*No longer relevant* (Maxpass/Fastpass: an overview and some strategy)

[Skyegirl1999]

Something to look into regarding this. I might be wrong, but I think this has changed with the recent app update.

What I'm used to is the app doing a "check" before you get to the return time screen. That is, you select the FP party, then it does the "check" and if you aren't able to make a FP reservation it won't let you see the screen with all the FP return times. So, there was no way to see all the current return times at once if you aren't eligible to book a FP.

When I visited the park the other day after the app update I noticed this: I made my FP party, and then it went to the return time screen so I could see all the available return times. I got to that screen even though I was not eligible to book another FP since I had just booked one. Only AFTER I tried to book another FP, did it do the "check" and I was told I couldn't select another FP until a certain time.

I hope that made sense. But basically, I'm saying I think they changed it so that even if you have a FP booked and are are not yet eligible to book another one, you can still get to the screen that shows all the return times.

Again, I might be losing my mind, but I feel like that is different than it used to be and thought I'd mention it.

PS - awesome job with the FP/MP writeup. It's really good. I wish everyone in the park was required to read it!

For the record, I confirmed this on Sunday - I’m just waiting to edit the OP with that and the “show” details when I know exactly how they work. But yes, you can now see the Maxpass return times (including cancellations) without being eligible to book a FP. I would still remind people that in the time it takes you to cancel your existing FP, a cancellation time would be likely to disappear (but maybe you’d get lucky and it wouldn’t). It’s a convenient way to see all current return times in any case! Thanks for pointing out this change, @dieumeye!

 

[figment_jii]

I just wanted to briefly chime in regarding the new ability to get FPs for WoC and F! using MaxPass. I was able to get both and it did not impact my ability to get another attraction based FP. Essentially, I walked into Disneyland, got a FP for F!, then immediately got a FP for WoC (the show times were 30 minutes apart), and then got a FP for Haunted Mansion. So at this point, it looks like F! and WoC are still "disconnected" from the attraction FPs and from each other. You can also cancel the F! and WoC FPs just like an attraction FP. I don't know if any other procedures to redeem the FPs have changed (I cancelled both because our plans didn't include being at the parks that evening).

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I just wanted to briefly chime in regarding the new ability to get FPs for WoC and F! using MaxPass. I was able to get both and it did not impact my ability to get another attraction based FP. Essentially, I walked into Disneyland, got a FP for F!, then immediately got a FP for WoC (the show times were 30 minutes apart), and then got a FP for Haunted Mansion. So at this point, it looks like F! and WoC are still "disconnected" from the attraction FPs and from each other. You can also cancel the F! and WoC FPs just like an attraction FP. I don't know if any other procedures to redeem the FPs have changed (I cancelled both because our plans didn't include being at the parks that evening).

Thank you for this information!

 

[CarolynFH]

This thread is wonderful - thank you very much!

I wanted to confirm that something I’ve noticed is accurate - FP return times can overlap? I’m used to WDW where you can’t book a FP time that’s before the 1-hour window closes for the previous FP, but in several examples of stacking you show having a new window open 15-30 minutes after the previous one opens. That makes touring so much more efficient!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

This thread is wonderful - thank you very much!

I wanted to confirm that something I’ve noticed is accurate - FP return times can overlap? I’m used to WDW where you can’t book a FP time that’s before the 1-hour window closes for the previous FP, but in several examples of stacking you show having a new window open 15-30 minutes after the previous one opens. That makes touring so much more efficient!

You are correct; there's no restriction on FP return times overlapping. You can book multiple ones with identical return windows if you want to.

 

[HydroGuy]

This thread is wonderful - thank you very much!

I wanted to confirm that something I’ve noticed is accurate - FP return times can overlap? I’m used to WDW where you can’t book a FP time that’s before the 1-hour window closes for the previous FP, but in several examples of stacking you show having a new window open 15-30 minutes after the previous one opens. That makes touring so much more efficient!

The legacy paper FP at WDW could have overlapping FP times, and the DLR system does allow overlapping times like WDW did before. DLR is not trying to block out times like FP+.

 

[BellaandMickey]

We will be going with a group of 4 different families. Each family has their tickets with maxpasses loaded onto their own accounts. Is there a way to link our accounts so that one person can make maxpasses for everyone?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

You just scan all of the tickets into whatever phones/accounts that you want. There’s no “linking” accounts; tickets can be on as many phones as you want.

 

[ImDMous]

You can load tickets onto as many accounts as you need to, they are not limited to one. So whoever would be making the group's Maxpass could have everyone's tickets on their account.
Every time you get a FastPass using MaxPass you will have to choose which of the tickets you have linked you want to include in the group, so having too many can get a little cumbersome if you aren't always going to be together though.

 

[BellaandMickey]

Ok, I would be the one likely making the fast passes for everyone. So I can link all of their tickets to my account, on my phone, even though those same tickets are already linked to their own accounts on their own phones?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Ok, I would be the one likely making the fast passes for everyone. So I can link all of their tickets to my account, on my phone, even though those same tickets are already linked to their own accounts on their own phones?

Yup, just add them all to yours. Easy peasy.

 

[BellaandMickey]

Yup, just add them all to yours. Easy peasy.

Thanks!!

