FastPass+ Tier Changes & Star Wars Ride Added at Hollywood Studios
One of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge rides is being added to FastPass+ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and attractions are again shuffling tiers ahead of Walt Disney World’s big debut of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. In this post, we’ll detail the changes, share tips for which FastPass+ reservations to book, and offer predictions.
For starters, the new attraction being added to FastPass+ in Galaxy’s Edge is sadly not Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (more on this later). Rather, you’re now able to make to fly the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, as FastPass+ reservations for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run are now available in the My Disney Experience app for February 19, 2020 and later.
Beyond this addition, there are tier changes for other attractions. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is now one of two tier 1 attractions, along with Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land. This duo will presumably be joined by Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at some point in the future, as well as Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway…
Tier 2 is now comprised of Toy Story Mania, Alien Swirling Saucers, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Star Tours: the Adventures Continue, Fantasmic, Frozen Sing-Along, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, MuppetVision 3D, Disney Junior Dance Party!, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and Beauty and the Beast — Live on Stage.
Given that Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opens on March 4, 2020 and reservations for it were not added to My Disney Experience with this latest change, it’s probably a safe assumption that the attraction will not have FastPass+ when it debuts. Rather, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is probably being added because Runaway Railway won’t offer FastPass. It’d be a bad look if all three of Walt Disney World’s newest attractions didn’t offer the service.
With that said, we do not anticipate Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway using a boarding group system like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, unless it’s also unreliable and plagued with downtime issues. We haven’t heard anything to suggest that this is the case, meaning it’s highly likely to be standby only.
The reason for making Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway standby-only is pretty simple, and one we went through prior to the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge last year: crowds. FastPass+ effectively allows guests to be in two places at once, whereas the standby line is an effective and efficient way for the park to soak up crowds.
In an undersized park like Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this could be important. While we haven’t seen the park’s capacity tested yet, that could happen once Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is added to the mix. At this point, we’re not talking phased closures or anything like that–more like unpleasant congestion and overcrowded restaurants.
As for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, we do not anticipate it being added to FastPass+ any time soon. Walt Disney World initially indicated that the boarding pass/virtual queue system was about addressing demand and would only last for a few weeks, neither of which are true.
The virtual queue system is ideal for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance because it remains incredibly unreliable with delayed openings and multiple breakdowns per day being common. The virtual queue is the same concept as FastPass+, but without the return time windows. Unlike with FastPass+ (which is often booked a month or more in advance), this allows Disney to offer return windows on the fly based upon real-time ride conditions.
This means that if Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance goes down, Walt Disney World can immediately pause the calling of new boarding groups, and resume only once the attraction is back up and the backlog of guests that were already called has started to cycle through. This approach is much more dynamic and minimizes the headache and confusion of having to constantly issue “anytime” FastPasses.
Overnight test and adjust continues on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and our expectation is that it will not offer FastPass+ until it’s deemed sufficiently reliable. (Maybe averaging only one breakdown per day? That seems more reasonable.) It’s a complex attraction with multiple ride systems and a couple of trouble AAs, so that could be a while.
This is borne out by Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland. Per Disney, that version of the attraction was in roughly the same state when the one at Walt Disney World opened over a month earlier. That means that the west coast version benefited from over a month of additional full-time test and adjust…and it’s still having the same downtime woes.
New attractions being unreliable, especially envelope-pushing ones, is hardly a novel or unprecedented thing. This has happened countless times before. The original Test Track is probably the best example, but the main difference there is its opening was actually delayed for nearly 2 years due to problems during test and adjust.
As for when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be sufficiently reliable to offer FastPass+, we don’t have a crystal ball. There could be some epiphanic moment overnight that solves everything by tomorrow. (That seems doubtful.) It could take months of tweaks and software upgrades to get everything running more smoothly and downtimes minimized. (That seems more likely.)
Aside from rumors that we don’t deem credible, we aren’t privy to what issues Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is currently having. However, if a time traveler from January 23, 2021 visited us and said that Walt Disney World just announced the ride would be getting FastPass+ in February 2021, we would not be shocked. We’d be more surprised if it dropped the virtual queue before this summer. Anything between this summer and 2021 seems like 50/50 odds.
This is part of the reason why we caution guests against waiting in our FAQ & Ride Guide to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Its popularity is not going to die down. (To the contrary, the easiest time to ride was the week after opening!)
