MaxPass will cost $10 a day (to start) and will allow buyers to claim and manage their Fastpass ride reservations via the Disneyland app, while they are connected to Disneyland's in-park wifi network. The system will be offered in addition to the resort's free Fastpass system, which will remain and continue to require visitors to walk to an attraction to scan their ticket and claim a return time.
MaxPass users also will be limited to the same one-Fastpass-at-a-time rule as users of the free system, but MaxPass customers will get unlimited Photopass downloads for their day, as well. Given that Disneyland sells a one-day Photopass for $39, there's now no reason to buy that product when you can get the same thing plus the mobile Fastpass management for $29 less.
Disneyland Resort annual passholders can add MaxPass to their pass for $75. However, the new service is included at no additional charge for Signature Plus passholders, who, along with Signature passholders, already got the unlimited Photopass benefit for free.
Disneyland recently changed its free Fastpass system to accommodate MaxPass, by eliminating the use of paper return time tickets and instead requiring visitors to rescan their park ticket in order to gain admittance to the Fastpass return line at their assigned return time. Disney also increased the number of available Fastpasses by allowing return times to be assigned immediately if they were available, instead of assigning them for at least 45 minutes in the future, no matter what the current wait.
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I'm going to be unrealistically optimistic that the paywall is to prevent everyone from using it all at once and crashing the system when it debuts instead of thinking that this is the beginning of all FastPasses being paid.
That $10 adds up. A family of four will pay the same price for one day Photopass. A smaller family gets a 2 for 1.
Cedar Fair: Fast Lane
Seaworld Parks: Quick Queue
Six Flags: Flash Pass
Even Legoland, Dollywood and Hershey Park all have something similar.
IMHO, its just a matter of when not if Disney decides to monetize FP, probably with FP+ at WDW given all the announcements at D23.
It could be a way to control the crowds in 2021 at WDW's 50th anniversary, not saying they should.
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It was an inevitable evolution, but given that getting into Disneyland for a day is already $100, what's another 10% increase to have an excuse to use your smartphone even more while in the parks. It won't be long until this infiltrates WDW, and people are lining up to pay hundreds of dollars to have access to FP+.