 

[kpd6901]

Ok. So, WDW vet here, first ever visit to DL.
Family of 5. Whenever we plan our WDW trips so far in advance (since that's how it is there), we schedule out the best way to limit line waits, especially since our kids have some issues. (Yes, we should probably be eligible for a DAS, but since that is never guaranteed until you show up, one MUST plan as if it will not be issued.)

So, we look at the park layout and plan our day going around the park, methodically from one section to the next, and so on, until we finish our plan for the day.

With the WDW fp+ setup, we can do a park over a couple of days and schedule our advance fastpasses appropriately for the time slots as we would be in that particular area (morning, midday, early afternoon, etc).

So, here, we have Maxpass for our upcoming June 11-16 trip. There are a couple of duplicate rides we don't need to do, but otherwise, we will plan to hit everything we can/want, and have reservations set for the F!, WoC, and SWGE already through those particular packages.

After going through the OP and the thread, it looks like we would constantly have to run our family of 5 back and forth in order to use the system for our needs, is that right? Or did the new app update change this?

For example, our first DL Park day, we plan on doing Toontown in the morning, then going through Fantasyland, and then Tomorrowland, finishing with the fireworks show (the frontier/Adventureland/critter side of the park would be split on the days that we have SWGE reservations).

Since Toontown closes early, we go there in the morning, then methodically make our way down and through. We would like to make our FP selections through the Maxpass app for Space Mountain around 6 pm, for Matterhorn around 2 pm, Peter Pan around 11ish, etc. This is also helpful for my one child on the Autism spectrum (not the DAS child, btw) who is bound to routine and plans, and does not adjust well to changes.

So, from what I read, we are just given a fp time and cannot select a time for later in the day? Or the other choice is get a fp for the popular rides when you can, and then go all the way across the park to ride it, and then go all the way back to where you were before? It seems that one can either minimize walking/backtracking OR maximize FP times but go wherever the FP takes you to, but cannot do both? Am I understanding this correctly? Or with the new update, where people are saying that can see all the times, are you able to actually choose your time?

Thanks so much!!

 

[BillFraser29]

With Maxpass there is no more running around. Just go on the app and select the FP. If you do decide to tour the park methodically land-by-land, it will take a bit of strategy and knowing how often the FP windows change for each attraction. One benefit over WDW is the closeness between attractions, so even if you have a FP one land over from where you are located, it's not that far to walk from one land (or park compared to WDW) to the next.

 

[kpd6901]

With Maxpass there is no more running around. Just go on the app and select the FP. If you do decide to tour the park methodically land-by-land, it will take a bit of strategy and knowing how often the FP windows change for each attraction. One benefit over WDW is the closeness between attractions, so even if you have a FP one land over from where you are located, it's not that far to walk from one land (or park compared to WDW) to the next.

What I meant by running around is really not by finding a kiosk 9r going to the ride first, but, getting a fp for a Space Mountain or an Indiana Jones or a GotG or something similar if we won't be in that section of the park until the evening time. It seems that my options are to get the FP time that is offered to me, and make my way over to that area, even if I need to pass by 5-6 different things that we would then have to double back to. And if I wait until 4ish to get a fp for those rides for the evening times, they would be all gone.

So, I suppose it sounds like I would need to get some type of fp simulator to guestimate when best to try for what? All while staying within the windows of when we can make them (90 minutes after setting, or riding, etc). We use Touring Plans for our WDW trips, but it doesn't seem to really figure out the Maxpass well when we use it for DL, either. Are there any suggestions out there for really helpful tools to help us figure this out?

 

[BillFraser29]

Yeah Touring Plans is really lacking with DL. I would just mess with the app a week or two before your trip and (barring any major events happening or beginning before or during your trip) use that as a guideline for when FP are available. There is so much flexibility with MaxPass there is almost always something available. If you want a specific time you just have to pay attention to when it's available on the app and hopefully you are open to book the FP at the time.

 

[kpd6901]

Yeah Touring Plans is really lacking with DL. I would just mess with the app a week or two before your trip and (barring any major events happening or beginning before or during your trip) use that as a guideline for when FP are available. There is so much flexibility with MaxPass there is almost always something available. If you want a specific time you just have to pay attention to when it's available on the app and hopefully you are open to book the FP at the time.

Thanks. The tough part is that we cannot check FP times unless we have tix linked, right? With our vacation package, we cannot yet link our tickets until we receive them when we arrive at the Tropicana the night before our first day.

 

[BillFraser29]

No you can view FP return times any time on the app, you just cannot book anything until your ticket is scanned at one of the parks.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

No you can view FP return times any time on the app, you just cannot book anything until your ticket is scanned at one of the parks.

Can you explain how? We are taking our first family DLR trip in June. I am really excited about NOT having to book FP 60 days in advance because that is so annoying. I just want to make sure I’m technologically ready to roll and I would love to watch these return times for a few days.

Edit: Do I have to already purchase tickets with Maxpass to see times?

 

[kpd6901]

Can you explain how? We are taking our first family DLR trip in June. I am really excited about NOT having to book FP 60 days in advance because that is so annoying. I just want to make sure I’m technologically ready to roll and I would love to watch these return times for a few days.

Ha! Polar opposite. Stressful, yes, but at least I know what to expect and can work my way around the lines to avoid the avoidable crowds.