FastPass+ on the MyDisneyExperience App for Walt Disney World vs. Disneyland's MaxPass: Differences Between the Magic!
What do you consider to be the happiest place on Earth? Disneyland? Walt Disney World?
Disneyland is the real OG of happiness, first opening in 1955 and also being the only park Walt Disney himself personally oversaw. This resort has two parks: the original Disneyland park and California Adventure, which opened in 2001.
Walt Disney World opened in 1971, a full 16 years after the original. That being said, it is easily the biggest Disney resort, with the parks together being roughly the size of San Francisco... and growing FAST!
Naturally, both Disneyland and Disney World have their similarities, and their differences. We will focus on that in the future. Today, however, I want to look at the differences between the Fastpass+ system in Disney World and the MaxPass system in Disneyland.
What is Fastpass+?
As discussed in my Fastpass+ article, this system allows you to reserve a spot to ride an attraction on the MyDisneyExperience app. It's easily one of the most efficient ways to ride the rides with the longest wait times, like Seven Dwarves Mine Train. You can book three Fastpasses+ per day, with one additional one after those are used, one after that, and so on.
What is MaxPass?
On the Disneyland app, MaxPass allows you to reserve and use digital Fastpasses. Unlike Disney World, which introduced Fastpass+ in 2013, with the removal of paper Fastpasses by 2014, Disneyland is still super old school! Paper Fastpasses that allow you to make a ride reservation to ride later are still a thing there. MaxPass brings Disneyland into the digital era of ride reservations.
What are the Differences?
On the outset, these appear to be the same thing. However, there are some major differences for us to look at.
Difference # 1: Fastpass+ at Walt Disney World is FREE
Yes, MaxPass costs money! As a Disney World junkie, this seems counter intuitive with the technologies Disney has access to. Your MaxPass is going to cost you $10 USD per day, PER PERSON. Yes, that's right. You want to get Fastpasses for everyone? Well, you're gonna pay for it. And according to the Disneyland website, this is an introductory price. You can purchase this add-on prior to your trip, or when you actually get there. Your choice.
The notable difference in price is going to be for annual passholders of Disneyland, who can get MaxPass added on annually for $75 USD.
Difference # 2: You Can Only Book One Fastpass at a Time with MaxPass
Unfortunately, the three-a-day in advance of your trip rule isn't going to work here. You only get to book one Fastpass in advance. You can make another when you've used it, but this really limits your ability to plan in advance if their are multiple hard-to-reserve rides you want to do in a day. Especially when you need to be in the parks to use it. No 30 or 60-day booking window for you!
Difference # 3: Digital Downloads are ONLY Included with MaxPass
If you're using MyDisneyExperience, booking dining reservations, linking tickets and MagicBands, linking hotel reservations, and booking Fastpasses+ are all complimentary. The same cannot be said of Memory Maker. Memory maker is an add-on that is going to cost you $199 USD if its bought less than four days out from your trip, and $169 USD if it's bought more in advance of that (assuming you're not getting the one-day Memory Maker option). This is pricey, but worth it.
This is where MaxPass actually starts to look not quite as ridiculous. $10 USD to digitally book Fastpasses seems like like a lot to us WDW junkies, but if you factor in PhotoPass to that price, it may actually be worth it.
Is MaxPass Worth My Money?
It's honestly going to depend on your budget and personal preferences.
However, for the sake of argument, let's do some math. Let's say that my husband and I are going to Disneyland for seven days and want to use MaxPass. That's 2 people x $10/day x 7 days = $140 USD. That's actually cheaper than the $169 USD we paid to get Memory Maker for our last Disney World trip. For us, the cost seems to be well worth the money.
To be perfectly honest, the pictures alone may be well worth the money if you're a family with children, regardless of cost. It's definitely a consideration to make though, because the same scenario for a family of four is going to cost $280 USD. So although I cannot answer this question definitively, I can at least provide you with some food for thought.
