Random Max Pass Observations, Newbie Style

[jhaig]

In anticipation of our first-ever visit to DL/DCA on 8/3, I thought it would be a good idea to play with the app for a while and get used to checking out wait times and MP return times. So I purchased tickets with the hopper option, ordered Max Pass, and started to play. We have been to WDW many times so we are familiar with the way FP's work, but after observing Max Pass for the last week I've come to a few conclusions (and please correct me if I get something wrong. These nuggets of info may be obvious to a DL vet, but to me it's all new).

- Your Max Pass system COMPLETELY blows away the FP system at WDW. There is so much flexibility and I love not having to make reservations 60 days in advance. I mean really, who can know what ride they want to do two months from now? I don't even know what's for dinner tonight...

- We are doing DL in the morning since there is early hours at DCA. Looks like we will need to get RSR before noon or wait in standby. Typical?

- Normally we wouldn't use a FP at WDW until after the first 2 or 3 hours after the park is open, but it looks like it would be to our advantage at DL to start getting MP's early and often. I know that sounds obvious, but if I can get Space Mtn with a return time of 930-1030am, and then get to make another MP right after that one, why wouldn't I?

- Seems like Buzz Lightyear, Small World, Haunted Mansion, and sometimes Big Thunder almost always have MP return times of an hour or less. No reason to ride them right away?

- DCA is a total Max Pass wasteland in terms of availability for any time later in the day for most of the headliners.

- I am the only one in our group that will tackle Indy and Incredicoaster so it looks like single rider is the best option there.

It's also clear that I have grossly underestimated the value of getting Max Pass. To me it looks like we should have no problem getting to do most of what we want to do in one day. As long as we hit things that don't have FP early (pretty much all of Fantasyland, except Peter Pan - skipping that one since we have it at WDW, Nemo subs, Pirates, etc.).

 

[Peter C]

As to bullet 4, it can be advantageous to get a FP for something if it’s an instant return time and you are there already. You can then scan your FP, skip the standby, and book a new FP while walking through the line to get on the ride

 

[JJ2017]

So you purchased your tix with maxpass and can already play around? i thought you couldn't purchase maxpass until you enter the park. i would love to start playing around with this now - i leave in 2 weeks and am also a newbie to the system.

 

[blackjackdelta]

So you purchased your tix with maxpass and can already play around? i thought you couldn't purchase maxpass until you enter the park. i would love to start playing around with this now - i leave in 2 weeks and am also a newbie to the system.

You can purchase maxpass anytime if you have a ticket, they said they were playing around. Using the app, getting used how the app works.

Jack

 

[midnight star]

So you purchased your tix with maxpass and can already play around? i thought you couldn't purchase maxpass until you enter the park. i would love to start playing around with this now - i leave in 2 weeks and am also a newbie to the system.

If you use the website, there is an option to add maxpass to your tickets, however you cannot book anything until you scan in. Or you can wait until you get there to add it each day.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

So you purchased your tix with maxpass and can already play around? i thought you couldn't purchase maxpass until you enter the park. i would love to start playing around with this now - i leave in 2 weeks and am also a newbie to the system.

You can click on any ride on the app and check current FP return times.

OP, your observations look fairly correct. You absolutely want to get into the gates as early as possible and get that first Maxpass booked, and then make sure you always book as soon as you can afterwards. Keep in mind you can scan in 5 minutes early and then book a new one immediately, and also keep in mind that your FP will work up to 15 minutes after your window ends (that can be important when considering timing for other FPs).

As I’ve shared many times here on the boards, our usual strategy is to start at DL and knock out the big FP rides there by booking and riding several back-to-back, and then by mid-morning, we book RSR (for a mid-late afternoon return time), incur the “90 minute wait,” and go from there.

A lot will depend on how crowded the day you’re there is, of course. But the pattern of which rides run out early is pretty consistent.

 

[Lesley Wake]

OP, One thing that you can't see without being in the parks is the cancellations. Often when I'm booking MaxPasses, I will keep searching and a more advantageous time will pop up (easier for smaller parties, but I also had great results with a group of 6 on Thanksgiving Day).

- Your Max Pass system COMPLETELY blows away the FP system at WDW. There is so much flexibility and I love not having to make reservations 60 days in advance. I mean really, who can know what ride they want to do two months from now? I don't even know what's for dinner tonight...

