MaxPass vs. Photopass + One Week

[SGarv]

So I will start by saying I am a frequent traveler to WDW and know all the ins and outs there but am making my first trip to DL for just a few short days while I am in LA and completely confused.

It is just my son and I going on this trip rather than the whole family so not a lot of people to take pictures for us but want to be sure to capture the trip. I'm not sure which path to go with because both are different than in WDW. I'm used to buying photopass and then when I get home we download them all and have them and we can view them while we are there on our phones. We can book fastpasses 60 days out from our trip so the idea of not making till that day is all new to me (or should I say old because that's how it used to be in WDW).

So long story long....I'm not sure which I should buy, for the length of our trip the MaxPass would be $60 and the Photopass would be $69. I believe that with MaxPass I have the ability to make fastpasses from my phone rather than the kiosks but have to download all the pictures from that day or they disappear. With Photopass + OneWeek I can download all the pictures when I get home but I don't have the fastpass capability.

Are those accurate accounts and does anyone have any advice?

 

[jocarol]

You have 45 days from the day they were taken to download photos. MaxPass rules are the same as PhotoPass in this regard.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

So I will start by saying I am a frequent traveler to WDW and know all the ins and outs there but am making my first trip to DL for just a few short days while I am in LA and completely confused.

It is just my son and I going on this trip rather than the whole family so not a lot of people to take pictures for us but want to be sure to capture the trip. I'm not sure which path to go with because both are different than in WDW. I'm used to buying photopass and then when I get home we download them all and have them and we can view them while we are there on our phones. We can book fastpasses 60 days out from our trip so the idea of not making till that day is all new to me (or should I say old because that's how it used to be in WDW).

So long story long....I'm not sure which I should buy, for the length of our trip the MaxPass would be $60 and the Photopass would be $69. I believe that with MaxPass I have the ability to make fastpasses from my phone rather than the kiosks but have to download all the pictures from that day or they disappear. With Photopass + OneWeek I can download all the pictures when I get home but I don't have the fastpass capability.

Are those accurate accounts and does anyone have any advice?

Get MaxPass, the poster above is correct - you have 45 days to access your photos.

 

[SGarv]

Are you both positive about the 45 day window? Because what I read below on Disney's website does not sound like that is accurate

• If you have purchased Disney MaxPass for One Day, you will be able to download Disney PhotoPass photos and other digital content associated with your Disney account captured at the Disneyland Resort beginning at 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time on the day you purchase your Disney MaxPass benefit if purchased after park entry, or on the day of theme park ticket use if purchased as part of a theme park ticket, and ending at 5:59 a.m. Pacific Time on the following day. For Disney PhotoPass photos without a PhotoPass card that were captured during such day but prior to that day’s activation of Disney MaxPass, please visit a Disney PhotoPass Sales Center that day to have your photos linked to your Disney account. Other restrictions may apply.

 

[PacNWTigger]

If you have the app on your phone, which you need to in order to utilize MaxPass it is no problem to link the photos. I used it a couple of months ago, and I had no issues other than spotty wifi connections. There is a photo pass code once you activate your MaxPass for the day to allow the photographers to link it directly instead of using the cards they pass out. I think you only need to go to the PhotoPass center if you're having difficulty linking the pics that are taken or if you want prints.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Are you both positive about the 45 day window? Because what I read below on Disney's website does not sound like that is accurate

• If you have purchased Disney MaxPass for One Day, you will be able to download Disney PhotoPass photos and other digital content associated with your Disney account captured at the Disneyland Resort beginning at 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time on the day you purchase your Disney MaxPass benefit if purchased after park entry, or on the day of theme park ticket use if purchased as part of a theme park ticket, and ending at 5:59 a.m. Pacific Time on the following day. For Disney PhotoPass photos without a PhotoPass card that were captured during such day but prior to that day’s activation of Disney MaxPass, please visit a Disney PhotoPass Sales Center that day to have your photos linked to your Disney account. Other restrictions may apply.

Positive! Just checked the app - it's been over two weeks and I can still download all my photos.

 

[jocarol]

The key words there are "captured at." That's explaining which photos you can download, not when they can be downloaded.

 

[jocarol]

I worry now though whether I'll be able to get all my race photos next week. The 10K starts Saturday at 5 am, but according to this the photopass window starts at 6 am, and I won't have MaxPass Friday.

 

[materbuddy]

Do you have to purchase the photopass+ one week prior to arrival? We will be going to DL in February.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Do you have to purchase the photopass+ one week prior to arrival? We will be going to DL in February.

Not that I'm aware of. You may get a discount on the week package if you buy early, but that's it. If you're planning on using MaxPass during your trip, you don't need PhotoPass+ as MaxPass includes it.

 

[Disneyfan1981]

Just came back from DL and I'll never go without MaxPass again. Yes it was the busy holiday season but the park was massively busy so we bought it on one day and loved it, very simple to use and you can add attraction photos to the app and simply download them into your camera rolls as soon as they appear and the fact you can book them one after the other based on availability is great. I was very skeptical about MaxPass and the second day we went without and it was a nightmare to navigate the park just to get the paper tickets. I'm sold, I would highly suggest it and simply have the pictures (you can even link the attraction photos via the app to your photopass) and just download them as you go.

 

[Curious Constance]

Just came back from DL and I'll never go without MaxPass again. Yes it was the busy holiday season but the park was massively busy so we bought it on one day and loved it, very simple to use and you can add attraction photos to the app and simply download them into your camera rolls as soon as they appear and the fact you can book them one after the other based on availability is great. I was very skeptical about MaxPass and the second day we went without and it was a nightmare to navigate the park just to get the paper tickets. I'm sold, I would highly suggest it and simply have the pictures (you can even link the attraction photos via the app to your photopass) and just download them as you go.

The ride attraction addition is a big plus. Those things cost a lot of money. And for people who don't go to the parks that often, like my family, they are great souvenirs to bring home. One of my favorite ride photos is all four of us on Splash Mountain. Me and my son were in the back together because he was still really little. And my husband and daughter was in front of us, but you couldn't see him. He was so scared he went down into the log. LOL All you could see if a couple of the stripes on his shirt. Oh my god, we laugh and laugh when we look at that.

 

[dweezil78]

MaxPass is totally worth it for the FP functionality IMO -- the photos are a nice bonus. As all the west coasters who have not had a chance to use FP+ in WDW are quickly learning, not having to run around the park from kiosk to kiosk is a game changer. (It's even better in WDW where you can actually pick your time!) I hate that it costs $10 per day/per person, but I still think it is very much worth it especially if you stay on top of things and stack your FPs.

As for the photos, realistically, there are only what... 4 attractions between both parks that have on-ride photos right now w/ CS closed? All the other photographers will happily snap your pic with your own camera/smartphone and the quality isn't all that much better on what they're using. Hard to say a photopass by itself is worth it unless you want a ton of on-ride photos.

Either way, MaxPass comes out cheaper and is the way to go!

 

[BalooChicago]

My son will have a DAS on our upcoming trip (he needed a wheelchair at WDW last year, but think he's recovered enough to try DL without). We did Photopass on our last DL trip, so I'm thinking Maxpass makes sense - or does the DAS mess it up?