Most guests know about FastPasses, allowing you to get a voucher to return to a ride anywhere from thirty minutes to hours later at Disneyland – and wait in a shorter line – but if you’re planning a trip to Disneyland, there’s another pass that is going to make traveling with kids, easier. The MaxPass is an optional add-on for Disneyland, that allows you to spend even more of your time on rides, instead of waiting in line.
You can add it on to your ticket, or purchase it the day of when you enter the park – but it won’t be activated until you enter the park. Once it has been activated, you can use it to FastPass at both parks.
How much is the MaxPass? The MaxPass has an cost of $15 per person, per day. We had three people in our party this time, so we budgeted for an extra $45 USD per day. If you check the ‘Offers’ page for Disneyland tickets, you will also find options that include the MaxPass in the ticket price.
Each member of the group will be required to connect their ticket to the app to use Disney MaxPass. This is easy to do ahead of time, by scanning their ticket into the app. Do this at home – it will save you a bit of time once you enter the park if everyone in your party’s tickets, are already in the app.
maxpass: making ride closures and multi experience passes easier to track
We were waiting heading back to the park for the second trip of the day and realised that our FastPasses for Grizzly River Run were no longer valid. The ride was broken! With the MaxPass system, if the ride breaks during the time you’re slotted to return, the FastPass turns into a Multiple Experience Pass. This pass pops up on your phone, changing your FastPass for the ride you were supposed to ride into a FastPass for any ride in the same park.
This happened twice to us, and meant that we were able to ride Splash Mountain three times in a row, with hardly any wait time at all because we had a couple of additinal Multiple Experience Passes, saved into our app. This still applies if you’ve got a regular paper Fastpass, but with the MaxPass, you’ll be notified on your mobile phone – and it’s an easier way to keep track (rather than having to keep track of the paper Fastpass tickets!)
How to Use Your Fastpass with MaxPass
Rather than scanning your paper FastPass that you obtained earlier in the day, you simply need to scan the ticket of the members of your party who have the Fastpass. Grab your phone, scan the tickets, wait for the light to turn green and you’re that much closer to getting on your favourite ride.
If there are any cancellations where FastPasses have been sold out for the day – this can happen with popular rides
Five Reasons you Should Get the MaxPass
- You can create, cancel and adjust your schedule through the app. Once you’ve stepped into the park and activated the Fastpass, you can even manage it if you leave for a Midday pool/nap break. This was an incredible tool for planning the second part of our day, when the park was noticeably busier.
- You can start even earlier during Magic Morning. You’ve got an hour in advance to start booking those Fast Passes – even in the other park!
- It’s quicker to reserve. You can save a half hour in between the time when you can book FastPasses, making it easier to stack them together. As soon as you scan your ticket, you can make your Fastpass reservation for the next ride, while you’re waiting in line!
- More. Rides. We spent three days in the park and rode Radiator Springs six times. The longest that we waited in line for the ride was about fifteen minutes, compared to the average amount of seventy-five minutes wait time without a FastPass
- The PhotoPass. As part of the MaxPass, you’ll also have access to the Photo Pass, where you can find Disney photographers around the park to take your photo. These photos are then added to your Disney account by simply scanning a code on your phone, or inputting the code (from the ride photos!). Using the Disneyland mobile app, you can even search for photographers around the park and stop by to grab your photo. It’s never been easier to get everyone in the picture. Tip: take a screenshot of the PhotoPass code and make it your screensaver, then you just need to show your phone on the lock screen without wasting your battery life!
The MaxPass was an incredible way to save time if you’re spending a short amount of time in the park. We used the MaxPass for a two day trip and rode every ride that was on our list – some as many as six times!