In 2018, Walt Disney World added a new perk for Club Level guests. For an additional fee of $50/person per day, guests with Club Level rooms can book six Fast Pass reservations, over the standard three per day. Additionally, the Fast Pass reservation window opens 90 days before the start of the trip, rather than the usual 60 days.
With our stay at the Polynesian Village Resort in November 2018, we not only booked a Club Level room, we also purchase the additional Fast Pass upgrade. This post will analysis our experience and rather or not we felt the paid service was worth it.
How Does it Work?
Once the Club Level reservation is placed, guests can call Disney Signature Services 90 days before the start of the trip to book Fast Pass reservations. At this time, the additional Fast Passes cannot be booked through My Disney Experience.
Before calling Disney Signature Service, guests must know the times they would like for each attraction. When I placed my reservations, I told the castmember the attraction and the time. The castmember would then verify if that time was available. Remember to separate each Fast Pass request at least an hour apart.
When booking Fast Passes, the first three Fast Pass reservations will follow the traditional tiers, if present. When booking at EPCOT, for example, your first three Fast Passes will be limited to one tier one attraction and two tier two attractions.
Once those three are in place, your next three Fast Passes can be from any tier and any park. One day during our trip I picked three Fast Pass reservations at Animal Kingdom in the morning before securing three reservations at Hollywood Studios in the afternoon.
To use the service, guests must pay for at least three days. At a minimum, the service will cost an additional $150 ($50 over three days). Likely you will be visiting the parks with family or friends, and every single person using the service will need to pay the extra $150. Since it was Stella and I during our trip, I paid $300 on top of my vacation package to book my Fast Passes 90 days in advance.
We did have one day on our itinerary where we did not use the service. The castmember informed me this day would follow the traditional 60 day model. She explained I would need to log in to My Disney Experience 60 days in advance to pick Fast Passes for that day.
Once we ended the call, my Fast Pass selections appeared on My Disney Experience. My first three included the option to modify but my last three could not be modified unless I called Disney Signature Service. I was able to secure every time I wanted and found the service to be easy to use. After all, it only required a little extra planning, a phone call and a credit card.
When the service debuted, it included reserved seating to one park night time show (like fireworks) per day of the service. Unfortunately, they removed the perk during our trip and we were limited to Fast Pass selections only.
Is it Worth it?
For our trip, it was worth it. We went during the Holiday season and since it would be our first time riding Flight of Passage, I wanted to make sure we secured a Fast Pass. Plus, our trip was only four days long, leaving us very little time to plan for unexpected lines or delays.
For $300, we rode every attraction with ease and flew through each park. We even rode Flight of Passage twice (we did standby first thing in the morning when the park opened). Our vacation was prefect.
Now, I probably would not pay for the service again. We’ve been to Walt Disney World a lot now and we’ve been on all the major attractions numerous times. We know the best way to score free Fast Passes and plan accordingly.
Going forward, I would only pay for it if we were on limited time, a long time between Walt Disney World trips, or an addition of multiple new E-Ticket attractions. And, I would only pay for three days. Three days is plenty to knock out the major attractions.
If my family was larger, it would be harder to justify spending $150/person. For two, it worked with our budget. For a family of four, on top of paying for Club Level, it is much harder to justify the extra costs. If you are a seasoned veteran of Walt Disney World, there is no need for the upgrade. If it is your first time visiting, go ahead, especially if you have money burning a hole in your pocket.
Conclusion
Although Disney met some backlash for offering a paid Fast Pass service, we enjoyed it and agreed it was worth the cost. With some major attractions on our to do list, we decided it made sense to spend some more money to ensure a more pleasant vacation experience. And boy did it deliver.
For most, the extra costs will eat up your budget. Instead, use the saved money for dining and souvenirs. As long as you log in to My Disney Experience 60 days in advance of your trip and visit the parks first thing in the morning, you’ll have no problem riding the major attractions.
Thoughts?
Thanks for reading! We hoped this post will help with your vacation planning needs. For a detailed look at Club Level at the Polynesian Village Resort, please read, Review – King Kamehameha Club HERE. Interested in visiting Animal Kingdom? Check out our Animal Kingdom One-Day Itinerary HERE!
Did you pay for Fast Passes? What did you think? How is it riding Flight of Passage multiple times per day? Let us know in the comments below!
