January 2018 - Adventure, baby!

Month: January 2018

Hotel Review: Crowne Plaza Canberra CBD Hotel

January 23, 2018 / ACT, Australia / 0 comment

Canberra is one of our fave weekend escapes. There’s just so much to love about the city, from it’s amazing galleries and museums to its delicious cafes, beautiful gardens and family-friendly hotels. We recently stayed at the Crowne Plaza Canberra CBD Hotel, and have nothing but high praise for the hotel and its staff.

I’m a strong believer in first impressions, and the Crowne Plaza impressed from the moment we walked through the front doors and were blasted with sweetly fragranced air conditioning on a face-meltingly hot summer’s day.

The large atrium in the centre of the Crowne Plaza is a stunning, light-filled place complete with comfy couches to read the paper or watch the news on TV. On days like the ones we experienced, with temperatures almost reaching 40dC, it was a welcome comfort to have somewhere air conditioned to relax in for a bit!

The staff at the Crowne Plaza could not have been more helpful or friendly throughout our stay. From our fast and friendly check-in to suggestions for kid-friendly eateries nearby, and warm servers in the breakfast dining room, we felt extremely welcome and comfortable during our stay.

A massive plus for the hotel is also it’s fantastic location. It’s right in the centre of the city, next to the beautiful Glebe Park, and only two blocks from the city’s main shopping area, completely with supermarket, restaurants, cheaper food eateries and every other kind of convenience you might need. Being so close to the main city area mean that we were able to walk to the supermarket for a few groceries as well as cheaper food options for dinner each night.

The Crowne Plaza is also very close to all of the main attractions in Canberra. It’s 2km from the Australian War Memorial museum, and 5 km from the area where you’ll find the National Gallery of Australia, Questacon, Parliament House and Old Parliament House. It’s a really fast drive along Canberra’s smooth roads.

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in a refurbished deluxe room with a park view. The view was gorgeous to wake up to each day – a beautiful oasis of calm right outside the window. The room itself was light and airy, very modern with flat-screen TV, a couch that our daughter commandeered, two extremely comfortable double beds, tea and coffeemaking facilities and a minibar where we put things like milk, yoghurt and cheese and crackers.

Wifi is now free for all guests, but there are additional charges for parking in the underground carpark and the breakfast buffet.

While our family of three fits perfectly in a room like this with two double beds, larger rooms are available for families such as suites with balconies and kitchenettes with dining tables, or interconnecting rooms. You can also request an additional rollaway bed.

Other facilities offered at the hotel include a sauna, outdoor pool and fitness centre. The pool was a welcome relief on the very hot days that we visited. There were so many kids using the pool I wasn’t able to get a shot of it for this post!

The Crowne Plaza Canberra CBD supplied me with the below pic of the pool so you can see how great it is. In the afternoon the pool is shaded by the building, making it the perfect time of day to swim without worrying about sunburn.

If you choose to dine at the hotel, there’s the modern bar, Binara One, open daily from 4pm. It offer drinks and light meals. Redsalt Restaurant is an upmarket option open daily for breakfast lunch and dinner, plus there is 24-hour room service. Both Redsalt and room service have dedicated kids’ menus.

We enjoyed breakfast in the hotel each morning with eggs made to order, barista coffee and a variety of fruit, breads, cereals, baked goods and juices.

While the Crowne Plaza does offer entertainment in the family room during school holidays, we were too busy out and about to enjoy it on this trip. It’s a great option however to be able to take littlies to a place in the hotel to play when one parent needs a rest back in the room!

If you’re visiting with your family, check the Crowne Plaza website for special family getaway deals. At the time of our stay they were offering a package that included accommodation for two adults and up to two children, with included breakfast and 3-in-fun tickets to Questacon, Cockington Green Gardens & the Australian Institute of Sport.

Hotel Review: Crowne Plaza Canberra CBD Hotel
1 Binara St, Canberra ACT
canberra.crowneplaza.com

Thank you to the Crowne Plaza Canberra CBD Hotel for hosting us during our stay. All opinions are my own.

Visiting Canberra with the kids? Here are some places you should check out.

