New to DL, Some Questions

[DE1411]

Hello. My wife and I are experienced DW guests, but I've never been to DL, and my wife hasn't been since she was a girl. We're going on Memorial Day and the day after Memorial Day of this year for a short vacation prior to a work trip I have in SoCal. We have a couple of questions:

We're staying off site and are wanting to go to the Tangaroa Terrace, am I correct in assuming that we wouldn't need to be staying on site or have to use park tickets to get there?

Given that I'm assuming crowd levels will be relatively high for the dates we're there, would it be worth the money to get MaxPass?

 

[FCDub]

Welcome to the DIS!

You're correct about Tangaroa.

As far as MaxPass, I will never do Disneyland without it. Massive convenience for a small price.

 

[Tasmen]

MaxPass is very worth it. I loved being able to set up new fastpasses on my phone and not having to run to the ride to get them. Really helped us be able to make the most out of our time in the parks.

 

[midnight star]

In my opinion, maxpass is more worth it when the crowds are high. No need to fight through crowds to get to kiosks to pull the free ones.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

My husband and I are known to be cheapskates so I was dubious about paying for MaxPass when I could pull paper FPs for free, but I found it to be totally worth it. I had only planned to get it for 1 or 2 days, but I ended up getting it for every day of my trip.

 

[tarheelalum]

Max pass is 100% worth it. Especially since you don't know the parks and the high crowd levels. Max pass will save a lot of time and stress. I also strongly suggest you get park hoppers. The parks are 100 yards apart and you don't have to go through security to park hop. I say this because people who come from Disney world don't seem to buy park hoppers and while that might be ok there, its a big mistake at Disneyland. One park can be terribly crowded while the other isn't that bad. Also download the Disneyland app so you'll know the wait times. But you will have to use your cell plan because Disneyland wifi is beyond worthless and virtually nonexistent. And no you don't need tickets to go to any of the restaurants or hotels outside of the parks. Have a great time.

 

[figment_jii]

As others have said, I found Maxpass to be highly beneficial. While you can still get FPs without having MaxPass, Maxpass makes things so much more convenient. You can get the FP without having to go to the attraction or the location of the FP kiosks. There is also the potential to pick-up cancelled FPs (if someone has one and cancels it, that time goes back into the pool and if you have MP, you can the potential chance to snag it).

Correct, Tangaroa Terrace is at the Disneyland Hotel. You don't need a park ticket or to be staying at the DLH to visit the restaurant. Tangaroa Terrace is outside of the security area, so you might not even have to deal with security (depending on where you're coming from).

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Check the list of which rides are on the FP system. If these are rides that are important for you, then MP can be well worth the cost. If those rides are not big on your list, then maybe only one of you might get MP just for the PP perk. Remember that not all rides are on the FP system at DLR -- so having MP does not give you FPs for all rides. Some people do not know this and are very disappointed and frustrated when they find out.
Here are some threads with great information from this sticky (* DLR Info/Links - Maps, Hotels, DISer Reviews, Hydroguy's tips, NEWBIE INFO here!) at the top of the first page:
A DLR Guide for WDW Vets
HydroGuy Tips Compilation
"Maxpass/Fastpass: an overview and some strategy" by @Skyegirl1999 - www.disboards.com/threads/maxpass-fastpass-an-overview-and-some-strategy.3726246/