MaxPass / Digital Fastpass - Discussion Thread

[HydroGuy]

We will be traveling to DLR for the first time at the end of the month. We are WDW vets. I've read most of this thread, but I'm still a little confused. I see ppl talking about the "new system" but that MaxPass isn't out yet. So is it still paper fast passes that you get from the kiosks at the actual rides as of now? If so, what makes that different from how it used to be?

Two things:

1. Like legacy FP at WDW, until a few weeks ago when you used a FP at DLR, you just gave the paper FP ticket to the CM when you came to the ride. Now you give your entrance ticket pass. FPs are tied to entrance tickets and the paper FPs are no longer used.

2. There is a weird test going on for many of the ride where you get a FP and rather than having a window 40 minutes out, the window is immediate. You just get the FP and then walk right onto the ride with it. For the life of me I cannot figure out how this functions, but it is what has been happening. Not sure why everyone does not just use the "instant FP" rather than waiting in standby lines, but that is what is happening.

Most folks think both of these are somehow tied to the pending MaxPass system. But apparently the WiFi needed to support MaxPass has not been widely implemented at the parks like it was at WDW for FP+ and MDE. So lots of people are confused.

 

[LSUmiss]

Two things:

1. Like legacy FP at WDW, until a few weeks ago when you used a FP at DLR, you just gave the paper FP ticket to the CM when you came to the ride. Now you give your entrance ticket pass. FPs are tied to entrance tickets and the paper FPs are no longer used.

2. There is a weird test going on for many of the ride where you get a FP and rather than having a window 40 minutes out, the window is immediate. You just get the FP and then walk right onto the ride with it. For the life of me I cannot figure out how this functions, but it is what has been happening. Not sure why everyone does not just use the "instant FP" rather than waiting in standby lines, but that is what is happening.

Most folks think both of these are somehow tied to the pending MaxPass system. But apparently the WiFi needed to support MaxPass has not been widely implemented at the parks like it was at WDW for FP+ and MDE. So lots of people are confused.

Ok! Thank you so much for that clarification! I'd rather it stay like that until we go!

 

[alvernon90]

2. There is a weird test going on for many of the ride where you get a FP and rather than having a window 40 minutes out, the window is immediate. You just get the FP and then walk right onto the ride with it. For the life of me I cannot figure out how this functions, but it is what has been happening. Not sure why everyone does not just use the "instant FP" rather than waiting in standby lines, but that is what is happening.

Two more points on this:

1. Some people are reporting that the "instant return FP" is not a weird test, but permanent. That is all rumor, though.

2. There is at least one reason why someone would go standby even if FP return time is instant, which is that they cannot pull a FP right now because they have a non-instant one and their next FP window hasn't opened yet. But it sounds like that cannot possibly be the case with everyone who is going standby. Chances are as the guests figure out the system and start taking advantage of it, the "instant" return times are likely to drift and not be quite so instantaneous anymore. But it would still be better to take a 10-15 minute FP return time than waiting in a 30 minute standby line.

 

[Mommy to Kayla]

Instant fast pass return times are still going strong. This is our 4th and last day at the parks (headed to Knotts and Soak city tomorrow) so we've had it the whole time and it's made this trip better than ever.

Honestly, a lot of people just don't look at the fast pass board. We've never had a moment where we couldn't pull an instant one. If you time it right it works amazingly well (grabbing both instant and regular fast passes).

 

[DLRExpert]

If I had to guess...

The instant FP is a test for Max Pass users.
They will allow Max Pass users to use instant FP.
More of an incentive to pay for Max Pass.

But

Non-Max Pass users will go back to the 40 minutes or 2 hour window.

 

[DLRExpert]

Double post

 

[Angrose]

If I had to guess...

The instant FP is a test for Max Pass users.
They will allow Max Pass users to use instant FP.
More of an incentive to pay for Max Pass.

But

Non-Max Pass users will go back to the 40 minutes or 2 hour window.

That may indeed be the case. I can see some people being angry that they paid $50 for their family to use MaxPass for one day and only being able to pull a few FPs. That would not go over well.

 

[robert_j]

In the parks now, and the new system is not so difficult to navigate. This morning, for example, we rope dropped Space, then rode Autopia, and while the kids were on Astro Orbiter, I pulled three fast passes (because return times were immediate) for Star Tours, Buzz, and Indy. At that point I had to stop pulling because we could not do that many in an hour.

So after those three, we did standby for Pirates, then got instant FPs for Haunted Mansion and BTMRR. We managed to accomplish quite a lot in a couple of hours! The crowds then picked up, and it got hot, which slowed us down some, but we were still able to pull a lot more FPs throughout the day. It was really more than we could deal with.

So I would say the new system is something of a trade off. When we were last here we could hold simultaneous FPs at both parks, which let us get a lot done in a day, but it was exhausting running back and forth. Now I really cannot hop as efficiently, but I can still get a lot done because I can get all the instant FPs.

