Most efficient way to buy APs (lapsed) with MaxPass?

aliceindisneyland

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Jul 6, 2008
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1. Can I buy all APs and all MaxPasses on Friday night at the ticket booth, then enter the Parks to start Day 1 of APs on Saturday?
2. If so, do we all need to be there if I have the old APs in hand?
(and if not, what's the most efficient way to handle this? Saturday morning will be a zoo.)
3. If my husband and I both want to access/control all MaxPass info, should he enter my email and password when he puts the app on his phone, or can/should he create his own login?

We'll arrive in town tomorrow night (Friday). First Park day is Saturday. I have old APs but they have lapsed so not really a renewal. [When we've put a few months between AP runs before, the CM was not happy we didn't bring our old cards, so I kept them this time.]

We want to add MaxPass for the four of us, and add my parents for one day (they have APs) so they can try it out before they pay $75 each. That would be 6 people total on one day we'd like to be able to control from one account. Will we all have to go to the ticket booths to buy a 1 day MaxPass on their APs on Monday if I want to pay for it?

The Disneyland app doesn't seem to allow buying APs, and online it says I need to show up with the cc/gift card I paid with---which seems like more of a pain to verify than just walk over to the ticket booths tomorrow night and buy the APs.
I am paying for 4 APs and MaxPass with Disney gcs if that makes any difference.

I double checked that my husband and the kids are linked to my account on disneyland.com where I add their birthdates and pick characters; I'm hoping this will make it easier to put everyone's MaxPass on the app. Is that info what will show up in the app as family members? I am wondering because they always tell me happy birthday on my actual birthday when I go through the turnstiles, but somehow my son's birth date is listed under my profile.

This is such a pain to wrap my head around, but it seems like MaxPass is worth the price bump, and I'm sure it will be easier once we set it up and actually do it. Thank you for any answers and tips you can offer!
 
Hmm...I'll take a stab at some of this. If you go to the ticket booth on Friday night to activate APs, then that is the starting date for those APs. If the Saturday is blocked out on the level of pass that you choose to buy, then you will be blocked out that day if you get the APs at the ticket booth on Friday night. If the Saturday is a block out day, then you will need to go get the APs that Saturday and be given a block out pass. If the Saturday is not a block out day, then you are good to go on Friday.

The question about whether or not your family needs to be there for AP activation is a ymmv kind of question. There was a recent discussion about this on another thread. I have had it go both ways. Both times I have done this type of transaction at the ticket booth I have had my whole family with me. The first time the CM was very insistent on seeing everyone in my party, checking my husband's and my driver license, and so on. The second time the CM didn't care that we were all standing there and barely spoke to any of us. In both cases I was activating new APs purchased online. Others have also reported having to have their entire party present when getting APs, but a lucky few didn't need to.

The only ways that I have heard that the length of pass Maxpass can be added to APs is at the ticket booth or by calling the AP hotline. You will not have to go the ticket booths to add Maxpass for one day for your parents. That can be done directly from the app.

As far as I know, you can't buy APs from the app yet, but you can do so online. I have bought our APs online many times and not had any unusual difficulties processing them at the ticket booths. The other advantage of buying them online is that you could actually enter the park before fully processing the APs if you buy them ahead. The disadvantage in your case is that you won't be able to immediately add AP Maxpass. You would have to pay the $10 per person per day upgrade for the Maxpass. While official policy is that you don't get that money back, again ymmv. You might get a CM will apply the $10 cost to your $75 upgrade fee; I just wouldn't count on that as an absolute and plan around it.

If you add daily Maxpass within the app, I'm not sure if you can use a gift card to pay or if you must use a credit card.

I haven't tried it any other way, but what I did is made sure each of us had already entered our individual passes into our individual accounts on our phones so the first link was to the correct account. If you have minor children who do not use phones and apps yet, you can skip that step. Whoever is going to be in charge of Maxpass can also scan in everyone's passes into their phone app and use them to create a Maxpass party. Multiple individuals can do this with the same set of passes/tickets. So you and your husband can each use your own accounts and create Maxpass parties for your group.
 
Hmm...I'll take a stab at some of this. If you go to the ticket booth on Friday night to activate APs, then that is the starting date for those APs. If the Saturday is blocked out on the level of pass that you choose to buy, then you will be blocked out that day if you get the APs at the ticket booth on Friday night. If the Saturday is a block out day, then you will need to go get the APs that Saturday and be given a block out pass. If the Saturday is not a block out day, then you are good to go on Friday.

