The Disneyland Fast Pass system is unlike any of the other Western parks. In addition to paper fast passes, which are included in your ticket, there’s also a bolt-on you can buy on the Disneyland app called MaxPass. When I was researching Disneyland, I struggled to find a comprehensive guide to the MaxPass so I thought I’d put everything I learnt into one handy post. So without further ado, here’s my guide on how to use MaxPass at Disneyland.
How to use MaxPass at Disneyland
Getting MaxPass
Disney’s MaxPass is a paid-for fast pass system at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. It costs $15 a day per person and can only be purchased once you’ve entered one of the two Disneyland parks – yes you have to be physically standing in the park (or have at least gone through the turnstiles earlier that day!)
So how do you buy MaxPass? Once you’ve entered one of the Disney parks, you’ll need to link your tickets of the Disneyland app. This is really simple – open the Disneyland app, click the little plus button on the bottom menu and select ‘Get FASTPASS with Disney MaxPass’. You’ll then be prompted to link your tickets which you can do by scanning the barcode on the back. Once linked, you’ll be given the option to buy the MaxPass.
Remember – the MaxPass payment will come from the credit/debit card linked with your Disney account so make sure if you want to use a no fees card such as Monzo (affiliate link), that it is pre-linked.
How to use MaxPass in the parks?
Once you have enabled your MaxPass, you’ll be able to see what rides have MaxPass available, the wait time and the next available MaxPass slot. Rides tend to have hour time slots available. You’ll be able to see the availability for both Disneyland and Disney’s Californian Adventure. This is one of the perks over the paper system – you can be standing in Disneyland and book a fast pass for a ride over in Californian Adventure without having to go all the way over there.
Tip: Once you’ve selected a FastPass, the app will tell you when you can get your next one (it might be before your FastPass ride slot if it’s far enough away in the future). Be sure to remember the time and go back onto the app to book your next one when it’s available. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to get a new FastPass every 90 minutes but it may vary slightly.
Redeeming FastPass at the ride
It’s really simple to redeem your FastPasses on rides – you just pull up the barcode on your phone and scan it at the FastPass entrance.
Tip: If your party is all connected in the ‘friends and family’ list on the Disneyland App, one person can take control of everybody’s FastPass’s including booking as a group and redeeming them all at the ride entrance. My friend John took responsibility for this when we last at Disneyland. We linked all our Disney accounts and he booked them all throughout the day so we’d all get the same time slot. He’d also them swipe through the digital tickets to scan them quickly at the ride entrance.
How to use MaxPass for Evening Shows (currently World of Colour and Fantasmic)
One of the best things about MaxPass is that the evening shows are available to select from the moment the parks open and if you decide to get a FastPass for one of them, it won’t affect your ability to continue to get others through the day.
Unlimited PhotoPass is Included
Also included in with your MaxPass is all your PhotoPass photography for unlimited download. This includes character meets, PhotoPass photographers and ride photos. You can then download them directly from the Disneyland app for about 60 days after they’ve been taken.
Tip: If your party is not planning on getting FastPass due to the park being quiet, you may want to consider one member getting it so you can get all your photos for the day.
So there you have it, a full guide on how to use MaxPass at Disneyland. The process is really simple and very convenient. What I would say is to check the crowd levels when you enter the park before spending the $15 – it might be quiet enough for you not to need MaxPass – unless you’re planning on going hard on the PhotoPass photography.
If you’d like to see me use MaxPass – including purchasing the ticket and using it in the parks, here’s a video from my latest trip where I walk you through it!
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