Kids’ Theatre Review: Brainiac Live

January 16, 2018 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

Live at the Sydney Opera House, for a short time only, kids who love science and explosions can catch the wildly entertaining show Brainiac Live.

Based on the British documentary TV show Brainiac: Science Abuse, the show is a fast-paced journey through a series of experiments that answer a question or challenge a common conception, or just simply makes a big bang.

Brainiac live is an action-packed hour of science on speed. Impressive explosions, loud rock music, high energy action and daredevil stunts are the perfect way to engage kids in science and remind them that chemistry, biology and physics are not only important, but also a whole lot of fun.

The show contains a lot of loud noises and music, so might not be suitable for sensitive kids. After the show I found out that there were earplugs that could be collected and used for free – it would have been good if they had been passed to us as we were walking to our seats however, as the noises were extremely loud during the show and we could have used them.

As the parent of a daughter, I was happy to see a woman in the cast of Brainiacs, even though she was a minor character. It’s important for girls to see women in careers in science to encourage them to dream of a career in the sciences themselves.

The cast are an engaging crew in general, and kept the kids highly entertained for the duration of the show. My very sensitive daughter was concerned that people were going to get hurt while conducting the experiments, so either think twice about taking super sensitive kids, or prepare them in advance that what they will see on stage is a performance, with no one in danger.

Brainiac Live
Duration: 1 hour
Suitable for ages 6+
Dates: Tuesday 16th January – Thursday 25th January, 2018.

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point Sydney

You can reach the Opera House by:

Car – park in the onsite Opera House car park. For discounted parking, book online with Wilson car parks and check the Sydney Opera House website for any current promo codes.

Buses, trains and ferries – all service nearby Circular Quay which is an easy 5-10 min walk to the Opera House.

A huge thank you to the Sydney Opera House for hosting us on this fantastic day. All opinions are my own.

NSW Rail Museum: Things To Do In Southwest Sydney

January 12, 2018 / Historical Sydney, Indoor Play, Museums, South West, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Bring your locomotive-loving kids to get up close to trains at the NSW Rail Museum in the historic town of Thirlmere. Since 1975 this little town has been home to a large collection of NSW’s railway heritage, including over 100 vehicles that move on a railway including locomotives, railroad cars and more.

Thirlmere is approximately 90km from Sydney in its southwest region, a town built with the arrival of the Great Southern Railway in 1863 to 1867.

The NSW Rail Museum is divided into three sections:

The Main Exhibition Building
This is the indoor building where you’ll find plenty to learn about life on the railways, their purpose and development and information on their engineering and design. Kids will love the interactive elements in this building, such as the train play table, colouring in, crafts and train carriages that can be entered.

We enjoyed looking at the Governor General’s Carriage, which looks like a palace on wheels, the Prison Van, even though it freaked out youngest member out a tad, the Steam Machine which kids can pretend to drive, and the mail van, which led to discussions about how mail was and is delivered.

In this building you’ll also find Steam locomotive E18; built in 1866, this is the oldest train in the collection.

Worker’s Walk
Linking the Main Exhibition Building to the Great Train Hall, this is where you can learn about the jobs that keep the railways running.

The Great Train Hall
Here you’ll find the biggest collection of “rolling stock” (which means anything that runs over railway tracks) in Australia.

Keep an eye out for:

6040 Garratt: The heaviest and most powerful steam train to ever turn a wheel in Australia.

Steam locomotive 1905: The first train to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Rail Pay Bus: Used to transport employees’ wages, some carriages are able to be boarded.

Roundhouse
Take a look at the trains being restored and maintained inside the Roadhouse.

Special Events
Several times a year, the NSW Rail Museum runs special events (check their page to see what’s next), such as their Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine, Annual Festival of Steam and Summer Heritage Train Rides.

NSW Rail Museum
10 Barbour Road
Thirlmere NSW 2572
Tel: 1300 11 55 99
The NSW Rail Museum is open 7 days a week.
Hours: Open daily, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm
nswrailmuseum.com.au

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Sydney’s Best Playgrounds: Bungarribee Western Sydney Parklands

January 10, 2018 / Outdoor Play, Playgrounds, South West, Sydney, Western Sydney / 0 comment

The Western Sydney Parklands is a top spot for local families to stretch their legs and really enjoy the great outdoors. The newest park in the precinct, Bungarribee, opened in March 2017 – a 200-hectare recreational facility that gives locals plenty of wide open space to play, cycle, scoot, walk, run and even walk their dog at one of Sydney’s largest off-leash dog areas, the Warrigal Dog Run.

