Do you have to download disney app for maxpass

For example, if lunch is running long and you have a 1 p. Here is a complete list, broken down by park. For a family of four, taking even a day getaway can add up really quick! So you definitely need to consider if the MaxPass is worth it for your family. And finally — if you are an Annual Passholder or visit Disneyland frequently, buying a MaxPass every time you go is going to add up. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

But, you must have paid for MaxPass and entered a park with your ticket the same day as the dining event — benefits only kick in once you have activated that park ticket! Annual passholders when available can link their pass so that the photographer can scan the pass each time. Photos should appear under My Photos in about 60 minutes, although it can take much longer.

Magic Shots may take a few days to load. For an extra speedy experience, take a screenshot of your code to show to the cast member rather than waiting on the app to load each time.

You should confirm while you are in the park that the photos have appeared without watermarks. If you have any trouble, hop into the photo shops in either park for assistance. They have helped us track down missing photos and assisted in linking our passes to the account! For most people, the biggest advantages are convenience and time.

While we stick to our park plans, MaxPass allows us to see all of the available return times without walking anywhere. We're big on hopping between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on our visits. That also means if people cancel their plans, other guests who missed the distribution window may be able to hop in and grab the reservation even after tickets are gone for the day.

For most people, we think the Disneyland MaxPass price is worth it. It is worth it for our family on both crowded and uncrowded days. Guests who are making shorter visits — one- or two-day visits, especially during busier times — will benefit from the time-savings and ability to do more in a short time.

MaxPass definitely saves time and allows users to ride more attractions than other guests. Many annual passholders, who made a big chunk of the Disneyland-going population, used the service often, as well.

After using Disney MaxPass for more than a year, we can say the investment especially since it comes with PhotoPass downloads makes for a more fun experience with almost zero lines and less walking even on a busy peak day. Yes, a theme park ticket is already pretty pricey, but time is money. Perhaps bring some snacks and only drink free water in the park instead of buying expensive soda or food in the park that day to break even. Disney MaxPass is the best investment for someone who plans to arrive early in the day especially if visiting Disney California Adventure and stay most of the day.

MaxPass is a useful tool for people who like to park hop. Click on the ride and the wait time to see the "Now Distributing" time. On less-crowded days, there are more options than very crowded days, when there may be none.

You can get it for some family members and not others. Tadpoles under 3 do not need a park admission ticket or MaxPass to join their family on an attraction. You could also just focus on other rides and attractions in the parks the other days you do not have MaxPass. The only Disneyland MaxPass cons we can think of is paying extra for this service but we think the benefits outweigh the cost and that there are not as many options for people restricted by height requirements.

Hop over to our Guide to Disneyland Height Requirements. The Disneyland app can be glitchy at times, and in-park Wi-Fi is not perfect. Other than that, we are MaxPass fans! We played around with Disney MaxPass, trying to think of every scenario that might come up. There are a few things you cannot do with MaxPass:. MaxPass users might reserve a ride that is across the park while standing in line for a different ride. Decide whether members of your group will each manage themselves or if one person will manage everyone.

Even a little of both can occur! On the other hand, one person making a reservation for a group of 10 will definitely get one return time for all party members.

The system looks for the earliest time that has space to accommodate your party size. If you have several families traveling together, have each family set up their own family account in the app and load their own credit card for food and MaxPass purchases.

Then, choose one or two people to manage the whole group so it is easier to get the same reservation windows. People who are managed by others can use their own accounts and manage just themselves if they want to split up. The other family also creates their own family account on their devices in case they want to purchase food through Mobile Order service, make their own restaurant reservations or split up and make their own FASTPASS reservations.

If you are managing a group, each time you reserve an attraction, you can specifically select which party members will go on each ride. Then, a smaller group might feel like braving Incredicoaster, while others would rather go on Goofy's Sky School. Some park-hopping party members might want to break off and visit attractions in the other park. Having the information on multiple devices makes it easy to adjust if group members decide to split off for a while, or one of the devices runs out of battery and someone needs to take over.

You might even have party members linked to your app who do not have MaxPass benefits that day. Parents like keeping tabs on older children this way. Just be sure to deselect the people without MaxPass benefits from the ride party or you will be asked to purchase MaxPass for them. You are investing a lot on your trip to Disneyland and paying extra for your MaxPass to help maximize your day.

Here are some extra Disneyland MaxPass tips and tools to help you take your MaxPass experience to the max! Both Disneyland and California Adventure allow guests to enter the parks about a half an hour early. Guests have access up to the hub and Carthay Circle in preparation for rope drop. While you can access the MaxPass system early, note that all of the return windows begin once each respective park is officially open to the public. That period can vary depending on how far off your return window is from when you booked it.

That is why having a strategy can help you make the most of this system. Once you scan it at a ride, it erases the waiting period and you are then free to make another reservation. Let's say at 9 a. But if you plan to ride at a. If the return window begins between 30 to 90 minutes from when you booked it, then the waiting period ends as soon as the return window begins.

