Why Disneyland's Maxpass is better than Disney World's Fastpass+

I miss a third option, no cutting the line pass.

I agree with OT. I think we were all better off without the Fastpass altogether.

I used MaxPass during my stay at Disneyland recently, and I far prefer it in the sense that the Fastpasses are only being distributed to people that actually show up to the park. Also, you don't need to hover over the app endlessly to see if Disney has magically allowed some new fastpasses to just distribute later in the day. What you see is what you get, unless somebody cancelled their passes.

Also, Disneyland's app isn't flooded with useless fastpasses. At WDW, just about every attraction has a fastpass attached to it regardless of whether it is necessary or not. Do we need fastpasses for Pixar Film Festival, MuppetVision 3D, PhilharMagic, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, etc? This is just Disney's way of placating clueless tourists who spend their hard earned cash on an on-site hotels from being angry that they can't make fastpasses.

There's a reason the MC at Mickey's Move It Shake It parade once quipped "Sorry, but I've gotta go! I've got a fastpass for Carousel of Progress." Fastpass+ is a joke.

When traveling from home in CA to visit FL, I like the DW option of booking FP+ in advance so I guarantee getting on the rides I want. DW also has the benefit of selecting from time frames to better plan the entire day, if passes are available (talking to you, FOP). The flip side that I'm not a fan of is having to use all 3 advance-booked passes at DW before getting to choose any more.

DL is great because you can book as many passes as you can fit in a day with a max of 90 minutes between selections. DL does only gives you the next time free with no option of planning your entire day, but being able to book passes between both CA parks is a major plus over DW.

What pass systems do the other Disney parks around the world use?

I've never been to Disneyland since the MaxxPass was introduced, so I can't comment on how that system works.

Maybe the FP+, is in reality, advantageous more for us passholders ?? Where I can scan my app during the day, and if I get a FP+ for a particular ride, I'll go that evening.

There's been a bunch of FofP FP+'s come up today, the latest so far has been 6-7pm. So the system works perfectly, for how I want to use it.

I hated the previous version, as it meant I had to be there early to get my ticket. And if I didn't get there, by the time I got to the kiosk all the tickets were gone.

How anyone can say that FP+ is a bad and unworkable system is beyond me !

Of the two, Disneyland's system is far more user-friendly and can actually be used to save time in the parks. Additionally, the number of passes distributed are based on actual conditions in the park, so there is a lot less potential for a backlog unless an attraction goes down for an extended period. While WDW's does guarantee that you'll be able to get on certain attractions before you even step in the gate, it is a pain to manipulate your selections into something that is actually beneficial and grabbing extra fastpasses tends to be very iffy in my limited experience. FP+ also has much greater potential for system issues if a ride goes down, as the number of passes distributed are pre-determined in advance and not based on actual throughput on that specific day.

Having used both systems, I definitely prefer Maxpass. That said, I still feel the Six Flags Flash Pass system, when implemented properly, is the best option in the industry for skip-the-line passes.

I have never used MaxPass, but understand how it works pretty well based on previous visits to Disneyland and reviewing information on the system. I would gladly take MaxPass over FP+, but do wish the California system did not cost extra. I personally don't have an issue running around the park to pick up paper fastpasses, but I know that when we visit the parks at the end of July/early August, that there's absolutely no way we're going to be able to get paper FPs for any of the Galaxy's Edge attractions, so the MaxPass upgrade is a necessary cost.

FP+ has significantly deteriorated that WDW experience, but personally, I've found ways to make it work to my advantage. However, I wouldn't complain one bit if Disney announced that they were eliminating it completely to go back to all standby lines.

Between those 2 options the Maxpass system is far better and much more fair. I despise Disney world’s fastpass + system and the idea of reserving them months in advance. That is not something I find enjoyable and is the main reason why we don't go to Disney anymore. I don't want my entire theme park day planned out months in advance. Maxpass is at least more reasonable with planning your day on the actual day of your visit.

We go to Orlando once a year and we've been going exclusively to Universal because of the fastpass + system. Universal's Express pass system is the best in my opinion because it gives you true freedom to enjoy your day without the need of planning months in advance. They day we can have true express passes at Disney without planning is the day will go back!

