MaxPass / Digital Fastpass - Discussion Thread

[DisneyJamieCA]

The CM told Casey it was on their CM schedule to start June 15th.

I sure hope they make an announcement soon then! Especially what their plan is regarding APs. Given the two dates given in this thread, it's either the day we get there or the day we leave! Would be nice to know if we'll need to plan/adjust for this.

 

[trishadono]

[GALLERY=][/GALLERY]

It was on her blog from this morning. I can't link it, but I'll try to post this screenshot.

Keeping my fingers crossed we arrive the 15th, although after park close. That gives one day for them to try it and be ready for me in the morning on the 16th!

Last year was my first dl trip. Running for passes we had 20,000 steps a day. I really do t need that many!

However we will have a great time either way. We are going to Disneyland !!! Right?

 

[sunryzez]

I hope it is not starting the 15th. It is our first trip to DisneyLand and I know they are already doing major reconstruction on hotel that I am worried about. I feel like if they are doing it on the 15th they would of announced it already...I would hate to find out a a day or two before and have to try to scramble figuring out plans all over! We are a family of 6 so it would not be cheap but I would buy it if there was not other way to get a fast pass......

 

[Niltiac]

We are a family of 6 so it would not be cheap but I would buy it if there was not other way to get a fast pass......

I believe they have already officially said that regular paper FP will still be available for free.

 

[Mome Rath]

I hope it is not starting the 15th. It is our first trip to DisneyLand and I know they are already doing major reconstruction on hotel that I am worried about. I feel like if they are doing it on the 15th they would of announced it already...I would hate to find out a a day or two before and have to try to scramble figuring out plans all over! We are a family of 6 so it would not be cheap but I would buy it if there was not other way to get a fast pass......

What their plan appears to be is to leave the paper FP's in place. What is speculated is that if the MaxPass draws from the same "pool" as the paper FP's then the paper FP's will run out sooner... I would guess that would impact the more popular rides first, such as Guardians.

 

[Khokhonutt]

What their plan appears to be is to leave the paper FP's in place. What is speculated is that if the MaxPass draws from the same "pool" as the paper FP's then the paper FP's will run out sooner... I would guess that would impact the more popular rides first, such as Guardians.

But isn't the only real difference between maxpass and paper fastpass (aside from the photopass option) the method you pull and utilize the fastpass? I.E. you're either pulling a paper fastpass and handing it in when you ride or you're pulling an electronic fastpass and having them scan your phone when you ride. With that in mind, the only advantage is the ability to pull said fastpass from anywhere in the park. All the rest of the same rules would apply. With that in mind, I'm not sure I understand why maxpass would deplete the pool of fastpasses significantly faster. Sure, I could pull a Guardians FP from DL, but then I still have to wait on either my return time or 2 hours to pull another fastpass. I could certainly be wrong, but it seems to me the biggest advantage with maxpass is the efficiency in pulling the FP, not the quantity of FPs I can hold. Oh and the photopass part.

 

[mom2rtk]

But isn't the only real difference between maxpass and paper fastpass (aside from the photopass option) the method you pull and utilize the fastpass? I.E. you're either pulling a paper fastpass and handing it in when you ride or you're pulling an electronic fastpass and having them scan your phone when you ride. With that in mind, the only advantage is the ability to pull said fastpass from anywhere in the park. All the rest of the same rules would apply. With that in mind, I'm not sure I understand why maxpass would deplete the pool of fastpasses significantly faster. Sure, I could pull a Guardians FP from DL, but then I still have to wait on either my return time or 2 hours to pull another fastpass. I could certainly be wrong, but it seems to me the biggest advantage with maxpass is the efficiency in pulling the FP, not the quantity of FPs I can hold. Oh and the photopass part.

Anything that is easier to use gets used more.

 

[Mome Rath]

Yes, it would get used more, and faster, since there is less walking time involved in getting the FP, perhaps only a few minutes but if you have a wave of people "pulling" FP's via MaxPass in the mornings, it would decrease the pool faster, as it cuts walking time and line time getting a FP at popular attractions. I can only say from my POV, I don't like paper FP's for precisely the "running" reason, so I'm much more likely to pull a FP on my phone, where normally I would hardly ever bother, except for one in the morning on the way somewhere.

 

[mom2rtk]

It's going to be fascinating to watch. Once it hits critical mass (maybe with the addition of some APs?) will the system be able to handle everyone hitting it at once at rope drop? Can you picture when Star Wars Land opens? Everyone on Main Street will be stopped in their tracks looking down at their phones.

 

[Davin_Felth]

Anything that is easier to used gets used more.

Exactly. There's been plenty of times where I did not get a new fastpass right as I was eligible. With the MaxPass, while I'm standing in a line or eating a meal I'll be able to get a new one the moment I'm eligible again. I'm sure this is going to cause fast passes to run out quicker.