At Bungarribee you’ll find plenty to entertain the family all day. The ultra-modern playground will be a total hit with the kids, with its 14-metre-high playtower, 50-metre-long flying-fox, giant and baby swings, water play area and sand pits.

The playtower is unlike anything we’ve seen in a Sydney playground before, with multiple levels giving kids challenges to climb over and through various levels. It’s a great space for tweens to enjoy in particular.

Other facilities at Bungarribee include walking/cycling/scooting tracks, 20 barbecues, 13 picnic shelters (8 are available for hire, the rest are free of charge, on a first-come first-served basis), plenty of car parking (the area we parked had free all-day parking), large, clean bathrooms, and wide open fields to run around.

Personally, I thought the space was pretty good, but could use a few improvements:

The park needs better shade cloths instead of the rather weird netting that was used.
The park has no all-ability features in it. I can’t understand why 15 million dollars was spent on a huge new park that excludes kids with disabilities.

Get more information on Western Sydney Parklands Bungarribee here.

Bungarribee
Western Sydney Parklands
Entrance Intersection of Holbeche and Doonside roads, Bungarribee.

Kids’ Theatre Review: Operation Ouch!

January 6, 2018 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

Science-loving kids will highly enjoy this new show about the incredible human body, Operation Ouch!, based on the hit ABC Me series.

Twin doctors, Dr Chris and Dr Xand, have brought their incredible medical stunts and crazier experiments to Sydney in a kid-friendly live show.

The 75 minute show is packed with fascinating facts about the body, such as our ears, eyes, digestive system and brain. It’s education at it best – highly entertaining and informative all at once.

We went into the show with no knowledge of the TV program. While I do think it’s beneficial to watch the TV show first so you have a connection to the doctors and know what to expect, it’s not crucial to enjoying the performance.

Dr Chris and Dr Xand are extremely personable as well as smart, and it was really interesting hearing their stories about growing up, not being so good at school, and how and why they became doctors. I thought it was great for kids to hear from successful people how they overcame adversity to become professionals in a demanding field.

I also thought it was great for kids to see science presented from a kid-friendly angle but not dumbed down in any way. All the proper medical terms were used for each part of the body, and the experiments were equally interesting for adults as they were for the kids.

My favourite part of the show involved the doctors explaining how germs spread and the importance of vaccinations in an interactive and easy-to-understand way. We’ve been trying to explain this for a while to the 6-year-old, but it’s a lot of concepts that aren’t easy to visualise, so big props to Dr Chris and Xand for making the topic accessable.

Operation Ouch! is entertaining for the whole family – including the adults. The husband and I found it highly enjoyable to watch and both learnt a few things along the way, too!

Operation Ouch!
Saturday, 6 January 2018 at 1.15pm and 3.45pm
Sunday, 7 January 2018 at 10am and 12.45pm
Show length – 75 mins
Suitable for ages 6+
Book your tickets here.

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point Sydney

You can reach the Opera House by:

Car – park in the onsite Opera House car park. For discounted parking, book online with Wilson car parks and check the Sydney Opera House website for any current promo codes.

Buses, trains and ferries – all service nearby Circular Quay which is an easy 5-10 min walk to the Opera House.

A huge thank you to the Sydney Opera House for hosting us on this fantastic day. All opinions are my own.

Top Tips For Visiting Universal Studios Hollywood

January 4, 2018 / California, Los Angeles, Theme Parks, Travel, USA / 0 comment

Top Tips For Visiting Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood is an absolute must when visiting Los Angeles. It’s the place where movies are made and dreams come true! This is the original Universal Studios and home of the Backlot Tour, where visitors are taken around the “back lot” to see the real sets where blockbusters are made. Universal Studios Hollywood is the only one in the world where this attractions is on offer. If you’re visiting the park, these tips will help you make your day a fun and successful outing that the whole family will remember for years to come.