When you choose a ride that has a return time that begins more than 90 minutes from booking, then your waiting period is 90 minutes. Being able to see all of the available rides and return window choices can help you plan and make decisions to best manage your day. You just have to book the next one after the waiting period ends. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to book the next ride as soon as you are eligible. Here's another one of our favorite Disneyland MaxPass tips.

You can arrive up to five minutes early and up to 15 minutes late for a ride. That means your return window is really an hour and 20 minutes. Under My Plans , tap the name of the ride or show.

On the bottom left, you can click the x that says Cancel under it. We love the flexibility of this feature because you can cancel for some party members but not all. If they are using the app, they can also cancel a reservation. Jump on those ASAP before another frog gets that fly! This is among our favorite parts of using Disney MaxPass!

It is like a fairy godmother waving her wand over your smartphone! The new replacement pass automatically pops up on your phone or app. That means you do not have to use it right away if you do not want to.

The rides are now tiered, and that tiering affects which rides you can access. Consider Tier 1 rides the most popular rides. So how does the new tiering affect replacement rides when your ride breaks down? At the bottom of the list, it will list any rides not included. At the bottom of the plan, you'll see "Experiences Remaining. If you get stuck on a ride breakdown, depending on the situation and how long you are stuck, you might get a special pass or two! They are rare but especially frogtastic!

There may be exceptions with the new system in place. It looks like Peter Pan's Flight has been removed as a ride option. If you have small tadpoles who do not measure up for many of the rides, ask a cast member about Rider Switch.

Rider Switch has also changed to a new digital system. Take your whole party to the ride entrance. A cast member will scan the ticket of the parent who will supervise the child who is not riding and usually up to two other guests.

The other guests can ride with the first group and ride again when the supervising parent takes a turn. If you have older kids, they will love getting that bonus ride!

There are a few quirks still being worked out with MaxPass. Disneyland Resort Wi-Fi is spottier than a speckled frog. You can find Wi-Fi locations by tapping the map with the app.

On the pull-down menu at the top of the screen, click on Guest Services and Show List. Click Find on Map. The app does not connect well inside buildings, so choose your selections when you are outside. If you have technical difficulties, check to make sure you have the latest update. You can usually get help at an information kiosk, as well.

The answer always seems to be to delete the Disneyland mobile app, restart the phone and reinstall the app. Your information will be saved. If you cannot get a signal, sometimes it is easier to turn off Wi-Fi and use your data plan. The biggest downside to Disney MaxPass is the drain on your phone battery! Do not use MaxPass without a portable charger. That is unless you've already purchased before Oct. You can also buy higher-quality chargers elsewhere for less money.

Phone charging cases are convenient too. There are a few electrical outlets in the parks, most often near restrooms. But sitting outside a restroom to charge your phone for an hour is not an efficient way to maximize time!

Here are some tips to conserve your battery:. There isn't a max number of reservations you can have in a day or at one time. You will have a waiting period after reserving each ride. Book your next ride as soon as that period ends even if you have not ridden the first ride yet. That means you can have several reservations in the lineup. You should note the return times and choose rides that are realistic so you can arrive inside your return window. You cannot think linearly with MaxPass.

Once we had a few reservations lined up, we chose Space Mountain, which was distributing six hours out. After 90 minutes, we booked and rode several more before we got to that long-awaited Space Mountain. Sometimes you can book rides that will be available before existing rides in your reservations. Just fit them in where you can. Disney MaxPass is an especially helpful tool when park hopping. If you have a Park Hopper ticket and MaxPass, you can reserve rides and shows in either park, starting during early entry.

First, select the park you would like to make a reservation in. Then, choose a ride and return window that works for you. MaxPass can help you skip the lines for rides, but you can also skip the lines at select quick-service restaurants with Mobile Order service in the app. Click Order Now and you are on your way to selecting a return window and restaurant where you can pick up your food without having to wait in any lines. The app is turning out to be a handy tool to help you maximize your time at Disneyland!

This new feature is why we recommend that different families each set up their own accounts since the food is charged to the credit card on the account. Anyone with your login information can order food and charge your credit card.

You don't want to get stuck with everyone else's hefty food bill after the trip! MaxPass is much easier on people who can't walk long distances or want to avoid unnecessary walking or traveling. We think of MaxPass as another tool to help everyone maximize the day. This is especially true for families with special needs. We're always staying on top of more details about Disney MaxPass and leaving no stone or lily pad unturned.

Drop us a line in comments and let us know if you have questions we haven't answered! Tags: Disneyland , Disney California Adventure. Great info. Is there any place to see estimated walking time between different lands like Critter Country to Tomorrowland.

Plan for a to minute walk from each land. Variables are walking speed, crowd levels, if you're navigating a stroller, ECV or wheelchair, and if there is a parade you need to cross or a show such as Fantasmic! Hope this helps! You are so welcome - we're so hoppy that this helped!

