is the AAA fastpass worth it?

[amdgoogles]

Is it worth it to spend the extra money to stay at a DL hotel to get the unlimited fast pass thing? Am I right in believing this is how it works? I have the Disney credit card thing and can get double points if I purchase a trip on it before july 15 .. or I can go through AAA and get the fast pass thing.. anyone use it before? Any info would be GREAT!! We're thinkin of going in Aug before the matterhorn closes

[protostars]

it won't help with the matterhorn,
that ride does not offer fastpass service.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

IMO with FastPasses being available every 2 hours, the AAA enhanced FastPass really isn't necessary if you're familiar with the system & use it properly.

-- PMM

[furryfriends]

how do you get one of these unlimeted fast passes and how much does it cost

thanks

[caggie428]

I beg to differ with anyone who says that it is not worth it. I will never go to Disneyland without the unlimited pass option that AAA offers (at least in the Summertime). I did not wait in any line (except Pirates) for more than 20 minutes on our trip we just returned from. And, since CMs at the fastpass entries only look at the start time of the fastpass window, we were able to horde fastpasses throughout the day and walk past the same people 2 or 3 times to ride splash mountain several times in a row, while they waited 2 hours in the hot sun to ride it once! Same thing on Space Mountain, Buzz lightyear, Big Thunder Mtn and so on. If you do not go with the unlimited fastpass option, make sure you learn to use the system to the max!! Any day at Disneyland is worth it, but I prefer to spend time on the rides instead of waiting in line for them.

[disneylover]

You might also want to refer to the almost exact thread that I created a couple of days before you (AAA tickets.....are they worth it? ). There's a lot of useful info on there. Have fun trip planning

[NeverlandCub]

Anyone who says the enhanced fastpass is not worth it has not used it to its full potential because once you do like caggie428 and I have you will never want to go back to the old way. We just returned from a trip where we used the AAA package for the first time and after reading up on some enhanced strategies it really helped us have a much more relaxed and fullfilling trip. Once you gather your first batch in the early morning you are really set for a relaxing day jumping on and off rides at your leisure.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Originally Posted by caggle428

I did not wait in any line (except Pirates) for more than 20 minutes on our trip we just returned from. And, since CMs at the fastpass entries only look at the start time of the fastpass window, we were able to horde fastpasses throughout the day

If you know how the system works, this can be done without the enhanced FP. All it really does is eliminate that 2-hour max waiting period between FastPasses. Now to me that doesn't seem worth it because even w/ the 2 hours, it's not preventing me from FP'ing everything that can be FP'd in the course of a day. The enhanced FP might speed things up a bit, but is it worth to spend the $$$ through AAA just for that? In my experience, no. But hey, if you're planning on spending the money on a big multi-day Resort getaway, you might as well as long as AAA doesn't charge extra for it.

-- PMM

[Piglet]

Again, please understand that you ONLY get the AAA Fastpass benefit when you stay at one of the 3 hotels of the Disneyland resort: Paradise Pier, Disneyland Hotel, or Grand Californian. If you book your trip through AAA and you do not stay at one of these hotels, you will NOT get an unlimited fastpass.

[caggie428]

PMM may have a point, except that instead of waiting for 2 hours (or less if the window is open sooner) for a second fastpass for one ride, we were able to get second fastpasses for EVERY ride as soon as the return window opened. Put that to work over BTMRR, IDJ, Splash and space mtns, Buzz Lightyear, and Autopia (if desired) and it can add up to many,many more rides with less time in line than that non-enhanced passholder. Like I said before, because we only make one trip a year to DL, I am willing to pay the extra (in the form of staying at the DL resort hotels) for the enhanced fastpass. Those of you who are lucky enough to live nearby and can go frequently may not need this benefit, because hey, if you can't ride today, you can always ride next week!! But we who make it for one week a year need to gain every advantage we can. I'll say it again...I will never go there without the enhanced FP!!

[reillysix]

During our trip on of the days the CM at the gate stamped the bar-code on one of our tickets. So we had to go to guest regulations and they gave one of the enhanced fastpass ticket, and a 3 day park hopper for the rest of our trip.

[NeverlandCub]

"During our trip on of the days the CM at the gate stamped the bar-code on one of our tickets. So we had to go to guest regulations and they gave one of the enhanced fastpass ticket, and a 3 day park hopper for the rest of our trip."

huh? You lost me there, what happened?