Disneyland to introduce MaxPass (New Fastpass & New Fastpass Attractions) - Now with Poll

[lorijohnhill]

Wow, really? Do you actually know where your data went?

We just got back from 6 days at Disneyland (5 days in the park). I was using the Disneyland app quite a bit, though certainly not constantly. My total data usage for the month, including the prior couple of weeks, was 0.6 GB. That included a fair amount of Facebook time.

Something's wrong. Android phones can tell you exactly where your data is going - which apps, how much to the OS, etc. I don't know if Apple phones have that information. But you might want to take a look, to see if you can identify where your data went. I don't believe that you could possibly eat up 6 GB of data in the DL app in a week. Perhaps your phone did an OS upgrade during that time? That can eat up gigabytes of data.

Bob

I'll take it in to Verizon to see if they can show me. I'm clueless about this stuff. I usually use hardly any data at all, but then at Disney I started getting notifications that I was running out of data. The only thing I could think that I was doing differently was the app.

Thanks for letting me know to check farther into it.

 

[Baptist]

I'm confused about the park hopping aspect. Under the current system, the 2 parks are not connected. So, I can get a SM fast pass then immediately hop over to DCA and grab a RSR fast pass (regardless of the fast pass times). Will we be able to do this on MaxPass?

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm confused about the park hopping aspect. Under the current system, the 2 parks are not connected. So, I can get a SM fast pass then immediately hop over to DCA and grab a RSR fast pass (regardless of the fast pass times). Will we be able to do this on MaxPass?

They have said that you can pull fastpasses for the other park you are not in. But they have not said whether they will have the 2 systems connected so you can get only do that when you are eligible for a new FP. I'd bet they will close that loophole when this rolls out. But who knows. Maybe it's a tech issue (like the tech issue of not needing to use a ticket to enter a park at WDW to get FP).

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

If the Max Pass ends up having the two parks connected so you can only hold one FP at a time from both parks, but the paper/original Fastpass remains disconnected so you can hold a FP from each park at the same time, I would definitely hesitate before getting a Max Pass. Our family has always used park hopping and holding overlapping fast passes from the two parks to our advantage. I find it hard to believe Disney would close that loophole on one system, but not the other.

 

[mom2rtk]

If the Max Pass ends up having the two parks connected so you can only hold one FP at a time from both parks, but the paper/original Fastpass remains disconnected so you can hold a FP from each park at the same time, I would definitely hesitate before getting a Max Pass. Our family has always used park hopping and holding overlapping fast passes from the two parks to our advantage. I find it hard to believe Disney would close that loophole on one system, but not the other.

I find that hard to believe too. That's why I think they'll close the loophole on both systems. Plus it will help the pool of fastpasses last longer into the day.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

Plus it will help the pool of fastpasses last longer into the day.

That's an excellent point.

 

[wongck]

Great to see some sort of digital FP at DLR.
I wish they will have free-WIFI, else roaming charges will be added expenses for me.
I wish that I will be able to make FP bookings like FP+, which many locals here dislike. Easier planing for me as I do not need to watch for return times.

Doesn't matter, my next visit will be 3-4yrs time when I save enough again and couple of days more now for extra MaxPass fees.
I am sure Disney will makes more tweaks by then especially that the introductory fee will be gone & I have to pay like $40+ per day (based on current photopass all day download for a day)

 

[sunflare]

That's too bad that it costs more. I know in the past, and this was back in 2012, I just used a TS credit off the DDP. Instead of booking a regular TS, I booked the F! dinner package. It came with a meal (we'd choose H&V), and then get those seats on the right hand side. I had hoped that would stick around for a while.

It is still a table credit at two of the three restaurants (Brown Derby is two). That makes it an excellent value. The seats are actually more central now, too.

