Max Pass with group tickets?

[MermaidMommy]

DD is going to Disneyland for one day on a school trip, and she’d like to be able to use Max Pass while she’s there. Are there any restrictions about purchasing Max Pass when you have discounted group/student tickets? (We would just have her set it up for herself and a couple of friends — not trying to do it for the whole group.)

Thanks!

 

[Kender]

None I've heard of.

My friends using CM comp tickets (left over from one friend's time as a WDW CM) had no problem adding MP and those were free. Disney is happy to take any extra money they can

However, my mom's friend's son did have issues adding MP to his regularly purchased ticket because his account showed him to be a minor (it came back with the error that you couldn't make purchases like that if you were under 18). This was solvable by just buying MP through his mom's account.

 

[BWCSH]

Ooh...I hadn't read that last bit! My son will be going with his choir for 2 days...I can't add Max Pass early because the travel agent won't do this for me and they don't give the kids their tickets until the day of the visit. I hadn't heard about them not letting anyone under 18 add it...he'll be 17 at the time of the trip. Do you suppose this is something I could pre-arrange with Guest Services...then have him go straight to City Hall or the Chamber of Commerce and have them add it for him there??? I am not at all happy with the travel agent...they are acting as if a student tour is second class (No, they cannot use the hotel shuttle. No, they cannot add Max Mass. UGH. Sorry, but I'm paying more for my kid to go on this trip than I spent for our entire family to go on our last trip there!!!!)

 

[Kender]

Ooh...I hadn't read that last bit! My son will be going with his choir for 2 days...I can't add Max Pass early because the travel agent won't do this for me and they don't give the kids their tickets until the day of the visit. I hadn't heard about them not letting anyone under 18 add it...he'll be 17 at the time of the trip. Do you suppose this is something I could pre-arrange with Guest Services...then have him go straight to City Hall or the Chamber of Commerce and have them add it for him there??? I am not at all happy with the travel agent...they are acting as if a student tour is second class (No, they cannot use the hotel shuttle. No, they cannot add Max Mass. UGH. Sorry, but I'm paying more for my kid to go on this trip than I spent for our entire family to go on our last trip there!!!!)

Don't blame the travel agent. It's not their fault MP can't be added. Only tickets bought directly through Disney (so generally not discounted tickets) can have MP added prior to going through the gates. Otherwise everyone has to wait until each day they pass through the gates to add it.

I have no idea if this is anything you could prearrange, but even if you could, it will take time to stand in line and take care of. It definitely cannot be done until the ticket is scanned in each day. You could call and ask and see what options they might have for you. But if the Disney account he's logged into shows him to be a minor, he won't be able to purchase MP unless something has changed since late Feb 2018.

I did a few Disney trips during high school. WDW once, DLR twice. We had very specific rules we had to follow (down to what transportation we could and couldn't take) that were in place for both our safety and to make sure we were always under the control of an adult (we were set loose in the parks, but we couldn't hop without permission and an adult going with us). I was lucky my mom was along on the trips and I had a lot more freedom because of it.

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

Ooh...I hadn't read that last bit! My son will be going with his choir for 2 days...I can't add Max Pass early because the travel agent won't do this for me and they don't give the kids their tickets until the day of the visit. I hadn't heard about them not letting anyone under 18 add it...he'll be 17 at the time of the trip. Do you suppose this is something I could pre-arrange with Guest Services...then have him go straight to City Hall or the Chamber of Commerce and have them add it for him there??? I am not at all happy with the travel agent...they are acting as if a student tour is second class (No, they cannot use the hotel shuttle. No, they cannot add Max Mass. UGH. Sorry, but I'm paying more for my kid to go on this trip than I spent for our entire family to go on our last trip there!!!!)

Hi! I’m a TA- and neither of those two things are the TA’s fault. I’m also a mom of two teens and understand how hard it is to just fork over money with not much control on these types of trips!

Maxpass can not be added to a ticket until you enter a park unless you are buying full price tickets directly through Disney (not discounted group tickets or through 3rd place sellers).

The hotel shuttle issue is very likely due to the hotel’s policies on youth groups. Often time hotels have strict rules on large groups- for instance- no pool usage, no hotel shuttle usage, etc. it can be frustrating but it’s very common.

