Disneyland's MaxPass...Is it worth it?

Have you heard? Disneyland rolled out a new way to make your Disney experience more magical!  In mid-July 2017 they introduced MaxPass.  It claims "you will save time in line" and you'll be able to download your Photopass photos.  So, how does it work?  Will it cost extra?  How do I get it? and most importantly.......IS IT WORTH IT? 

Let's start with how to get it.....If you already have the Disneyland Parks app, you're already ready.  In my opinion everyone should have this app on their phone.  Why?  It gives you ride wait times, character meet & greet times and locations, listings of dining options with the option to book them(Always book your dining ahead of time.  Even if you do it the day before.  It saves so much time, and gives you direction while planning your day.)  It also includes locations of shops, restrooms, and entertainment listings.  These features are all located on the map, so you can get around more efficiently.  It also gives you park hours, a place to store your park tickets(in case you lose yours(you NEED this), and a section called "My Plans".  It shows you your fast passes, and dining reservations.  I enjoy all of the features of this app, with my favorite being the display of current wait times.  I find myself checking wait times at least 2-3 times a week....just imagining what I would being doing if I was there.  In fact, right now the wait for Radiator Spring Racers is 45 min.  That's pretty good for this time of year.  Peter Pan is still at 40 min.  That's pretty standard.  One day I hope to be there when it's at 15 min.  Wouldn't that be great?  My husband has yet to discover why people love the Peter Pan ride so much.  Anyway, I digress.....download the app.  You'll need it for MaxPass.

Will it cost extra?  As with anything new Disney rolls out, it of course has a price.  Right now they have "introductory pricing" so we will have to wait and see if it changes after a year of implementation.  If you have an annual pass there are different offers in place, but let's stick with regular tickets.  For a one day MaxPass addition you will need to shell out an additional $10 per person.  Yes, $10 per person per day.  Which leads us to the next question.....what do you get for $10 per person per day?

For $10 a day you get 2 things.  One, access to all of your PhotoPass photos.  Two, the ability to select your fast passes on your phone.  Let's say you go to Disneyland by yourself and the photographer snags that perfect photo of you and Mickey.  If you want to buy that 1 photo, it will cost $14.95(current price).  Now, I give you this example because it's the simplest way to show the worth of the MaxPass.  BUT.... the reason the MaxPass exists is for the use of it's FastPass feature.  Let's say you decide NOT to get MaxPass.  To get the most out of your Disney day you're going to want a FastPass.  A FastPass gives you access to a specific ride during a specified one hour window where you can skip the "regular line" and queue up in the FastPass line.  This line gets you to the ride faster.  It's a time saver, but you can't just have as many FastPasses as you want .  Disney will let you know when you are able to obtain another FastPass.  It can be as quick as when you finish your first ride, or up to an hour.  To get a FastPass you need to go to the ride and queue up to the FastPass distributor.  IF you get MaxPass you do NOT need to go to each ride for the FastPass.  You can do it FROM YOUR PHONE!!!  Hello, you don't have to run around the park(or even hop park to park) collecting FastPasses all day long.  I'm saying, you don't have to walk an additional 3-8 miles in your already mile filled Disney day.  It is also worth noting that we've experiences(on more than one occasion) that MaxPass has more FastPass availability.  If  a FastPass distribution location states that there are no more passes for the day, you may find them available through MaxPass.

So, most importantly....IS IT WORTH IT?  I guess that depends on how big your group is, and what $10 means to you.  In my experience I say YES... It's worth every penny.  I love getting photos of my family, and I LOVE that I can be in the photos too without it being a selfie.  I love that I own all of my pictures(rides included) and I can add stickers and borders to them.  For me, the photo feature alone is enough.  The FastPass feature is also totally worth it.  One day we rode Midway Mania 5 times because of our MaxPass.  We would have rode it more, but WE had enough.  That never happens for me on that ride.  It's always a long line, and MaxPass has been our lifesaver.  I've talked to larger families and they also find the MaxPass worthwhile.  I will say that there are "slow" Disney days where the lines may not be long(I'm not sure how many of these days exist anymore), or we're not doing a lot of the FastPass rides.  On those days we don't get the MaxPass, but those are also the days we don't do any character meet and greets.  If I think we will even take 1 FAMILY photo, I will at least buy one MaxPass.  Sure we won't all have FastPass access, but that's not why I purchased it those days. 
Disneyland is always looking for new ways to create Magic, or make life on vacation more simple. I truly believe that MaxPass is where it's at and it's such a great vacation investment.  I have loved every MaxPass experience.  I love that I can collect FastPasses for Space Mountain while waiting in line for Soarin' Around the World knowing I don't have to run around both parks wasting valuable time.  I can think of NO reason NOT to get MaxPass in my life.  It's also cool to note that Disney is now including it in their most exclusive annual pass as well.  Well done Disney.  I approve.