The best place to start a discussion of Fastpass is the official Disney description of Fastpass from the Disneyland Web site ( link). While it sounds so nice and easy, the system is actually quite complex, and keeps changing.

 Note: The "Enhanced" FASTPASS option that was available from 2003 thru 2006 has been discontinued.

Think of the all the Fastpass machines in a park as a computer network, with each attraction being a "node" in that network. When a guest attempts to get a Fastpass by inserting their ticket into the barcode reader, the machine does two things. First it checks to see if you already have a current Fastpass for the same attraction (that is, a Fastpass with a start time later than the current time). If you don't, it then checks to see if you have a current Fastpass for another attraction on the same network (Fastpass attractions at Disneyland and DCA are completely separate).

The rule on what constitutes a current Fastpass at another attraction is more complex and is important to getting full use out of the system. The way it works is that once you have a Fastpass for Attraction A, you will not be able to get a Fastpass at Attraction B until either starting time of the Attraction A Fastpass has passed or 2 hours has passed since the Attraction A Fastpass was issued. The easiest way to check this is to look at the bottom of the first Fastpass where it will state "Another Fastpass will be available at XX:XX."

The machines are not operating during Early Entry (renamed Magic Mornings in 2008) and are turned on at official park opening. Also a Fastpass always has a minimum return time of 40 minutes.

Issues that affect Fastpass strategy

It is no wonder that Disney doesn't advertise these "tricks" as it is hard to explain to a park guest. You will find out that many cast members have no idea about what is a "standalone" machine, or other information mentioned here. They do know the information as described on the official Web site,  since this is what Disney has taught them. They generally have no idea about the "secrets".

There are two networks: one for Disneyland Park and the second for Disney's California Adventure. They are totally separate, so you can always get one at least one Fastpass for each park. Let's look at the Fastpass attractions in each park:

Disneyland

• Autopia
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
• Haunted Mansion Holiday (Late September through early January) Regular version does NOT offer Fastpasses
• Indiana Jones Adventure
• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain

Disney's California Adventure

• California Screamin'
• Grizzly River Run
• Mulholland Madness
• Soarin' Over California
• Tower of Terror

Now, what is not so commonly known is that not every Fastpass attraction in a park is actually connected to the larger Fastpass network for that park. Currently the two regular Fastpass machines that operate on a standalone basis are:

• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin (DL) 
• Grizzly River Run (DCA)

Finally, there are a few Fastpass attractions that don't offer Fastpasses year-round, but only on weekends, and weekdays during peak and holiday periods. The following attractions do not offer Fastpass during the slower weekdays:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Mulholland Madness
• Grizzly River Run
• Tower of Terror

The Times Guide handed out at the turnstiles when you enter the park does list which attractions will be offering Fastpasses on that day. It has been wrong, though, so it is recommended you check the status at the actual attraction.

Note: Fastpass machines are turned off when an attraction experiences a temporary closure and are turned back on when the attraction returns to normal operation.

Also, Disney has discontinued Fastpass from Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Tours, "it's a small world holiday", Muppet*Vision 3-D and It's Tough to Be a Bug.

So, one problem is that we are talking about different types of Fastpasses, and there is no easy way to tell them apart.

The independent machines are nice and simple. Each of the attractions has its own machine operating all by itself, and you can get one Fastpass for each of these rides without affecting any other Fastpasses you might want.

Note: All times are an example, and should not be a reflection of the time you really get on your Fastpass.

The trick with the stand-alone machines is to treat them separately. Always get a new Fastpass for an attraction prior to riding it. For example, it is 11:15 a.m. and you can now ride Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Before entering the Fastpass line to ride, pick up another Fastpass (the window is now open), and you will be given a new Roger Rabbit Fastpass for 2:10 p.m to 3:10 p.m., this will allow you to come back later, after 2:10 p.m. for a second ride on Roger Rabbit, and before doing so you should get a third Fastpass for later in the day.

Keep in mind that the ending time on a Fastpass is not important. The cast members check only the start time and the date, but have been told to be very flexible on the ending time.

So what can I have, before I've even used one of the "networked" machines? Well, I can have a Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, and a Grizzly River Run. And if you remember to pick up a new Fastpass before using one, you'll always have an current Fastpass for these attractions.

You can have, in most cases, one Disneyland and one DCA networked Fastpass in addition to the above standalone Fastpasses. Once you get one networked Fastpass, you are not allowed another "networked" Fastpass within the same park (either DL or DCA) until one of these two events happens:

• It is later than the beginning time window listed on the Fastpass; or
• Two hours have passed since receiving the Fastpass

It is early in the day, and you go to get a Splash Mountain Fastpass at 9:15 a.m., the Fastpass issued to you is valid from 10:20 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. In this case, you could get your next "networked" Fastpass in Disneyland at 10:20 a.m., and that would be the time printed on the bottom of the Fastpass

But let's say it is a bit later, around 10:30 a.m., when you get a Splash Mountain Fastpass and it is instead good between 2:40 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. In this case, the next networked Disneyland Fastpass would be available to you at 12:30 p.m., two hours after the Fastpass was issued. There is one additional rule in that you would not be allowed to get another Splash Mountain Fastpass, until the window opens at 2:40 pm. At 12:30 you could get a Fastpass for Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, etc.

One of the most important tricks to maximize your "networked" Fastpass usage is to get a new networked Fastpass prior to using the one you already have. Let's say that you have an Indiana Jones Adventure Fastpass that will become good at 12:35 p.m. At 12:35, I would get a Splash Fastpass (let's say it is good for 2:50 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.) and then go back to ride Indiana Jones Adventure. Then at 2:35 pm (don't forget the two-hour rule), I might pick up a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Fastpass, before riding Splash Mountain. Continue this throughout the day.

So, at any given time a Fastpass user can theoretically possess one Fastpass for each of the stand-alone Fastpass attractions plus one or two of the networked attractions in each park (depending on return times in relation to the two-hour rule).

Another thing to think about to maximize the number of rides you get into a day are the Single Rider Passes available on Splash Mountain, Grizzly River Run, Soarin' Over California, California Screamin', Mulholland Madness, and Maliboomer. With the exception of Soarin' Over California, use of single-rider lines is generally faster than Fastpass, so if you are willing to use them this will free up the list of attraction for which you will want Fastpasses.

Rather than thinking of Fastpass as two systems (Disneyland and DCA) think of it as four systems (Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Grizzly River Run, the Disneyland networked system, and the DCA networked system) and that you can have one or two from each system at any given time. Never use a Fastpass for one of the five systems before getting a new Fastpass from that system.

For 2007 and 2008, a few selected guests will randomly "win" something called a Dream Fastpass, if you are lucky enough to win one of these Fastpasses, you have one "tab" for each Fastpass attraction, so basically an "extra" chance to use each Fastpass attraction.  Since the Dream Fastpass is not connected to the computer system, I would continue to use the above strategy, especially for rides that you would like to ride more than once in a day.