I think each system works well for their park. Disneyworld is a place where so many people do advance planning (though I guess that is a chicken or the egg conundrum-do they advance planning and WDW just decided to capitalize on that, or did WDW start offering all the advance stuff which has led to people doing more advance planning), so the 60-days can work.

- We are doing DL in the morning since there is early hours at DCA. Looks like we will need to get RSR before noon or wait in standby. Typical?

Yup. RSR is definitely the FP that runs out earliest.

Also, Early hours don't have as much of an impact as you'd think at DCA. Only the people from 3 hotels would have access to it. Also, Soarin tends to be open during EMH and accessible even to non-EMH people. I wouldn't be deterred from going to DCA first if it works out better in your schedule.

- Normally we wouldn't use a FP at WDW until after the first 2 or 3 hours after the park is open, but it looks like it would be to our advantage at DL to start getting MP's early and often. I know that sounds obvious, but if I can get Space Mtn with a return time of 930-1030am, and then get to make another MP right after that one, why wouldn't I?

Another yup! It's not like WDW where you are more limited in overlapping times. You can have multiple FPs for different rides all at the same time, just gotta obey the rules of when you can pull a new one:
-FP in the next 30 minutes: get a new one in 30 minutes OR when you use the first FP
-FP in 30-90 minutes: get a new one when the first one return time opens
-FP over 90 minutes away: get a new one in 90 minutes
-Can't hold 2 FPs for the same ride at the same time. But there is no tiering, so you could just get the same ride's FPs over and over and over.

- Seems like Buzz Lightyear, Small World, Haunted Mansion, and sometimes Big Thunder almost always have MP return times of an hour or less. No reason to ride them right away?

Sounds right. Also Roger Rabbit, Goofy Sky School.

- DCA is a total Max Pass wasteland in terms of availability for any time later in the day for most of the headliners.

DCA is a fickle beast - it closes earlier, but also has some of the most desirable FP rides: RSR, GotG.

- I am the only one in our group that will tackle Indy and Incredicoaster so it looks like single rider is the best option there.

For Incredicoaster, yes, likely. For Indy, not especially. Single Rider there is sort of weird - there isn't an organized line, so there's even a portion where you're basically in the regular queue area, and there is really no way to tell how long the Single rider line is without getting into it. Fastpass also still has a longer wait, since the merge point is pretty early. So, for Indy, my best advice would still be to get a FP, but maybe at the same time as others in your party are going on another ride. That way you are more certain of how long it will take in the Indy line, rather than doing SR and realizing it could still be a 30 minute wait!

 

[jhaig]

Can't hold 2 FPs for the same ride at the same time. But there is no tiering, so you could just get the same ride's FPs over and over and over.

Yes, tiering brings us to tears....

 

[jhaig]

As I’ve shared many times here on the boards, our usual strategy is to start at DL and knock out the big FP rides there by booking and riding several back-to-back, and then by mid-morning, we book RSR (for a mid-late afternoon return time), incur the “90 minute wait,” and go from there.

That will pretty much be our plan as well. Originally Matterhorn was first (but it'll be closed), so now it'll be MP for Space Mtn, then ride Alice, Toad, and other FL stuff until the MP for Space is ready, then get MP for Big Thunder, do Pirates and HM, use MP for Thunder, then check RSR for a mid-afternoon return.

 

[jhaig]

So you purchased your tix with maxpass and can already play around? i thought you couldn't purchase maxpass until you enter the park. i would love to start playing around with this now - i leave in 2 weeks and am also a newbie to the system.

It has been a big help just to get used to the app and seeing what return times and MP times are available. I now have a pretty good idea of what to get and when.

 

[az4boys]

It has been a big help just to get used to the app and seeing what return times and MP times are available. I now have a pretty good idea of what to get and when.

How are you seeing the MP return times without being in the parks and activating MP? I know you can see the regular return times, but I didn't think you could see the MP times until it was activated. The MP times are usually a little different (slightly better) than what is listed on the app for FP return times.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

How are you seeing the MP return times without being in the parks and activating MP? I know you can see the regular return times, but I didn't think you could see the MP times until it was activated. The MP times are usually a little different (slightly better) than what is listed on the app for FP return times.

They're generally the same unless there's a cancelled FP.