 

[StormyCA]

Ooh...I hadn't read that last bit! My son will be going with his choir for 2 days...I can't add Max Pass early because the travel agent won't do this for me and they don't give the kids their tickets until the day of the visit. I hadn't heard about them not letting anyone under 18 add it...he'll be 17 at the time of the trip. Do you suppose this is something I could pre-arrange with Guest Services...then have him go straight to City Hall or the Chamber of Commerce and have them add it for him there??? I am not at all happy with the travel agent...they are acting as if a student tour is second class (No, they cannot use the hotel shuttle. No, they cannot add Max Mass. UGH. Sorry, but I'm paying more for my kid to go on this trip than I spent for our entire family to go on our last trip there!!!!)

I asked a DL phone CSR about this. Apparently MP is not 'commissionable' and thus cannot be part of a third party transaction OR a package trip even when that package is booked through Disney itself! The CSR I spoke with said that she didn't understand herself why that is other than what they were told: 'the only entity that is allowed to make money from MP is Disney'. I guess WDTC bookers work on commission themselves. I was just so surprised that MP was not available as part of an ONSITE hotel package!

 

[BWCSH]

We had very specific rules we had to follow (down to what transportation we could and couldn't take) that were in place for both our safety and to make sure we were always under the control of an adult (we were set loose in the parks, but we couldn't hop without permission and an adult going with us). I was lucky my mom was along on the trips and I had a lot more freedom because of it.

The kids are totally on their own...so this isn't about safety. The TA is making a fortune off this trip- and when I'm paying $1000 more for one person to go for 2 days than I paid for a family of 3 to spend 5 days there, I don't expect my kid to be treated like a second class citizen. To be honest, this is why we haven't gone as a family for over 8 years. The class system at Disney is very offensive to me. They
"invite" choirs and bands, which is really a money grab and not an honor, but then limit the value the kids can get out of their day. As it stands, the kids will be at a major disadvantage compared to guests who can use MaxPass. Considering it will be Thanksgiving week, you know those white ropes will be out early...and, if they close a park, my understanding is that the tickets the group has will no longer function as hoppers.

I am kind of seriously regretting paying for him to go with the school!

 

[starshine514]

School trips everywhere seem to be that way. I saw the prices for an 8th grade Washington DC trip, and I'm pretty sure I could take my family of 5 for that amount!

If MaxPass is going to be so difficult to add, are you sure you would want to add it? If your kid is the only one in the group with MP, chances are she won't really be using it anyway (if she wants to stay with her friends).

 

[Kender]

The kids are totally on their own...so this isn't about safety. The TA is making a fortune off this trip- and when I'm paying $1000 more for one person to go for 2 days than I paid for a family of 3 to spend 5 days there, I don't expect my kid to be treated like a second class citizen. To be honest, this is why we haven't gone as a family for over 8 years. The class system at Disney is very offensive to me. They
"invite" choirs and bands, which is really a money grab and not an honor, but then limit the value the kids can get out of their day. As it stands, the kids will be at a major disadvantage compared to guests who can use MaxPass. Considering it will be Thanksgiving week, you know those white ropes will be out early...and, if they close a park, my understanding is that the tickets the group has will no longer function as hoppers.

I am kind of seriously regretting paying for him to go with the school!

You've completely missed my point.

It has already been stated that the rules exist outside of the travel agent's control. I gave you also a personal experience example of why the shuttle service might not be available. Someone else pointed out this is something that is likely a rule of the hotel. The only band trip I've been on where we had any "freedom" to come and go was a trip to Hawaii, but we had to have a buddy and would be grounded to our hotel for the rest of the trip if caught outside the hotel without one. Our Disney trips we couldn't travel outside the hotel even with a buddy period. Only as a group to get to the parks and then we were allowed to hop at WDW so long as an adult was with us.

In regards to park closures: they are rare and last only for a short time when they do happen. There are also several levels of closures. It is not even close to the doom and gloom that you seem to be concerned about. It's highly unlikely your child would encounter this. Not impossible, but unlikely.

I'm sorry you are so upset about this, but the travel agent is not to blame for your fury. Nor is Disney to be honest beyond not liking their rule that the TA cannot add MP for you. Lack of MP is not going to ruin the trip. It is a convenience and there are decent perks, but unless, like the previous poster said, friends are also getting it: it will be a further waste of money unless your child wants to ride alone.

Most of my friends do not use MP. They get around fine even during busy times.

 

[MisWal]

Why don't you just have him sign into your account and add Maxpass?