Flex Pass Superthread: Disneyland Resort Introduces New Annual Passport that Combines Value and Flexibility

Trying to search with terms flex or pass , flex pass, isn't getting me anywhere. Sorry if this has been covered already. I must prefer existing threads.

I am thinking of getting the Flex Pass (for a family of 4)
1. Do I have to reserve my first visit or is the first visit good for any time? Official Disney page doesn't talk about first use at all that I could find.
2. Does the 1 year start when you actually enter the park the first time? Or when you first reserve a date? Or when you buy the pass?
3. Does a 5 day trip count as 1 reservation? Or is that 5 reservations and so you have to be reserving dates during your trip?
4. Related to question 3. What is the max number of days in a row can you have for a trip?
 
1. You have to reserve your first date if a reservation is required. There are certain "good-to-go" dates that don't require reservations.
2. It's supposed to be when you enter the park for the first time but has sometimes defaulted to when you reserve the first date (so check with the ticketing booth to get it corrected).
3. You need a reservation for each separate day.
4. You can only have a maximum of two reservations at a time. So, two days in a row. Once you enter the first park on your first day, you should be able make a new reservation.
 
I am trying to understand the trend of reservations. A weekend like the upcoming Veteran’s Day weekend books up almost instantly for DL (Saturday and Sunday) though DCA is still bookable for Saturday. Then a week like Thanksgiving doesn’t book up right away, and only just today does DCA book up for 11/29 (Friday after Thanksgiving) and you can still book DL for all the days of Thanksgiving. Why??

Do locals like to go more on 3 day Holiday weekends rather than big holidays like Thanksgiving? Is it that Thanksgiving is a weeklong holiday so that spreads out crowds better than a 3 day weekend? I ask because we are considering coming for MLK weekend and we would have to reserve Saturday and Sunday at 30 days, and then hope that we could get Monday after we use Saturday. Just trying to gauge it since we have to fly in.

Any thoughts on why Veteran’s day booked so quickly? Also is MLK going to be a possible nightmare due to projected opening of ROTR?
Maybe there are a number of folks holding their quote of 2-reservations over Veteran's Day weekend ... still hoping to book Thanksgiving weekend once they've entered a park gate over the Veteran's Day weekend?
 


Trying to search with terms flex or pass , flex pass, isn't getting me anywhere. Sorry if this has been covered already. I must prefer existing threads.

I am thinking of getting the Flex Pass (for a family of 4)
1. Do I have to reserve my first visit or is the first visit good for any time? Official Disney page doesn't talk about first use at all that I could find.
2. Does the 1 year start when you actually enter the park the first time? Or when you first reserve a date? Or when you buy the pass?
3. Does a 5 day trip count as 1 reservation? Or is that 5 reservations and so you have to be reserving dates during your trip?
4. Related to question 3. What is the max number of days in a row can you have for a trip?
1. “First visit” is no different than any other day you use the pass. There is no special treatment for the first visit. So look at the Flex Pass calendar and see if the first day you want to use it is “reservations required” for either or both parks, or is “good to go” for both parks. If a reservation is required for either or both parks you want to enter on your first day, you won’t be able to make that reservation until you purchase the Flex Pass (which may be before your first day of use or on the first day of use, your choice). Some other AP types have reported getting a free “day ticket” to enter on the day you buy the AP, even if that day is a block out day. To my memory, no “day tickets” have been issued for Flex Pass buyers on day of purchase, and several people have reported having to make a reservation for that day right upon purchasing the FP that day, since the day was “reservation only”.

2. People have reported that all of those dates have been given to them as the start date of the pass. The correct start date (we think) is first use, so if it is anything other than that, you will have to go to GS to try to get it fixed (exception is that if you use a ticket, then upgrade the ticket to the FP before the ticket‘s last day, the start date for the FP will be the first date that you used the ticket that you are upgrading to the FP).

