Our first MAXpass trip...mini report

[farmfresh]

Just hit the hotel after three solid days in the parks and thought I'd share our experiences.
The weather has been hot, and the parks busy - but we have had a wonderful trip.

Day 1 - Saturday: we arrived from LA around 9.30am, checked in and headed for the parks. Got MAXpass up and running and hit the rides. Because we were not sure when we would get in, (or how tired we'd be - we'd flown in from London the night before)we had no game plan for the day. This worked very well.We started at DL, with ITASW, then simply chose the next available FP. We were vigilant about picking them up right on time and used the 5 min early arrival feature a lot.By 5ish we'd ridden BTMR, HMH, SM, GRR, Matterhorn, Screamin, TSMM, some of them more than once, and got out on Davy Crockett's canoes.

We noticed a lot of people using their phones to scan in, and this was much slower than using our tickets. Also still plenty of confusion about multiple scanning points at entries. People tended to cluster around one. Overall very successful and we are now converts.

Headed out for dinner at the Anaheim Packing Co. Not hugely impressed. Very crowded, not enough seating, and hard to navigate. Might be better for lunch.

Day 2 - Sunday: EMH at DCA. We were at the gates by 6.30am. Rode GOTG, FP for TSMM, then Soarin' then Mater and Luigi, then Screamin'. TSMM return was pretty much 8am so we then picked up RSR. Did the midway rides, rode RSR around 9.30 and stopped for coffee...but not before getting an FP for Indy. Hopped to DL and rode pirates, which was the busiest ride of the day it seemed, then continued with FPs till about 1ish, when we headed out for lunch and a rest.

Our plan was to return late afternoon, ride a little (SM), have dinner at Tortilla joe's and then head back into DL as we had a Skyline Lounge booking. (we'd changed dates so had lost a RBT F! booking and this was the substitute).

Underwhelmed by the lounge experience. My youngest daughter had come down with a bug, so I didn't join the rest of the family till 8.40 ish. We had a couch with a pretty good view out over Tomorrowland. As we had expected, the fireworks were cancelled. Which meant we could really only rate the lounge as they sell it - as an experience in its own right. Frankly they need to do a bit more. It's a great escape from the crowds, so maybe for the price they could open from 6pm till close. I'd suggest they offer a cheese or dessert option. The dessert box was fine, but very sweet. And as for character interaction..... Minnie appeared shortly after the announcement that the fireworks were cancelled, and she patiently visited each group and took a photo, but Mickey was nowhere to be seen ...he must have decided to stay home, kick his shoes off and watch tv that night.

Day 3 :Monday
Skipped EMH at DCA and went for rope drop at DL. Hit Fantasyland, then FPS for matterhorn, ST, Indy, splash..then headed back to DCA for GOTG, Heimlich (no good reason....) and GRR. GRR went down so we picked up a multiple experience pass, then headed to Soarin, which also broke down..Another ME pass.RSR was also out. We had an FP for Splash, so used that then headed out for lunch. The plan was to use the MS passes in the pm. Hopefully by then some of the rides would have restarted, as we were limited to FPS in DCA.

We have another EMH tomorrow, but may not use it as the youngest is still unwell and we are checking out in any case. Thanks to MAxpass we have already done far more than we might have ordinarily, even using all the old paper Fp tricks and parkhopping. It also made the trip feel far less pressured. Loved being able to book rides from our hotel room at lunch, then wander into the parks with a plan.

The only negative change I noted has been the new security. They get overwhelmed at odd times of the day, especially coming out of the GCH. It must be hard to predict crowd patterns when it is not just park-goers. And guests could make things easier by unzipping their bags etc before they get to the desk. But it did put me off popping into DTD.

But found all the DLR staff cheerful and helpful, amazing given the crowds they get to deal with.We had a few ups and downs, but overall the whole trip was great fun.

 

[Geemo]

Just hit the hotel after three solid days in the parks and thought I'd share our experiences.
The weather has been hot, and the parks busy - but we have had a wonderful trip.

