I am struck by how many people don't know what Fast Passes are at all.  Don't worry, I am here to break this down for you.  Afterall, this is Disney 101, right?  I am going to fill you in on all of these basics so you can make your trip informed.

Fast Pass is a free service that Disney offers for everyone in the park.  There is no extra charge for this!  I am surprised how many people I have encountered in the park that didn't even know they could get Fast Passes for FREE!  Yes, it is true you do not have to pay for them.  

Fast Passes are a slip you aquire from a kiosk near a ride that allows you to walk onto the ride without waiting in the line.  There is a seperate line just for Fast Pass returns!  Generally, you walk on the ride.  On a super busy day, the Fast Pass line may be 10-15 minutes.  That is a drop in the bucket when the standby line is 75 minutes.  

You can get a new Fast Pass every 90 minutes.  Ideally, you get a Fast Pass, ride a ride, book a new one and ride some rides in standby while you are waiting.  It works pretty well!

When you aquire your Fast Pass, it will give you a return time.  You simply have to return to the ride in the window printed on the pass and you are good to go!  

I personally LOVE Max Pass.  The price for this service is $15 per person, so that can quickly add up if you have a rather large family.  That is an extra $75 per day for a family of 5!  

What does it actually do?  Max Pass allows you to get your Fast Passes directly from your phone.  You simply scan your tickets into the app, purchase Max Pass and then book a Fast Pass from your fingertips.  

Additionally, with Max Pass you get free Photo Pass.  Meaning, everytime you get a picture taken with a character, in front of the castle or on a ride, those can get loaded by the Disney photographer onto your account and you can access then digitally for free!  This is a great value.  Getting just one digital photo printed from a character spot can cost a pretty penny so having them at your fingertips to print out or save to your phone is a great perk of the Max Pass.  

When you ride a ride with a photo spot (like Incredicoaster, Space Mountain or Splash Mountain) you simply have to enter the code from the photo on the viewing area screen and that photo is yours forever.  Hint: I usually take a photo of the code and then enter them all into the app at the end of the day.  In the picture  below you can see I simply took a photo of the number and then later that day I will enter into the app and get the professional photo.

1. The park is super busy.  If it is a busy time in the park, using the Max Pass will make it so much easier to get on the rides you want to ride.

2.  You are travelling with an elderly person or a small child.  Walking back and forth across the park to get Fast Passes at kiosks can get tiring and take a long time and even longer with strollers and slow movers.

3.  You just don't want to mess with regular Fast Passes.  I fall into this category.  I just like having it at my fingertips.