Buy tickets in advance

This is always something I do as it saves an extra step at every place we visit. You can buy your tickets online here.

Options include (at time of print):

Single day general admission: $105-$116 USD
Two-day admission: $129-$159 USD
Universal Express: $179-$269 USD
VIP Experience: From $309

Tickets cost different amounts depending on the time of year that you go. Busier times of year cost more.

Get early entry by buying tickets online

Buy your tickets online at http://www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com for early park access to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ (see details here).

Consider Universal Express Tickets

if you’re visiting during busy periods, consider upgrading your ticket to a Universal Express Ticket. This gives you one-time express entry to attractions and priority seating at shows. We visited on a busy Saturday in December and found the pass to be an excellent time saver.

Note: You can only use the express pass ONCE per ride/ attraction.

Download the app

The Universal Studios app is particularly helpful with showtimes, ride wait times and character appearances, plus you can also plan a basic itinerary for yourself in it and leave yourself a reminder for where you parked your car! Download the app here.

Arrive early

This is my number one tip for any theme park. Always arrive as early as possible! Check the calendar for park hours here.

Choose your form of transport wisely

Universal Studios is easily reached by train or you can drive. There is ample parking but it will cost you from $20 per day.

Plan the Studio Backlot Tour into your day

The Studio Backlot Tour is a must-see when visiting Universal Studios Hollywood. It takes you behind the scenes of the historic studio where many famous movies and TV shows are filmed. The tour takes an hour so budget plenty of time for it. You are allowed to take food and drink on the tour.

The Studio Backlot Tour is exclusive to Universal Studios Hollywood, so you won’t see it at any other Universal Studios in the world.

Be aware of the park layout and opening times

The park is divided into the Upper Lot and Lower Lot. It takes several escalators and a good 10 minutes or more to get between the two, so factor this into your planning. The Lower Lot opens an hour after the Upper Lot.

Make use of park rentals and lockers

There are lockers inside the park entrance as well as dotted around the park to store your belongings all day. You can also rent strollers and wheelchairs if needed. Make your day easier by keeping your hands free and companions comfortable.

Collect free buttons

Drop by Guest Relations inside the park entrance to pick up free buttons for special occasions. We nabbed “first visit” buttons, but they also have them to celebrate birthdays, graduations and weddings,

Keep your phone charged

If your phone doesn’t have the power to last all day, you can borrow a charger from Guest Relations or plug in your own charger at Starbucks.

Try all the food

We really enjoyed the giant donuts in the Simpson’s themed land, and had the best theme park meal we’ve possibly ever had at the Three Broomsticks restaurant in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We also loved the frozen Butterbeer! I really appreciated that Universal Studios has a link on their website that details all of the park’s vegetarian options!

Make Magic Happen at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We bought the special wands that allow wizards to perform “spells” around Hogsmede. They were pricey souvenirs (around $45 for non-interactive resin wands and $60 for interactive wands), but well worth it for us as this is where we spent the majority of our time at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Get creepy with The Walking Dead

A second attraction that is exclusive to Universal Studios Hollywood is “The Walking Dead”. Due to its intense nature, it’s not recommended for guests under the age of 13, but older teens and adults will enjoy some the authentic make-up effects, detailed costuming and set design, plus and sophisticated (read: scary!) animatronic walkers.

Check your child is tall enough for rides

The majority of rides at Universal Studios Hollywood are aimed at older kids and adults. While there is plenty to entertain littler kids, you should check that your child is big enough for the rides if that is your prime motivation for going.

The following attractions have minimum height requirements:

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™: Must be 48″ (122 cm) tall.
Flight of the Hippogriff™: Must be 39″ (99 cm) tall.
Children 39-48″ (99-122 cm) must be accompanied by a Supervising Companion (14 years or older)
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem: Must be 40″ (102 cm) tall.
Children 40-48″ (102-122 cm) must be accompanied by a Supervising Companion (14 years or older)
Transformers™: The Ride-3D: Must be 40″ (102 cm) tall.
Children 40-48″ (102-122 cm) must be accompanied by a Supervising Companion (14 years or older)
The Simpsons Ride: Must be 40″ (102 cm) tall.
Children 40-48″ (102-122 cm) must be accompanied by a Supervising Companion (14 years or older)
Jurassic Park® — The Ride: Must be 42″ (107 cm) tall.
Children 42-48″ (107-122 cm) must be accompanied by a Supervising Companion (14 years or older)
Revenge of the Mummy℠ — The Ride: Must be 48″ (122 cm) tall.