Day 1 - Saturday: we arrived from LA around 9.30am, checked in and headed for the parks. Got MAXpass up and running and hit the rides. Because we were not sure when we would get in, (or how tired we'd be - we'd flown in from London the night before)we had no game plan for the day. This worked very well.We started at DL, with ITASW, then simply chose the next available FP. We were vigilant about picking them up right on time and used the 5 min early arrival feature a lot.By 5ish we'd ridden BTMR, HMH, SM, GRR, Matterhorn, Screamin, TSMM, some of them more than once, and got out on Davy Crockett's canoes.

We noticed a lot of people using their phones to scan in, and this was much slower than using our tickets. Also still plenty of confusion about multiple scanning points at entries. People tended to cluster around one. Overall very successful and we are now converts.

Headed out for dinner at the Anaheim Packing Co. Not hugely impressed. Very crowded, not enough seating, and hard to navigate. Might be better for lunch.

Day 2 - Sunday: EMH at DCA. We were at the gates by 6.30am. Rode GOTG, FP for TSMM, then Soarin' then Mater and Luigi, then Screamin'. TSMM return was pretty much 8am so we then picked up RSR. Did the midway rides, rode RSR around 9.30 and stopped for coffee...but not before getting an FP for Indy. Hopped to DL and rode pirates, which was the busiest ride of the day it seemed, then continued with FPs till about 1ish, when we headed out for lunch and a rest.

Our plan was to return late afternoon, ride a little (SM), have dinner at Tortilla joe's and then head back into DL as we had a Skyline Lounge booking. (we'd changed dates so had lost a RBT F! booking and this was the substitute).

Underwhelmed by the lounge experience. My youngest daughter had come down with a bug, so I didn't join the rest of the family till 8.40 ish. We had a couch with a pretty good view out over Tomorrowland. As we had expected, the fireworks were cancelled. Which meant we could really only rate the lounge as they sell it - as an experience in its own right. Frankly they need to do a bit more. It's a great escape from the crowds, so maybe for the price they could open from 6pm till close. I'd suggest they offer a cheese or dessert option. The dessert box was fine, but very sweet. And as for character interaction..... Minnie appeared shortly after the announcement that the fireworks were cancelled, and she patiently visited each group and took a photo, but Mickey was nowhere to be seen ...he must have decided to stay home, kick his shoes off and watch tv that night.

Day 3 :Monday
Skipped EMH at DCA and went for rope drop at DL. Hit Fantasyland, then FPS for matterhorn, ST, Indy, splash..then headed back to DCA for GOTG, Heimlich (no good reason....) and GRR. GRR went down so we picked up a multiple experience pass, then headed to Soarin, which also broke down..Another ME pass.RSR was also out. We had an FP for Splash, so used that then headed out for lunch. The plan was to use the MS passes in the pm. Hopefully by then some of the rides would have restarted, as we were limited to FPS in DCA.

We have another EMH tomorrow, but may not use it as the youngest is still unwell and we are checking out in any case. Thanks to MAxpass we have already done far more than we might have ordinarily, even using all the old paper Fp tricks and parkhopping. It also made the trip feel far less pressured. Loved being able to book rides from our hotel room at lunch, then wander into the parks with a plan.

The only negative change I noted has been the new security. They get overwhelmed at odd times of the day, especially coming out of the GCH. It must be hard to predict crowd patterns when it is not just park-goers. And guests could make things easier by unzipping their bags etc before they get to the desk. But it did put me off popping into DTD.

But found all the DLR staff cheerful and helpful, amazing given the crowds they get to deal with.We had a few ups and downs, but overall the whole trip was great fun.

Nice report!
I've enjoyed MaxPass too. The flexibility is so nice. Best part is no more running for FP's, just pull out the cell and book. TaaDaaa....

So glad you're enjoying your trip. Hope your daughter is feeling well by now.

Geemo

 

[egritz]

We added MP to our new AP's last week and it was amazing! We got out money out of the $75 per person in just the first trip. The lines moved pretty fast once you got through the scanning (though one time we did still wait 25 minutes for RSR, the FP line was clear back to Luigi's).

Once thing we found is that we got Space Mtn FP for our party of 4, we scanned all 4 at the entrance, then my 3 year old decided he didn't want to ride it again after all, so my husband got out of line with him. 30 minutes later, we got a Multi-Experience FP magically that was good for the 2 of them to ride ANY ride in DL, and it didn't expire. They used it a couple hours later (for Buzz, and DH ended up getting the high score for the day!)