Even when the virtual queue is eventually abandoned, Rise of the Resistance is going to trade one high-demand, limited-supply system for another. Anyone without an extended on-site hotel stay is going to be in a long standby line, because that attraction will be perpetually fully-booked before the 60-day mark. In the meantime, it’s entirely possible that problematic effects will be eliminated. (Just ask Indiana Jones Adventure about that.) But I digress…
Overall, these changes in FastPass+ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios seem like a positive move for the vast majority of guests. The Huge Hollywood Studios FastPass+ Change from last summer that made every stage show tier 2 option was a mostly bogus move to redistribute crowds, and I don’t think we met a single fan of that change.
Now that Walt Disney World has seen that the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge did not cause a crowd cataclysm, it makes sense to restore some order to things–especially with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance still causing frustrations.
As for strategy, selecting Slinky Dog Dash as your one choice from Tier 1 plus Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith as your two selections from Tier 2 is the optimal approach. Tower of Terror and Fantasmic are also good back-up options if one of the above Tier 2 FastPasses is unavailable. Anyone with an upcoming trip that booked under the old tiers should swap out their previous Tier 2 picks for these if possible, as you’ll save far more time with these rides than the shows you likely picked.
Even though it’s a new and shiny FastPass+ option, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is not a good choice from the top tier of FastPass+ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Its lines do get really bad in the morning, but they always subside later in the day. (Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is basically a “consolation prize” for those who don’t score Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance boarding groups–which is also what it is for those who can’t score Slinky Dog Dash FastPasses now.) Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is a good attraction to do mid-afternoon or later, or anytime via the Single Rider line.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run being added to the FastPass+ lineup at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Disappointed Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance aren’t being added? Have any predictions as to when either of those will join the lineup? Do you agree or disagree with our analysis? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
This one makes me kinda mad, we are going end of Feb, just found out and I feel got screwed out of a slim to no chance of getting The Falcon or evening Slink Dog. This 60 days out is supposed to be a benefit, however this time, the way they changed hours, then changed tier systems, it kinda made it more of an inconvenience, than a benefit.
Agree with all the folks who commented here. We jumped on this tip and made SIGNIFICANT upgrades to our FP+ plans for our trip in March! Thanks so much
Thank you , thank you for your timely emails. The day of the email I was able to move my fast passes to three formerly tier one rides. I was so pumped. I can’t wait for my visit at the end of February.
Question – with the addition of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run to Fast Pass, do you anticipate the standby lines will become longer, making it a more equal option to Slinky Dog? Or, even if it does, do you still think Slinky Dog is more valuable as Millennium Falcon has a single riders line? Does Slinky Dog have a single rider line? Thanks so much in advance — appreciate all of your information & tips and tricks!!
FastPass morning did not go well yesterday. Logged in exactly at the 60 day mark at 6:00am central time, no fast passes left for millennium falcon or slinky dog:(
Oh well, I will keep trying. Without your original post about the tiers changing I would have never known though, so thank you!
Hi Nicole, sounds like you’re staying at a WDW resort, which means you can book all your FastPasses at one time on the 60 day mark. If you can do a Hollywood Studios day 3 or 4 days into your trip, you should be able to find some FP’s for both rides. Just saw you posted this a couple days ago, but if you can go to HS on 3/31 or 4/1 or later, you should be able to locate some FP’s for both rides.
Yep, I figured my issue was due to the fact that we are doing HS the first full day for our trip and it’s during spring break (March 22-27). I was just so surprised that there wasn’t any left at all right at 6:00am! First time in as many years as fast passes came out that I wasn’t able to book something. But that’s ok, just happy to go to Disney. So no biggie. I’m going to keep logging on and modifying and who knows, maybe something will show up:)
My 60 day FP+ window opens on 2/3. I plan to try to book Slinky Dog as my Tier 1, but since our trip is in early April, I was wondering your thoughts on whether we should modify Slinky Dog to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway if it should become part of FP+ after ourFP+ window opens but prior to our trip. If it does and happens quickly like these recent changes, I figure there won’t be any left by the time I wait for a post about your recommendations. What would your advice be if this turns out to be the case? Thanks for all of your thoughtful and helpful content!
