Max pass with single rider

[NMPensFan]

I'm heading out in a few days and still haven't nailed down my plan.

Any advice on how to maximize my max pass since I'm a single rider? I would like to go on the headliners more than once. I think my priority should be gotg breakout and soarin since there is no single rider line. I'm only there for 2 days and have a star wars 8am reservation which will take up a bit of time. I don't have a park hopper but was thinking of upgrading when I get there.

TIA

 

[twodogs]

As a party of 1, you should have no problem getting the headliners multiple times. You will miss the early park hours on the SWGE day since that is at 8am, but you should be able to do rope drop the other day. Getting there early is absolutely key to getting a lot of rides in those early hours, as well as scanning into the park early so that you can start booking FPs.

My best advice about MP is, don’t take “no” or a late return time for an answer! You can see the current FP return time on the app for any given ride. If it is, for example, in 3 hours, search for a MP. If the time they offer is just the standard FP return time at the moment (3 hours from now in this example), don’t take that time, just refresh and see if you can get an earlier time. Keep refreshing a few times and often an immediate return or almost immediate return FP will turn up (even though paper FP will only distribute for that 3 hours from now time). Book it right away without hesitating because even a few seconds can mean the FP goes away before you can confirm it.

If it says “FP distribution is over for the day”, don’t believe it! Keep refreshing for cancellations. This is really the best way to maximize MP. People with paper FP only can’t get canceled FPs once distribution is over for the day, so that is a big advantage. We have tremendous luck with this strategy, and we typically have so many FPs that we are exhausted from all the rides. We were just there this Memorial Day weekend, party of 3, and we rode every single thing multiple times per day, no problem at all. We did have EMH/MM every morning from staying onsite, and we went for 7am entry every day, and that helped. But even on Saturday, our arrival day, we didn’t get to the parks from our flight until 1:30pm. Still rode everything we wanted to ride (we don’t do much in Fantasyland, so that helps) at least once and most more than once.

 

[pharmama]

Having just spent the weekend at the parks basically solo (because DD14 and her friends are too cool for me to hang out with them) I would agree with GOTG and Soarin' being a good use of your MP as a solo guest in DCA. I would add TSMM to your list for MP. They did not seem to be offering the Buddy Pass (which is a variation on single rider) on this ride when I was there. Use the single rider line for RSR and Incredicoaster for sure (unless you see an immediate or very soon IC return time. Sometimes the SR line gets long for that one). Goofy's Sky School also has single rider that's usually pretty fast if you plan to ride that. Grizzly has single rider but I've never used it so I can't comment on that.

For DL, use Single Rider for Hyperspace for sure. Possibly Matterhorn as well though I hear that can vary. I just went standby on that since it was a very short wait at the time. Indy has a Single Rider queue but I understand that sometimes its very slow so I just used MP for that. I didn't ride Splash. BTMRR and HM are good MP candidates as is Star Tours. Watch the standby times on ST and HM though as sometimes they're low enough to just go standby. I'm not sure how the Star Wars crowds may affect ST wait times as Star Wars fans look for other things to do when they're not in Galaxy's Edge so keep an eye on that.

 

[NMPensFan]

Thanks for the tips! I’ll keep checking for cancelations often. Too bad about the buddy pass, that was on my list to ask for...

 

[pharmama]

Thanks for the tips! I’ll keep checking for cancelations often. Too bad about the buddy pass, that was on my list to ask for...

It's still worth a try to ask. But since there's only a couple rides in DCA you really need MP for as a solo guest if you see a return time that works for you for TSMM you might want to just pull it.

 

[DavidNYC]

As a follow up - as a solo going next week for 1 day with a hopper (and will try to get there for the 7am extra hour) and advice on how to manage MP for those first 90 minutes? My understanding is I can pull something as soon as I enter but the earliest return times will be 30 minutes after regular park opening.

Is there any other basic strategy on what to pull as soon as you enter if you're there for the extra morning hour?

 

[NMPensFan]

I might try for a mp for tsmm if it works out while I’m in the area. I would like to the incredicoaster single rider a couple of times since I’ve never been.

 

[avalon451]

As a follow up - as a solo going next week for 1 day with a hopper (and will try to get there for the 7am extra hour) and advice on how to manage MP for those first 90 minutes? My understanding is I can pull something as soon as I enter but the earliest return times will be 30 minutes after regular park opening.

Is there any other basic strategy on what to pull as soon as you enter if you're there for the extra morning hour?

Love love love Skyegirl's plans for MP strategy. Best I've seen so far. https://www.disboards.com/threads/maxpass-fastpass-an-overview-and-some-strategy.3726246/

 

[figment_jii]

Depending on when the returns times are, it is sometimes faster to use MP on things like Matterhorn than to try the single rider line. For me, Matterhorn has been the most inconsistent SRL. Sometimes it's really fast, other times I've waited over 30 minutes. It really depends on the configurations of the groups in line and how hard the CMs try to find the right size party before taking a SR. There is really no way of knowing in advance, but if the FP time is less than 30 minutes into the future, I would grab the FP return time, go do something else and then come back to use the FP rather than risk the SRL.

 

[twodogs]

As a follow up - as a solo going next week for 1 day with a hopper (and will try to get there for the 7am extra hour) and advice on how to manage MP for those first 90 minutes? My understanding is I can pull something as soon as I enter but the earliest return times will be 30 minutes after regular park opening.

Is there any other basic strategy on what to pull as soon as you enter if you're there for the extra morning hour?

The first return time will be for park opening time. So if you enter at 7am for EMH, your first MP will be at 8am, as long as that time hasn’t run out yet (so be there before 7am!!). I would pull RSR or similar that tends to back up really quickly if the 8am slot is available when you enter the park at 7am. If you hesitate on that one, and the times get further out, then you are blocked out from booking another FP for 90 minutes. I hate that!! So, get through those turnstyles at 0700, and step to the side and book RSR for 8am. Then you can book away after you ride at 8am. No matter what you book at 7am, you are blocked out from booking anything else until park opening, so I don’t mind “using” that blocked time on my RSR FP. I DO mind being blocked for 90 minutes if I book RSR later with a far out return time. I hope this makes sense...