 

[tink89]

Skipped EMH at DCA and went for rope drop at DL. Hit Fantasyland, then FPS for matterhorn, ST, Indy, splash..then headed back to DCA for GOTG, Heimlich (no good reason....)

First I liked your mini trip report. And second I love the reason for getting on Heimlich. If our family disagrees about one thing at Disneyland is who is getting on Heimlich with DD. Grandma always chooses the short straw, but it is the best when DH gets on the ride with DD. He just loooooves that ride you can see the excitement on his face.

 

[midnight star]

Just hit the hotel after three solid days in the parks and thought I'd share our experiences.
The weather has been hot, and the parks busy - but we have had a wonderful trip.

Day 1 - Saturday: we arrived from LA around 9.30am, checked in and headed for the parks. Got MAXpass up and running and hit the rides. Because we were not sure when we would get in, (or how tired we'd be - we'd flown in from London the night before)we had no game plan for the day. This worked very well.We started at DL, with ITASW, then simply chose the next available FP. We were vigilant about picking them up right on time and used the 5 min early arrival feature a lot.By 5ish we'd ridden BTMR, HMH, SM, GRR, Matterhorn, Screamin, TSMM, some of them more than once, and got out on Davy Crockett's canoes.

We noticed a lot of people using their phones to scan in, and this was much slower than using our tickets. Also still plenty of confusion about multiple scanning points at entries. People tended to cluster around one. Overall very successful and we are now converts.

Headed out for dinner at the Anaheim Packing Co. Not hugely impressed. Very crowded, not enough seating, and hard to navigate. Might be better for lunch.

Day 2 - Sunday: EMH at DCA. We were at the gates by 6.30am. Rode GOTG, FP for TSMM, then Soarin' then Mater and Luigi, then Screamin'. TSMM return was pretty much 8am so we then picked up RSR. Did the midway rides, rode RSR around 9.30 and stopped for coffee...but not before getting an FP for Indy. Hopped to DL and rode pirates, which was the busiest ride of the day it seemed, then continued with FPs till about 1ish, when we headed out for lunch and a rest.

Our plan was to return late afternoon, ride a little (SM), have dinner at Tortilla joe's and then head back into DL as we had a Skyline Lounge booking. (we'd changed dates so had lost a RBT F! booking and this was the substitute).

Underwhelmed by the lounge experience. My youngest daughter had come down with a bug, so I didn't join the rest of the family till 8.40 ish. We had a couch with a pretty good view out over Tomorrowland. As we had expected, the fireworks were cancelled. Which meant we could really only rate the lounge as they sell it - as an experience in its own right. Frankly they need to do a bit more. It's a great escape from the crowds, so maybe for the price they could open from 6pm till close. I'd suggest they offer a cheese or dessert option. The dessert box was fine, but very sweet. And as for character interaction..... Minnie appeared shortly after the announcement that the fireworks were cancelled, and she patiently visited each group and took a photo, but Mickey was nowhere to be seen ...he must have decided to stay home, kick his shoes off and watch tv that night.

Day 3 :Monday
Skipped EMH at DCA and went for rope drop at DL. Hit Fantasyland, then FPS for matterhorn, ST, Indy, splash..then headed back to DCA for GOTG, Heimlich (no good reason....) and GRR. GRR went down so we picked up a multiple experience pass, then headed to Soarin, which also broke down..Another ME pass.RSR was also out. We had an FP for Splash, so used that then headed out for lunch. The plan was to use the MS passes in the pm. Hopefully by then some of the rides would have restarted, as we were limited to FPS in DCA.

We have another EMH tomorrow, but may not use it as the youngest is still unwell and we are checking out in any case. Thanks to MAxpass we have already done far more than we might have ordinarily, even using all the old paper Fp tricks and parkhopping. It also made the trip feel far less pressured. Loved being able to book rides from our hotel room at lunch, then wander into the parks with a plan.

The only negative change I noted has been the new security. They get overwhelmed at odd times of the day, especially coming out of the GCH. It must be hard to predict crowd patterns when it is not just park-goers. And guests could make things easier by unzipping their bags etc before they get to the desk. But it did put me off popping into DTD.

