Strategy for riding Haunted Mansion Holiday

[cruisehopeful]

We can't visit until the early afternoons. The FPs are all out and we haven't felt like waiting the stand by line. We are attempting again next Saturday and wondering if we bought MaxPass (never used it), would we have a shot at a FP or if the kiosk is out, does that mean we are out of luck even with a MP?

Another idea we have is to buy food and eat it while in line. It's just that 80 minutes in line is really long, even if we eat really slowly. Just wondering if someone else has come up with a way to ride in the afternoon without it taking the entire afternoon.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

If you get Maxpass, you can pick up cancellations, but you won’t be in a different FP pool.

We’ve ridden HMH on cancelled FPs three times this year, including last Saturday with 4:15 FPs that we picked up around 3:30. So it’s possible if you refresh, refresh, refresh, although it’s not a guarantee.

 

[VandVsmama]

If regular FP are out, they're probably out for Max Pass, too.

You could also try going on it in the last hour that the park is open. Take a look at ride wait times on your smart phone between now and when you get there to get an idea of whether or not that strategy might work for you.

 

[Aurora0427]

If regular FP are out, they're probably out for Max Pass, too.

Not necessarily true. We picked up cancelled max passes twice this last trip for a party of 5. And it was Columbus Day weekend!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

It is a gamble but totally possible to pick up canceled fast passes. I’d probably try it.

 

[figment_jii]

With MP, you have the chance at picking up cancelled FPs (these are the FPs that some other guest got earlier in the day, but has now decided they don't need/want them anymore and has cancelled them). DLR doesn't release these back to the kiosks, so only guests with MP have the chance to get them. So if you do get MP, then there is the possibility that you can get a HMH FP, but it's a matter of luck at that point. You have to be looking for one when someone cancels and then you have to be fast enough to get it. If you hesitate, there is a chance someone else will grab them.

 

[twodogs]

This is not a sure thing, but if you have a FP for something “top tier” like Indy, Space etc and that ride goes down during your FP window, it will become multi experience, and it will be good for HMH at any time for the rest of that day. Indy goes down so often, it is often a gamble that can pay off if you have time to burn a FP window on it. I’m not saying that you should do this, but if it happens on one of these rides, this would be a way to get a FP for HMH even if they are all out and you can’t pick up a cancellation via MP.

 

[midnight star]

This is not a sure thing, but if you have a FP for something “top tier” like Indy, Space etc and that ride goes down during your FP window, it will become multi experience, and it will be good for HMH at any time for the rest of that day. Indy goes down so often, it is often a gamble that can pay off if you have time to burn a FP window on it. I’m not saying that you should do this, but if it happens on one of these rides, this would be a way to get a FP for HMH even if they are all out and you can’t pick up a cancellation via MP.

This is pretty good advice. Big Thunder, Space, Indy, and Matterhorn are usually down at some point throughout the day. Now the tricky part is if those are out of fastpasses, then you wouldn't be able to do that.

 

[James From Utah]

Yes. There are Fastpasses available for people with maxpass that others can't access. If you have Maxpass and are looking for a specific ride keep refreshing and eventually it will pop up.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Yes. There are Fastpasses available for people with maxpass that others can't access. If you have Maxpass and are looking for a specific ride keep refreshing and eventually it will pop up.

As noted by others on this thread, while this does often happen, it’s definitely not a sure thing. I’ve had days where I relentlessly refreshed for a specific ride and never got it. Other times, I will pick up a bunch of great cancellations in a day. It really varies.

If you’re willing not to book other FPs and just refresh a bunch, your chances of picking up HMH at SOME point are pretty high. But, again, not a sure thing - and you wouldn’t be able to book other FPs in the meantime.

 

[WonkaKid]

I wonder if a Multiple Experiences FP night also work in this case. I got one last Sunday and was too tired to take advantage of it before I left.

 

[figment_jii]

I wonder if a Multiple Experiences FP night also work in this case. I got one last Sunday and was too tired to take advantage of it before I left.

Probably. I've usually gotten a Multiple Experience FP when an attraction was down during my FP window. You can then use that FP at any attraction that is on the list. So, as long as the attraction (in this case HMH) is on the list and operating, you could have used the Multiple Experience FP that you got when your original ride went down. Unfortunately, this isn't something you can count on happening (although, as a PP noted, it's a pretty good bet that Indy will go down at some point).

It's worth re-iterating what someone up thread mentioned. If you're going to try an pick up a cancelled FP, you cannot already have a FP for that attraction and you must be eligible to get a FP at that point. So let's say you scored a FP for HMH at 10:30 pm to 11:30 pm, but really want one earlier in the day. Then a better time of 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm pops up. You can't grab the better time because you have the 10:30 pm FP for HMH already and by the time you cancel the 10:30 pm FP, it's a good bet that the 5:00 pm one will be gone. There isn't a way to just replace an existing FP with the new one. I wish there was...

 

[superme80]

When DH and I went a few weeks ago we did stand by. We went during Fantasmic. The line was 45 mins, so we waited. We went at the end, so we had to haul it. As soon as Fantasmic was over, the line got huge again.

 

[mtoppi]

When DH and I went a few weeks ago we did stand by. We went during Fantasmic. The line was 45 mins, so we waited. We went at the end, so we had to haul it. As soon as Fantasmic was over, the line got huge again.

I did this on Monday. Got on line during Fantasmic and the wait was only 40 minutes. It jammed up again after Fantasmic was over. Then I had a maxpass for Big Thunder which went down, and I used the maxpass for a second ride on HMH. Now that I think of it, there were lots of rides going down on Monday...