Visiting with little kids? Use the Rider Switch Option

If your kids aren’t big enough for the rides you want to go on, use the “child switch” program. One or more of your party goes on the ride while the rest can wait with the kids who are too small in the attraction’s Child Switch room. When the party returns, they switch with those who were waiting with the kids, without having to wait in line again.

Watch the live shows

I find the live shows to be great fun, as well as pretty kid-friendly. They’re a great way to get into the spirit of movies in-between rides. My 6-year-old loved the Animal Actors and WaterWorld shows in particular. The Special Effects show had a few too many monsters for the little one, but was incredibly interesting for the older kids and adults in the audience. The wand selection show in Ollivanders at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is really fun (and a bit magic!). If you’re lucky, you might get chosen in the show to find your perfect wand (and keep it!).

In the Lower Lot, the Raptor Encounter out the front of the Jurassic Park ride was also a lot of fun, even if the raptor was deemed “too scary” to get too close.

Visit during the holidays

We were lucky enough to visit just before Christmastime and enjoyed seeing the park at its most festive. In the centre of the park there is a special “Grinchmas” set up, with a huge Suess-themed Christmas tree that looks stunning at night when it’s lit up, as well as all-day live, family-friendly entertainment and photo opportunities with the Grinch himself.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is also excellent to visit at this time of year, with the Frog Choir singing a special Christmas tune and a spectacular evening light show on Hogwarts Castle.

Entertain the littles in the play areas

The Upper and Lower Lots both have designated play areas for little kids aged 5 and under. The Upper Lot area is water-themed so take swimmers if it’s a hot day, while the Lower Lot area is dinosaur themed and next to the Jurassic Park ride.

Meet the characters

I love meeting the characters – you’re never too old! I particularly enjoyed seeing the characters from Shrek, Madagascar and Minions while at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Universal Studios Hollywood
100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City
universalstudioshollywood.com

Our Favourite Disney Souvenirs (That Won’t Break The Bank)

January 4, 2018 / Disney Travel, Disneyland, Theme Parks, Travel / 0 comment

We love to bring home a little bit of Disney magic when we travel, so we can enjoy the memories of our Disney trips long after we are back into the daily grind. Here are a few of our faves take-homes.

Mugs
I love both the mugs from the Disney stores well as the special “You Are Here” Starbucks mugs that can only be bought at Disneyland. There are Starbucks stores on Main Street in both parks where you can buy these mugs.

Husband loves the Star Wars mug and I love the Ariel and Aulani ones. We picked them up at random little stores around the parks (the Aulani one is from Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii). The mugs cost around $20 each.

Pressed Pennies
We are new to these and they are so fun. You’ll need a selection of quarters and pennies and be on the look out for the machines around the park to convert them into little collectables. They’re a cheap souvenir to take home and are run to make as kids can put in the coins, select the design and turn the wheel to press the penny themselves. Serious penny collectors can use a map to locate all of the machines in the park. A pressed penny costs either two quarters or two quarters and a penny.

Popcorn Buckets
My daughter is a popcorn monster so we eat a lot of popcorn when we are in the parks. The buckets are an additional cost to the standard popcorn in a disposable container – between $10 and $25 depending on which design and size that you choose. The buckets have seasonal and limited edition designs so we love to collect them – and yes we re-use them at home!

Bubble Wands
One of our best souvenirs ever, as this bubble wand really goes the distance. We have refilled it over and over again and it continues to work flawlessly. At around $20 it’s an expensive toy but it’s lasted so well that we were happy with the purchase. Wands are available all over the parks.

Fridge Magnets
A really cheap and easy souvenir that we like to look at every day on the fridge. Our fridge is covered in magnets from around the world and they’re a nice reminder of our travels each time we open the door. You can buy these magnets at little stores all over the park and they cost around $10 each.

