DLP fastpass ‘strategy’
 

Just wanted a few tips on how to make the best of the mornings at either of the parks.

Not sure yet which rides have a fast pass or have big queues, it would be useful to know which rides to head for first and how to best to make use of the fast passes.

Thank you

If it's not open during EMT then i would fast pass BTM if wanting to ride. Try to do Peter pan during EMt or get a fast pass for that as well.

A lot of it depends on if you are also getting EMT, as a large number of the big ticket rides are also open during EMT.

We normally get fastpasses for BTM first, then IJ and Star Tours.

We do Buzz, Peter Pan and Hyperspace Mountain during EMT so don't tend to FP these ones.

Are you staying in a Disney hotel ? We didn’t find the fast passes particularly useful. They seemed to go so quickly. As we were in a Disney hotel we found our best strategy was to be outside the gates about 20 minutes before emh opened and make a dash for Peter Pan in the park and ratatouille in the studios . We then discovered the single rider queue for Ratatouille and rode multiple times. We were always in the same rat but just not next to each other.

The single rider queue works SO well on ratatouille. We use it all the time and never waited longer than 10 minutes,

Yes, all depends if you have Extra Magic Time or not.

If you are staying onsite or have certain kinds of annual pass which get you EMT, you can do quite a few rides without needing Fastpass.

We always head to Peter Pan's Flight first, it's the only time you will see it with a 5 minute queue! Then most of Fantasyland is open - Dumbo (which normally is an annoyingly slow loader), Teacups and Carousel. Sometimes also Snow White or Pinocchio.

If Princesses are your thing, the Princess Pavilion is also open during EMT. However, we found there was a 75 minute queue even then, and since we don't have children, we've still never done it!

Then on to Discoveryland, where Buzz Lightyear is definitely the one to grab. It can be a walk-on first thing, whereas later in the day you're talking at least 45 minutes unless you get a Fastpass.

Hyperspace Mountain is also open during EMT, and strangely, it rarely seems busy.

I have heard Star Tours is also open during EMT these days too.

Orbitron and sometimes Autopia can be open too (not that we bother with them).

Until recently, nowhere in Adventureland or Frontierland has been open during EMT. However, I have read recently that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is open during EMT now. In which case, disregard all the above and head there first! It is the hardest FP to get in Disneyland Park, and the ride that draws the biggest crowds.

Assuming you either don't have EMT or want to start your day at park opening, then the FP to rush for in Disneyland Park is, you guessed it, BTMR. Frontierland opens at 10 and everyone will head straight there.

The newly reopened Phantom Manor now has Fastpass too. Previously it didn't really get big queues first thing, so you might want to ride it after you've grabbed your BTMR FP as it's very near. However, since the ride has changed so much after its 18-month closure, it may get bigger queues now.

If you haven't had enough of Peter Pan or Buzz, one of those would be good to get FPs for. I certainly wouldn't bother to queue without them.

In my experience Indiana Jones rarely needs FP. Star Tours may do.

In Studios, Ratatouille is the one to get FP for, unless you want to do single rider. Or if you get there during EMT. EMT is a relatively new thing in the Studios and we found the park eerily quiet!

Other FPs in Studios - Tower of Terror is a must. For some reason the Aladdin's Carpets ride has FP, though I have never ever seen a queue for it! Rock'n'Roller also has FP though that is closing soon for its Iron Man re-theme.

In all honesty you can do Studios without much rushing around. Do make time for the Mickey and the Magician show, though. Get there about half an hour before. Queueing in the 'cattle pen' is not pleasant, but if you are way back in the queue, you may struggle for a seat as we did.

Thanks for the advice everyone, I should have said yes we are staying at SL onsite

It'll also depend on how many days you have. For EMT in Disneyland Park you'll want to head to either BTM or Peter Pan first depending on your preference. Then see how you get on with the others and fastpass what you didn't catch later on.

For Studios, Ratatouille is the biggest priority (although keep in mind it is also open during EMT and isn't too tough to do with a very short queue if you get there early). Tower of Terror is second and Rock n Roller the lowest priority of the three.

We returned on 20th June after having spent 4 nights at Newport Bay. We used the EMH and got all the rides done we wanted, the majority of the big rides are open, only used FP for the rides we wanted to do multiple times. Crush is not FP and even in EMH the queue built from opening with people sprinting through the park to get to Crush. We did single rider during the day rather than coming back for FP for a lot of the rides we had done together during EMH. Granted were not there at peak holiday times.

Also, make sure you’ve got the DLP app on your phone - and get ready to run across the park if you see a 5 min queue for POTC or Star Tours or Buzz (seems to break down fairly regularly, and we’ve often been walking by / checked the app and run for it just as it starts up again with a 5 min queue!)