.

So, pick 3 and you’re good to go! But what should you pick?

Most Difficult Attractions To Book

• Seven Dwarves Mine Train– If you have kids 38″ tall or your party has people who are roller coaster lovers, make this your priority. Yes, you can always plan to be at the park for rope drop and get in line early, but if you want to maximize the amount of things you’re going to ride and minimize your line time, try to grab this FP+ first and then plan the rest of your day around the time slot that’s available.

• Peter Pan’s Flight- I’m in the minority here, I just, well, I’ll say it’s not my favorite ride and I don’t quite see why I would waste a precious FP+ here, but here we are. This ride is notorious for having a very long wait, so if you want to ride it, book it. Maybe you aren’t underwhelmed like me and you love the history and magic of the ancient animatronics as you fly over Neverland.
• Splash/Big Thunder/Space Mountain-If you have older, taller kids, or people who want to ride these in your party, use a FP+ for the mountains. Space Mountain is probably the first choice here, tends to have longer lines. Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain you can head to first thing in the day and you’ll ride with a minimal wait. However, if you want to beat the heat and get that refreshing soaking from an afternoon ride on Splash Mountain- make a FP+.

Best FP+ When Traveling with Little Ones

• Character Meet & Greets- Disclaimer: This advice can also be taken if you’re an adult and want to meet a character. No judgment here! Generally, the character FP+ fill up quick, so if you have an avid Ariel/Tiana/Cinderella/Rapunzel/Minnie/Mickey/Tinker Bell fan, then use a FP+ here.
• Enchanted Tales with Belle- If you’re at all interested in this attraction, make a FP+. We’ve only done it once in all of our trips because, there seems to always be a significant wait time and there’s never an available FP+. At least we never get lucky enough to find one. Honestly, it was a very cool attraction/show from start to finish and the kids get to be involved and get individual pictures with Belle, so if you’re a Beauty and the Beast fan, this one is for you.

• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin- Even if the technology is slightly dated, this is still a very, very cool ride and one that tends to always have a significant wait time. I’d say don’t bother if your kids are 2.5 or younger. It would be difficult for them to actually use the laser cannons. However, if they are older than that or Toy Story fans and content with just sitting and watching then they’re going to think this ride is awesome and you don’t want to be waiting in line out in the heat!

Rides We Always End Up Finding a FP+ For

If your kids are anything like mine, which I’m willing to bet they are, they are little dictators. So even if I think I’m doing a nice thing by making a FP+ to meet Ariel for the 10th time, she all of a sudden wants to ride Journey of the Little Mermaid not meet the Little Mermaid. Thank goodness, this is usually an easy switch.

Generally, these are attractions that we will make FP+ for after we have already used our 3 for the day. If you didn’t know, in the My Disney Experience app, or at the FP+ kiosks around the park, once you scan into your 3rd FP+ for the day, you can then make another FP+ from what’s available. Usually, we can find at least one of the attractions below available, which is why we don’t usually make them our initial 3 fast passes.

My girls are 3.5 and almost 1, so our MUST RIDE attractions are as follows:

• Dumbo The Flying Elephant– Always a good time, and there’s even a little play area while you wait, it’s not a trip to the Magic Kingdom without visiting Dumbo.
• Journey of the Little Mermaid- I mean, this is actually one that I always want to ride too. Nothing like getting in the AC while waiting in line for your clamshell, and also, Little Mermaid is my JAM. What’s up, 1989?
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin- As short as Dumbo, but can you beat any ride that’s going to give you an aerial view of the castle and the chance to get spit on by a camel?

• Pirates of the Caribbean- Now, we’re at a tricky point where depending on the day, Meryl is either all in on Pirates, or she’s terrified and the tears aren’t even worth it. But, this is one of my favorites, so I always enjoy the ride when we can get it.
• Haunted Mansion- UGH. SO GOOD. Again, this is a Pirates situation for us. SO if we find ourselves with babysitters or find an agreeable toddler dictator, this is a must-ride.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh- Heffalumps and Woozles? Sign. Me. Up. The stuff of childhood nightmares, right? But it’s such a cute ride!! And the classic music? You can’t beat it. Babies love this ride, that’s for sure.
• “it’s a small world”-  UNPOPULAR OPINION I’m sure, but I actually like Small World. You’re laughing, right? You hate Peter Pan, but like Small World? Are you nuts? Yeah, maybe, but there’s just something about it!

And that’s my take on fast passes at the Magic Kingdom. Now there are so many other things to do that don’t involve FP+ where you just have to plan your day a little like meet and greets, parades, fireworks, and shows. Magic Kingdom is definitely my top pick park when you have small kids. They are going to love everything. And MK has some of my absolute favorite snacks and shopping too. Does anything really beat walking down Main Street, U.S.A., listening to Married Life, Starbucks in hand, with a view of Cinderella Castle? No. Nothing can beat that.