Pins
Pins are an easy souvenir to collect. There are stores all over both parks that sell the pins alongside other merchandise so they’re easy to find. If you get super into it, you can wear them on a lanyard to the park and swap them with the Disney cast members. Some pins are limited edition so make for particularly good collectables. Pins cost between around $11 and $20 each.

Christmas Ornaments
We collect Christmas ornaments from all over the world and get a great deal of joy every year unwrapping the ornaments and putting them on the tree, while reminiscing about our travels. Disney ornaments are available in several locations in each park all throughout the year, and cost around $20-$40 each depending on the size.

Silhouette
We discovered the silhouettes in Disneyland on our recent trip. It costs $10 to get two (identical) silhouettes cut and $20 for a frame. They only take about 10 minutes to get made and make a great gift for grandparents.

Stuffed Characters
The small stuffed characters are fun to collect. We love to find the seasonal and location-specific ones when we travel. These three are from Disneyland at Christmas and our Disney Alaska cruise. They cost around $20 each.

Mickey Sink
This delicious treat is available at Clara’s hand-scooped Ice Cream in Disney California Adventure Park. It costs $13.50 plus tax and you can take home the sink.

Disney Ears
These are fun to wear at the park and make for great photos. Mickey and Minnie ears like this can be purchased all over both parks and cost about $20.

Hats
A useful souvenir to take home! Hats can be found in both parks in lots of stores and cost about $20-ish.

Keyrings
I use these as zipper-pulls on my bags and my daughter puts them on her school bag. They cost about $10 and can be found in lots of places in the parks.

There you have it! I’ll add to this post in time as we find more fun little Disney souvenirs to take a little of the magic with us.

A Guide To Using MaxPass At Disneyland

January 2, 2018 / California, Disney Travel, Disneyland, Theme Parks, Travel, USA / 0 comment

In 2017 Disneyland California introduced a new ticketing addition called MaxPass. You can read about it here on the official Disney site.

Basically, a MaxPass is an addition to your Disneyland park tickets that gives you added benefits. For an extra $20 per person, per day, a MaxPass will let you:

*Save time at popular attractions by making Disney FASTPASS selections on your mobile device using the Disneyland app while you’re in the parks. Guests with Park Hopper Tickets can even make selections for attractions in our other theme park.

*Download all photos taken by Disney PhotoPass photographers.

(A FASTPASS is a ticket that lets you come back to popular attractions at a designated time and skip waiting up. The FREE PAPER FASTPASSES can still be collected from near the attractions).

What do I need to use Disney MaxPass?
You will need to download the official Disneyland app onto a mobile device. I highly suggest doing this the day before your park visit.

You can download the app here.

Disneyland parks do have WiFi but I found it a bit inconsistent, so it’s preferable if you have data on your mobile device.

You will also need to buy regular park passes, either single day or park-hoppers. If you buy your tickets from the website or app your tickets will automatically be linked and should appear when you log into the Disneyland app on your device.

Do kids need a MaxPass?
If they want to use the digital FASTPASS feature, then yes, they do.

Is MaxPass worth the money?
If you’re going at a busy time of year or for a short time, then a MaxPass can be a game changer. When we visited at Christmas, thanks to the MaxPass we were able to secure FASTPASS tickets constantly all day to rides in both parks, and hence didn’t line up for any major attraction. If I could see that I was going to miss the FASTPASS window for one ride, I would cancel it and then make another ride selection with zero effort.

I love getting lots of photos taken as well, so being able to download over a hundred images from a three-day visit for an extra $10 per day is an absolute bargain to me.

Should I buy MaxPass tickets in advance?
While you can buy the MaxPass at the same time as your Disney park tickets, you can also buy it through the app on the day.

I found it very easy to purchase the MaxPass each morning on my phone as I entered the park, so if you choose to wait until seeing how busy the park is each day and deciding then if you need it, then that option is available.

It is however much easier to already have bought the MaxPass and it also enables you to start booking in your FASTPASSES quicker.

How soon can make a FASTPASS selection using MaxPass?
As soon as your ticket is scanned at either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure park each morning, you are able to book a digital FASTPASS using your phone. This means if you are early to the gates and have your ticket scanned and then wait half an hour for rope drop and official opening, that you ARE able to make your first FASTPASS selection during this time.

