Logistics of park hopping.

[cmwade77]

Like the lines are obscured by the trees til you get closer?

Yep, no one really knows they are there, but they usually are open and work quite well. That is unless you are like me and always get stuck behind THAT group that has ticket issues of one sort or another. But it diesbt really matter which line I am in, thsts usually what happens.

 

[Winnowill]

If I purchase my tickets online in advance, so they are on the app, do I still have to go to a ticket window and get paper tickets? Also someone above mentioned photos on tickets. Do we have to go somewhere to have our photo taken?

I’ve never been to DLR and don’t want to get held up at the turnstiles on our first morning because I didn’t do something I was supposed to do! I’m used to WDW where everything is on our Magic Bands. I haven’t had paper tickets in years.

Yes, you still need paper tickets, but you'll receive them at the turnstile when you scan the barcode on your phone. Your photo is taken by the person scanning your ticket at the turnstile. You do not need to go anywhere special.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Really? I have never once had it fail, but then again, I always scan my pass as it goes so much faster than pulling out the phone, opening the app and scanning it.

Yes really. And while it hasn’t failed for you, if you usually scan your pass you have much lower odds of ever encountering the error. Actually just within the last week we had a report of this on the DIS by someone who didn’t know what was going on. Personally, I tried relying on my phone for my trip because it’s what I always have out but with tickets disappearing randomly around day 3 it was a crapshoot from their on out if the tickets would show or not. I used other people’s logins to manage our tickets/MP. (Although by day 5 another family member’s login was glitching with tickets as well.)

 

[Cinderella94]

Yes really. And while it hasn’t failed for you, if you usually scan your pass you have much lower odds of ever encountering the error. Actually just within the last week we had a report of this on the DIS by someone who didn’t know what was going on. Personally, I tried relying on my phone for my trip because it’s what I always have out but with tickets disappearing randomly around day 3 it was a crapshoot from their on out if the tickets would show or not. I used other people’s logins to manage our tickets/MP. (Although by day 5 another family member’s login was glitching with tickets as well.)

I’m sorry, I’m a complete DLR newbie and trying to follow but am a little lost . When we’re talking about “scanning” a paper vs scanning your pass from your phone, where is it being scanned? To get into the park? Or do you mean when you’re using your MP at each ride? Or both? We do plan on purchasing maxpass. Is the ideal scenario to book the MaxPass using the app on my phone, then use my paper ticket to get into the MP line at the ride?

 

[momof2n2]

I’m sorry, I’m a complete DLR newbie and trying to follow but am a little lost . When we’re talking about “scanning” a paper vs scanning your pass from your phone, where is it being scanned? To get into the park? Or do you mean when you’re using your MP at each ride? Or both? We do plan on purchasing maxpass. Is the ideal scenario to book the MaxPass using the app on my phone, then use my paper ticket to get into the MP line at the ride?

I’d like this answer, too!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I’m sorry, I’m a complete DLR newbie and trying to follow but am a little lost . When we’re talking about “scanning” a paper vs scanning your pass from your phone, where is it being scanned? To get into the park? Or do you mean when you’re using your MP at each ride? Or both? We do plan on purchasing maxpass. Is the ideal scenario to book the MaxPass using the app on my phone, then use my paper ticket to get into the MP line at the ride?

Yes, there are two scenarios where you scan a ticket: to enter the park or to redeem a FP. You can "scan" either a physical ticket (or AP) or scan the ticket loaded into your phone on the app.

Yes, IMO the ideal scenario is to book on the app and then use your paper ticket to enter the line - this is fastest, uses less phone battery, etc. Most people seem to keep theirs in lanyards for easy access.

 

[Cinderella94]

Yes, there are two scenarios where you scan a ticket: to enter the park or to redeem a FP. You can "scan" either a physical ticket (or AP) or scan the ticket loaded into your phone on the app.

Yes, IMO the ideal scenario is to book on the app and then use your paper ticket to enter the line - this is fastest, uses less phone battery, etc. Most people seem to keep theirs in lanyards for easy access.

Thank you very much!! If you’re in the park and MP goes down, as has been mentioned upthread, are you just “SOL” so to speak in terms of making use of your MaxPass purchase until it comes back up? I suppose there’s nothing else you can do other than go walk around getting the paper FPs, right?

Sorry, second question- once I’ve booked the MP on my phone, my paper ticket magically knows it is booked, right? Do I need to do anything else each time I book a FP to make my paper ticket know?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Thank you very much!! If you’re in the park and MP goes down, as has been mentioned upthread, are you just “SOL” so to speak in terms of making use of your MaxPass purchase until it comes back up? I suppose there’s nothing else you can do other than go walk around getting the paper FPs, right?

Sorry, second question- once I’ve booked the MP on my phone, my paper ticket magically knows it is booked, right? Do I need to do anything else each time I book a FP to make my paper ticket know?

I've only been in the parks once when Maxpass truly went down (and actually, the paper ticket FPs went down, too), but yeah, you'd just be out of luck. You could probably go to guest services and complain and get some "anytime" FPs loaded, but you'd likely be in a long line there, so it'd be up to you if it's worth it.

