Big changes have come to Disneyland’s FASTPASS service. The long-anticipated MaxPass has finally arrived. I had the chance to give MaxPass a major test run a few weeks ago on a trip to Disneyland and was very pleased with the results.
As with any new system, there is a lot to learn. If you are not a frequent Disneyland visitor or were not entirely familiar with the regular FASTPASS system, adding this additional wrinkle is probably even more confusing.
But never fear! I’ve gathered all the questions I’ve heard from fellow Disneyland guests – regulars and first timers – and am answering them all so you can be prepared for your next trip.
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Disneyland MaxPass Questions Answered
1. What is FASTPASS? And what is MaxPass?
Let’s start with the most basic of basics. FASTPASS is Disney’s digital queuing system. It’s similar to any theme park cut-the-line service. Guests pre-book a ride reservation time and return later through an express queue with reduced waits. It has been around for years and mostly has stayed the same until MaxPass was introduced.
MaxPass adds an additional change on top of the old system. MaxPass allows guests to book FASTPASSES on a smartphone. The old FASTPASS system required guests to run from ride to ride and use their ticket to pull paper slips with FASTPASS return times. MaxPass makes it all digital. You link your ticket in the official Disneyland app and manage it all from your phone. You can even manage all the tickets for everyone in your family with just one phone.
Book and redeem MaxPass using your smartphone.
2. How much does MaxPass Cost?
The regular Disneyland FASTPASS system was free. MaxPass unfortunately is not. It will run you $10 per person per day. For bigger families on a longer vacation, the costs can obviously add up. (Kids under 3 who don’t need a ticket, of course, don’t need MaxPass.) But keep reading to find out why I think this cost may very well be money well spent for most guests.
3. Do I have to use MaxPass?
No. The good news is that you are not required to buy MaxPass just to use the FASTPASS system. Guests can still book FASTPASSES from the kiosks outside each ride that offers FASTPASS.
Disneyland’s paper Fastpasses of old.
The system is slightly different, however, than what guests were used to from the old paper ticket days. You still scan your park ticket and receive a paper slip “reminder” time of your Fastpass reservation time. But when the time comes to redeem your Fastpasses, you don’t use the reminder slip anymore. Instead, you scan your park ticket barcode. (Note: some rides have two scanners in the Fastpass return lanes and some have one which is a bit confusing.)
Reminder signs to inform guests to use their park tickets instead of paper slips to redeem FASTPASS.
Trips With Tykes Tip:As you can probably imagine, all this taking out and putting away of park tickets could easily be a recipe for a lost ticket. Take a photo of the park tickets’ full barcode for every member of your traveling party when you get them so you can replace in the event of a loss.
4. When and how can I purchase the MaxPass add on?
If you already have park tickets, you can purchase MaxPass on your smartphone in the Disneyland app as soon as you enter the parks for the day. I highly recommend having the app on your phone before your trip with a credit card linked so you can make this process as seamless as possible. Link your ticket and go to the screen below and click “Get FastPass.” Follow the prompts to complete the process.
The “Get Fastpass” button is the key to buying and booking FASTPASSES using MaxPass in the app.
If you buy your tickets directly from Disney (either in the app or online), you can now pre-purchase tickets that include MaxPass. The extra charge is built into the total price.
But I don’t recommend buying your tickets from Disney. Why? You’ll pay full price! Friends don’t let friends spend unnecessary money at Disney. I have a partnership with the largest seller of Disneyland vacations, Get Away Today, where you can buy your tickets or Disneyland vacation packages at a discount. The savings can be up to $15 per adult ticket on ticket-only purchases (depending on ticket type and trip length), which more than makes up for a day of MaxPass. Use promo code TYKES10 for an extra $10 off all package stays of 2 nights or more.
5. What rides have MaxPass?
The very same rides that offer FASTPASS are available for MaxPass booking (see Disneyland’s full list of FASTPASS attractions here). Most of them are the more popular thrill rides with height minimums, but a few family-friendly rides are on the system too. Most notably, these include Toy Story Mania in California Adventure and Buzz Lightyear at Disneyland Park.
