Disney MaxPass reviews

[D.Silentu]

"Honestly I can't wait until every attraction has some form of virtual queuing and all standby lines are eliminated. Nothing sucks the fun out of a day at a Disney park more than a 60 minute wait for a 3 minute ride."
-Dr. Hans Reinhardt


Isn't it interesting that there's such an effort to make Star Wars land a realistic experience and yet evidence points to long queue's being built for both rides, rather than trying something like you say.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Look forward to Avatar style holding rooms and arm waving.

 

[flynnibus]

But with MaxPass and FP too, you don't have to redeem your current FP to get the next one. You can get another FP when the return window start time on your current FP has passed right? MaxPass, like you say, is just more efficient because you don't have to to walk to the next FP station and can book it on your phone.

By "redeem" you mean actually using the FP at the attraction and not collecting them at the FP stations right?

Redeem is to trade the toekn in for it's value.. so yes, to 'use' the FP, not collect it. Maxpass hasn't changed the rules of FP at Disneyland.. just made it incredibly easier to collect a FP, adds the ability to nullify a previously collected FP. Disney has updated the FP model ahead of time adding validation of FPs at redemption and removing the minimum wait times for FP windows (which is one of the biggest changes to the FP system in ages.. yet people are glossing over the potential impact).

 

[mickEblu]

Redeem is to trade the toekn in for it's value.. so yes, to 'use' the FP, not collect it. Maxpass hasn't changed the rules of FP at Disneyland.. just made it incredibly easier to collect a FP, adds the ability to nullify a previously collected FP. Disney has updated the FP model ahead of time adding validation of FPs at redemption and removing the minimum wait times for FP windows (which is one of the biggest changes to the FP system in ages.. yet people are glossing over the potential impact).

Agree with all this but you kind of skipped over my main point. In an earier response to Phruby you mentioned that being able to get another FP as soon as you have redeemed your current one as a benefit of MaxPass. My point was that this is not a new benefit as you you could previously obtain a new FP as soon as the return window start time on your current FP passed. The real game changer is the removal of the 30/40 minute freeze period which is a new benefit not exclusive to MaxPass users.

MaxPass has two benefits. Not having to physically walk to a machine and the ability to cancel.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

MaxPass has two benefits. Not having to physically walk to a machine and the ability to cancel.

The cancellation offers another big benefit - the ability to pick up other people's canceled times, which you can't do on paper FP. This can be a big boon if you keep an eye on availability in the app.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Isn't it interesting that there's such an effort to make Star Wars land a realistic experience and yet evidence points to long queue's being built for both rides, rather than trying something like you say.

Yes, and nothing screams "I'm at a theme park" to me more than standing in a boring slow moving line. In most instances at Disney theme parks queues are essentially a roadblock between a carefully crafted themed show and the meat of the experience. Wouldn't it be awesome if WDI (or Universal?) could solve the challenge of how to eliminate lines and efficiently manage crowd flow at attractions, and the open spaces between them? It would be a revolutionary change for the theme park industry.

 

[mickEblu]

The cancellation offers another big benefit - the ability to pick up other people's canceled times, which you can't do on paper FP. This can be a big boon if you keep an eye on availability in the app.

That is an interesting perk. What is the window of time that a MaxPass user has to cancel an FP? With that said, I think cancellations will be somewhat rare.

 

[mickEblu]

Yes, and nothing screams "I'm at a theme park" to me more than standing in boring slow moving line. In most instances at Disney theme parks queues are essentially a roadblock between a carefully crafted themed show and the meat of the experience. Wouldn't it be awesome if WDI (or Universal?) could solve the challenge of how to eliminate lines and efficiently manage crowd flow at attractions, and the open spaces between them? It would be a revolutionary change for the theme park industry.

It would be amazing but probably impossible. The real change needs to happen at the entry gate.

 

[Phroobar]

It would be amazing but probably impossible. The real change needs to happen at the entry gate.