You are completely right; Anyone wanting to use MaxPass would need to purchase individually since you'll scan each ticket at the return , though if you're in it for the photos, one person in your party can purchase MaxPass to get those benefits, and everyone can continue to use the free FASTPASS system so that you'd all have the same return window.

Do you think Disneyland will ever convert to magic bands? It seems so confusing to make DL plans. Quick review of MaxPass: Glitchy, didn't connect from many areas in the park, connection too slow to effectively save time on ordering food, timed out or reported an error often when trying to get fast passes.

When it worked it was great! I will buy again, but don't love it. I was using iPhone7 on Xfinity's network and connecting to park wi-fi wherever possible. I'm going to DCA on a day with extra magic hours but I won't be elligible for it. I was thinking of scheduling the Maxpass for Radiator Springs first thing in the morning, but from what I've seen on the app, the return period can go up to 75 minutes. From what I understand, you suggested that in cases like this, we should use Maxpass on other rides with shorter return periods first, but I'm afraid that if we do this there's a chance that RS will no longer have Maxpass availability later on.

What should I do? There are several ways to approach collecting MaxPass. You can likely enter the park up to 30 min early but will be stopped by ropes.

They will be valid after the park opens. That way we can get a ride in quickly and then choose Radiator Springs. We have a 2 year old so we do Rider Switch a lot but I think we only need the MaxPass on the 2 adult tickets The only ride I can think of where this might be a problem is Toy Story Mania, but that is just 1 ride Disney's rule of thumb is that anyone in your party over the age of 3 will need MaxPass to head through the return line in which case, all three of you would need MaxPass if you wanted to solely use MaxPass, or to use MaxPass combined with Rider Switch.

We are taking our family of 4 in January for 5 days. We are coming from NZ so will only have 1 phone with us. I'm only really interested in Max pass for the Photo option, is it possible to purchase Maxpass for 1 person and have all the family members photos added to it?

Yes, you can use one MaxPass for all your photos. Just scan any PhotoPass cards that any family members collect into the app. You can also type the number of any attraction photos into the app-for on-ride photos. Hello again! I have the following question. If you book a ticket with maxpass for all days, do you get the value of the maxpass add on when upgrading your ticket to an annual pass at the park on the last valid day of the ticket?

When you upgrade to an annual pass, it is based on the Disneyland price of the theme park ticket, but not the MaxPass. While you might lose out on the MaxPass you paid for your tickets, the good news is that if you purchase discount tickets from Undercover Tourist, the cost difference to upgrade is based on the Disneyland price, so you still save some money with your discount.

You also may use your tickets to visit on days that might not be valid days on the pass you end up purchasing. To upgrade to an annual pass, the cost of the pass must be higher than the cost of the tickets you are upgrading from. We are heading to Disneyland for the first time in January. We're planning to purchase 5-day tickets. Still thinking about adding Max Pass.

In your article, you mention adding MaxPass after you enter the park. If we decide to do that will we have to do it for all 5 days? Even if we decide to add it on the 3rd or 4th day? If you add MaxPass in advance, you will have it for all 5 days.

If you purchase in the park, you will have to purchase each individual day. So if you decide to purchase after you've entered the park, you would be able to purchase an individual day rather than all 5 :.

Thank you so much for this post! Meet the Panelist: Brandy, South Carolina Hi, I'm Brandy, a speech pathologist and busy driver of daughters to marching band and dance events. Learn More About Brandy. Your Dream Vacation Awaits! Visit Walt Disney World Resort to explore the magic. Didn't find what you were looking for? Click the Ask a Question button to open the Ask a Question dialogue box. If you are not logged in a dialogue box will appear to signin in order to ask a question.

To submit your question, please sign in now if you have not already done so. Ask a Question Opens the Ask a Question dialog box. Ask planDisney Discover the magic of a Disney Parks family vacation from one of our knowledgeable online panelists.

This is a question and answer website to help you plan the best possible Disney vacation. Due to a high volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee that all questions will be answered. Learn how your comment data is processed. This website is subject to Copyright and pictures and information may not be copied for any commercial purpose without the prior written consent of the writer. The opinions and experiences outlined on this website are personal to the writer and the writer accepts no responsibility if circumstances change or if others do not encounter the same facilities or features as described for various locations.

Don't miss out on the latest news and recommendations from Have Wheelchair Will Travel. A Win! Media Contact Search this website. One of the most valuable features is the ability to see the current wait time for rides.

Key points about the MaxPass A great tip we were given was to have all your details including your credit card in the Disneyland app prior to arrival at the park.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Comment Name Email Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Footer Use This website is subject to Copyright and pictures and information may not be copied for any commercial purpose without the prior written consent of the writer. Search this website. Disclaimer The opinions and experiences outlined on this website are personal to the writer and the writer accepts no responsibility if circumstances change or if others do not encounter the same facilities or features as described for various locations.

Thank you!