Those of you traveling to Orlando for Star Wars Weekends take note: FastPass+ is now apart of the our favorite time of year. That’s right folks, if you are traveling to so see James Arnold Taylor’s Obi-Wan And Beyond show, or Stars of the Saga, you don’t have to wait in line for an hour or more before the show begins to get in. Now you can schedule your attendance for these shows now, and guarantee a spot in the theater.
This change to Star Wars Weekends was quietly launched by Disney and came as quite a surprise. My friend Robbie emailed me at work today when he heard from a co-worker. I rushed home from work and confirmed the change when I logged into my Disney account. This, you would think, would be a good thing. But like most good things, there are some catches.
Catch 1: You can only sign up for one show per day. That doesn’t mean you can’t stand in line and hope to get in on standby for any of the other shows. You better believe I’m gonna try!
Catch 2: The show counts as one of your primary picks, so in exchange for attending the show, you cannot get a pass for Toy Story Mania, Aerosmith’s Rockin Rollercoaster, Fantasmic! fireworks show, or the Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage show. These are rides and shows with the longest wait times in the park. I personally have seen Toy Story Mania’s standby wait time at 240 minutes before. So this is a sacrifice.
Catch 3: Loss of interaction. One of my favorite things about Star Wars Weekends was standing in line for the shows and interacting with Star Wars fans from all over the world. Complete strangers striking up conversations all about Star Wars, something I hope does not become an endangered species with the implementing of this system.
For those of you who are new to the Disney experience or just aren’t familiar with the new program, with Disney’s new FastPass+, you can schedule up to 3 passes for the day before you even arrive in the park. That includes rides, shows, and in some parks, preferred seating to parades. These 3 passes have to be for the same park, no park hopping with the initial three picks. You can now visit a FastPass+ kiosk and sign up for one additional pass after you have used your first 3 passes and from this point on it can be in a different park if you choose to park hop. You can learn more about the FastPass+ by visiting the Disney website here.
Even with this change to how our beloved weekends will be happening, this is still a fun and magical time of year! Star Wars Weekends is going to rock with some spectacular guests and fantastic shows! Make your plans now to be in Orlando for one of the 5 weekends beginning May 16! I’ll be there and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible! If you are coming and want some more information, email me at aharris@coffeewithkenobi.com or find me on Twitter at taharris121079.
Until then, May the Force be with you!
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