Personally, I’d modify and grab Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. It’s hard to say which will have longer wait times, but my money would be on the new attraction.
Thanks for the timely post Tom. As soon as I read it I changed our FastPass selections for our upcoming trip in March. I was able to switch two “filler” show fast passes for a Slinky Dog and a Smugglers Run. Now if we can get on Rise of Resistance and Mickey and Minnies Runaway Railway we will be happy!
Sounds like a great plan!( going 3/13; hoping it’s not too late to do the same!)
I am hopeful that Mickey’s Railway will have FP by June. With three high demand, newer rides as Tier 1 we should be able to have some choices.
Tom! Are you seriously recommending Fantasmic as an option for a Tier 2 FP? I would think you’d book any attraction besides Fantasmic. Wouldn’t that eliminate the possibility of snagging a 4th or 5th FP?
Lol, yeah, that doesn’t make much sense. I know he said plan B, but seems more like a plan F, when no other rides are available.
Also, if you’re planning on a table service meal, just get the Fantasmic dinner package. “Free” extra Fastpass! Its only free if you were already planning to do that type of meal though.
This explains why a 10:05 Slinky Dog opened up for me today for my March trip! Then I quickly changed Muppets to Rock N Roller Coaster. I did Smuggler’s Run in California last summer, so I’m going to take my chance on standby for that, or maybe as my 4th FP after I use up my first three.
This is very good news. I experienced Smugglers Run in October. I have a trip coming up in July with the entire family and am glad I could get it as a FastPass. Staying at Boardwalk so I plan on a lot of Hollywood Studio time.
Will the FP cue for Millennium Falcon skip all of the interesting props like the chess table?
No. The fastpass queue merges in with standby right before the preshow scene with the Hondo animatronic.
Nope (I can definitely say no it won’t… but can’t explain how I know…)
That’s good to know… slinky dog isn’t a favorite of ours so I think for us smugglers run is a better bet for tier one FP. Hoping ROR stays as boarding groups until after our trip as there’s no way we could get fast passes for it due to our park schedule during our stay.
Thanks for the update! My kids are either too small or too scared to ride Slinky Dog so this gives us the ability to use for Millenium Falcon, Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania which is perfection for our group. (Or maybe mom and dad spring for Rock n Roller Coaster on rider swap!)
The ones too small for Slinky will also be too small for the Millennium falcon. Both rides have a 38″ height requirement.
Thanks for the heads up! I was able to snag a few FP for Smuggler’s Run for our March visit. I’m honestly not that thrilled about slinky dog, so Smuggler’s is a far better FP pick for me 🙂
Thank you very much! I had Slinky Dog Dash, but changed other two to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Hopefully we’ll be able to ride Toy Story Mania in the morning 🙂
changed roller coaster to Toy story mania… I think my daughter will like it more. It’s our first time so I really don’t know! 🙂
Depending on your daughters age, I think Toy Story Mania is a better choice than Rock and Roller coaster. Toy Story Mania is really fun for everyone.
Toy Story Mania is an absolute blast! We were just at DHS on Jan 14 and rode it 3 or 4 times. (But Slinky Dog Dash is really fun too – we rode that one twice, once with a FP+ and once by getting in line 5 minutes before closing.)
OMG. Thank you so much Tom! We have an upcoming trip and I was able to change all fast passes to get better ones, thank to your post. Millennium Falcon, here we come!
I thought the lack of a height requirement kept Toy Story Mania as a hard FP to get, even after they expanded capacity. When Toy Story Land opened and the tier system began, demand for TSM as a tier 1 FP declined. Is that what everyone else experienced, or am I not recalling correctly? If that actually happened, you might see demand for TSM return.
Thanks so much for the breaking news! This really made a big difference on how I’ve got our HS day planned!
Thank you so much for your post! I was able to change my Fast Pass selection and we managed to get a spot on Slinky Dog Dash! Now we can avoid the long line for that ride! This made by day!
Have a trip planned for 3/8/20 through 3/13/20 and this change allowed me to go from having Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, and Little Mermaid to Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania, and Rockin roller coaster as fast passes. A ton of time saved thanks to your Blog!
That’s a tremendous improvement! Nothing against Little Mermaid or Star Tours, but it’s usually easy enough to experience them without a FP.