MaxPass / Digital Fastpass - Discussion Thread

[DLRExpert]

I have a simple question that has probably been answered but I do not have time to sort through 100 pages. So let me thank you in advance.

The wife and I are going in about a month, this will be the first time using MP. I understand the majority of the process, but the one part about using it at rope drop concerns me. Typically we are there for rope drop at the front, and once the park opens we head for Indiana, grab a fast pass then hop into the 5-10 min line. Can this be done using MP?

I know you purchase them when you are in the park, but can you retrieve a Fastpass in the park but before rope drop? Or does the app only allow you to select a Fastpass after the designated opening time? What are the odds we can grab a Fastpass and then hop on the ride?

I would change your strategy and just get Indiana Jones as your first and 2nd Fastpass.
You can easily get FP for Indiana Jones once in the park then experience the non-FP attractions+ one FP attraction in that area.
Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean.

So something like this...
Grab FP using MP for Indiana Jones as soon as you enter the park. Return time should be 830-930.
When rope drops, ride Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Should be 830, use MP and grab 2nd FP for Indy
Ride Pirates then Jungle Cruise.
Should be around 920
Use FP and ride Indy for your first time.
Before you use your 2nd FP for use MP to grab FP for Splash Mountain, use 2nd FP for Indy.
Should be around 1030, Before you use FP for Splash Mountain use MP to grab your next FP.

ME

 

[Linkura]

The only glitch to that particular plan is that cell phone reception once you get inside the IJ line is horrible. I suppose you could scan your MP at the ride's FP entrance, then squish over to the side and make a super-fast new selection before entering the temple. Otherwise you will probably have another 20-30 minutes in that line before you can get enough reception to make another MP selection. It all depends on how much of a super-user you want to be that day.

I have also had that problem inside the Soarin' hanger.

PHXscuba

Yeah, when we were in line for IJ I couldn't book a new MP when my window opened because service is nonexistent in that building.

 

[twodogs]

Yeah, when we were in line for IJ I couldn't book a new MP when my window opened because service is nonexistent in that building.

Yet another argument for DLR actually installing REAL WiFi in the parks, but they have not yet bothered to do this...

 

[DLRExpert]

Yet another argument for DLR actually installing REAL WiFi in the parks, but they have not yet bothered to do this...

Better WiFi in the parks wouldn't help if you were inside of the Indiana Jones or any show building.

 

[Niltiac]

Better WiFi in the parks wouldn't help if you were inside of the Indiana Jones or any show building.

Yeah, I could see them potentially adding wifi to some building interiors where the line is in a centralized space (like Space Mountain), but with IJ the queue is so long and winding it seems like it would be really difficult to get wifi throughout - and not worth it. At any rate I think you could just stop at the bridge before entering the building (allowing people to pass) and make your next selection. It doesn't take much time.

 

[BLKKROW]

I would change your strategy and just get Indiana Jones as your first and 2nd Fastpass.
You can easily get FP for Indiana Jones once in the park then experience the non-FP attractions+ one FP attraction in that area.
Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean.

So something like this...
Grab FP using MP for Indiana Jones as soon as you enter the park. Return time should be 830-930.
When rope drops, ride Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Should be 830, use MP and grab 2nd FP for Indy
Ride Pirates then Jungle Cruise.
Should be around 920
Use FP and ride Indy for your first time.
Before you use your 2nd FP for use MP to grab FP for Splash Mountain, use 2nd FP for Indy.
Should be around 1030, Before you use FP for Splash Mountain use MP to grab your next FP.

ME

Thank you to everyone for your advice!

To touch on this, I did not disclose our full strategy as it is pretty complicated. I would say we are "Veterans" as we go about 1-2 times a year. I will expound the strategy below, which matches yours.

Rope Drop
Indy FastPass
Hop on Indy
Then Pirates
New FastPass for Big Thunder
Use the FP for Indy
Ride Haunted
Use FP for Big Thunder
Etc.

Typically we have rode all of the major rides at-least 2 times before lunch then take it easy in the afternoon. Then at night we finish the day hoping around again.

 

[millie0312]

Just wanted to update on the “naming” of tickets- I purchsed 3 tickets from LMT and scanned the e-tickets into the app and all 3 gave me the optional option to name the tickets when I scanned them in!! So e-tickets from LMT with my iPhone 8plus and the most current app version do allow you to name your tickets- yay!!

 

[Mary Jeane]

Just wanted to update on the “naming” of tickets- I purchsed 3 tickets from LMT and scanned the e-tickets into the app and all 3 gave me the optional option to name the tickets when I scanned them in!! So e-tickets from LMT with my iPhone 8plus and the most current app version do allow you to name your tickets- yay!!

I just did the exact same thing!! Making it seem more real!!

 

[lurpee]

Yeah, when we were in line for IJ I couldn't book a new MP when my window opened because service is nonexistent in that building.

Good info. Thanks!

 

[tink89]

We are going during Christmas/NYE and know it will be crazy busy at the same time i do not want to spend and extra $160 for MP each day. We are staying at DLH and plan to be there at rope drop and EMH every day. I am debating whether to just get MP for our last day and do what we couldn't do the other days. We are fine with riding the rides just once. At DCA the only ones we would use a MP for is Soaring, RSR and TSMM which are both open during EMH and/or we can grab a FP at opening since we will be doing Soaring first then head over to Cars land, and grab a FP for RSR when its opening. Then head over to TSMM. We don't mind waiting 30 min in line for either ride which I am assuming the wait time will be at opening since everyone is heading to GoTG and we will already be by the pier.