 

[DLgal]

The "instant" FP times DO flux a bit. They are sometimes "return 5 minutes ago" and go out up to "return in an hour." They ebb and flow throughout the day. *Usually* return times for these designated rides are (-5)- to 15 minutes out.

I had to wait 15 min for Big Thunder yesterday, although most of the day it was an instant return. When a large amount of people scan into the fastpass return lines all at once, the system compensates and the return time gets longer until the line has died down. This is why there are two scan points on many rides. The system keeps track of how long it takes to go from the first touch point to the second and adjusts new return times accordingly.

 

[mom2rtk]

If I had to guess...

The instant FP is a test for Max Pass users.
They will allow Max Pass users to use instant FP.
More of an incentive to pay for Max Pass.

But

Non-Max Pass users will go back to the 40 minutes or 2 hour window.

I really hope not. And I intend to pay for MaxPass when we go.

I'm still thinking it's just to increase motivation to use fastpass in general.

They just need to rip the bandaid off already and get this thing going. I mean, I like sitting around guessing as much as the next guy, but someone flip the coin and say "Play Ball"!

 

[savvy?71]

In the parks now, and the new system is not so difficult to navigate. This morning, for example, we rope dropped Space, then rode Autopia, and while the kids were on Astro Orbiter, I pulled three fast passes (because return times were immediate) for Star Tours, Buzz, and Indy. At that point I had to stop pulling because we could not do that many in an hour.

So after those three, we did standby for Pirates, then got instant FPs for Haunted Mansion and BTMRR. We managed to accomplish quite a lot in a couple of hours! The crowds then picked up, and it got hot, which slowed us down some, but we were still able to pull a lot more FPs throughout the day. It was really more than we could deal with.

So I would say the new system is something of a trade off. When we were last here we could hold simultaneous FPs at both parks, which let us get a lot done in a day, but it was exhausting running back and forth. Now I really cannot hop as efficiently, but I can still get a lot done because I can get all the instant FPs.

Please excuse what may seem a dumb question, as we haven't been to DL in a couple yrs and prepping for next week's trip! But when you say you pulled three fast passes, did you pull 3 in a row before using the passes? Or you pulled one, rode, pulled 2nd, rode, etc...

Just trying to wrap my mind around new strategies!

 

[mom2rtk]

Please excuse what may seem a dumb question, as we haven't been to DL in a couple yrs and prepping for next week's trip! But when you say you pulled three fast passes, did you pull 3 in a row before using the passes? Or you pulled one, rode, pulled 2nd, rode, etc...

Just trying to wrap my mind around new strategies!

Since the FPs had almost immediate redemption times, the PP was eligible almost immediately to pull another. (You are eligible to pull a new FP any time your window has opened in the prior one or 2 hours later, whichever is sooner).

 

[savvy?71]

Since the FPs had almost immediate redemption times, the PP was eligible almost immediately to pull another. (You are eligible to pull a new FP any time your window has opened in the prior one or 2 hours later, whichever is sooner).

Thanks, that's what I thought, but hard to imagine possible heh. Fascinating!

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks, that's what I thought, but hard to imagine possible heh. Fascinating!

And it's why I don't expect this to continue indefinitely. Sure wish I was there now to take advantage!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Please excuse what may seem a dumb question, as we haven't been to DL in a couple yrs and prepping for next week's trip! But when you say you pulled three fast passes, did you pull 3 in a row before using the passes?...

Just trying to wrap my mind around new strategies!

This is what we did last Saturday. The FP return time for BTMRR was one minute, so we pulled one FP. Then after a minute, we pulled a second. Waited one more minute and pulled a third. Then rode 3 times in a row. Basically walked on each time, while the stand by line was about 35 minutes long.

 

[robert_j]

I really hope not. And I intend to pay for MaxPass when we go.

I'm still thinking it's just to increase motivation to use fastpass in general.

They just need to rip the bandaid off already and get this thing going. I mean, I like sitting around guessing as much as the next guy, but someone flip the coin and say "Play Ball"!

The problem is the wifi. I could not connect at Disneyland all day. California Adventure is better.

 

[disneychrista]

Since the FPs had almost immediate redemption times, the PP was eligible almost immediately to pull another. (You are eligible to pull a new FP any time your window has opened in the prior one or 2 hours later, whichever is sooner).

Yet there have been posts saying that you couldn't pull another if you hadn't used the first, even if the ride window open.

 

[wenrob]

Yet there have been posts saying that you couldn't pull another if you hadn't used the first, even if the ride window open.

Only for the same ride. So if you have a RSR FP you haven't used you can't pull another for RSR until you use the first one.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yet there have been posts saying that you couldn't pull another if you hadn't used the first, even if the ride window open.

I could be confusing posts now, but I'm thinking those were about pulling again for the same ride.

 

[mom2rtk]

The problem is the wifi. I could not connect at Disneyland all day. California Adventure is better.

Ugh. That's really not encouraging.