 

[mom2rtk]

Exactly. There's been plenty of times where I did not get a new fastpass right as I was eligible. With the MaxPass, while I'm standing in a line or eating a meal I'll be able to get a new one the moment I'm eligible again. I'm sure this is going to cause fast passes to run out quicker.

Same here. And if I'm paying for it, I'm far more likely to pay attention to the clock and be trying to maximize my use to get my value out of it.

 

[DLRExpert]

Talking with a few CM in the last few weeks, this definitely something they are not looking forward to. Here are a couple of things I heard while talking with them.

- The majority of the current guests who visit the parks do not know how to use the current FP as it is. It's going to be even worse trying to explain it to guests via their phones.

- Trying to explain to the guest that has paid $40 for their entire family that the FP they want isn't available. Either due to the attraction being down or they have sold out for the day. How will Disney inform guests that show up at 12pm that the FP attraction they want is sold out before they spend money on this feature?

 

[mom2rtk]

Talking with a few CM in the last few weeks, this definitely something they are not looking forward to. Here are a couple of things I heard while talking with them.

- The majority of the current guests who visit the parks do not know how to use the current FP as it is. It's going to be even worse trying to explain it to guests via their phones.

- Trying to explain to the guest that has paid $40 for their entire family that the FP they want isn't available. Either due to the attraction being down or they have sold out for the day. How will Disney inform guests that show up at 12pm that the FP attraction they want is sold out before they spend money on this feature?

Valid points. People at WDW enter the parks with FPs sold out, but at least they didn't pay extra for it.

 

[agamble]

I would hope they offer printed literature (paper or digital) on what the pass entails for those who are buying it. I also can't believe that half the guests don't know how to use FP. Yes, I am sure a ton of people show up not knowing. But half? Yeah right! Half the guests in the year are AP holders probably. And another huge majority have been on a previous trip or two to at least one Disney park.

 

[Linkura]

One more option for PP is to make it your last ride of the night. As long as you are in line before park closing, the CMs will allow you to ride. It can be a magical experience to end the day with PP, exit to a closed park, and take your time enjoying Main Street as you leave DL.

Unfortunately we're from the East Coast, so I can't imagine us staying up that late. But not a bad tip!

 

[Barbanellie]

But isn't the only real difference between maxpass and paper fastpass (aside from the photopass option) the method you pull and utilize the fastpass? I.E. you're either pulling a paper fastpass and handing it in when you ride or you're pulling an electronic fastpass and having them scan your phone when you ride. With that in mind, the only advantage is the ability to pull said fastpass from anywhere in the park. All the rest of the same rules would apply. With that in mind, I'm not sure I understand why maxpass would deplete the pool of fastpasses significantly faster. Sure, I could pull a Guardians FP from DL, but then I still have to wait on either my return time or 2 hours to pull another fastpass. I could certainly be wrong, but it seems to me the biggest advantage with maxpass is the efficiency in pulling the FP, not the quantity of FPs I can hold. Oh and the photopass part.

Well, this is just my opinion, I've never experienced "Legacy" FP at WDW, and haven't been to DL yet (but soon!), but I think it's exactly in the efficiency of MP that it will reduce the quantity for the paper FP. I'm going to use bogus numbers to make it easier to picture, and let's imagine each individual pullsjust one FP.

Let's say, right now, 100 people walk into the park at rope drop and head to the FP machine for an attraction. Person 1 gets to the machine, puts in their ticket, gets a paper FP for timeslot 1, and walks away. Person 2 then walks up and gets timeslot 2, etc. This takes a certain amount of time before person 100 gets to the front to put their ticket into the machine and gets a FP for timeslot 100.

With MP, if those same 100 people walk to the same attraction at rope drop, you could also have 50 other people who have paid for MP and are using the app to get FP at the same time. By the time person 1 reaches the machine to pull out the paper fast pass, maybe 10 people of the MP group have snagged one on their phone? So the walking person gets timeslot 11. When person 2 enters their ticket into the machine, maybe another 10 of the FP group pulled theirs, so walking person 2 is now up to timeslot 22.

While the same total number of FP will get distributed throughout the day, since multiple people can pull FP on their phones at the same time, FPs will run out faster. Unless Disney has somehow hired a tech genius and only a certain amount of FPs will be available through the app (from my example above, say only timeslots 5-10-15-20... are available through the app, and all other time slots are in the paper machines). But I don't think that's likely. Especially that they want people to use the app for FP, as that means more revenue for them.

All that being said, I'm guilty, if it comes out before our trip (which I doubt), we'll most likely try it. There are just 2 of us, only 2 days, so $40 isn't that much for the convenience (plus PhotoPass)

 

[STLstone]

Well, this is just my opinion, I've never experienced "Legacy" FP at WDW, and haven't been to DL yet (but soon!), but I think it's exactly in the efficiency of MP that it will reduce the quantity for the paper FP. I'm going to use bogus numbers to make it easier to picture, and let's imagine each individual pullsjust one FP.