6. When can I book my FASTPASSES digitally using MaxPass?
As soon as you enter either park, you can view FASTPASS selection times in the app like this.
Disneyland’s MaxPass service is only available to book FASTPASSES same day. If you are used to bookingFASTPASSES using My Disney Experience at Walt Disney World 30 or 60 days in advance, this isn’t that. This gives locals and last minute guests the same leg up as guests who plan their vacations many months early.
Additionally, you can currently only purchase MaxPass and book FASTPASS times after you scan your ticket and enter the park for the first time for the day. No cheating from your hotel room while eating breakfast or in the esplanade in line!
7. Do I have to be in the parks to book FASTPASSES on the app using MaxPass?
No. Once you enter any park and have your ticket scanned for the day, you can book MaxPasses anywhere for the rest of the day. So if you take a mid-day break to back at your hotel, you can keep booking MaxPasses from there. In addition, you can book MaxPasses for rides in either park no matter which park you are in.
8. Is there a limit to the number of FASTPASSES I can get with MaxPass?
No. Just as with the old FASTPASS system, the sky is the limit! If you can grab them and use them quickly, you can easily get 10 or more in a single day with efficient use of the system. Remember – this is not like Walt Disney World where guests are limited to three pre-booked Fastpass+ reservations (and cannot get another Fastpass until they have redeemed all 3). Use the system to your advantage! At one point during my trip, I had 4 at one time waiting in my account without even trying too hard.
9. How is MaxPass different from FASTPASS+ and the Walt Disney World system?
No Magic Bands at Disneyland. They are still a Walt Disney World only perk.
While we are on the topic of Disney World, it’s a good time to compare the two systems more generally. While MaxPass certainly uses some of the same technology under the hood that Walt Disney World uses with FASTPASS+ and MyMagic+, the systems are very different. The major differences of note are:
- Disneyland’s system has same day booking only. No pre-booking in advance of your trip.
- Disneyland does not have MagicBands like Walt Disney World. You use a barcode on your smartphone or your ticket barcode to redeem MaxPasses.
- You cannot get additional FASTPASSES at Walt Disney World until you have redeemed all three of your pre-booked ones. At Disneyland, you can amass many in your account, subject to the time rules the system will tell you about when you are eligible to book a new one.
10. Can I still grab regular paper FASTPASSES using my ticket at the kiosks and also use MaxPass?
Whether you are using MaxPass or digital Fastpass, redeem at these kiosks using your park ticket or smartphone barcode.
Not exactly. If you are dreaming of double-dipping, it doesn’t work that way. You can’t both book MaxPasses in the app and also use your ticket to get the regular FASTPASSES. The systems are linked.
You can, however, still book FASTPASSES at the kiosks using your park ticket instead of using the MaxPass system even if you have paid for MaxPass. But there are a few reasons I would not recommend that. First, walking to any kiosk takes time. There’s no reason to waste even a second of precious time at Disneyland!
Second and more importantly, however, is the fact that the two systems do not give you the same return time for the same ride. In every instance I observed, I was able to snag an earlier and better return time on MaxPass than what the regular FASTPASS kiosks offered. See the example below at Space Mountain. The FASTPASS kiosks were offering a return time of 9:20-10:20pm, but I was able to reserve on my phone at that very same second for 9:05-10:05pm.
Hard to photograph, but the app was offering a 9:05-10:05 pm return time with MaxPass while the kiosk showed a return time of 9:20-10:20pm.
11. What are the features and perks I get with MaxPass that I don’t get with regular FASTPASS?
As I already mentioned, there is pretty strong evidence that guests who use MaxPass get superior return times. But MaxPass offers a few more features that FASTPASS only guests don’t get.
First, MaxPass gives guests more flexibility. MaxPass allows you to cancel FASTPASS reservations you have and rebook right in the app. So if your dinner reservation is running long or your plans change, you can change on the fly without having to let FASTPASS reservations go unused.
