(Photo Courtesy of K.Drum, 2018)
There are certain days, as a Disney devotee, that you wake up with an extra spring in your step. Even if it’s 7am. Your ADR day, 180 days from your trip, is one. And your FastPass day, 60 or 30 days out from your trip, is another. If you’re anything like me (and I hope you’re not, because that means you probably drive your partner crazy) your work area is papered with possible touring plans a week before you can even make FastPasses. I like to have a Plan A, a Plan B, a Plan C, and what I call Plan Threat Level Midnight.
But what happens when even Plan Threat Level Midnight gets demolished in a blaze of glory and spiked park attendance? It can feel like all your hard work is for nothing. You didn’t get the ONE ride you most wanted to get, not for you, of course, but for your kids! Your spouse! Your parents! Your third cousins you are vacationing with! You’ve let them down. All your Disney experience and you were as green as a newborn, watching as the FastPasses were snatched up, left with only the Tier 2 attractions to choose from.
That deflated feeling seeps into all other aspects of your planning. Who even cares about Disney or magic? You couldn’t get that ONE ride and now is it even worth it? Who even wants to go to Disney World anyway. It’s hot and loud and everyone will be riding that ONE ride but you and your third cousins.
That, my friends, is what we call a case of the FastPass Blues. While not getting a guaranteed entry for that ONE ride is usually the trigger for the FastPass Blues, I think it actually comes as a result of all the meticulous planning a Disney vacation takes. After all, by the time you’re doing your FastPasses, you’ve probably compared five or six different hotels, debated driving or flying and planned all your meals around two picky eaters who insist on dining with a Beast/princess/woodland creature at every meal. This is no joke. Disney planning “starts” at the 180 day, 6 month, mark, but you and I both know you’ve been planning way longer than that. You’ve been saving and working your tail off on those earnings apps way longer than that. So it totally makes sense if, by the time you get to FastPasses, you’re a little high strung.
I get it. I’ve been there. Recently.
Our FastPass day was a few weeks ago. Our trip is earlyish-midish August. When I tell you I had the perfect plan, I am not exaggerating. In fact, all my plans from A through Threat Level Midnight were on point.
Imagine my shock and dismay when the very first FastPass I tried to get for our very first park day had absolutely NO availability. Even in Threat Level Midnight I had imagined there were evening FastPasses available. Nope. Nothing. So I did what any sane, logical person does. I burst into tears and made FastPasses for attractions that in no way needed FastPasses and moved on to the rest of my trip.
Totally appropriate response, right?
The good news is, my theme park induced panic attack taught me a valuable lesson. You can have all the plans you want, but sometimes, it just doesn’t work out the way you hoped. But that doesn’t mean you won’t still have a magical, memorable trip.
From my crazy conspiracy board of park plans to yours, here are some coping mechanisms to help you combat those FastPass Blues.
Take a Break from Disney Planning. Remember what I said about planning fatigue? Give yourself a timeout. I recommend 24 hours, though in my case 48 was really a game changer. No FastPasses, no dining, no videos, no nothing. Just disengage for a hot minute to clear your head.
Change Your Day, Change Your Perspective. After two solid days of moping and being sad, I revisited my first day of the trip. There were still no available FastPasses for what I wanted at Hollywood Studios. On a lark, I checked out Magic Kingdom. And what a treasure trove I found there. Everything you would ever want a FastPass for had a ton of availability. So I cut my losses and changed my plans. And since I was riding the high of spontaneity, I decided to check out the dining options. By luck or by fate, I got the lunch reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table that had been alluding me for the past 120 days. The first day of my trip went from being a disaster to being a delight just by reconsidering my plans.
There’s Always Stand-By. No one wants to stand in line for hours, I know. But if you’ve really got your heart set on a ride, you can always give it the old rope drop try. Try and get there very first thing before the crowds descend. Or consider checking it out at the end of the night when everyone else is distracted with shows and fireworks. After all, before FastPasses, queueing up was how we did every attraction. We can brave it.
You’ve Still Got 59 days. Things happen. People cancel trips, change plans, you name it. Just like with dining reservations, the closer you get to your trip, the more openings you might see pop up. Keep checking back to see that ONE ride opens up. We’ve heard so many stories about people finding the perfect FastPass the night before.
Remember the Magic. Some of my family’s favorite experiences have been the things that happened organically or by accident, perfect little moments we hadn’t been expecting. A surprise encounter with our favorite character. A treat from a cast member. A bubble wand gifted to us by another family right before the parade. A ride delay that resulted in us seeing the backstage area of one of our favorites AND getting an extra FastPass. These things happened regardless of our FastPass plans, because as much magic as you can prepare for at Disney, there’s plenty more that you won’t know until it you see it. If you’re having a hard time remembering that, have your family take turns sharing their favorite unexpected moment from a past Disney trip. It’ll pick your spirits right up.
We all want to plan the perfect trip. But the perfect trip shouldn’t come at the cost of you enjoying the trip. And really, chances are your kids, spouse, parents, or third cousins are going to have the time of their lives and be so thrilled with all the hard work you put into planning this vacation, they won’t notice that ONE ride you were’t able to snag. You’ve put a lot of time and energy into this trip. You deserve to be excited about it.
Have you ever fallen prey to the FastPass blues? How do you beat it? What are you most excited for with your upcoming Disney trip? Tell me all about it in the comments!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!