3. Every DAY that you want to enter the park(s) counts as a unique reservation. So if you plan to come for 5 days and all 5 days are “reservation only”, the most you can reserve at 30 days in advance would be the first two days (or the first day of your trip and some other day of the 5 days). Once you scan in (most have reported) the first reserved day, you can book the next one. At any given time, you can only have 2 individual days reserved. So for a 5 day trip that is all “reservation required”, you would make 2 days reservations at 30 days out (or whenever you can before the trip), then make the 3rd day after using day 1, then make the 4th day after using day 2, and make the 5th day after using day 3. So yes, you are making reservations throughout the trip (if they are available, which is a risk). If some of the days of your trip are “good to go”, you won’t need a reservation those days, which can really help the uncertainty.

4. The max number of days you can RESERVE is 2 in a 30 day period. They do not have to be consecutive. And if some of your trip days are “good to go”, you could string together a multi day trip and only need the 2 reservation days. If your trip encompasses more than 2 “reservations required” days, you will take the risk that those days may not be available to reserve after the first 2, while you are on the trip. This is why the FLEX in the Flex Pass requires YOUR flexibility to either focus your trip on mostly “good to go” days, or be flexible enough to not be able to get into either park on short/no notice if there are no longer reservations available for your dates.

Long answers, but hopefully helps you and others understand this unique AP.
 
Maybe there are a number of folks holding their quote of 2-reservations over Veteran's Day weekend ... still hoping to book Thanksgiving weekend once they've entered a park gate over the Veteran's Day weekend?
That is a good thought, and if so, we will see it book up once Veteran’s day begins, I guess!
 
1. “First visit” is no different than any other day you use the pass. There is no special treatment for the first visit. So look at the Flex Pass calendar and see if the first day you want to use it is “reservations required” for either or both parks, or is “good to go” for both parks. If a reservation is required for either or both parks you want to enter on your first day, you won’t be able to make that reservation until you purchase the Flex Pass (which may be before your first day of use or on the first day of use, your choice). Some other AP types have reported getting a free “day ticket” to enter on the day you buy the AP, even if that day is a block out day. To my memory, no “day tickets” have been issued for Flex Pass buyers on day of purchase, and several people have reported having to make a reservation for that day right upon purchasing the FP that day, since the day was “reservation only”.

2. People have reported that all of those dates have been given to them as the start date of the pass. The correct start date (we think) is first use, so if it is anything other than that, you will have to go to GS to try to get it fixed (exception is that if you use a ticket, then upgrade the ticket to the FP before the ticket‘s last day, the start date for the FP will be the first date that you used the ticket that you are upgrading to the FP).

3. Every DAY that you want to enter the park(s) counts as a unique reservation. So if you plan to come for 5 days and all 5 days are “reservation only”, the most you can reserve at 30 days in advance would be the first two days (or the first day of your trip and some other day of the 5 days). Once you scan in (most have reported) the first reserved day, you can book the next one. At any given time, you can only have 2 individual days reserved. So for a 5 day trip that is all “reservation required”, you would make 2 days reservations at 30 days out (or whenever you can before the trip), then make the 3rd day after using day 1, then make the 4th day after using day 2, and make the 5th day after using day 3. So yes, you are making reservations throughout the trip (if they are available, which is a risk). If some of the days of your trip are “good to go”, you won’t need a reservation those days, which can really help the uncertainty.

4. The max number of days you can RESERVE is 2 in a 30 day period. They do not have to be consecutive. And if some of your trip days are “good to go”, you could string together a multi day trip and only need the 2 reservation days. If your trip encompasses more than 2 “reservations required” days, you will take the risk that those days may not be available to reserve after the first 2, while you are on the trip. This is why the FLEX in the Flex Pass requires YOUR flexibility to either focus your trip on mostly “good to go” days, or be flexible enough to not be able to get into either park on short/no notice if there are no longer reservations available for your dates.

Long answers, but hopefully helps you and others understand this unique AP.
Thank you for the great explanation. We upgraded from 5-day hoppers on our last park day in August, and haven't been back since, so we haven't actually used the reservation system. If we reserve 'both parks' for a certain day, then enter only 1 park, are we ok to immediately reserve another day? Or do we need to enter both parks before reserving another day in order to keep our 'both parks' reservation for the current day?
 