If you want to see some comedy next time you go to WDW just go stand at one of those Fastpass return entrances and watch what happens. You will see the following situations over and over and over and over and over.

-People that think its an upsell and think that they bought it with their vacation package, so they get there thinking they can use it for all the Fastpass lines without knowing they have to reserve them. Then they get really mad and stand there and say "I bought it with my package!" not understanding how it works.

-People who have no plan on using it but when they get to the park and see how busy it is they want to buy it, not realizing it's not an upsell, and by the time they realize this all the major attractions are gone.

-The totally clueless family that doesn't speak English and tries to enter a Fastpass line only to get sent to standby and doesn't understand why.

-People who had a Fastpass but the ride was down so they used it on another ride, then come back and get furious because they thought they could use it at both.

-People who had a Fastpass given to them for some reason (they complained about something), then get to the ride just to figure out they used their complimentary Fastpass at another ride they already had a Fastpass booked for but because they used it more than 5 minutes early it used their complimentary one instead of the one they wanted to use.

-People who say they need a rider switch pass but have no kids with them and kids are nowhere to be found.

And of course there are the people that think its an upsell so don't bother learning how it works so they don't use it at all. At Shanghai Disneyland they have a similar system but there are no kiosks anymore its all on the app, and I don't do apps so I was really tempted to go this route but my wife figured out how to do it (while we were waiting in a line haha).

I miss paper Fastpasses, I really do (which Maxpass seems closer to emulating). Fastpass+ requires way too much preplanning. I have to choose which park, and at which location in that park, I want to be at 60 days in advance? That's not a relaxing scenario. Let me decide what park I want to go to on the individual day.
I think Disney really dropped the ball on the whole Fastpass+ system. WAY too much advance planning required.

I haven't used MaxPass, but it sounds like a more fair system in place rather than FP+.

I wish there was no such thing as fastpass. Having said that, I used MaxPass the last time I was at Disneyland and I loved it so much more than fastpass at WDW. Finally, some spontaneity returned to my day at a Disney park. It was easy to use and I never felt like I had to rush or time everything out. And if I decided to do something else, no problem - cancel a fastpass and look for a different one later! Really, I'd say probably my biggest complaint about my two week vacation at WDW during Hurricane Irene was fastpass and how I had to lock down exactly what I wanted to do on a given day 60 days in advance.

OK, I guess I'm in the minority on this one, but our family prefers FP+ by a wide margin.

We usually stay at a WDW resort, so we get to do the 60 day advance planning. With our family, there is a tremendous excitement and build-up to this day. Then we wake up and make the Fastpasses immediately, which again leads to more excitement and anticipation.

Even when we can't get one we want (which is rare, but did happen last time with FoP), there's just a tremendous enthusiasm to discuss "Oh yeah, we have a fastpass to Tower of Terror/SDMT/"

We understand that we're only going to get three good ones, and we book for the busiest parts of the day...we figure if we get to the park early, we can catch the other big rides for shorter lines then, and then get our other big rides w virtually no wait when things are at their most-packed.

We recently went to Disneyland and used MaxPass. It was great for the photopass stuff. However it didn't help much at all for Fastpasses. On our first day, the park wasn't too crowded. Fastpasses weren't really necessary beyond a couple of rides, and the app didn't really make it significantly easier to get them. On our second day, the park was packed. By noon the Fastpasses were running out on any attraction that we cared to get them for. At least with FP+ we would have been able to guarantee 3 good ones in advance.

Your mileage may vary...

Apples to apples comparison: Went to Disneyland at noon on a day close to capacity. Rode close to 20 attractions. Had a wonderful time. Went to Magic Kingdom on a day with seemingly less people for almost a full sunup to sundown day. 12 attractions. The difference is WDW has FP+ on things you do not need it on, which extends the wait beyond what is normal. Fast pass was made to help the guest. FP+ was made to help the park. That mentality is where things changed, and is the main overriding thing that needs to be corrected. Your vacation needs to be FUN. Not some micro-managed, pre-planned itinerary. What is you don't want to go to Animal Kingdom that day? Too bad, or you will not ride Flight of Passage your entire trip. This is also why it is so much more fun to go to Universal IF you have Express Pass. The Disneyland system is a billion times better.