Would you ever use MaxPass when visiting Disneyland? Comment and subscribe :)
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Disneyland is the real OG of happiness, first opening in 1955 and also being the only park Walt Disney himself personally oversaw. This resort has two parks: the original Disneyland park and California Adventure, which opened in 2001.
Walt Disney World opened in 1971, a full 16 years after the original. That being said, it is easily the biggest Disney resort, with the parks together being roughly the size of San Francisco... and growing FAST!
Naturally, both Disneyland and Disney World have their similarities, and their differences. We will focus on that in the future. Today, however, I want to look at the differences between the Fastpass+ system in Disney World and the MaxPass system in Disneyland.
What is Fastpass+?
As discussed in my Fastpass+ article, this system allows you to reserve a spot to ride an attraction on the MyDisneyExperience app. It's easily one of the most efficient ways to ride the rides with the longest wait times, like Seven Dwarves Mine Train. You can book three Fastpasses+ per day, with one additional one after those are used, one after that, and so on.
What is MaxPass?
On the Disneyland app, MaxPass allows you to reserve and use digital Fastpasses. Unlike Disney World, which introduced Fastpass+ in 2013, with the removal of paper Fastpasses by 2014, Disneyland is still super old school! Paper Fastpasses that allow you to make a ride reservation to ride later are still a thing there. MaxPass brings Disneyland into the digital era of ride reservations.
What are the Differences?
On the outset, these appear to be the same thing. However, there are some major differences for us to look at.
Difference # 1: Fastpass+ at Walt Disney World is FREE
Yes, MaxPass costs money! As a Disney World junkie, this seems counter intuitive with the technologies Disney has access to. Your MaxPass is going to cost you $10 USD per day, PER PERSON. Yes, that's right. You want to get Fastpasses for everyone? Well, you're gonna pay for it. And according to the Disneyland website, this is an introductory price. You can purchase this add-on prior to your trip, or when you actually get there. Your choice.
The notable difference in price is going to be for annual passholders of Disneyland, who can get MaxPass added on annually for $75 USD.
Difference # 2: You Can Only Book One Fastpass at a Time with MaxPass
Unfortunately, the three-a-day in advance of your trip rule isn't going to work here. You only get to book one Fastpass in advance. You can make another when you've used it, but this really limits your ability to plan in advance if their are multiple hard-to-reserve rides you want to do in a day. Especially when you need to be in the parks to use it. No 30 or 60-day booking window for you!
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Difference # 3: Digital Downloads are ONLY Included with MaxPass
If you're using MyDisneyExperience, booking dining reservations, linking tickets and MagicBands, linking hotel reservations, and booking Fastpasses+ are all complimentary. The same cannot be said of Memory Maker. Memory maker is an add-on that is going to cost you $199 USD if its bought less than four days out from your trip, and $169 USD if it's bought more in advance of that (assuming you're not getting the one-day Memory Maker option). This is pricey, but worth it.
This is where MaxPass actually starts to look not quite as ridiculous. $10 USD to digitally book Fastpasses seems like like a lot to us WDW junkies, but if you factor in PhotoPass to that price, it may actually be worth it.
Is MaxPass Worth My Money?
It's honestly going to depend on your budget and personal preferences.
However, for the sake of argument, let's do some math. Let's say that my husband and I are going to Disneyland for seven days and want to use MaxPass. That's 2 people x $10/day x 7 days = $140 USD. That's actually cheaper than the $169 USD we paid to get Memory Maker for our last Disney World trip. For us, the cost seems to be well worth the money.
To be perfectly honest, the pictures alone may be well worth the money if you're a family with children, regardless of cost. It's definitely a consideration to make though, because the same scenario for a family of four is going to cost $280 USD. So although I cannot answer this question definitively, I can at least provide you with some food for thought.
Would you ever use MaxPass when visiting Disneyland? Comment and subscribe :)
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