Thank you for the great explanation. We upgraded from 5-day hoppers on our last park day in August, and haven't been back since, so we haven't actually used the reservation system. If we reserve 'both parks' for a certain day, then enter only 1 park, are we ok to immediately reserve another day? Or do we need to enter both parks before reserving another day in order to keep our 'both parks' reservation for the current day?
The fine print says that entering either park on a day when you have reserved both parks will prevent you from being counted as a “no show,” so I assume that entering either park “fulfills” your reservation for that day and would allow you to book your next day. However, some people here have reported that they were not able to book the next day until the entire first day had passed, others could book it immediately on scanning into the first park. So YMMV.
 
It doesnt make sense to me that Disneyland is still open all weekend long and DCA is available to reserve all weekend long except that day.

I would say the reason DCA is booked up is the food festival (actual name escapes me right now). Both during this and Food & Wine, DCA is packed! I would think there would be less reservations available at DCA during the holiday season than any other time so far. The powers that be know they’ll have a higher attendance anyway.
 
1. “First visit” is no different than any other day you use the pass. There is no special treatment for the first visit. So look at the Flex Pass calendar and see if the first day you want to use it is “reservations required” for either or both parks, or is “good to go” for both parks. If a reservation is required for either or both parks you want to enter on your first day, you won’t be able to make that reservation until you purchase the Flex Pass (which may be before your first day of use or on the first day of use, your choice). Some other AP types have reported getting a free “day ticket” to enter on the day you buy the AP, even if that day is a block out day. To my memory, no “day tickets” have been issued for Flex Pass buyers on day of purchase, and several people have reported having to make a reservation for that day right upon purchasing the FP that day, since the day was “reservation only”.

This is all moot if a family just purchases regular tickets and then upgrades on the last day, correct? That's how I used to do it. Especially so our first visit could be at Christmas-time. It's been 5+ years since I last had an AP, but thinking of getting this pass. Can I upgrade to this from 3 day tickets, and then use the monthly payment plan as a California resident?
 
This is all moot if a family just purchases regular tickets and then upgrades on the last day, correct? That's how I used to do it. Especially so our first visit could be at Christmas-time. It's been 5+ years since I last had an AP, but thinking of getting this pass. Can I upgrade to this from 3 day tickets, and then use the monthly payment plan as a California resident?

If you upgrade a regular ticket on the last day after you are done at the parks then you won't need any reservations for that trip (which, if you're going during the full Christmas blockout, won't be an option anyway). Your pass expiration date will be the date you first used the ticket you upgraded.

Yes, you can upgrade from a 3 day ticket and use the monthly payment plan if you are a California resident. It will apply the 3 day ticket as your "down payment" (though I believe you can also add more to the down payment if you want) and then spread the balance over the monthly payments.
 
Just wanted to share my excitement and say that I finally just went for it and bought the Flex Pass! :banana: We're going on a last minute trip in two weeks (just did the reservations, super easy) and my sister and I already plan on going for Halloween next year, so it basically pays for itself right?! Now trying to plot how to sneak in some other trips... 😉
 
Just wanted to share my excitement and say that I finally just went for it and bought the Flex Pass! :banana: We're going on a last minute trip in two weeks (just did the reservations, super easy) and my sister and I already plan on going for Halloween next year, so it basically pays for itself right?! Now trying to plot how to sneak in some other trips... 😉

I highly recommend adding the MP to your FP. It will make every trip even more enjoyable.
 
In case anyone is interested. Veterans Day was available at Disneyland for a few hours today, but as of 9:30 PM, it's showing as Unavailable once again. Also, next Saturday 11/16 is now Unavailable.

For some reason Disneyland is Available on the Day After Thanksgiving, while CA Adventure is Not. Other than that day, CA Adventure is completely Available over the next 30.
 
I've got a question, im planning on getting 4 day park hopper tickets for use in july and i will probably upgrade to flex passes on the last day, if i add maxpass to my tickets will the value of that transfer over to purchasing the flexpass upgrade?
 
I was able to, but I had to ask for a supervisor to do it, it wasn't automatic.
 
Generally it seems like if your tickets were bought with MaxPass added in, it shouldn’t be a problem. If you added it day-by-day, it is more YMMV. When we added MaxPass per day in December of 2017, they were kind enough to discount the amounts we had spent on MaxPass over the three days.
 
So if we're planning to buy an annual flex pass, is it advisable to do it a little bit ahead of time and make a reservation for our dates? Is it really only 2 dates at a time?
 

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