Disneyland’s MaxPass Is Totally Worth It

Disneyland’s new MaxPass adds fun and ease to resort visits— at least, that’s what I found during my last trip to the parks. 

We visited on a weekday and the parks weren’t supposed to be too crowded but, as the time for Mickey’s Halloween Party approached and schools let out, the crowds on the Disneyland side noticeably swelled. 

However, with our MaxPasses, we were able to maximize our time more efficiently than with Fastpasses. 

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Prior to the availability of the MaxPass, guests had to physically go to the FastPass ticket distribution area to obtain passes. I have spent a good many days at Disneyland running through the park with a group of tickets in hand in order to get Fastpasses while my family and friends waited in line for another ride. I’m happy to say that is no longer necessary. 

The rules for the MaxPass are as follows: Visitors can purchase the pass when purchasing a ticket or add the capability online once the ticket has been purchased. It’s $10 extra per person to be able to use the online front-of-the-line passes. (It’s $75 per person to add to an annual pass.) 

The MaxPass gives guests the capability, through the Disneyland app, to obtain digital Fastpasses to a number of rides once you have entered the park. The old rules still apply, in that guests can only hold one FastPass, digital or otherwise, at a time. Once the first scheduled time on your pass has passed, you can get more passes.

Also, all guests must have entered the park with their park tickets before they can begin using the feature in the app. 

READ MORE: Epic Disneyland Eats for Halloween

Using MaxPasses is pretty straightforward. In the Disneyland app, guests add the barcodes to all the tickets in their party. Then, they are able to easily get Fastpasses for each individual for the ride that they want. It’s easy to split groups and get Fastpasses for one ride for a couple of kids and tickets to another ride for a different group. It’s also best to have a parent be the organizer of the Fastpass party.

Another fun feature is PhotoPass, which comes with the MaxPass. Visitors can enter the code for the photos taken on rides such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout and the photos will automatically appear in the Disneyland app. 

Overall, I thought that it was worth the extra money. It gave us more family time, the ability to get more rides in and we had much shorter wait times. For those who don’t want to pay the extra $10, physical Fastpasses are still available in each park. 

Disneyland has also added Fastpass capability to rides including Matterhorn Bobsleds on the Disneyland side and Toy Story Midway Mania on the Disney California Adventure side, giving guests even speedier access to some of the parks’ most popular attractions.