Fastpass is a way to avoid long queues on some attractions. To get a Fastpass for a particular attraction, you simple put your Disney Resort ticket into the Fastpass machine, usually located right next to the attraction. The machine will then give you a Fastpass good for a 1-hour window later in the day (for example 1pm to 2pm), and you get your Disney Resort ticket back as well. Do not lose your Disney Resort ticket, because without it you not only cannot get any further Fastpasses, you also can't get back into Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure. After obtaining your Fastpass, check to see what range of times it is valid for and then put it in a safe place. One great place to store a Fastpass and your park ticket is in a lanyard with a small storage area made just for that reason.
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The range of times that you can return that is printed on the Fastpass ticket you receive is determined by the number of Fastpasses already issued for that attraction. As more and more Fastpasses are issued throughout the day the time range will be farther and farther into the future. On busy days enough people might have gotten Fastpasses that no more are issued for that day. Think of it like buying tickets for a popular movie. If you buy the tickets early in the day you might be able to attend the early show but as the day goes by all the shows start selling out and you either have to go to a late show or you might not be able to get a ticket at all.
After your time has come then you can go back to that attraction, give your Fastpass to the Cast Member, and enter the Fastpass queue. While occasionally you must still wait in line, it is much shorter than the standby line for the attraction. (Standby line is for those that are not using a Fastpass). Although the Fastpass has a time range to return, you can usually use it anytime after the initial start time.
Since Fastpass is not offered on every attraction, it is important to have a plan when entering Disneyland or Disney's California adventure. Also, you can only have one Fastpass at a time, with a few exceptions. One of those exceptions is that once your window of time has opened, (or 2 hours have passed since obtaining that Fastpass), you may then obtain a Fastpass for a second attraction. This strategy is very useful if it is your intent to ride each attraction, or at least the popular ones. For example, if you already have a Fastpass for Splash Mountain but also wish to ride Indiana Jones, then once your time opens for Splash Mountain go to Indiana Jones, get a Fastpass, and then use your one for Splash Mountain. Keep in mind that all examples are in the singular, but you will need a Fastpass for each person in your party who wishes to ride the attraction (children 3 and under are exempt, but in most cases would not be able to ride the attraction in either case (Autopia is one exception)).
Also, if you wish to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain, it is a good idea to grab the Fastpass for Splash Mountain or Indiana Jones then ride both Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion while waiting for your Fastpass window to open.
Using Fastpass is very easy, and saves a lot of time waiting in queues, which is a wonderful feature. There is also one downfall, which should be mentioned. When using Fastpass, you skip the bulk of the queue on many attractions, or move through it so quickly that you don't see the queue itself. For some attractions, the queue is very well designed, and worth seeing. One such attraction is Indiana Jones. So, if you wish to see the queue, ride the attraction again after using Fastpass, but choose a time when the queue is not horribly long to enjoy the attraction.
Now, which attractions offer Fastpass? At Disneyland, you will see Fastpass at Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin, and Autopia. Space Mountain, and the new Buzz Lightyear attraction will also have Fastpass when they open next year. Changes have recently been made, and are currently being made to Fastpass, and in the next few months, Winnie The Pooh will no longer have Fastpass. Also, for many of the rides, Fastpass will not be offered during slow periods, such as weekdays and off-season. At California Adventure, the Fastpass attractions are Screamin', Grizzly River Run, Soarin' over California, Mulholland Madness, and Tower of Terror. Like Disneyland, Fastpass may not be offered on these attractions during slower times.
Use Fastpass wisely and you will be able to enjoy more attractions in a shorter period of time. Get the Fastpasses early in the day. You cannot use them before the allotted time, but you can use them after the time has expired, as long as it is the same day. These tips should help you get the most out of your Disney Resort Vacation with the use of Fastpass.
Disneyland Fastpass Attractions
Indiana Jones
Splash Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin
Autopia
Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear
Disneys California Adventure Fastpass Attractions
Screamin'
Grizzly River Run
Soarin' over California
Mulholland Madness
Tower of Terror
Disneyland Fastpass Guide Updated 2006
Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Peter Pan's Flight
The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Stitch's Great Escape
Jungle Cruise
The Haunted Mansion
Wlat Disney World Epcot
Mission Space
Test Track
Soarin'
"Honey, I Shrunk The Audience"
Maelstrom
Living with the Land
Disney's MGM Studios
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith
Star Tours
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular!
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Lights, Motors, Action!™ Extreme Stunt Show
Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur
It's Tough to be a Bug
Kali River Rapids
Kilamanjaro Safaris
Primeval Whirl