 

[freediverdude]

Yea, this doesn't sound like it would work as well as the system at WDW. I know TDA doesn't like the bands and the reserving in advance, but this way you'll have everybody trying to reserve right at the turnstiles as they enter the park in the morning (good luck cell towers and wifi) and the passes will be gone, and people who aren't app savvy locals will suffer. I know if I was making a one time visit to DL, like I may some day, this would turn me off as I couldn't guarantee that I would be able to ride everything. There was a reason it was implemented the way it was at WDW.

Also, how are they going to check your fastpass? Show them a phone screen? QR codes? That kind of stuff can be faked or hacked so easily.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yea, this doesn't sound like it would work as well as the system at WDW. I know TDA doesn't like the bands and the reserving in advance, but this way you'll have everybody trying to reserve right at the turnstiles as they enter the park in the morning (good luck cell towers and wifi) and the passes will be gone, and people who aren't app savvy locals will suffer. I know if I was making a one time visit to DL, like I may some day, this would turn me off as I couldn't guarantee that I would be able to ride everything. There was a reason it was implemented the way it was at WDW.

Also, how are they going to check your fastpass? Show them a phone screen? QR codes? That kind of stuff can be faked or hacked so easily.

How do you guarantee that you can ride everything at WDW? You would almost need 2 sets of tickets to do that in a tiered park.

And I believe they are using scanners to redeem FPs. Could be phones for electronic tickets or bar codes on physical tickets.

And honestly, I'm way more concerned about the system loopholes at WDW than the ones in the system I see proposed at DLR. Sometime it seems like everyone in love with the system at WDW has some sort of hack working to their benefit.

 

[doomer]

Disney has not specified exactly when you can start getting Fastpasses using MaxPass.
If it's really "when your ticket is scanned", that means that people who get early entry into either park will have an hour advantage over everyone else.
If it's at official park opening, imagine what rope drop would be with hundreds tapping on their smartphone while hundreds are rushing to Peter Pan's Flight, etc.

 

[VandVsmama]

Yea, this doesn't sound like it would work as well as the system at WDW. I know TDA doesn't like the bands and the reserving in advance, but this way you'll have everybody trying to reserve right at the turnstiles as they enter the park in the morning (good luck cell towers and wifi) and the passes will be gone, and people who aren't app savvy locals will suffer. I know if I was making a one time visit to DL, like I may some day, this would turn me off as I couldn't guarantee that I would be able to ride everything. There was a reason it was implemented the way it was at WDW.

Also, how are they going to check your fastpass? Show them a phone screen? QR codes? That kind of stuff can be faked or hacked so easily.

Yes. You would show them your phone screen with the FP on it and the CM scans it. They already do this for tickets. You can purchase park tickets through the DL app. I did it in November and the CM at the front gate used her handheld device to scan my ticket on my phone. The whole transaction took a couple of seconds and it was really easy.

I am not convinced that faking a FP is really as easy as people claim. In order to be valid and usable on a ride, the DL FP software would have to recognize it as a legitimate FP. If it was really all that common, you'd see people bragging about it on messsage boards about how they've found a way to bypass the system.

I work on software application projects all the time and the process of launching something new is more complicated than a lot of people realize.

 

[mom2rtk]

I agree people will likely start "pulling" fastpasses earlier once they can do so from their phones. But I can't see even wanting a FP with a return time in the first hour the park is open (except on the busiest of days). So I could see purposely waiting an hour or so before pulling one myself But I suppose once people start pulling them, and using them, the standy line will slow down and I'll decide I need one too.

Sigh.

 

[Laz]

I agree people will likely start "pulling" fastpasses earlier once they can do so from their phones. But I can't see even wanting a FP with a return time in the first hour the park is open (except on the busiest of days). So I could see purposely waiting an hour or so before pulling one myself But I suppose once people start pulling them, and using them, the standy line will slow down and I'll decide I need one too.

Sigh.

This may be true, but I can picture many people with their noses buried in their phones watching until they see the time they want for an attraction.

 

[Dizneydaz]

If you can't schedule your FP until you are actually there I don't see the need to pay $10 to use it. We already have the premiere AP (yes, both parks) and there is no way I am paying any more over what I have already spent.

