A big question that a lot of people are asking as we make our way through 2021 is When Will FastPass+ Return to Disney World? The FastPass+ system at Disney World has very much created a divided opinion over the years from regular visitors to the parks. Some love it and others think the system increases wait times overall. But if you are planning to stay at a Disney World Resort when FastPass+ is available you have the advantage of booking FastPasses 60 days before your stay.
With restrictions gradually easing across the United States when will the Disney Parks in Florida start increasing park capacity and use of the FastPass+ system?
BREAKING – Update August 18 2021
FastPass+ Will be Retired at Disney World
FASTPASS, FastPass+ and Disney MaxPass services will be officially retired during the Fall of 2021 and replaced by the Disney Genie service. You don’t have to use the new service, but it would seem that this is very much aimed at gaining more revenue from guests.
My assumption is that the new paid services are aimed to get guest to pay prior to their park visits but also when they are already in the parks especially if they are finding busy on that particular day. You would think quite a lot of people will be tempted to pay for access to attractions on the day if they are finding things busy.
visit DisneyWorld.com/DisneyGenie and Disneyland.com/DisneyGenie for details for the service at WDW and Disneyland.
Paid FastPasses Come to Disney World
Yes, as I predicted the Disney Genie App will offer some premium paid services. Below are the full details from Disney:
- Disney Genie+ service (available for purchase): For the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort, choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. You can make one selection at a time, throughout the day – from classics like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (attractions subject to limited availability). This convenient option is the next evolution of the fan-favorite Disney MaxPass service from Disneyland Resort. Disney Genie+ will also include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories – augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland Resort.
- Individual attraction selections (available for purchase): Schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance – like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction and park and will be announced closer to launch.
Lightning Lane selections will be made on the day of your visit and can be used across all the Disney parks. This will be useful if like me you do a lot of park hopping. Attractions continue to offer a traditional standby queue, or a virtual queue at certain attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – to maximize flexibility.
You can read more about the Disney Genie App here.
Find out below when we think FastPass+ will return to Disney World
Below You Will Find My Previous Post & Updates on FastPass+
What is the Current Status of FastPass+ at Disney World?
The FastPass+ System was suspended before Disney World reopened in the summer of 2020 and this is still the case – at the time of writing. On the Disney World website it states that:
As a result of the COVID-19 impact on operations, the FastPass+ service is suspended for the time being. FastPass+ service is not offered with the purchase of tickets or annual passes. We will share future updates at a later date.
Due to the current capacity restrictions at the Disney World Parks FastPass+ was suspended to allow for social distancing measures to be implemented in the stand by lines for all of the rides and attractions.
Will FastPass+ Return to Disney World?
I strongly believe that FastPass+ will make a return to Disney World. Offering the 60 day window to book Fast Passes when staying at a Disney Resort is a big perk that encourages people to stay on property at Disney World. Disney will want to use every tool they have to keep guests on property and spending their money at Disney and not elsewhere.
A lot of revenue has been lost throughout 2020 and 2021 at Disney World but Disney has been mostly looking at cost saving measures to recoup losses so far such as no longer offering free MagicBands to Resort Guests and the closure of the Magical Express on Dec 31 2021.
When Will FastPass+ Return to Disney World?
If you’re looking for a specific date when FastPass+ will return to Walt Disney World, I think there are three Potential dates to consider. The first is July 5, 2021 as President Biden wants things back to normal by July 4, the other is October 1 – the 50th Anniversary at Disney World and finally January 1 2022.
With mass vaccinations underway President Biden has stated that he wants to see things back to normal for Independence Day. This gives us a good indication that Monday July 5 2021 is a strong candidate for the FastPass+ system to return at Disney World.
If July 5 Doesn’t happen then the next big date is October 1 2021. This is the date of the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World opening. This is a very important date for both Disney World and it’s fans. In an ideal world you would like to see FastPass+ up running for this date if not before in the build up to the 50th anniversary.
Finally if FastPass+ doesn’t return in time for the 50th Anniversary you would certainly expect a return in 2022. If this is the case then January 1 2022 would surely be the last possible date for Disney World to look to return to normal operations including FastPass+.
Have you read our FastPass+ Guide, you can find it here.
Will Disney Charge for FastPass+?
There has been a lot of speculation about Disney Implementing a premium FastPass+ system that guests will have to pay for (like Express Passes at Universal). As yet nothing has been announced and Disney have been looking at making savings rather than creating new ways to charge guests for specific services. I can’t see a pay to ride FastPass+ system being launched in the near future at Disney World.
Do Disney Need FastPass+?
Some would argue that FastPass+ isn’t needed at Disney World as it creates longer standby lines in the parks. So, do Disney need FastPass+? Well, no they don’t if they can guarantee that they can fill all of their resorts and parks throughout the year. However, with some resorts still closed (at the time of writing) Disney need to ensure that when all their resorts can reopen that they can entice guests to stay at them. To do that FastPass+ along with other offers such as the Free Dining Plan are the tools that they can used to booking locked in for the foreseeable future.
In my opinion it would be a risk to take away the big perks of staying at a Disney World Resort and having the 60 day window to book FastPasses and that is a major perk.
Do Guests Need FastPass+?
So, do guests need FastPass+? Overall if you take it away it gives everybody visiting a Disney World park on the same day the same opportunities to get on rides by arriving early and then monitoring wait times on the My Disney Experience App. However if you have paid a premium to stay at a Disney World Resort surely you want a bit more than the current extra half an hour you can get inside of the parks each morning. The FastPass+ 60 day booking window offers that.
You can find our Disney World Line Hacks and tips here.
Why I Want FastPass+ to Return to Disney World
I want FastPass+ to return to Disney World because my family loves staying at Disney World and immersing ourselves in the Disney experience. Knowing that we are loyal Disney World Resort customers I would like to think that we would still get the same perks offered previously. In the past having been able to book FastPasses 60 days in advance of our arrival we have guaranteed ourselves access to such attraction as Flight of Passage, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Slinky Dog Dash.
Along with the Dining Plan I would love to see FastPass+ return to Disney World as it has been a huge benefit to my family on all of our Disney World vacations.
FastPass+ Returning to Disney World
I hope you have found this article helpful on what to expect soon at Disney World and my opinions on FastPass+. At the end of the day, I would just love to see Disney World return to normal operations and at full capacity. Not just for my family but for yours too so that we all know what to expect when we book our next Disney World vacation. If you have enjoyed this article, please do share it on social media. You can also pin the image below if you are a Pinterest user.
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Darren
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