Let's say, right now, 100 people walk into the park at rope drop and head to the FP machine for an attraction. Person 1 gets to the machine, puts in their ticket, gets a paper FP for timeslot 1, and walks away. Person 2 then walks up and gets timeslot 2, etc. This takes a certain amount of time before person 100 gets to the front to put their ticket into the machine and gets a FP for timeslot 100.

With MP, if those same 100 people walk to the same attraction at rope drop, you could also have 50 other people who have paid for MP and are using the app to get FP at the same time. By the time person 1 reaches the machine to pull out the paper fast pass, maybe 10 people of the MP group have snagged one on their phone? So the walking person gets timeslot 11. When person 2 enters their ticket into the machine, maybe another 10 of the FP group pulled theirs, so walking person 2 is now up to timeslot 22.

While the same total number of FP will get distributed throughout the day, since multiple people can pull FP on their phones at the same time, FPs will run out faster. Unless Disney has somehow hired a tech genius and only a certain amount of FPs will be available through the app (from my example above, say only timeslots 5-10-15-20... are available through the app, and all other time slots are in the paper machines). But I don't think that's likely. Especially that they want people to use the app for FP, as that means more revenue for them.

All that being said, I'm guilty, if it comes out before our trip (which I doubt), we'll most likely try it. There are just 2 of us, only 2 days, so $40 isn't that much for the convenience (plus PhotoPass)

Also, those people could be in DL or riding rides in DCA at the time. I think they will definitely run out faster. It might not be so fast that it ruins people's vacations, but it will be noticeable, I think.

 

[Winnowill]

If MaxPass comes to...er...pass...when we're they're next week, I will ABSOLUTELY maximize its potential by pulling my next FP the instant I become eligible to do so (even though I'll be ticked off that I'm paying double for PhotoPass, given my Signature AP). For logistical reasons, it doesn't usually work out to do that with the FP machines. So I will certainly collect more FPs than someone without MaxPass. Anyone who spend the money on MaxPass probably will. That said, though, it's unlikely that people who aren't already Parks Commandos will even purchase MaxPass. People who only get a FP or three a day won't opt for it. I don't see it being a hugely popular add-on. At least, I hope it's not.

 

[Khokhonutt]

Well, this is just my opinion, I've never experienced "Legacy" FP at WDW, and haven't been to DL yet (but soon!), but I think it's exactly in the efficiency of MP that it will reduce the quantity for the paper FP. I'm going to use bogus numbers to make it easier to picture, and let's imagine each individual pullsjust one FP.

Let's say, right now, 100 people walk into the park at rope drop and head to the FP machine for an attraction. Person 1 gets to the machine, puts in their ticket, gets a paper FP for timeslot 1, and walks away. Person 2 then walks up and gets timeslot 2, etc. This takes a certain amount of time before person 100 gets to the front to put their ticket into the machine and gets a FP for timeslot 100.

With MP, if those same 100 people walk to the same attraction at rope drop, you could also have 50 other people who have paid for MP and are using the app to get FP at the same time. By the time person 1 reaches the machine to pull out the paper fast pass, maybe 10 people of the MP group have snagged one on their phone? So the walking person gets timeslot 11. When person 2 enters their ticket into the machine, maybe another 10 of the FP group pulled theirs, so walking person 2 is now up to timeslot 22.

While the same total number of FP will get distributed throughout the day, since multiple people can pull FP on their phones at the same time, FPs will run out faster. Unless Disney has somehow hired a tech genius and only a certain amount of FPs will be available through the app (from my example above, say only timeslots 5-10-15-20... are available through the app, and all other time slots are in the paper machines). But I don't think that's likely. Especially that they want people to use the app for FP, as that means more revenue for them.

All that being said, I'm guilty, if it comes out before our trip (which I doubt), we'll most likely try it. There are just 2 of us, only 2 days, so $40 isn't that much for the convenience (plus PhotoPass)

We certainly all have our own opinions and speculations. They're all interesting, but I think the only thing that can say with certainty at this point is, it will be interesting to see how it's implemented and how it really impacts things. Everyone (rightly) tends to speculate based on how it specifically affects themselves and how they approach things. I've said all along, I'd prefer it either be implemented ASAP, so we have an idea of how it's affecting things (before our trip the end of this month) or I'd like to see it wait until July. We're in a unique position where the photopass portion does nothing for us (Long story, but I bought one of the old packages before they quit selling them). There's 4 of us, going for 5 days, so pricing structure will likely be the decision point for whether we'd try it out. Like everyone, we continue to watch and wait.

 

[HappyGrape]

I bought the photopass too. I like to have it paid for ahead of the trip. I am not sure if we will purchase it either, if it's available considering we also need to use the free wifi or pay expensive roaming charges