What if the time I want isn’t shown?
You can refresh the app and, as people cancel their FASTPASSES, new slots sometimes open up for other times.

How many FASTPASSES can I have at once using MaxPass?
You can have two FASTPASSES booked in at the same time. As soon as you enter the return window for a FASTPASS (each window is usually an hour long) then you are able to book another FASTPASS. If you take a look in the app it will tell you what time you can make your next FASTPASS booking.

What if I just want photos?
Only one person in your party needs to buy the MaxPass each day if all you want are photos. Disney PhotoPass photographers will either scan the app on your phone or a physical PhotoPass card to give you access to the images. You can scan the physical card with your phone to link the photos to your Disney park tickets. While it’s easier to keep track of the one PhotoPass card, you can collect and scan as many as you please, meaning if you have a large party who splits up and gets their own photos taken in different locations, all of the cards can be consolidated into the one account at the end of the day for the single cost of $10.

I chose to use a physical card during our stay to save battery power on my phone.

How do I stop my phone battery from running out?
One of the biggest things to be aware of is how using the Disneyland app all day will run down your battery super fast.

A few tips to make your phone last the whole day:
*If each member of your party has their own mobile device: take a screenshot of your ticket and set it as your screensaver on your phone and have each member of your party do the same.
*If you’re a family with little kids: Take a screenshot and keep the images handy for scanning.
*Use a physical PhotoPass card for scanning with the Disneyland photographers instead of opening the app to let them scan your phone. Ask the photographers for the physical card. You can get one card and re-use it for your entire stay, or collect several and link all of the cards by scanning them with the Disneyland app.
*Take a portable phone charger if your battery is not the best. This will mean you can charge on the go.
*Set your phone to airplane mode when you’re not using the internet.
*If your battery runs out, either purchase a portable charging device or rent a charging station locker.

How to Purchase and Use Disney MaxPass If You Have Tickets
Taken from the Disney website

Download the Disneyland app.
Enter the park you wish to visit using your tickets.
Open the Disneyland app.
Tap the circular character icon at the bottom of the screen.
Sign in with your Disney account.
Tap “Get FASTPASS with Disney MaxPass”.
Select all Guests in your party who wish to use the Disney MaxPass feature—if someone is not listed, link their ticket or pass.
Purchase the Disney MaxPass feature for any Guests who do not already have it.
Make your FASTPASS selections and enjoy your Disney PhotoPass downloads.

How to Purchase and Use Disney MaxPass If You Don’t Yet Have Tickets
Taken from the Disney website

Purchase tickets on disneyland.com with the Disney MaxPass feature for your party.
Download the Disneyland app.
Enter the park you wish to visit using the tickets.
Open the Disneyland app.
Sign in with the same Disney account you used to purchase tickets.
Tap the circular character icon at the bottom of the screen.
Tap “Get FASTPASS with Disney MaxPass”.
Select all Guests in your party who wish to use the Disney MaxPass feature—if someone is not listed, link their ticket or pass.
Purchase the Disney MaxPass feature for any Guests who do not already have it.
Make your FASTPASS selections and enjoy your Disney PhotoPass downloads.

How to Link Disney PhotoPass Photos
Taken from the Disney website

Ask Disney PhotoPass Photographers to either scan your Disney PhotoPass card or the code on your phone. Be sure to also link your Disney PhotoPass card to your Disney account.
Enter the ID code for attraction photos in the Disneyland app. You’ll find the 8-character code on the photo monitor near where you exit the attraction. Ask a Cast Member for help if you cannot locate your photo.

Disney MaxPass for Annual Passholders
Taken from the Disney website

Guests who have a valid Disneyland Annual Passport may purchase the Disney MaxPass feature as an annual add-on for $75 at a Disneyland Resort Ticket Booth or as a daily add-on for $10 through the Disneyland app. The Disney MaxPass feature is an included benefit with the Disney Signature Plus Passport and the Disney Premier Passport.
The cost of the annual Disney MaxPass feature cannot be prorated for Annual Passports expiring in less than a year, and the feature expires when your Annual Passport expires.