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View Full Version : Have you used Ride Max?



BCmomof3
05-15-2006, 01:30 PM
Can you tell me about your experience with it?

bradk
05-15-2006, 01:35 PM
I have twice. both times I ended up throwing the schedule away and applying my own basic knowledge of the attraction queue buildups. both times were also out of peak season. if you were going peak season or for 1 or 2 days, i'd highly recommend it

Bolivar
05-15-2006, 01:44 PM
I didn't use any of the schedules I created with it, but I learned a great deal about how the crowds and attraction lines worked. This was great and I highly recommend it for that reason.

vicbella2
05-15-2006, 01:54 PM
We used it on our trip in Mar/Apr and we found it very handy. Dh didn't like the idea of having a schedule, but he became a convert. we went during Spring Break this last trip and are going again at the end of August. We'll definitely be using it then as well. For the $2?.?? it cost, we found it to be a small percentage of our trip expense and well worth it.

Frogberto
05-15-2006, 03:39 PM
I recently purchased RideMax, and I have tried it out on a few days that weren't that busy. I learn a lot by using the program, and the program also has a few "tips" that were really, really valuable.

I've found that some of the rides are off (we visit on Sundays, which the ride doesn't cover, which may explain that), usually to our benefit. Also, as they admit, entertainment such as parades, fireworks, etc., which are a big part of the Disneyland or DCA experience, are not included, so you usually have to schedule around that.

I found a lot of similar information in the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, which also allowed me to plan to get to the park early, ride those with the longest lines first, and then just make a list of attractions I want to hit in the order I want to hit them in. That seemed to work out very well, and it's cheaper than RideMax.

Overall, however, I do recommend the program, and I think you'll find it pays off as far as your Disneyland investment goes.

rentayenta
05-15-2006, 05:17 PM
I used it for our holiday trip December 2004 and it was right on and worth the $25 year subscription price.

I tried it again last July and it was so off. I think they just didn't account for the crowds.

It's fun to tinker with and a small price to pay considering how much the total trip costs.

Will I purchase a new script for this December's trip? Probably.

SeansMom
05-15-2006, 07:44 PM
We went over Spring Break April '05. I think for DL all the plans were great, but circumstances dictated that we toss the plans on a couple of days. The times we DID follow them, they worked really well. I was impressed!

Things to keep in mind: There are lots of "other" entertainment in DL/DCA, such as the Dapper Dans, Mickey climbing the Matterhorn, and Farley (who we spent lots of time watching/interacting with), not to mention PUSH, the parades, fireworks, etc. Plus, meals can take longer than anticipated if people are tired or service is slow. We'd probably use it again (even though the price has gone up), but I'd leave more space for just enjoying all the entertainment (there is a way to build in breaks, which I would do to accomadate the unexpected...also, a little less forced that way.)

ktrm
05-15-2006, 10:46 PM
What is Farley?

bradk
05-16-2006, 03:48 AM
Farley is a fiddler over in Frontierland.

I have a not-so-great photo here: http://bradk.smugmug.com/photos/69876942-M-1.jpg

(temporary location until I get all my trip photos sorted out)

Leap for Joy
05-16-2006, 06:05 AM
We first used it last year during Easter weekend. We went with a friend and her two sons who hadn't been before. RideMax worked out great for our group! We set it on the slow walking speed so that we would have time to stop and look at things along the way. The boys never begged to get in lines -- when they saw something they wanted to do, they asked if it was on the schedule. Once they saw that it was, they were happy to wait until that time.

I've used it several times since then. We find it most helpful when we're with a group -- no more standing around asking what everyone wants to do next. When it's just DH and me, we make several plans in advance of the trip to study the expected crowd patterns and then go without a touring plan.

I'm definitely renewing my subscription for our next trip!

simbaNnala101
05-16-2006, 10:42 AM
can some one tell me what this ridemax is exactly. I have never heared of it is it to get on the rides faster? Is it like an altimite fast pass or is it just something that tells you the best times to try and get on a ride? also where can I get this? Do I have to order it in advance? And I am going for the pirate premier do you think it would be helpful? Sorry I just so full of questions.

~Ash~:D

stan4d_steph
05-16-2006, 11:02 AM
www.ridemax.com

If you do a search on "ridemax" you will find a lot of previous threads here.

scaeagles
05-16-2006, 11:09 AM
I've never had an interest in trying it.

When we go (we live in Phoenix), we usually spend 4 days, so we have more than enough time to do everything several times. We make sure to arrive at opening and attack certain things first on different days and collect some fast passes for popular rides to use in the afternoon when it is crowded.

We'll spend time in DCA later in the day when DL is super crowded.

I've looked at some schedules in various travel guides (Unofficial Guide to DL, etc), but they just kill enjoyment for us. If my kid wants to watch some performer or has a bathroom emergency, I don't want to be thinking that we're falling behind our schedule.