Back when I was documenting return times, I compared the app return times to any rides I was close enough to see, and they generally matched up or were 5 minutes apart (you may have seen the thread on Maxpass availability throughout the day, where I was screenshotting and cataloguing what was available throughout the day - I "spot-checked" well over a dozen different Maxpass vs. FP return times while I was doing that).

 

[disneyeek]

We arrive Saturday and I've been looking at the wait times/FP on the app for the past couple of days trying to get a feel for it as well. I'm already anticipating we will like it much better than the FP+ in WDW.

Can I tack on a question for the experts? Do you have to go scan into each park obtain a maxpass? So for example we go to DL first, but want to head to DCA later do we have to have entered DCA to obtain a maxpass for that park later in the day?

 

[az4boys]

They're generally the same unless there's a cancelled FP.

Back when I was documenting return times, I compared the app return times to any rides I was close enough to see, and they generally matched up or were 5 minutes apart (you may have seen the thread on Maxpass availability throughout the day, where I was screenshotting and cataloguing what was available throughout the day - I "spot-checked" well over a dozen different Maxpass vs. FP return times while I was doing that).

jhaig said he could see return times and MP return times so I was just wondering how he was doing that because I didn't think it was possible. I've used the app a lot this year and I've never been able to see MP return times until we are in the parks.

 

[hilarys]

We arrive Saturday and I've been looking at the wait times/FP on the app for the past couple of days trying to get a feel for it as well. I'm already anticipating we will like it much better than the FP+ in WDW.

Can I tack on a question for the experts? Do you have to go scan into each park obtain a maxpass? So for example we go to DL first, but want to head to DCA later do we have to have entered DCA to obtain a maxpass for that park later in the day?

No - you just need to scan into one. So at some point you can look ahead and start booking for the other park. Once you have scanned in for the day, you actually don't even need to be in the parks or resort. Earlier this year my son had a sports tournament in the area so of course we stayed at Disneyland. We ran into the park in the morning at opening for an hour's worth of rides, left for his games and while at his games made a max pass reservation for later that afternoon.

Max Pass on top of park hoppers = game changer. You can get so much done. I also much prefer it to FastPass+ system.

 

[JJ2017]

How new is maxpass? Has it been through a December holiday season yet? We will be in Irvine over Xmas week and toying with the Idea of going to Disney but we hate crowds.

 

[mamapenguin]

Bullet point 5 DCA is not a MaxPass wasteland until dinner time. Just got back last night. MaxPass is a must do. You can get Incredicoaster 8:00am return time so why wait in the line.? You can get something else after you scan in.

Radiator Springs is a must MaxPass unless you head strait there at rope drop or can do single rider. You can get it later in the day, but it will likely cause you to have to wait 90 min. to get another Fast Pass.

Thanks to this board we purchased Max Pass as soon as we scanned into a park and took full advantage until there was either nothing left or we had no energy left. We averaged 12 miles a day walking and did not wait more than 25 minutes for anything. We were there 7/8-7/11 and it was HOT.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

How new is maxpass? Has it been through a December holiday season yet? We will be in Irvine over Xmas week and toying with the Idea of going to Disney but we hate crowds.

It's a year old, so yes.

You'll have big (insane) crowds but it's doable if you get there early each day and have a plan. Maxpass won't help with the crowds, exactly, so if it's "being in a crush of people" that you don't like... well, that won't be any better with Maxpass. But if it's "waiting in long lines" that you don't like, Maxpass will help.

I do anecdotally observe that Maxpass is getting more popular (and potentially causing some FPs to run out sooner), so I wouldn't directly compare to reports from last season, but it's definitely helpful.

 

[baozi]

Bullet 5
Depends on the goal of your specific day. For instance, if your goal is to do as many rides as possible in one day, then you can strategize such that throughout the day you can always ride something with less than 90 minutes ride such that you can book the next FP. But if you particularly like a small group of attractions and want to ride them again and again with FP, sometimes it is inevitable that you need to wait for 90 minutes for the next FP.

 

[lunasea]

Can't hold 2 FPs for the same ride at the same time. But there is no tiering, so you could just get the same ride's FPs over and over and over.

Did this for GOTG recently so we''d finally get all the versions. The CMs were looking at us like "you again"? when we kept going through the line. But we were getting off and getting right back on, as it was about 15-20 minutes from entrance to exit and a 40 minute standby. My poor legs though, after doing the upstairs 4 times in a row.