Take a quick look at these first few entries from a recent RideMax plan and see if you notice anything strange:
Notice how the plan has our FastPass runner grabbing one set of FastPasses at Dumbo, then immediately getting another set at Peter Pan’s Flight?
If you’re familiar at all with the way the FastPass system works and saw this on your RideMax plan, you might be raising an eyebrow about now or even writing us demanding a refund. “How can this be?” you want to know… “There’s no way I can get two FastPasses so close together, is there?!!”
Actually, right now at least, there is!
The “trick” here is that the new FastPass machines for both Dumbo and The Barnstormer are “disconnected” from the rest of the FastPass network, and from each other. This means that if you get a FastPass from either of these two machines, the other FastPass machines in the park won’t know about it, and vice-versa.
Theoretically, this means you could actually grab three FastPasses in a row: one for The Barnstormer, another one for Dumbo, and yet a third one for any other attraction in the park.
Because RideMax is set up to take advantage of this loophole for the time being, if you see this in one of your plans you’ll know what’s going on. (We’ve also included a brief tip at the bottom of the plan making this clear.)
Of course, Disney could change this policy at any time — and we’ll adjust RideMax accordingly if they do — but in the meantime this is fun to know, and to take advantage of!
I am not sure if you are aware but the first week of November Disneyland and DCA are going to start being strict on fastpass return times… Will Ridemax be modified to not allow you to select late fastpass option?
Yes, Berrett, if you’re referring to the recent Al Lutz article we’re aware of this rumor.
Of course, Walt Disney World is already enforcing the FP return times, and we had to make some adjustments to WDW RideMax for this.
If Disneyland does indeed follow through with this and implement the new policy I expect some updates coming for the Disneyland version of RideMax as well.
Stay tuned!
I have a question! On my plan, Magic Kingdom opens at 8am (not early entry, just regular hours). The plan does not tell me to get my first Fastpass for Peter Pan until 9.35am or later. Is there a reason for this? Are the Fastpass machines not active when the park opens? Thanks for any help.
Lara, now that Disney World is enforcing the FastPass return windows, it’s possible that getting that Peter Pan FastPass first thing is not the best thing to do for any given plan, depending on when you’re supposed to actually USE the FastPass.
Are there any other disconnected machines? Also, at Disneyland what are all of the disconnected ones? I know about California Screamin’, World of Color, and Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. Are there any others? I’ve heard from other places that Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and Radiator Springs racers are disconnected, but all these are in different places and I want to know which ones are actually true. Thanks!