Yeah, let less people in in the first place.

 

[Emmanuel]

The cancellation offers another big benefit - the ability to pick up other people's canceled times, which you can't do on paper FP. This can be a big boon if you keep an eye on availability in the app.

That's what I noticed this morning. My first Guardians FP was at 8:55. Checked to see when the next one was available after I used my first FP and it was 10am. I thought that since the return times available wasn't 10am at the FP station I assumed someone cancelled a 10am fastpass

 

[nevol]

Yes, and nothing screams "I'm at a theme park" to me more than standing in boring slow moving line. In most instances at Disney theme parks queues are essentially a roadblock between a carefully crafted themed show and the meat of the experience. Wouldn't it be awesome if WDI (or Universal?) could solve the challenge of how to eliminate lines and efficiently manage crowd flow at attractions, and the open spaces between them? It would be a revolutionary change for the theme park industry.

I agree. In execution so far though, all of these efforts to introduce a new queuing system just create second queues and slow down the queues they left behind. The lines wouldn't be as slow if fastpass wasn't eating up every other group of people entering space mountain, for example. I would honestly prefer a park with no fastpass at all over the fastpass/maxpass park. Something like what Uni tried to introduce with volcano bay sounds ideal in intent, but in execution people were waiting several hours to be able to access their water coaster and then once their access was granted, waiting another several hours. Sorry if I'm just stating the obvious here. haven't been watching this thread closely, but visiting the resort next weekend so I'm skimming it now to avoid any surprises.

 

[Emmanuel]

Both Space and Guardians broke down so my FPs for those turned into a "Multiple Experience" fastpass that can be used at any FP ride

 

[Deleted member 107043]

What do you guys suppose would happen if they did away with regular FP and only offered MP? It's obviously more efficient, but I'm curious to understand if negativity impacts standbys more than FP already does.

 

[flynnibus]

What do you guys suppose would happen if they did away with regular FP and only offered MP? It's obviously more efficient, but I'm curious to understand if negativity impacts standbys more than FP already does.

The how many FPs they offer is far more significant than the efficiencies MP brings. So, it's on Disney's FP management to make things be a negative or not..

 

[Curious Constance]

The how many FPs they offer is far more significant than the efficiencies MP brings. So, it's on Disney's FP management to make things be a negative or not..

So then you're saying it's hopeless?

 

[flynnibus]

So then you're saying it's hopeless?

I'm saying don't sweat the little things. How much fp impacts standby is completely under the control of Disney by controlling number of fp and ratios

 

[JD2000]

Now I am confused about this approximately 40 minute restriction that used to exist. Did it have you wait a minimum of 40 minutes before you could get another fastpass, or did it set the return time a minimum of 40 minutes away (similar to the 2 hour maximum)?

 

[flynnibus]

Now I am confused about this approximately 40 minute restriction that used to exist. Did it have you wait a minimum of 40 minutes before you could get another fastpass, or did it set the return time a minimum of 40 minutes away (similar to the 2 hour maximum)?

Previously (and still how WDW operates)... A FP return window for a NEW FP would never be sooner than 30-40mins from the time you picked up the FP. Now, the return window can be as soon as 'now'.

 

[Phroobar]

Previously (and still how WDW operates)... A FP return window for a NEW FP would never be sooner than 30-40mins from the time you picked up the FP. Now, the return window can be as soon as 'now'.

This seems completely broken to me. It allows people with FPs to ride multiple times while people in the stand by line move even slower. It is too weighted in the FP side now. With the 30-40min wait between passes things were more balanced.

 

[flynnibus]

This seems completely broken to me. It allows people with FPs to ride multiple times while people in the stand by line move even slower. It is too weighted in the FP side now. With the 30-40min wait between passes things were more balanced.

Agree - which is why earlier I said that was the more significant change that no one seems to be looking at

Personally I bet it's an experiment to see what behaviors would be in a 'FP first' world... or even 'FP only' type of setup.