 

[Laz]

If you can't schedule your FP until you are actually there I don't see the need to pay $10 to use it. We already have the premiere AP (yes, both parks) and there is no way I am paying any more over what I have already spent.

I think it would be the convenience of not having to physically go to a Fast Pass station. For example, I could come in at rope drop on a busy day and while standing in line for Space Mountain, get a Fast Pass for Splash Mountain. Think about what it will be like when the Star Wars attractions open.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think it would be the convenience of not having to physically go to a Fast Pass station. For example, I could come in at rope drop on a busy day and while standing in line for Space Mountain, get a Fast Pass for Splash Mountain. Think about what it will be like when the Star Wars attractions open.

I think that's an easy case to make when you're a party of 1 or 2. But when you're a famiy of 6 and it's $60/day? Times potentially 5 days? It's a tougher case to make. When we're a party of 2 we will likely do this. But I'd probably pass if we were a larger group.

As for Star Wars Land...... it's going to be interesting to watch. But I'm sure we'll be far past this introductory price of $10 by the time that happens. I'm guessing by then it will be a sliding scale that varies by time of year.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Let's be honest though....I think even before this rolls out, people already have their faces buried in their phones half the time they are in the park. That aspect doesn't really bother me since it doesn't effect me.

I wonder when this will actually start. I just don't think we'll use it if it's there in June. My son can only do a few of the FP rides anyway. I figure if after the first couple days, we are having trouble getting FPs, then we'll see about adding it. But it doesn't seem too likely.

 

[Khokhonutt]

Ok, I have questions about this SIM card/data thing. How does this work?

My phone plan has 6 gigs of data. Just using the app and photopass (which was malfunctioning a lot while we were there) for a Disney week in December ate through all my data. I can't even imagine trying to add getting Fastpasses into that.

I have never been able to connect to their network to play the Mickey wheel game during WOC. I don't see how this new program will be successful until Disney can keep their infrastructure functional on a regular basis.

I think the key to your data usage would be the photopass usage. App usage and even fasspass booking (when it comes) should not use much data. You're talking quick small transactions for most of that traffic. Photos, especially if you're downloading full images, would potentially eat up data pretty quick. If, as part of the issues you saw with the app, a photo got hung downloading in the background that would also eat up your data.

That's one reason I was thinking the whole photopass part of maxipass would not be a great benefit. I'd much rather know I can bulk download photos when I get home or at least back at the hotel, to my laptop. Pulling one or two pictures to post online would be the most I'd want to use photopass downloads on my phone.

 

[agamble]

I think the biggest difference will be in the number of people in line for the rides at park opening now. Instead of running for the first RSR fastpass in the morning and standing in line to get it, those people can actually head to a ride line and book their FP while waiting to load a ride.

Exactly. Before you had to choose if you wanted to go get a FP for RSR or go straight to stand-by. Now you can do both. I'm not sure how this will change the dynamics of the parks, but it will change it.

We headed to the ride anyway, and lots of other people did too. They used one person as a runner and the rest of the family went to the ride and got in line, then the runner caught up. So my family would always go to Toy Story first at DCA and my DH would run to get a FP at RSR. He would either go before joining us all to ride Toy Story, or after depending on how busy the park was. The same thing could be done at DL with the family going to Peter Pan and the runner getting FP for Star Tours and then catching up. This then causes the runner to do the "excuse me" dance up the queue until they meet the family. The digital FP could help with that, but since they're charging for it maybe not so much.

Disney has not specified exactly when you can start getting Fastpasses using MaxPass.
If it's really "when your ticket is scanned", that means that people who get early entry into either park will have an hour advantage over everyone else.
If it's at official park opening, imagine what rope drop would be with hundreds tapping on their smartphone while hundreds are rushing to Peter Pan's Flight, etc.

Currently the FP system does not work during MM. I don't see how that would change. The ticket may be activated for getting FP, but if the system says it opens at 8AM, then people won't be able to pull FP on paper or phone at 7AM.