But found all the DLR staff cheerful and helpful, amazing given the crowds they get to deal with.We had a few ups and downs, but overall the whole trip was great fun.

I went to DLR yesterday and used max pass. I only remember one scanning Point for max pass (at the front of the line)...where are the multiple points people are talking about? I didn’t see them at all yesterday and had not problem scanning on my phone.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I went to DLR yesterday and used max pass. I only remember one scanning Point for max pass (at the front of the line)...where are the multiple points people are talking about? I didn’t see them at all yesterday and had not problem scanning on my phone.

Some of the rides have multiple scan points. A few that come to mind are Buzz, IASW, Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder. The Big Thunder second scanners weren't being used when we rode during Thanksgiving week, but that may be just because it was still early in the morning. I'm trying to remember if there is a second set of scanners on Indy. I feel like there are, but I can't visualize it. I don't ride Space or Splash so I don't know about those two, and I haven't ridden Roger Rabbit yet since MaxPass started. Star Tours only has the set of scanners before you enter the main queue building. I've only ridden Guardians once so I don't remember if there are one or two scan points. There are definitely two scan points for Racers and Toy Story and Soarin. I'm not sure about the other DCA rides.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

So the Davy Crockett canoes are running still?! We missed them last time and I'd love to do them this time around. That's great to know!

We're thinking of adding MP onto our tickets and this makes it seem very worth the extra $10/day/5days.

 

[midnight star]

Some of the rides have multiple scan points. A few that come to mind are Buzz, IASW, Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder. The Big Thunder second scanners weren't being used when we rode during Thanksgiving week, but that may be just because it was still early in the morning. I'm trying to remember if there is a second set of scanners on Indy. I feel like there are, but I can't visualize it. I don't ride Space or Splash so I don't know about those two, and I haven't ridden Roger Rabbit yet since MaxPass started. Star Tours only has the set of scanners before you enter the main queue building. I've only ridden Guardians once so I don't remember if there are one or two scan points. There are definitely two scan points for Racers and Toy Story and Soarin. I'm not sure about the other DCA rides.

I did all of those rides you mentioned at DL, and only used one scanner. Maybe they just weren’t up. What is the point of scanning twice? Maybe they noticed that was holding up fast pass lines so only had one up instead? For space mountain we didn’t do fast pass because the wait was only 10 minutes, so i am not sure with that one. And Splash Mountain we didn’t do, so I’m not sure how their scanners are.

 

[mom2rtk]

So the Davy Crockett canoes are running still?! We missed them last time and I'd love to do them this time around. That's great to know!

We're thinking of adding MP onto our tickets and this makes it seem very worth the extra $10/day/5days.

They were running when we were there 2 weeks ago.

I did all of those rides you mentioned at DL, and only used one scanner. Maybe they just weren’t up. What is the point of scanning twice? Maybe they noticed that was holding up fast pass lines so only had one up instead? For space mountain we didn’t do fast pass because the wait was only 10 minutes, so i am not sure with that one. And Splash Mountain we didn’t do, so I’m not sure how their scanners are.

We hit several 2 weeks ago using both scanners. I know Space was. Maybe Splash? Maybe another 1 or 2?

I know it threw me for a loop because we were using a multi experience fastpass but had another one to redeem for something else later. Then they said to keep our phones out so we could scan again inside. But we didn't take note of which one of the 2 we scanned. I was afraid they would end up using both on the one ride. But the CM told me the first scan just verifies and the second one actually redeems.

I think they operate both in lines where it might be easy to duck under the line from standby to fastpass during the wait.

 

[farmfresh]

Looks like I confused people with the second scanning thing... there are some rides where you do need to scan in twice...I was meaning that there are several scanners at most entry points, but people seem to just head for one, which means a queue can bank up unnecessarily. So keep an eye out for them

So the Davy Crockett canoes are running still?! We missed them last time and I'd love to do them this time around. That's great to know!

And yes it was great to see the canoes up and running...pretty much a walk on, even on a busy day.

So glad you're enjoying your trip. Hope your daughter is feeling well by now

Thanks Geemo - she had a day in bed but managed to get up for our last morning on Tuesday. We didn't push it with EMH, but arrived at 9 and still got lots done - JC, Indy, POC, SM, BTMR and ice cream before we left at 12. Again, Maxpass made it easy.