In a perfect world, I also agree with OT... Visiting Disney World was much more pleasant in the good old says before Fast Pass... That said, I'm a HUGE fan of Universal's unlimited express pass with certain onsite hotels. MAINLY because it A) doesn't require planning month in advance and B) it doesn't require using an app for those of us who don't want to carry their phones around all day.

I realize that the crowds at Disney probably wouldn't support Universal's method, so I just really wish they'd scrap the whole thing all together... Or go back to the days of the paper passes out of the kiosks, so you at least didn't have to plan ahead...

Why oh why does everyone think you have to book 60 days in advance ? Here’s a tip ... you don’t.
Try it one day .... come to WDW and wait until the actual day, or a day or 2 before, and see how you get on. Unless you are a 74 day out person, FofP, 7DMT and Slinky Dog are always going to be hard, but not impossible, to get.

Since I became a pass holder again, I’ve been playing around with the FP+ system, and Slinky Dog is the only ride I haven’t been able to get on the day-of. This morning FofP was available on and off thru mid morning to early evening. I’m like Russell, I use it to my advantage, and reap the rewards.

.... and yes, you have to use the first 3 to get the extra pass. But ... you don’t have to go on the ride. Sunday at Epcot I’d been on test track and mission space and wanted to go on Soarin. Of course I couldn’t get Soarin in the first 3 as it’s the same level as test track. So I just picked Figment, scanned my pass, then walked away. My 3rd pick was done and I got no closer than the entrance. Soon after Soarin became available and that was my 3rd ride of an awesome day at the park.

Use it to your advantage .. you may just start to appreciate it as much as I do.

But what about its unnecessarily extending wait times throughout the parks? And it looks like you were there on a low volume day, but hear me out. Traditionally FP was only on high demand attractions, so you did not have it on attractions with short wait like Spaceship Earth or Pirates, which were either omnimovers or fast loaders. Now you have it on almost everything. Give the Haunted Mansion, for example. Even on a bad day the longest wait was about 30 minutes unless the boat spilled out and a parade blocked access. Usually, it was 15 minutes. Now, what was the typical 30 minute wait is always going to be 45, since you have to hold back guests to accommodate for FP+. Also, with the old system, people did not start burning up the FPs until the afternoon, but now it is all day, so the waits are extended pretty much after the first hour after rope drop.

So while, yes, you can learn to work it, it is in no way a better system, and could easily be re-worked. I have said this a million times: This system will not work for Star Wars. The demand for that will far, far exceed Avatar (pun intentional). When families drop $10,000 of money they cannot afford just so they can ride a Star Wars attraction, and they do it once or not at all on an entire vacation, there will be significant problems for Disney.

It's always interesting to see comments about the WDW parks 10 years ago. I went regularly back then, and as I've said many times, it's night and day now compared to then. In fact the slowest of slow days now is still busier than it was 10 years ago. We used to walk on most rides at MK, maybe 10 mins was the longest wait ... and this was at weekends.

I totally agree that me looking in the 'off-season' is far removed from trying around Easter or Christmas. That's why Disney blocks me out ... they don't want me there, and I wouldn't want to go at those times anyway.

On Sunday afternoon (I got there at c12:30) test track was 75min standby and 30min single rider, Soarin was up to an hour as was Frozen. All the other rides had standbys of between 15 to 45 mins, so nothing horrible.

Would it be better without FP+, or more spread out? we don't know. Going by what the lines were like when the ticketed FP was available you could argue the case that yes it would, but as with the 10 year comparisons, the amount of people in the parks now is considerably more than even 5 years ago, which is when FP+ was introduced.

It's a pity we don't have more WDW pass holders on the site, as I'd be interested to hear their thoughts on the system and it's comparison to the old FP ticketed system.

I think the question for those comparing today to the "good 'ole days" is that there are significantly more people in the parks now then there were 10+ years ago. It was a given even 10 years ago that crowds were shoulder to shoulder during peak periods like Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and July 4th. The published attendance numbers confirm that WDW has seen a pretty dramatic increase in the number of guests over the past decade. So, if the number of guests in the parks on the busiest days has remained at or near capacity (incapable of increasing), then those year over year attendance increases must be coming from somewhere.

