Disneyland Fastpass for Beginners

By Jennifer Stuart

Fastpass can save you time waiting in line for attractions and let you enjoy more rides when visiting Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.  Learn how the system works to maximize your fun!

This post was updated to reflect changes to the Fastpass system that came into effect April 6 and April 27, 2017.

​What is a Fastpass?

​At Disneyland (know that this is different from  Disney World) a fastpass is linked to your park ticket.  A fastpass is a voucher that reserves a time when you can get onto a ride with less waiting.  Usually you will get a reminder ticket with a specified return time allowing you to wait in a shorter line.  Think of it as a reservation for VIP access.

Rules for Fastpass

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​You can only get a fastpass by using your park ticket/pass that was activated upon entering the park.   So you cannot send someone early to enter the park and grab fastpasses while everyone else sleeps in, however, once everyone has entered the park you can have one "runner" who will take all the tickets for your group and collect fastpasses for everyone at the distribution kiosks near the ride. Everyone in your group needs one to ride (unless they are under 2 years old, as they don’t need a ticket to enter park, but they will also be too small for most fastpass rides). You can hold only 1 fastpass at a time - with some exceptions. Keep reading for more details.

Can I get a Fastpass for any ride?

​No you cannot.  Fastpass is only available for a select number of attractions (usually ones with consistently long wait times) and for the nighttime shows- World of Colour and Fantasmic.

This is the list of attractions that currently have fastpasses.  (Note that this list is subject to change---you should always check with a cast member to see if fastpasses are available for a ride).
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Disneyland:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Haunted Mansion
• Indiana Jones Adventure
• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
• Space Mountain 
• Splash Mountain
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Matterhorn Bobsleds -- NEW
• Fantasmic (distributed near Rivers of America)

Disney California Adventure Park:

• Goofy's Sky School
• Grizzly River Run
• Radiator Springs Racers (distributed near It's Tough to Be a Bug!)
• Soarin' Around the World
• World of Color (distributed at Grizzly River Run)
• Toy Story Midway Mania ---NEW (currently distributed near Little Mermaid)

UPDATE:  January 11, 2017 - Toy Story Midway Mania in DCA and Materhorn Bobsleds in Disneyland got FastPass.  Maxpass (digital fastpass has also been introduced at Disneyland for a fee. (See our post on Maxpass- a step-by-step guide) .
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How can I get a Fastpass?

Look for the fastpass distribution machines.  These are usually located near the entrance to the ride with a few exceptions (see above). Check that the posted return times will work for you. (You will usually have a 45 min "window" to use your fastpass). Insert your ticket or pass into the machine.  A fastpass reminder will be printed.  The actual reservation will also be linked to your park ticket.
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Can I get a Fastpass during my Magic Morning entry?

No. Fastpasses are not distributed in either Magic Morning or Extra Magic Hours.  Read our post onMagic Morning and Extra Magic Hour at Disneyland to find out more information about these times.
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If I lose my Fastpass can I get a new one?

Don't worry about losing your paper reminder.  The fastpass is now linked to your park ticket. If you are worried about losing the paper reminder and forgetting what time your fastpass is for then you may want to set a reminder on your phone.  Note: I do not let the kids hold their own tickets.
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Can I pick which time I want to get my Fastpass for?

No.  Fast passes are distributed starting at the beginning of the day and the return times get later as the earlier ones are taken.  I have often waited at the front of the line for the time I wanted for Radiator Springs Racers to come up. 
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How do I use a Fastpass?

Return to the attraction' s  fastpass line at your return time.  Scan your park ticket at a machine at the entrance.  It will check that you have the correct return time and will turn green if your fastpass is valid. A cast member will direct you where to go.  Keep your ticket out as many attractions have lines that require you to scan again later. (This prevents those who would try to scam by switching lines.  Remember to  come back in  your return time window - they will not let you on if you are late.  Disney used to be more flexible with this but have cracked down in recent years...so don't be misled by older information.
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Can I make Fastpasss reservations ahead of time? 

