Feel like a Newbie

[LTiffany]

After so many years away, I feel completely lost and like a total newbie. HELP!

There are six people in my party, my parents, myself (43) and my kids: daughters are 24 and 14, son is 9. Given that, do we need MaxPass? From all I've gathered, there's a fee involved. Do we each have to get it? Just one of us? Worth it? Pros and cons?

It seems like everything has changed. Any suggestions? Major things that we need to know?

Thanks!!!!

 

[smartlabelprint]

If you can get 2 of your kids to team up and be paper fp pullers you don’t need mp! MP is $10 per person per day.

You can get one mp just for the photopass though.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Since you are planning for Christmas of this year, MP might be a worthwhile investment. Can you give us more information about your visit? How many days and when during the holiday season? On site or off? What kind of touring style -- commando or more relaxed pace? Shows? Dining style -- TS or CS? Does your group want to ride all the headliner rides over and over? Or will they be fine playing it by ear? All these factors can make a difference in whether MP will be a significant benefit for you. At $10 per person per day (so $60 per day for your group), that cost can really add up for a multi-day trip. But depending on the answers to the above questions, that investment might make a huge difference in improving your trip (or not).

ETA: This thread can help you get caught up on some of the more recent changes at DLR: List of changes since summer 2014.

 

[LTiffany]

Since you are planning for Christmas of this year, MP might be a worthwhile investment. Can you give us more information about your visit? How many days and when during the holiday season? On site or off? What kind of touring style -- commando or more relaxed pace? Shows? Dining style -- TS or CS? Does your group want to ride all the headliner rides over and over? Or will they be fine playing it by ear? All these factors can make a difference in whether MP will be a significant benefit for you. At $10 per person per day (so $60 per day for your group), that cost can really add up for a multi-day trip. But depending on the answers to the above questions, that investment might make a huge difference in improving your trip (or not).

ETA: This thread can help you get caught up on some of the more recent changes at DLR: List of changes since summer 2014.

We will have 5 day park hoppers and be in the parks Friday, December 22 through Tuesday, December 26. We are staying onsite, concierge at PPH. It is worth it for our family of 6. Our touring style will vary, depending on mood and who all is involved at the time. We will plan for shows. We will do dining of all sorts. I just booked our first dining reservation for Minnie's at the Plaza on the 23rd. In the past we've done Napa Rose on Christmas, but we're going to skip that this year. Any suggestions for a good meal? We'd like to do one. My parents and youngest son will concentrate on slower rides, while my girls will hit every thrill ride. I will fall somewhere in between. We will all do several things together, including The Jungle Cruise and hitting Bug's Land together. We will play much of it by ear. I definitely think we'll get one MP for photopass.

 

[gottalovepluto]

MP is $10/person/day. Try it for one day, you can buy it day by day each morning after you enter the park on the app. If you don't think it's necessary don't get it on the other days.

IMHO you get the best value out of MP if you have a full park day planned (so if you won't arrive until evening or are leaving in the afternoon don't buy it).

We don't know how MP will function over the Xmas-NYE crush since its new! FP will run out a lot faster and there is potential MP crashes. (MP is known for crashing during busy times.) If all FPs are gone by 11am and/or MP goes down there are no refunds.

It's worth to me because:
-you wait 90 mins between FP pulls, paper FP people wait 2 hours
-Your kids may be fast but they won't be able to pull that HMH FP in 5 seconds while you're in line at Matterhorn. Everyone will be waiting 20 mins while doing nothing for them to get back (30 if they get stuck in traffic).
-You can pull FPs for either park, it's the perfect compliment to a PH ticket.
-You can pull FPs as soon as you scan into your ride (you can pull another FP irregardless of the 90 min rule if your FP return time is before the 90 mins are up). So, as soon as you scan into HMH you can pull FPs for BTMRR instead of having to ride HMH and have someone walk over there after. This is an example of a practical application of this ability- you get BTMRR FPs as soon as you scan into HMH, the fam behind you doesn't. After riding you both head over to BTMRR. You get right in line because your FP window is already open and the other family pulls the paper FP and cools their heels for 30 mins waiting for their window to open.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Carthay for the nice meal!

 

[LTiffany]

Carthay for the nice meal!

I was thinking this. We've never eaten there. Thanks!!!

 

[Frozen2014]

MP is $10/person/day. Try it for one day, you can buy it day by day each morning after you enter the park on the app. If you don't think it's necessary don't get it on the other days.

IMHO you get the best value out of MP if you have a full park day planned (so if you won't arrive until evening or are leaving in the afternoon don't buy it).

We don't know how MP will function over the Xmas-NYE crush since its new! FP will run out a lot faster and there is potential MP crashes. (MP is known for crashing during busy times.) If all FPs are gone by 11am and/or MP goes down there are no refunds.

It's worth to me because:
-you wait 90 mins between FP pulls, paper FP people wait 2 hours
-Your kids may be fast but they won't be able to pull that HMH FP in 5 seconds while you're in line at Matterhorn. Everyone will be waiting 20 mins while doing nothing for them to get back (30 if they get stuck in traffic).
-You can pull FPs for either park, it's the perfect compliment to a PH ticket.
-You can pull FPs as soon as you scan into your ride (you can pull another FP irregardless of the 90 min rule if your FP return time is before the 90 mins are up). So, as soon as you scan into HMH you can pull FPs for BTMRR instead of having to ride HMH and have someone walk over there after. This is an example of a practical application of this ability- you get BTMRR FPs as soon as you scan into HMH, the fam behind you doesn't. After riding you both head over to BTMRR. You get right in line because your FP window is already open and the other family pulls the paper FP and cools their heels for 30 mins waiting for their window to open.

Totally agree with your points above. We loved MaxPass and found it a huge benefit for all the reasons listed here. Plus as a bonus, you get the photos.

Maybe OP can try it for some of the days? 5 days * 6 people will add up - or just get it for the ones doing thrill/headliner rides

 

[LTiffany]

Totally agree with your points above. We loved MaxPass and found it a huge benefit for all the reasons listed here. Plus as a bonus, you get the photos.

Maybe OP can try it for some of the days? 5 days * 6 people will add up - or just get it for the ones doing thrill/headliner rides

That's what I'm thinking. Maybe my daughters and I will do it for a day or two, even my son. My parents won't do the thrill rides so it won't be worth it. My dad only goes on the train, Mark Twain, Heimlich's Chew Chew and The Jungle Cruise. Oh, and maybe The Haunted Mansion. For him, the trip is more about relaxing in the room and getting a break from work. He just likes how happy it makes the rest of us. And he LOVES the Christmas parade. We will do the holiday tour just for the good seats for the parade.

We are also doing the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour. This will be our first time doing that one. What rides will that include?