I've seem similar trends that Makorider has noted, and the numbers back it up. The attendance increases seen by WDW have been a result in increasing crowds during other parts of the year. Robert has noted many times that there is no "low season" anymore at WDW, and guests who have been visiting WDW routinely during what used to be considered "off/low season" will attest that the parks and resorts are far more crowded today than they were a decade ago. It's not just the attraction lines either. It's crowded pathways, crowded restaurants, long lines to enter parks at rope drop (though increased security plays a role there), crowded parking lots and buses/monorails, etc... We have been visiting WDW in October virtually every 2 years for almost 2 decades, and have seen a dramatic and significant increase in crowds. I do think JC has a point in his observation that FP+ has made things worse by slowing the flow of standby lines and requiring FP for virtually everything, but those increased wait times are also a result of a larger number of guests in the park during formerly low attendance days. Back before the Great Recession, I remember being able to walk on ToT, and recall riding it at least a dozen times in a row on a rainy weekday afternoon. You just can't do that anymore, and it has nothing to do with FP+. There are just so many people in the park that even if FP+ weren't gumming things up, there would still be significant waits because the total number of guests in the park at any given time exceeds the total attraction capacity.

I also see Mike's perspective, as I do excited to book those FP+ reservations the second they're available. However, all of that build-up and excitement quickly dissipates even if you're spending the next 60+ days trying to perfect your FP+ selections. That's the biggest problem I have with FP+. The lead time for guests to book their reservations is so far in advance that any anticipation created through the picking of your FP+ reservations disappears weeks before you leave. What good does it do to get excited for something that's 2 months away, especially if what you're excited (or disappointed) for may change as you adjust your itinerary. I think Disney would generate far more excitement and anticipation by opening the reservations just a week or two ahead of time. A vacation is not "real" 60 days before you leave (no sane person starts packing that early). However, it becomes very "real" a couple of weeks in advance as parents start arranging pet-sitters, notifying schools, reminding employers, and changing their lives to prepare for the trip. 2 weeks ahead is when weather reports become somewhat reliable in predicting conditions, and you can start packing. 2 weeks is when anticipation for a vacation starts to build, and forcing guests to wait until then to book FP+ would add so much more anticipation and excitement at a time when families start to realize that their WDW vacation is about to start. Creating that anticipation 2 months in advance just doesn't accomplish much, and I don't think Disney really gets any valuable data by getting guests to plan their days so far in advance. I think FP+ is a necessary evil, but Disney has turned it into a burden on so many guests by forcing their hand before most are even ready to think about their vacation 2 months away.

The answer is really, "It depends." A lot of it is driven by the visitor demographics of Disney World versus Disneyland. Having used both systems, Maxpass seems to fit Disneyland in the sense that it's generally better for locals and frequent visitors that know their way around the parks well. There is a much higher percentage of people that plan a trip to Disneyland only shortly before they visit (or even that same day).

In contrast, WDW has a lot more first-time and infrequent visitors where having a guarantee of getting on 1 or 2 specific rides for their possibly once-in-a-lifetime trip is of paramount importance. Booking a trip to WDW 9 to 12 months ahead of time is often standard operating procedure. For those people, the FP+ system may be preferred in the sense that visitors that are planning trips so far ahead in advance do want a distinct time advantage in locking in rides ahead of the last minute vacationers and/or more frequent visitors.

Most readers of this blog are probably more like the average Disneyland visitor (even if Disneyland isn't our actual "home" park) in the sense that we're experienced and more frequent theme park visitors. We know the "system" and, as a result, we are the types of people that can maximize the value of the MaxPass. The FP+ framework reduces the advantage of knowing the system and effectively evens out the playing field between frequent visitors and infrequent visitors. So, it's not a surprise that the MaxPass would be more preferred among the self-selected group of theme park fans here. I just think that there might be a very different viewpoint from those that are infrequent visitors to WDW (which is a group that makes up a larger portion of the WDW attendees) that would have the advance peace of mind that, at a minimum, they're getting on Rides X, Y and Z (especially when you have kids where the whole point of the trip is to get on Rides X, Y and Z) on their once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Frank makes some extremely good points, but I still wonder about the need to have FP+ on everything. Clearly DL and WDW have different visitors, but is it that different? I think this would be a great study actually, as people don’t usually just visit DL to visit DL, but they typically are captive visitors to WDW. I wonder how much this plays a role in what is going on. In my comparison, I as at DL with seeming much more volume than at MK (and I have been at both with the numbers swapped). I will say that DL always appears crowded, but I was there at capacity. I think you can simply do more. I don’t think it is all a numbers thing, but a management thing. I will soon test out WDW at a high crowd level time frame, and I will be able compare again.