Now at DL we would use a FP for HM, Buzz, and star tours for which two are open during EMH.
The only one DD9 must do is HM.

Do you think I will be ok with either no MP or just one day?

 

[Niltiac]

Do you think I will be ok with either no MP or just one day?

Since you're only interested in a few FP rides, I think you'd be fine. I've never been during Christmas/New Years week and I understand it can be crazy busy. But it sounds like you're not interested in Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, or Guardians of the Galaxy, which are some of the most popular FP. RSR is also very popular, but if it's the only difficult FP you want and you don't feel the need to re-ride, then it shouldn't be hard to get.

 

[jlnten17]

We fly in on a Sunday and have 5 day park hoppers. We will be going to the park Sunday afternoon/evening arriving at the park around 1:30-2pm. Is it worth it to purchase MaxPass that day or will all the FP be distributed long before we get there? We are WDW veterans but this is our first real trip to Disneyland.

 

[smartlabelprint]

We fly in on a Sunday and have 5 day park hoppers. We will be going to the park Sunday afternoon/evening arriving at the park around 1:30-2pm. Is it worth it to purchase MaxPass that day or will all the FP be distributed long before we get there? We are WDW veterans but this is our first real trip to Disneyland.

I wouldn’t.

 

[Linkura]

We fly in on a Sunday and have 5 day park hoppers. We will be going to the park Sunday afternoon/evening arriving at the park around 1:30-2pm. Is it worth it to purchase MaxPass that day or will all the FP be distributed long before we get there? We are WDW veterans but this is our first real trip to Disneyland.

Contrary to PP, I'd say it's worth it. Our first day in September was a Sunday and we got there around 11:30 (original thought was 1:30 PMish as well but we had great traffic). There was plenty still available and there continued to be plenty available throughout the day. We actually did all the Disneyland Park FP attractions, except for Matterhorn and Buzz because we didn't do them at all (and we did Splash and Indy Single Rider instead of FP, for full disclosure), on that day, and we left around 7PM.

 

[millie0312]

We are going during Christmas/NYE and know it will be crazy busy at the same time i do not want to spend and extra $160 for MP each day. We are staying at DLH and plan to be there at rope drop and EMH every day. I am debating whether to just get MP for our last day and do what we couldn't do the other days. We are fine with riding the rides just once. At DCA the only ones we would use a MP for is Soaring, RSR and TSMM which are both open during EMH and/or we can grab a FP at opening since we will be doing Soaring first then head over to Cars land, and grab a FP for RSR when its opening. Then head over to TSMM. We don't mind waiting 30 min in line for either ride which I am assuming the wait time will be at opening since everyone is heading to GoTG and we will already be by the pier.

Now at DL we would use a FP for HM, Buzz, and star tours for which two are open during EMH.
The only one DD9 must do is HM.

Do you think I will be ok with either no MP or just one day?

I wouldn’t get MP in your case. For DCA with EE I’d hit TSMM- there won’t be any line. Then hit Soarin before RD folks come in. At RD be lined up for FP at RSR and you’re set. FP time will be maybe 10 or earlier.
For DLR HM isn’t open for EE, but ST and Buzz are. Buzz rarely has much of a line and getting a FP is easy late in the day usually for a pretty quick return time. I would hit ST for EE and at RD go over to HM (you could probably easily do standby at that time and get a FP for something like IJ or SM) and hit that side of the park with little wait time. Buzz can fill in whenever as it’s easy to get. If for some reason you needed you can grab a FP for HM and hit Splash, Winnie the Pooh, pirates, jungle cruise while you wait as well. You should be just fine! Enjoy!!

 

[BriannaRuth]

I just did the exact same thing!! Making it seem more real!!

If you've named your tickets, just be careful that when you go through the gate the first morning that the CM scanning your tickets and taking your photos does it correctly, matching up the tickets as you've named them with the tickets and pictures they're taking. Ours didn't ... she said it wouldn't matter because we all had adult tickets, but it was a real pain when we split up later in the day. One of my kids ended up using my "anytime anywhere" FP and I ended up unknowingly trying to use a Matternhorn FP at Indy because I thought I was using my anytime FP but she'd used it instead.

 

[millie0312]

If you've named your tickets, just be careful that when you go through the gate the first morning that the CM scanning your tickets and taking your photos does it correctly, matching up the tickets as you've named them with the tickets and pictures they're taking. Ours didn't ... she said it wouldn't matter because we all had adult tickets, but it was a real pain when we split up later in the day. One of my kids ended up using my "anytime anywhere" FP and I ended up unknowingly trying to use a Matternhorn FP at Indy because I thought I was using my anytime FP but she'd used it instead.

Haha this crossed my mind when I named them so I wrote names on the e-tickets too. We only have 2 adults and 1 kiddo so it’s pretty easy for our group (we don’t split up ether) but I had this horror in my mind of what if we mixed up the tickets lol

 

[bethwc101]

How does somebody who had a 2 day paper pass but got maxpass on their phone view their photos online? Because they are on the phone, the quality of the photos is really low for sharing or printing. But how do they access them online to get the full size image?

 

[HydroGuy]

How does somebody who had a 2 day paper pass but got maxpass on their phone view their photos online? Because they are on the phone, the quality of the photos is really low for sharing or printing. But how do they access them online to get the full size image?

You should be able to log in to your DLR account and see them there. I remember it being pretty straightforward.

 

[Nonsuch]

I don't know exactly when this feature was added, but it is now possible to delete tickets linked in the Disneyland App.
This was an irritating oversight.