Non maxpass users only!!! lol

[Bossy22]

Maxpass is good for:
1) no one wants to be a runner
2) you are on a short trip
3) you are in a small group
4) you want to "maximize" the amount of fastpass-able rides you go on.

If you can meet two or more of these, you should at least consider it.
For me, I generally meet all 4 of these, since I usually just go with my son, so it's just the two of us, and it's usually only 2-3 days, so I usually get it.
Since I don't usually get a hopper, I save a little money there, to make up for the cost of the maxpass.

Thanks, this makes a lot of sense to me!!!

 

[Becca1007]

The other thing that MaxPass is good for is picking up cancelled fast passes. We were just there for 6 days and on almost every evening I picked up fastpasses for rides that were already "out of fastpasses for the day". If you keep refreshing the list of rides available you can pick up rides as people cancel theirs. We picked up Racers and Toy Story multiple times.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

The other thing that MaxPass is good for is picking up cancelled fast passes. We were just there for 6 days and on almost every evening I picked up fastpasses for rides that were already "out of fastpasses for the day". If you keep refreshing the list of rides available you can pick up rides as people cancel theirs. We picked up Racers and Toy Story multiple times.

This is one of my favorite benefits of Maxpass!

 

[KPeterso]

MaxPass is included on my pass and we love it! I would pay to add it to my pass if I had a pass that did not include it. That said, I sometimes go with friends who either have passes without MaxPass or did not purchase for the day (ie 1 day tickets). I kind of dread those days as I never get as much accomplished as I am used to with MaxPass, but I figure I am tagging along and just go with the flow so I will survive a day like that occasionally. Now if I could convince some of these people to make rope drop, it would be a lot better!

 

[HenDuck]

"need" it? no. "waaaaaaant it?" yesssss!

As the former FP runner of the family, I love MP! The convenience of doing everything on my phone, on the fly, as soon as I enter the gates, is worth it. It has changed how we tour the parks. Now as soon as we enter the turnstiles, we move to the side and get our first FP. Then we happily head to our first ride knowing we have FPs in hand.

We go for at least a week, every trip, hold APs, ride everything multiple times and still love MP. We could definitely do it without MP, but the convenience factor is worth the money. I just don't eat overpriced churros anymore...

One benefit that I love about MP is that you will know in advance if a pulled-FP is no longer available (like when a ride breaks down), then you have the option of using your FP elsewhere. And you don't have to walk all the way to the ride to find out you can't use your FP. And you can get a FP even when you have left the park for a mid-day break.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I don’t think either way is wrong or right and different styles work for different groups, different days and different levels of crowds...

This! MP is a great luxury and a treat. We really enjoy it (and it works so well with DAS!), but it isn't a cure all and it isn't for everyone. Some people don't know that all rides at DLR aren't on the FP system so buying MP doesn't get you to the front of the line on all rides. We have friends who love MP, use it all the time, won't visit the parks without it. Other friends have it on their passes and hardly ever use it because it just isn't a good fit for their families right now. Maybe they'll grow into MP and maybe not. Right now, they hardly ever ride any FP rides, so it just isn't an issue for them. Then we have friends who insist on using old fashioned FP to give the teenagers something to do -- go get some FPs and burn off some of that energy that's driving your parents crazy! Some days we use MP a lot and some days we don't use it at all. Whatever works best for you at DLR is fine -- and this will change as your family grows and changes and as your needs grow and change. Using MP can make for a magical day at DLR, but it isn't in any way necessary to have a magical day at DLR.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I still haven't used MaxPass. I always think I'll get it, but never feel the need for it. If I were only visiting for a day or two and wanted to go on everything, I'd get it for sure. We are AP holders and usually only go for a few hours and we usually don't care what we go on since we figure we'll be back another time.

 

[NorthernCalMom]

One benefit that I love about MP is that you will know in advance if a pulled-FP is no longer available (like when a ride breaks down), then you have the option of using your FP elsewhere. And you don't have to walk all the way to the ride to find out you can't use your FP.

I agree with all that you said except the above. If a family decides to skip Maxpass during their visit to save the money but still have their smartphones and data in the park, they can use the app to scan in the tickets and see the status of each of the Fastpasses they hold (regardless of how that Fastpass was booked, through Maxpass or at a kiosk). They could then use their phones to scan into rides, check return times and, most importantly, find out if and when a pass has converted to a “multiple experiences replacement fastpass” (or whatever they call it these days) due to the ride being down during that Fastpass’s return time.

Given how harder you have to work for your Fastpasses the traditional way, knowing that you can now use it during the afternoon or evening, when it’s increasingly harder to get Fastpasses for the rides you want, is of course an incredibly valuable piece of information for any performance tourer!

Another thing I found out on this most recent (non-Maxpass) trip, which is of very little practical value but incredibly fascinating for a system and numbers geek such as myself: there is actually another way (besides using a multiple experience pass that is no longer directly associated with the ride from whose Fastpass it came) to bypass the iron rule of THOUGH SHALL NOT EVER HOLD TWO FASTPASSES FOR ONE RIDE AT THE SAME TIME. My kids are fortunately used to nerdy me giving them sudden, seemingly odd instructions to “guys, humor me and do XYZ, so we can see what happens... please... for science!”

What I found out in this most recent experiment is that the system actually allows you to draw another Fastpass for the SAME ride (usually a big no-no) if the old one expired without your having used it. If you do so before the 15 mins grace period has ended and then use the expired pass by scanning it from your phone during that grace period to ride the ride, you actually turned yourself into that rarest of all Disney creatures, those who were once temporarily holding two Fastpasses for one ride at the same time!!! You can then use the newer, non-expired one and ride the ride again right after that.

We did this with Incredicoaster. I didn’t try it both ways but have a hunch that this only works if you scan your expired pass using your phone (as opposed to using your ticket for scanning) and that the scanner would have simply scanned the current, new Fastpass if I would have scanned into the ride using our tickets.

There are if course little to no real practical applications or uses for this revolutionary discovery besides it being kind of cool and deserving of major Fastpass nerd street cred of the “has boldly gone where no man had gone before” sort...

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... My kids are fortunately used to nerdy me giving them sudden, seemingly odd instructions to “guys, humor me and do XYZ, so we can see what happens... please... for science!”...

LOL -- you're like me with DH! "Honey, please do this... you know, for the boards, so I can post whether it works!"

 

[StarlitNight05]

LOL -- you're like me with DH! "Honey, please do this... you know, for the boards, so I can post whether it works!"

And we appreciate all your (and your DH's) research!!