Vacilating on MaxPass

[slpeters]

So we are going for a week mid-November. We'll have 5 day park hoppers and I always assumed we would do MaxPass all five days.

I'm starting to wonder about that. The things is we are sort of interested in doing it all. We want to do pretty much all the rides, all the shows, a fair amount of snacking. It seems like we could pretty easily construct a MaxPass day in Dl, a MaxPass day principally in DCA where we return to DL later in the evening. We want to do all the FP rides and would like multiple rerides on HM and IaSW,, maybe RRCTS and BUZZ hopefully RSR and maybe MTSM. I could then imagine 2 days where we don't do any FP rides--I think the areas we're most excited about are Fantasyland and Star Wars Land, and we seriously want to see as much of the entertainment as possible. We actually want to see the toy soldier drummers and the mariachis and all that. We'd like to stalk characters for a while, etc. We could then have a blowout day where we ride all the big rides again--a third MP day. Seems pretty clear--three days it is.

The problem reemerges when I consider how much we really enjoyed Memory Make the last time we did a week in WDW--got literally thousands of photos--so I like the whole photopass things although I understand it won't be as useful at DLR as it is at WDW. Still I'd like pictures in front of the trees and the castle and well everywhere we can get them. It's just the two of us and Disney is a somewhat unique opportunity to have a lot of pictures of both of us together, usually when we go on vacation we end up with a handful of photos together and a whole bunch that one of us took of the other. Plus it sort of seems like the days when we aren't scrambling from ride to ride would be the days when we could most use photopass.

So it seems like we're back to one of us having it all five days and one of us only having it for day 1,2,5. But then we're imposing this artificial structure on our several thousand dollar trip to save.. $30?

Am I missing something? Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Marshmelo]

For $30, just get it for both all days.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

For $30, just get it for both all days.

Same

 

[Bossy22]

In other words, get it for each day on only 1 ticket (the photos are worth it) and get it on all the tickets on a day to day basis when you feel you will go hard on fastpass rides!!!!

 

[Ellek07]

I agree with PP, get the max passes.

 

[DLgal]

I added Maxpass to our annual passes at a yearly cost of $400. I hemmed and hawed about it for awhile. Considering how often we go, it's a steal. However, also, I'm at the point now where I cannot imagine NOT having it, and off the record, will continue to pay whatever Disney wants for it. They could triple the price and I would still buy it. Life is short and I'm getting more and more impatient as time goes on. I went to Legoland last week and didn't buy their insanely expensive fastpass option, and it felt like torture compared to Maxpass (their lowest tier option was $35/day and went up to $100 PER PERSON). Maxpass is one of the most fairly priced things Disneyland offers.

 

[planningjollyholiday]

it seems like I'm in the minority but I just dont think it's as necessary as everyone makes it out to be. We did 5 days last November without max pass and had a great time. Did headliners many times including buzz where you can literally grab a FP, ride it, get off get another FP and immediately ride it again. The good news is you can add MP any time. why dont you try without it for the first 2 days and then if you feel you aren't getting enough done then just add it to the last days.

 

[HenDuck]

I love MP and have never gone without a park hopper since it was invented. I would get park hoppers. And then I agree with planningjollyholiday, try it without MP the first day and see what you think. If you don't need it, then no problem. If you want to try it for a day, go for it.

It is worth every penny, even since they raised the price. But if the park is relatively empty, you might not need it.

 

[SeattleTink]

I used Max Pass for the first time in May and loved it. However, I was solo and adding it for 5 days, was no big deal. if I was going with 3 other people, it might become a big deal. It is totally doable without it. You will just log in way more steps running to get fast passes, but hey, that isn't the worst thing in the world.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

I say get it for all 5 days. You are already planning 3, so it’s only 30 more per person, as you said, on a trip that costs thousands. Even if you have a day focused on shows and fantasyland rides, it would be nice to be able to snag a FP if you want it. And, no worries about pictures.

But keep in mind, you can always buy it on the day-of. So if you aren’t feeling it that day, don’t do it. And if you’ve already budgeted it, you will feel like you’ve saved money.

One more thought: As an east coast regular at WDW, I am now totally spoiled by Maxpass. Sigh.

 

[billyjobobb]

If you’re used to photo pass in Disney world then photopass in Disneyland will disappoint.

There just really aren’t many photographers

 

[GoingSince1990]

After my first experience of Maxpass I could never, ever go back.

 

[robinb]

Get it. I’m a cheapskate but I got it last year and never looked back. It’s definitely worth it.

 

[mouschievous]

You can add it daily. Buying the tickets with MP included doesn't save you anything over buying it daily, so if you aren't sure, get it one day and see what you think. If it's not worth it, then you don't have to get it again.

Personally, I think it's worth it. We don't go often so it's great to be able to get FPs when we're standing in line for another ride. We got 12+ miles in a day without having to run around for FPs, I can't imagine how many more miles we would have walked without MP!!

Also, my absolute favorite photos from our trip were from MP photogrephers. It was our nephews' first time and we saw Pluto in front of the fire station on our way into the park on our first morning. The look of awe and wonder was so great, and the photographer captured it perfectly. That alone made it worth every penny in my book! We also got some great family photos with everyone in it in front of the castle and train station that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

 

[DLgal]

If you’re used to photo pass in Disney world then photopass in Disneyland will disappoint.

There just really aren’t many photographers

I don't agree. I find there to be quite a lot. We have Photopass pictures from almost every land in both parks. They do move around and pop up in new locations pretty frequently. But, there is definitely not a shortage of them.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If you’re used to photo pass in Disney world then photopass in Disneyland will disappoint.

There just really aren’t many photographers

I don't agree. I find there to be quite a lot. We have Photopass pictures from almost every land in both parks. They do move around and pop up in new locations pretty frequently. But, there is definitely not a shortage of them.

Agree that at DLR, PP CMs move around -- you have to look for them. And if you see one without a line, you have to ask them to take your photo. They aren't allowed to approach you first. But they are definitely around and they take great photos!

 

[smartlabelprint]

I come annually and I have a hard time finding most pp photographers. There are a few standard spots like the castle, main st at night, cars land in the st at night. Entrance to carsland. But took effort.

 

[kikismom]

We love FP+ but don't always buy it. We have a really hard time finding photographers. We don't buy it in advance, it's something we buy based on crowd levels and how many days we'll be in the park. We have a trip coming up next year with four full days in the park, since we have so much time I don't know if we'll get it yet, possibly one day only for ride photos. The last trip we did was only 2 1/2 days in the park, we definitely needed FP+ that time to get the most rides in without a FP runner.

 

[tsumgirl]

I've been on trips this year in May, June, and August (just this past week). I've notice a definite increase in photographers this past trip. I've seen them in the standard areas earlier in the year, but many many more in different areas kind of just wandering around. I was able to request photos in random areas of Fantasyland, Main St, Pixar Pier, all over Hollywood Land, and at least one was just hanging out in the other lands. These photographers were in addition to those assigned to do the character M&G, because the M&G were going full force. I also felt like the prime areas, such as the castle had more photographers taking photos at the same time compared to my earlier trips.

 

[kristie73]

How do the ride photos work for you if you have MaxPass PhotoPass?