MaxPass includes PhotoPass, meaning you get all your cheeky ride shots like this one.
Second, MaxPass currently includes Photopass! MaxPass gives you access to all your digital photo downloads as part of the $10 per person price. If you used to always purchase Photopass on your Disney vacations, that service just got cheaper for you.
12. Speaking of PhotoPass, can I use MaxPass just for PhotoPass?
Yes! A lot of families are doing just this to save money on PhotoPass. Even if MaxPass for the whole family isn’t in your vacation budget, you should still considering paying for 1 person to get MaxPass each day. For just $10 per day, you can collect all your PhotoPass memories at a discount.
To make this work, you have two options: 1) either scan the smartphone of the person with MaxPass when you get your photo taken or 2) ask the photographer for a PhotoPass card and later enter the code into the app for the person with MaxPass.
13. How’s the WiFi at Disneyland?
Disneyland has WiFi, but it’s not everywhere and you may experience connection issues.
Since MaxPass is all done on your phone in the Disneyland app, you probably realize this requires WiFi or data service. Unfortunately, I cannot promise that the Disneyland WiFi is up to snuff. If you are used to Walt Disney World’s WiFi everywhere, Disneyland is just not there yet. It has hotspots set up in strategic locations but the dead spots are plentiful. In addition, I had a lot of technical trouble getting my phone to connect to the network at all. The system would boot me off regularly and I’d have to start all over with reconnecting.
As a result, I relied entirely on cell data my last trip. And as many guests know, the park has a lot of cell data dead spots, depending on what carrier you have. (I have Sprint and I routinely get no service in most of Hollywoodland in DCA and inside nearly every ride building.) So, plan accordingly. You can always use your park ticket to redeem a MaxPass if your phone won’t connect. Alternately, take screenshots of your MaxPass return times and barcodes and scan those. Here’s to hoping WiFi gets an upgrade soon.
14. Using my smartphone all the time for MaxPass is going to drain my phone battery. What should I do?
The easiest thing to do to keep your cell phone charged is to bring a portable battery pack charger with you in your Disney day bag. My favorite is the Jackery Bar (approx $20), which holds three full iPhone charges from a single recharge. No more searching for outlets to juice up your phone or paying for a cell phone locker to leave your phone to charge for awhile. You can just charge it from your pocket or in your purse on the go.
My extensive and well-used collection of portable battery chargers (my fave? the Jackery Bar 6000 – the larger of the orange ones).
Disneyland offers one brand of charger, the Fuel Rod, in small vending machines in the parks if you find yourself in a pinch. The cost is $30 so it’s not necessarily an entirely competitive price, although Fuel Rods can be found in many airports for just $20. The advantage of Fuel Rods (besides the obvious convenience of being there when you’re in a bind) is that you can trade them in. So if you use all the charge from one up, you can trade them in for a new fully charged one in any of the park kiosks.
In a pinch, Disneyland sells Fuel Rod chargers for $30. (But we recommend bringing one from home to save money!)
15. How does MaxPass work for Annual Passholders?
If you have an AP, then MaxPass choices are a bit more complicated, depending on what pass you have. The top-level Disney Premier Passports and Signature Plus APs include MaxPass for free.
All other annual passholders can add MaxPass for $75 for the remainder of their pass duration or buy the $10 single day option. For passholders with passes that expire soon, the daily a la carte option may be a better deal. (Note that Signature passes included Photopass in the past but no longer will for new passholders. So there is a little bit of a devaluation that happened for Signatures APs as part of the MaxPass rollout. So it goes.)
16. How does MaxPass affect Rider Switch?
The old paper Rider Switch tickets have all gone digital now with MaxPass!
Disneyland’s Rider Switch is a system that allows parents to trade off caring for little kids too small for certain rides while having to wait in line only once. While the same bones are in place, there is now a time limit to redeem Rider Switch passes and a limit of one at a time. See my guide to Rider Switch and MaxPass for more details.
