Max pass and red day question

[Kirby]

So, thinking of making a side trip to DL in October when we go to San Diego. We'll have one day and two nights to enjoy DL. I've been reading about Max Pass and from what I've read on the Disney site it says that its basically a gamble, that FP's might get all used up so to consider whether or not you really need it. Anyone experienced this?

Also, the time we would be at DL are supposed to be red days according to a person (I don't know if I can say who on here) that does extensive research about DL. How bad are red days?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

You may find this helpful: https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...view-and-some-strategy.3726246/#post-60074882

FPs don’t really “run out” on most days, but some of the individual rides do (starting with RSR, often before noon on busy days), and all DCA rides are sometimes out of FPs by the evening on crowded days. With Maxpass, you can pick up other people’s cancelled FPs, so it’s also possible to still get FPs for a ride that is “out” of them.

If you’re going to be there when the park opens, Maxpass could be invaluable to you if used efficiently.

I don’t know what a “Red day” is, but October is typically quite crowded. I’d expect it to be busy, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fun.

 

[AndrewC]

I have no idea what a "red day" is.... is it some outside event that meets in the park?

MaxPass has ALWAYS been a huge benefit for me. You might still see popular rides (RSR, Space Mt, etc) run out of fast passes (and thus MaxPass as well), but not until usually noon or later. The benefit to MaxPass is you can make them right on your phone. So you can be over in Disney in the morning and if you see fastpass return times for RSR is already 4pm or something you can use the app to get a fastpass before they run out.

Just keep an eye on return times, fastpasses don't just "run out" they book up for the day. You'll be able to tell if something is going to switch to "no fast passes available" with a fairly accurate time frame if you notice at 10am the return times are 3pm and at noon the return times are 6pm now, etc.

 

[wowsmom]

Does Red Days mean Gay Days?

 

[RobertaMomof2]

Also, not sure what "Red Day" is. You mean like Christmas Time when they could close the gates and not let anyone else in until people leave? If that is the case, still YES on MaxPass! The good thing about MaxPass is that even if it is full, if someone drops their passes (which I have both taken advantage of and done myself when we were too pooped to finish out our day) you can pick them up with the app. I say yes, to MaxPass. We normally go between Christmas and New Years and that is the height of crowds, and we still have a blast. Just keep your expectations in check, get to the park early so you can take advantage of the first 2 hours it is open, that is when crowds are the lowest and have a plan of action on what exactly is a must do and what you can do without. Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[Kirby]

Thanks! I've booked FP on my phone at WDW so it should be a breeze using Max Pass at DL.

 

[figment_jii]

I also don't know what a "red day" is, but I'm guessing it has something to do with crowd calendar/crowd predictions.

I would add, that MaxPass also has the added benefit that you can check for cancelled FPs. While it doesn't always happen, if you're lucky, you might be able to get a FP for an attraction that has run out for the day if someone cancels one that they have and no longer need. It also works for attractions that still have FPs available; if someone cancels a FP, that time would then go back into the system.

Even if you're familiar with FP+ in WDW, be sure to look into MaxPass at DLR. There are some major differences (e.g., no pre-booking, you can only have one attraction FP at a time, you can't select the time, etc.).

 

[PHXscuba]

The difference between WDW and DL is that all MaxPasses/FastPasses are booked the DAY OF, so if you are at the park at/before opening you have the same advantage as anyone else. . On a super-busy day, having MaxPass will be a bigger advantage as the return times advance faster and you get to book MP after 1.5 hours instead of 2 for regular FP.

Disney has to put out the official disclaimer that "you might not be able to book MaxPass." For example, if you arrived at 4 p.m. you might not get enough to make it worth the $15 each)

If you used Fastpass under the paper-ticket system at WDW, it is very similar to MaxPass, just using your phone instead of running around collecting.

PHXscuba

 

[mouschievous]

I would not get the MaxPass if you're only there in the evening. I don't think it would be worth it. But I would totally get it for the day you're there all day. We didn't get tickets with MP included because we weren't sure we'd like it. After one day, we were sold!

 

[Kirby]

Thank you for your replies! And yes, a red day means very large crowds.

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

If you’re only going for a short period of time, definitely worth it.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... the time we would be at DL are supposed to be red days according to a person (I don't know if I can say who on here) that does extensive research about DL. How bad are red days?

If "red days" have anything to do with crowd calendars, you may find this thread helpful: Most accurate crowd calendars?. It will also explain why no one here has heard of "red days."

 

[ktlm]

You said October. Are you talking about Columbus Day weekend-- and that weekend showing up red on a crowd calendar prediction?

I haven't been to DLR over Columbus Day weekend, but I have been to WDW and it is crowded. I have no clue how bad DLR might be that weekend.

If you are having a full day in there at DLR, I would definitely do Max Pass for that day. I would not spend the money on Max Pass for an evening unless you plan on taking a lot of photopass photographs and are buying it for the photos not the FP- and then I would buy it for just one person to get the photos. After you buy it for one person to get the photos for the evening if you suddenly discover there are a lot of FPs still available that night you could always add it for the others if you thought it was worth it. .

 

[Geemo]

Red-Days in the parks....
There is a website called Is It Packed? They post crowd data for theme parks.
This is their calendar for Disney in October 2019
.
I had to chuckle at the Green Band - Ghost Town.

 

[azdisneylover]

Does Red Days mean Gay Days?

That is what popped into my mind. People going for Gay Days are encouraged to wear red shirts.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

Thanks! I've booked FP on my phone at WDW so it should be a breeze using Max Pass at DL.

As a WDW regular with one great June DLR trip under my belt, I say you will have no problems with Maxpass. But...

It is quirky feeling when you don’t scroll through available times. You just take the next available time if you want it, or try again later. But...

That quirky feeling is easily surpassed by knowing you can get your priority ride, no matter how popular, if you choose it early (or even mid day or later on a slow day). That is SO much better than worrying about a ride at 60+ days.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

You've got some good answers here. I just wanted to welcome you to our corner of the DISboards, Kirby.

 

[lalasmama]

From the initial post, I'm betting Red Days are related to Casey at Disneyland Daily's crowd calender. She rates days as red/yellow/green. She's often a bit more accurate than some crowd calendars because she's local and actually aware of reasons that may affect crowds, like CHOC walk and such.

 

[Kirby]

You've got some good answers here. I just wanted to welcome you to our corner of the DISboards, Kirby.

Thank you!

If "red days" have anything to do with crowd calendars, you may find this thread helpful: Most accurate crowd calendars?. It will also explain why no one here has heard of "red days."

From the initial post, I'm betting Red Days are related to Casey at Disneyland Daily's crowd calender. She rates days as red/yellow/green. She's often a bit more accurate than some crowd calendars because she's local and actually aware of reasons that may affect crowds, like CHOC walk and such.

I was going by Casey. She was recommended by someone on a FB WDW group that does crowd calendars over there and is fairly accurate, he ranks park attendance by color also. I looked into the other sites listed here and they don't necessarily agree with Casey.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Crowd calendars are more of a WDW thing -- they can be a helpful resource at DLR, but they are not reliable enough to be consistently useful here. Your best, most reliable resources and tools will be the information you'll get here on this board from the people who are actually in the parks on a regular basis, are in the parks now on vacation, work in the parks, and who are APs who can be in the parks more than once a week. These DISers will report updates, changes in crowd patterns (which they know well from experience so they recognize the pattern changes as they see them), newsworthy rumors (not just any rumor), etc. And the parks skills they can share with you will help you handle any kind of crowd issue. This board is a gem -- use it wisely!