The question about whether or not your family needs to be there for AP activation is a ymmv kind of question. There was a recent discussion about this on another thread. I have had it go both ways. Both times I have done this type of transaction at the ticket booth I have had my whole family with me. The first time the CM was very insistent on seeing everyone in my party, checking my husband's and my driver license, and so on. The second time the CM didn't care that we were all standing there and barely spoke to any of us. In both cases I was activating new APs purchased online. Others have also reported having to have their entire party present when getting APs, but a lucky few didn't need to.

The only ways that I have heard that the length of pass Maxpass can be added to APs is at the ticket booth or by calling the AP hotline. You will not have to go the ticket booths to add Maxpass for one day for your parents. That can be done directly from the app.

As far as I know, you can't buy APs from the app yet, but you can do so online. I have bought our APs online many times and not had any unusual difficulties processing them at the ticket booths. The other advantage of buying them online is that you could actually enter the park before fully processing the APs if you buy them ahead. The disadvantage in your case is that you won't be able to immediately add AP Maxpass. You would have to pay the $10 per person per day upgrade for the Maxpass. While official policy is that you don't get that money back, again ymmv. You might get a CM will apply the $10 cost to your $75 upgrade fee; I just wouldn't count on that as an absolute and plan around it.

If you add daily Maxpass within the app, I'm not sure if you can use a gift card to pay or if you must use a credit card.

I haven't tried it any other way, but what I did is made sure each of us had already entered our individual passes into our individual accounts on our phones so the first link was to the correct account. If you have minor children who do not use phones and apps yet, you can skip that step. Whoever is going to be in charge of Maxpass can also scan in everyone's passes into their phone app and use them to create a Maxpass party. Multiple individuals can do this with the same set of passes/tickets. So you and your husband can each use your own accounts and create Maxpass parties for your group.
Thank you, that clears up a lot! And I had not read yet that it was not a sure thing to get the day use MaxPass fee refunded when you upgrade to the annual MaxPass, so if I can order on the AP phone as others have that may be the way to go. Thanks so much!
 
Thank you, that clears up a lot! And I had not read yet that it was not a sure thing to get the day use MaxPass fee refunded when you upgrade to the annual MaxPass, so if I can order on the AP phone as others have that may be the way to go. Thanks so much!

I think people have generally been reporting success when doing the upgrade, but I always advise caution since the fine print on Disney's websites says stuff like no pro-rating, no credit will be given when making upgrades, etc.
 

I think people have generally been reporting success when doing the upgrade, but I always advise caution since the fine print on Disney's websites says stuff like no pro-rating, no credit will be given when making upgrades, etc.
It's always the fine print that gets me! Rep on the AP line said I can buy APs and MaxPass tonight and go straight to the turnstiles tomorrow and that will activate the APs and MaxPass. We shall see!
 
My experiences, if it helps anyone:
  • Our family of 6 bought 4 day PH's in July and upgraded to Deluxe AP's on the 3rd day after we used our MM. This was about 10 days before MP started.
  • I had an online account and linked my AP only (until today.)
  • Today I called the AP number and added the annual Maxpass to all AP's. It was pretty quick and easy. I was very happy about not needing to go to the ticket booth.
  • I went online a few minutes later and my AP was listed as "Disney Deluxe Annual Passport with MaxPass"
  • I added the other 5 AP's to my account. My account now lists 6 APs with MaxPass, but no names are associated other than mine when I look online. I can't edit or look at any information associated with their passes. Perhaps it takes time to fully add them. When I added mine, it took a couple days for some features to be active.
  • I checked the app, and all 6 AP's are listed with names attached (I was relieved that names were attached on the app!)
As for putting all our AP's on DH's phone, I think I'm going to have him use my login for the app too. We do everything together and I can't think of any reason for him to use a separate login. He could create his own login if he wanted, then just scan in all the AP's into his phone.
 
OK, here has how it has worked out so far:
Called AP phone on the way to DL on Friday, and was told we could buy passes AT THE TICKET BOOTH on Friday night and add MaxPass but the APs would not activate until we went through the turnstiles.
This is not correct according to ticket booth CMs. Only if you buy APs online will you AP start when you go through turnstiles for the fist time.
However, the lead kindly registered our APs to start on Saturday instead of Friday. We bought 4 APs with MaxPass Friday night at the ticket booth.
On Saturday morning (and probably earlier, I just did not look), all of our passes we're in my DL app.
When we entered DCA, we immediately booked GOTG for a 9:100 return.
Loving MaxPass thus far, and DCA is not busy at all today though we expected a zoo!
 


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