17. How does MaxPass affect Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS)?
The same DAS rules that you are already used to are still in effect. See Disneyland’s guide to DAS or some of the stories below from bloggers I trust who have first hand experience with it at Disneyland:
- Disney’s Disability Access Service from Love Our Crazy Life
- Tips on Making Disneyland DAS Work for You from Mom Rewritten
18. Does MaxPass work during Extra Magic Hour? How about special events like Mickey’s Halloween Party?
No MaxPass during Mickey’s Halloween Party special events, but you can book them during Extra Magic Hour!
For many years, FASTPASSES were not available until the regular park hours started. Guests who entered during special early entry methods like “Extra Magic Hour” or “Magic Morning” could not get a head start on FASTPASS. But that rule slowly was bent awhile ago and is no longer the case under MaxPass. When I visited, I was able to book Maxpasses for any ride in either park after I entered the parks during Extra Magic Hour.
Special events, however, still do not offer FASTPASS or thus – by extension – MaxPass. Events like Mickey’s Halloween Party, however, are more capacity restricted so lines are usually more reasonable.
19. Can I use MaxPass to book evening shows like World of Color and Fantasmic?
No. Both the evening shows, World of Color in California Adventure and Fantasmic in Disneyland Park, offer FASTPASSES for reserved seating. But you cannot book those digitally in the app with MaxPass. You need to go to the in-person distribution centers to get old school paper FASTPASSES. These passes are not tied into the other digital systems so they do not affect your ability to book other FASTPASSES or MaxPasses at any time.
20. Any hacks or tricks with MaxPass I should know about to maximize it even more?
You guys know I’m all about the hacks here at Trips With Tykes! So for more advanced users, here are the best tricks I know so far to truly maximize MaxPass.
(Of course, I’m on the lookout for more. MaxPass is still in its infancy and I’m sure there is more to be discovered! Send me an email or Facebook message if you discover something not mentioned here).
First, as I already mentioned, since MaxPass includes Photopass (which runs $39 a day), one hack that many guests are using is for one member of the family to purchase MaxPass at $10 simply for the Photopass privileges alone. Instant $29 savings.
Second, there is still some hackability left with Rider Switch for families with babies and toddlers. See this post that details how to split the team to get more rides.
Third, another trick (h/t to Casey at Disneyland Daily for this one) to know about is that you may be eligible for a new MaxPass earlier than you think – and earlier than the system tells you. One example to demonstrate a common loophole:
- At 11:50am, you go onto the app to book a MaxPass.
- You see that a MaxPass is available nearly right away for Space Mountain for 12:00pm-1:00pm window. You book it.
- The app will then tell you that you are eligible for another MaxPass starting at 12:20pm – exactly 30 minutes away. This is the minimum wait time the app will give you between MaxPasses.
- At 12:01pm, you get in line for Space Mountain and redeem your MaxPass.
- You will find you are immediately eligible to book another MaxPass in the app even though your 30 minute window isn’t complete. In short, redeeming your MaxPass can make you eligible again early!
Fourth and finally, the system gives you a little perk if a ride you have a MaxPass booked for a ride that goes down. You will find that your MaxPass turns into a “Multiple Experiences” FASTPASS for any ride in that park. When I visited, Soarin’ went down right before I was due to ride it. So I received a free FASTPASS for any ride in California Adventure I could use all day. Note that some of the most popular rides are blacked out but it can be a great way to sneak in an attraction that you otherwise would miss!
If a ride goes down and you have a FASTPASS for it, you get this bonus to use all day at other attractions in that park!
21. Is MaxPass Worth It?
Last but certainly not least is the question I’ve heard the most: “Is MaxPass worth it?” My short answer? Yes. And yes. And yes. Of course, if you aren’t planning to ride more than just a couple of the rides that offer FASTPASS, it’s probably not for you. But most families ride these attractions even with little ones thanks to Rider Switch.