No you cannot.  If you have been reading about making reservations online or in advance for rides then you have been reading about Fastpass+ at Disney World.  This system is different.  Although there have been rumours about Fastpass+ coming to Disneyland this is not currently the case.
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What are the best Fastpasses to get?

That question is very subjective.  What do you want to ride?  There is no point in me getting a fastpass for California Screamin with the rest of my family---wild horses couldn't get me on that ride. So the best fastpasses for you will  depend on your interest or ability to ride.  Many fastpass rides also have height restrictions so it is worth doing some research before you arrive. Click here for a link to the height restrictions for Disneyland.  If you are not sure what you might want to ride a good place to start is the list of attractions on the Disneyland website. Click here.  To get a better idea of what it might be like to go on a particular ride, I recommend going on Youtube and searching for a video with the name of the ride and POV (point of view),  ie: "Disneyland California Screamin POV." These are videos taken by people as they ride the actual ride and may give you a better idea of what the experience will be like.  We have begun to add some POV rides to our Youtube channel.  Clickhere to check them out.
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When should I not get a Fastpass?

When the posted return time doesn't work for you, if you are not interested in riding or if the standby wait time is short. This picture shows a standby wait of only 5 mins for Splash Mountain.  I would ride and then check the times again when I got off.  I might be able to get a highly coveted fastpass for later in the afternoon. When getting to the park early we have often been able to ride Big Thunder Mountain (my daughter's favourite) 3 times in a row with no waits before the lines build and then grab a fastpass for later.
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Do they ever run out of Fastpasses?

Yes!  Radiator Springs Racers is almost guaranteed to run out of fastpasses sometime in the morning.  The same is often true for the nighttime shows - World of Colour and Fantasmic.  At busy times (summer, spring break, holidays)  expect all the fastpasses for the day to be gone long before the park closes.
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What happens if the ride is broken down when I come back to use my Fastpass?

If a ride is down, talk to a cast member by the entrance, but standard practice is that you can come back anytime for the remainder of the day to use that fastpass.  Don't try to scam---they do keep track of when the ride was down.
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How to read the Information on a Fastpass reminder

In the picture below you can see that this is a fastpass for Tower of Terror.  It was pulled  on Sunday October 11, 2015.    The return time is circled in red.  The holder of this ticket must return to use it between 9:15pm and 10:00pm.  If you look at the tiny numbers on the bottom under the barcode you can see that this fastpass was pulled at 13:31 or 1:31pm.

Insider tip:  The information in green is VERY important.  Normally you can only hold 1 ride fastpass at a time-- however if your return time is more than 2 hours from when you pulled your fastpass you will be eligible to pull a second fastpass.  In this case because I pulled this fastpass at 1:31pm and I couldn't use it until 9:15pm at the earliest I could go pull another fastpass for any ride starting at 3:30 should one still be available.
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Old style paper fastpasses

New style paper fastpass reminder

What are the Exceptions to the 1 Fastpass at a time rule?

Fastpasses which essentially act as show tickets are exempt or disconnected from the fastpass system.  That means you can pull a fastpass for World of Colour or Fantasmic and still be able to pull another one for a ride.    Always check with a cast member to make sure that this hasn't changed before pulling your fastpasses to avoid disappointment, as Disney can change their fastpass policies at a moment's notice.  

Update:  As of April 6, 2017 --Disney connected the fastpass systems between the parks and you can only hold 1 pass between both parks.  Any information (like below) that suggests you can hold one ticket in each park is now out of date.
Insider Tip:  If you are a park hopper and will be moving between the parks you can hold a fastpass in both parks  at the same time as the systems are not connected between Disneyland and California Adventure.  So in theory you could hold a fastpass to a ride in both parks at the same time plus any show fastpasses on top of it.
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If you enjoyed this post, you may be interested in some of our other Disneyland posts. 

All Photos by Jennifer Stuart

Thoughts? Questions?  We would love to hear from you.