 

[midnight star]

Looks like I confused people with the second scanning thing... there are some rides where you do need to scan in twice...I was meaning that there are several scanners at most entry points, but people seem to just head for one, which means a queue can bank up unnecessarily. So keep an eye out for them

Lol ok that makes more sense now. Yes i noticed that there are 2 scanners at the front for MP. I only scanned my phone once for each ride that used MP. The CM’s were good at letting people know which one was open to avoid line hold ups. When the line did get held up, it was from not understanding how to redeem the MP.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

What is the point of scanning twice?

Otherwise people can just jump from Standby into the FP line after the outside scan point. They'd just duck under the chains and skip the wait. Even though they don't always run the second scanning point, the threat of it keeps people in line (and we do encounter a second checkpoint more often than not).

Of course, the 2nd checkpoint isn't always effective. When we rode RSR a few weeks ago, we got to the second scanning point and a party of 7 adults was acting confused, brandishing their phones about, talking to CMs, and holding up the line. There was a couple between us and the group, and they told us that this group of 7 had hopped from the Standby to the FP line, and now that they'd been "caught," they were acting like they had FPs and saying the app was malfunctioning.

We stood there for eight minutes (which seems like an eternity in that situation) while BOTH CMs tried to fix the "malfunction" and no one from the FP line moved. They finally just waved the group through, so they cheated their way in and just screwed over the rest of us who got stuck behind them. I thought it was a bummer, but what can the CMs really do? If it WAS a technical malfunction, those people would be super upset to get turned away, you know? I do wish the CMs would have moved them to the side and let those of us behind them use the other side at least, but oh well...

 

[midnight star]

Otherwise people can just jump from Standby into the FP line after the outside scan point. They'd just duck under the chains and skip the wait. Even though they don't always run the second scanning point, the threat of it keeps people in line (and we do encounter a second checkpoint more often than not).

Of course, the 2nd checkpoint isn't always effective. When we rode RSR a few weeks ago, we got to the second scanning point and a party of 7 adults was acting confused, brandishing their phones about, talking to CMs, and holding up the line. There was a couple between us and the group, and they told us that this group of 7 had hopped from the Standby to the FP line, and now that they'd been "caught," they were acting like they had FPs and saying the app was malfunctioning.

We stood there for eight minutes (which seems like an eternity in that situation) while BOTH CMs tried to fix the "malfunction" and no one from the FP line moved. They finally just waved the group through, so they cheated their way in and just screwed over the rest of us who got stuck behind them. I thought it was a bummer, but what can the CMs really do? If it WAS a technical malfunction, those people would be super upset to get turned away, you know? I do wish the CMs would have moved them to the side and let those of us behind them use the other side at least, but oh well...

Gotcha! I saw this happen before max pass was a thing. Mainly in the lines that merge together fast like big thunder. People who were actual FP holders would call them out and cast members made them leave the line altogether.

 

[tink89]

Gotcha! I saw this happen before max pass was a thing. Mainly in the lines that merge together fast like big thunder. People who were actual FP holders would call them out and cast members made them leave the line altogether.

This would not happen under my watch. If you are in line and you see someone do it then let a CM know. Sometimes people don't want to speak up but trust the moment one person says something everyone else in line who saw will be on your side. I also dislike but don't say anything when one person waiting in line and then like 3 or more who were off doing something feel it it is ok to just jump through the line. I understand when its small kids and one parent but teens and adults should be able to wait .

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I also dislike but don't say anything when one person waiting in line and then like 3 or more who were off doing something feel it it is ok to just jump through the line. I understand when its small kids and one parent but teens and adults should be able to wait .

This happened to me recently on Dumbo where there was one adult "holding places in line" in front of me (unbeknownst to me of course). We went through the chain portion of the line and just when the line enters the metal railing this person's EIGHT family members ducked under the chain and cut in front of my son and me to join that one adult. I was fuming. These were adults and older kids (like 10). I understand handing a toddler over or even an adult and a toddler, but eight adults and older kids??? There was nothing I could do... the CMs were far away and I didn't want to make a scene but it's really not right.