Not everyone tours the parks the same way, but I really loved how much time it saved for me. We are a family that heavily uses FASTPASS. This meant that my husband logged a lot of extra miles running from kiosk to kiosk to grab them for our family. MaxPass saves us a ton of time and energy – well worth $40 a day for us as a family of 4. I’d rather save money elsewhere – on dining, hotel, etc. – than skip on this perk.
At this point, I’m only speaking from anecdotal experience, but I also felt I was able to get more FASTPASSES and ride more rides more often with MaxPass. The longest the app ever made me wait to get a new MaxPass was 1.5 hours. The old FASTPASS system had a maximum of a 2 hour wait. That half hour makes a difference. I also found that the MaxPass system had a number of rides that I could book a Maxpass for almost immediately. It wasn’t uncommon that I saw options like this:
At 12:56pm, I could book a California Screamin’ Fastpass with Maxpass for 1:00pm – just 4 minutes later!
In addition, the flexibility of being able to cancel a reservation and make a new one is especially valuable. If you have little ones like I do and are tied to their schedule and needs, often unexpectedly, you know what I mean.
So the bottom line is: I think MaxPass is pretty darn great. I’ll be happily purchasing it on my future Disneyland trips.
Disclosure: Disneyland provided me with a complimentary ticket with MaxPass on my last visit. As always, all opinions are my own.
Looking for more MaxPass resources? These are the best of the best around the web.
- Official MaxPass Information from Disneyland’s Website
- Fastpass Guide for Disneyland and DCA from Disneyland Daily
- Disneyland MaxPass from TravelingMom
- Video MaxPass Demo from Thingamavlogs
- Tested Tips for Using MaxPass from Mom Rewritten
- Disney MaxPass from The Happiest Blog on Earth
- Disneyland’s Digital Fastpass System from Love Our Crazy Life
Mary says
Thank you for this! Headed there tomorrow and excited to use the Max Pass for the first time. I have a question though. In the article you said, “, I had 4 at one time waiting in my account without even trying too hard,” yet I thought you can’t get a second pass in your account until you get in line for the one you’re currently holding. How can you have four in your account at one time? Thanks so much!
Laura S says
We have 3 adults and 2 kids. (5 & 7) we are thinking of paying for 5 adult tickets and using the kids tickets to book separate fastpasses, whilst the ‘adult’ tickets are tied up on another fast pass. Do you think this would work? The cost in price of a ticket for kids and adults isn’t much so I think it would pay for itself as the kids wont go on all the thrill rides and will wait with the 5th adult (gran).
Alex says
Does every adult have to scan their phone if we are all doing the same time fastpass? We have three kids and four adults going. It kinda seems annoying to have to all pull out our phones.
Susan says
The Happiest Blog on Earth states that “The one FASTPASS at a time rule still applies (entire resort, not per park)”. Your very helpful update mentions that there is no limit to them. What gives? Thanks.
tripswithtykes says
Thanks for leaving a question – I definitely need to make this more clear in my post. There is no limit, within the limits of the rules of the system. The system tells you when you are eligible for another Fastpass when you get your first on the app. It can be as soon as 30 minutes later or as late as 1.5 hours later. You don’t have to redeem your FP to get another in your account at that time. So it is possible, depending on how the time windows of various FPs overlap, to have 3-4 unredeemed Fastpasses in your account at a given time if you are booking them as soon as you are eligible. This happens often if you book a FP for a very popular ride like Radiator Springs Racers, which might give you a return time 5 hours later. But you will be eligible for another FP just 1.5 hours later so you can get another in your account before you can even redeem your FP for Radiator Springs Racers. You can definitely hold more than one FP at a time, but you just can’t book them one after the other whenever you want. You have to watch the times and work within the rules of the system to max it out.
Amanda says
I know I have to enter a park before using MaxPass but If I enter before the rope drops, can I get a fast pass right away or do I have to wait until rope drop?
Crystal g says
So glad I read this before our trip! We decided to go with maxpass and it was such a huge help! It made it so much easier than having to physically pick up the ticket and I think we ended up riding a lot more rides than if we didnt use maxpass. It was so nice to be able to make selections while back at the room for nap time.