I have had my app malfunction several times and even after closing it and re-opening (which usually fixes it), it won't work, so I can't book anything. Once I went to guest services to have them help, and it started working again while I was in line there (so probably 20 minutes or so of being "down"), but I'd say it usually resolves within 10-15 minutes. Sometimes this may be a case where the whole system is down, but at least sometimes it's been specific to my phone (because I'll be in line near someone and can see them booking FPs).

As someone who's in the parks pretty much weekly, I've probably been there and used Maxpass over 30 days now (I didn't buy it until August), so I have a pretty large sample pool. The app can and does go down sometimes, so it's good to be prepared for that, but it's relatively rare. I'd say I've had issues with it that go beyond "close the app and restart it" on 5 days or less.

Your ticket automatically has the FP loaded. Even if the app goes down, your ticket will still scan.

 

[baozi]

Just for this specific sentence, you can take photos of the tickets and scan it with the distribution machine.

(If I send someone from my family to DLR from DCA, to grab F! FastPasses, I know they need to have all the paper tickets.)

 

[dina444444]

Thank you very much!! If you’re in the park and MP goes down, as has been mentioned upthread, are you just “SOL” so to speak in terms of making use of your MaxPass purchase until it comes back up? I suppose there’s nothing else you can do other than go walk around getting the paper FPs, right?

Sorry, second question- once I’ve booked the MP on my phone, my paper ticket magically knows it is booked, right? Do I need to do anything else each time I book a FP to make my paper ticket know?

I’ve only been there once when MP went down and it was when the entire FP system went down resort wide and when it came back online it was MP only. This was over 6 months ago now during Halloween time.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Just for this specific sentence, you can take photos of the tickets and scan it with the distribution machine.

Is this new? I've never seen a FP machine at DLR that you did not have to put your actual ticket/pass into. Are they swapping out for scanners?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Is this new? I've never seen a FP machine at DLR that you did not have to put your actual ticket/pass into. Are they swapping out for scanners?

The Fantasmic! and WOC machines scan your ticket. If you don't have your ticket, you can scan a photo of the ticket, but NOT the ticket as it appears in the app.

 

[DizneyMommy]

The Fantasmic! and WOC machines scan your ticket. If you don't have your ticket, you can scan a photo of the ticket, but NOT the ticket as it appears in the app.

Hm, weird! I have pulled WOC from the GRR machines and had to put my pass in. We never pull F! because we never stay open to close, and rarely fight the crowds to see it anymore. I know that one is a mobile cart though, maybe that's just how those ones function.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I’ve only been there once when MP went down and it was when the entire FP system went down resort wide and when it came back online it was MP only. This was over 6 months ago now during Halloween time.

That's the same day I was talking about; it was Saturday, Sept. 23.

 

[Winnowill]

Sorry, second question- once I’ve booked the MP on my phone, my paper ticket magically knows it is booked, right? Do I need to do anything else each time I book a FP to make my paper ticket know?

No. The FP is tied to the barcode on your ticket (this is true even without MP), and there's nothing more you need to do.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Hm, weird! I have pulled WOC from the GRR machines and had to put my pass in. We never pull F! because we never stay open to close, and rarely fight the crowds to see it anymore. I know that one is a mobile cart though, maybe that's just how those ones function.

I've never pulled WOC from the Grizzly machines, but the mobile carts scan your ticket.

 

[Pamela M]

Just a note about using a paper ticket vs a phone for fastpass entrances. When I went in October my friends and I did Maxpass and uses our paper tickets to check into fastpasses - worked great. When I was there earlier this month I found that there was a lag when I used the paper ticket - it was taking 5-10 minutes to register that I'd used it in the app. I started using my phone for fastpass scans and the lag was gone.

Not sure if it was an app, phone or cell carrier issue. So if you find it's going slower using your ticket you may want to switch to using your phone.

 

[DizneyMommy]

I've never pulled WOC from the Grizzly machines, but the mobile carts scan your ticket.

They used to (or maybe still do during off peak?) use the GRR FP machines for WOC and then once it was all distributed they switched the machines back over to GRR. I did see the mobile cart over by LM last month, I was curious if that was permanent or if there was some reason, as there is way more space in the GRR FP area, and way more machines.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Just a note about using a paper ticket vs a phone for fastpass entrances. When I went in October my friends and I did Maxpass and uses our paper tickets to check into fastpasses - worked great. When I was there earlier this month I found that there was a lag when I used the paper ticket - it was taking 5-10 minutes to register that I'd used it in the app. I started using my phone for fastpass scans and the lag was gone.

Not sure if it was an app, phone or cell carrier issue. So if you find it's going slower using your ticket you may want to switch to using your phone.

That's weird. We have AP's and do not use MP usually, and I have never had a lag. We split up a lot so the kids scan their AP's, I don't even get the app out a lot of the time.

 

[lalasmama]

Hm, weird! I have pulled WOC from the GRR machines and had to put my pass in. We never pull F! because we never stay open to close, and rarely fight the crowds to see it anymore. I know that one is a mobile cart though, maybe that's just how those ones function.

Yes, its a mobile FP machine thing. Instead of sliding into the slot, there's a larger spot where you hold your ticket, and it scans and prints out your paper FP.