@JC VanHouten - On that front, I agree. Having FP+ on all rides at WDW does seem to be creating artificially longer standby lines on rides that would otherwise have short or no wait times, so that is definitely a negative to that system. Essentially, FP+ is optimal for those that care the most about the very biggest E-ticket attractions and little else, whereas Maxpass gives you a better opportunity to get on a greater quantity of attractions overall.

I agree JC, but would disagree with Frank's characterizations of DL and WDW visitors. Yes, DL gets a lot more repeat/experienced visitors than WDW (larger annual pass base), and the Orlando parks likely get a lot more once-in-a-lifetime guests than DL. However, the notion that the visitors to WDW want to plan their trip with such great detail and so far in advance because they've never been there or might only visit once in their life is a bit exaggerated. Disney has trained guests to plan WDW vacations with such precision, and they have increased that expectation with FP+. It didn't need to be that way, and I doubt you'll come across even the most enthusiastic 1st time guest that really wants to lock in the rides that they'll be experiencing 70 days from now. That construct ONLY exists because Disney says so, and if anything it further tilts the playing field to returning and experienced guests. The fact that FoP FP+ reservations are typically gone before the 60-day mark means that either all those first time guests are well educated in FP+, or they're all getting snatched up by DVC owners and those that know how to use the system to their advantage. The fact that there are dissertations on message boards on how to arrange FP+ reservations indicates to me that the rookie visitor will either be overwhelmed and just take what they can get, or go head first into the Drone nonsense and play along. While there's some satisfaction knowing that you will get on rides X, Y, and Z with minimal wait, there's also the dismay that you're going to wait in long lines for rides A, B, and C. For every person that scores a FP+ for FoP, there's another 10 that are stuck in 2+ hour standby lines if they even bother trying to ride at all. Imagine taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip to WDW and learning about FP+ only to not be able to secure a FoP at the 63 day mark because guests staying 4 days or longer took them all. You've been thinking about riding the attraction since you booked your hotel, and did your homework to learn about FP+ and woke up at some ungodly hour (especially if you're on the west coast) only to get stuck with a Na'Vi River Journey as your Tier I FP+. At least with MaxPass, you can control whether you get those coveted FPs by arriving at the park early. Even if you log in to MDE on the earliest possible day, you can end up not getting what you want.

If I want to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to London, or Paris, or Sydney, I'm not booking tours 2 months ahead of time unless they're part of some package. I'm waiting until either I'm on the ground in the foreign country, or doing it a couple of weeks ahead when I have a better idea of what the weather will be like and what makes the most sense based on the overall itinerary. I also want to have some room to be spontaneous and to have time to stay at an attraction if it's more interesting than initially expected. FP+ doesn't really allow for that, and has taken a lot of the joy out of a WDW vacation. FP+ has turned guests into amateur travel agents where they compare experiences and keep score as to what they were able to accomplish during their trip.

One thing I do dislike about FP+, as so many have stated, is the planning 60 days out. Its time consuming and not fun to decide that far out which park you want to attend on which day so you can reserve the rides you want. If I go for a week to WDW, by the end of the week I have visited all the parks, but maybe, for whatever reason, I didn't get to do everything I wanted in a park, so I would want to change which park I had originally planned to do. But if I did that, then I can almost guarantee I won't be able to get a FP+ for the rides that I want. Its true you can find some the day of if you look for them and keep looking, which I have done before and it can be beneficial, but it is virtually impossible to do it the day of and try to get 3, 4, or 5 FP+ for a ride if you are at the park with friends or family and you all want to go on the same ride.

I do believe that FP+ is making stand by rides longer than they should be for rides that don't need the FP+ reservations, the ones that have high capacities or traditionally short lines, but as many have pointed out, it could just be the huge increase in attendance that is making the lines longer. It would be interesting to find out if that is the case or not but we will most likely never know. I do think FP+ should only be for rides that would have long stand-by waits or high demand and not for all rides, but I don't think that will ever change.