Just my opinion....I don't think it's worth it.

acpalmer
05-16-2006, 11:15 AM
*Sigh* I wanted to try it, but it appears that it requires a Windows-based machine and with a DH who is all about graphics and publishing, we are a Mac-only family. Guess I won't be trying this out unless someone knows a work-around for a Mac...

hlbtimes2
05-16-2006, 11:17 AM
We used in last Oct. We found it to work well. My suggestion is to use it one day of your trip to really get in the most rides. Then, take the other days a bit slower and really take in the magic of the parks. While ride max will get you on rides, it will not allow for the flexibility to stop and watch a show or see some characters.

bradk
05-16-2006, 11:21 AM
well, in ridemax's defense...

all that isn't entirely true. yes, there's no scheduling for things other than attractions, but you can schedule breaks when you intend to see a show or something to that effect.

ridemax also usually errors on the side of caution with wait times. unless it's estimating a 0 minute wait time, you will almost always not need the time it earmarks for waiting or walking. in other words, you will most often end up ahead of schedule which allows you for additional on-the-fly freedom. i've ended up taking many photos or doing additional things when I was meant to be on line somewhere and I still maintained the schedule overall. in fact, this is why i end up falling off the schedule, because i end up with too much free time and end up doing attractions when they aren't scheduled.

both times i've used it have been in off peak season though.

ridemax is best when you're going with a stressed time period to begin with. it allows you to virtually guarantee which attractions you can get onto. more often than not, you can do even better with it by filling in the created gaps (i.e., schedule things like space mountain and not things like tarzan's treehouse - or schedule the treehouse and end up with even more free time).

hlbtimes2
05-16-2006, 11:27 AM
Brad, I think it depends a lot on the group as to how much time you need to get from ride to ride. Our group was me and dh (who both know our way around really well), our two kids (3 and 7 at the time) and MIL and FIL (71 and 74). It was not easy getting that many people moving in one direction, and we also had to allow for A LOT of bathroom breaks. So, where 1-2 adults might be able to make really good time between rides, but if you have a larger party its difficult.

bradk
05-16-2006, 11:36 AM
again, that's true to a point, but what might be missed here is even though ridemax provides times with its schedule, it doesn't expect you to strictly adhere to them either. (although it doesn't mean feel free to show up to Splash Mountain 3 hours after the suggested time either).

according to ridemax documentation, the only times that are 'critical' to adhering to are the ones that are bolded and even then, it gives a 10 minute window to do so to maintain the schedule.

and the bottom line is, if you end up not being able to make one entry, you can just toss it aside and worry about getting back to it later.

like i said, i think the times it's really required are limited (i wouldn't suggest everyone use it all the time), but it is a very useful tool, if only to play around with to see how the crowds operate.

if you know not to bother with dumbo, peter pan, gadget's go coaster, mickey's house or most of the mountains in the middle of the day, then you probably can do just as well in your mind than ridemax does, if not better.

if you aren't that familiar with the patterns or don't want to give it thought, then it's a good tool. but you still need to be able to adapt such as when attractions go 101 or time constraints don't work out or you need to let some additional fun or spontaneity creep in.

SeansMom
05-16-2006, 01:20 PM
One other comment: It would have been nice to have access to a computer and internet while at the parks, so we could have adjusted our plan daily. For example, who knew our youngest DS would be "too old" for Astro Orbitor, and our oldest mostly wanted to ride California Screamin' 5 times in a row? All this would have been easier to adjust if we'd had computer access on a day to day basis, instead of doing all the plans before our trip started.

FunMom
06-05-2006, 12:25 AM
Rentayenta - You made mention that Ridemax did not work well for you last July - you thought due to crowds. Because we'll be at DL this July, I'm curious as to HOW Ridemax was way off for you. Was the crowd level so high that you could not keep up with your schedule? Thanks.

rentayenta
06-05-2006, 12:34 PM
Rentayenta - You made mention that Ridemax did not work well for you last July - you thought due to crowds. Because we'll be at DL this July, I'm curious as to HOW Ridemax was way off for you. Was the crowd level so high that you could not keep up with your schedule? Thanks.


Basically the park was much more crowded than the folks at Ridemax anticipated. The first ride showing a 10 minute wait ended up being closer to a 30 minute wait and so on and so on. You just fell behind and the plan was useless.

Having said that- the trip was really fun and using Ridemax, for me, is more about having a game plan so the kids don't bicker regarding what to do next and less about having a hardcore itinerary.

MileHighAko
06-05-2006, 12:39 PM
I used Ridemax last week to help create a "shell" plan. We didn't follw the RideMax plan, but used its suggested ordering and wait time ideas to help me manually create our own custom plan. Overall I'm glad I used it and felt it was helpful.

amcutler
06-05-2006, 12:50 PM
I've also signed up for this, am anxious to see how it works. What I'm most worried about is the characters because I know when my 5 year old sees one it wont matter what a piece of paper says, our new schedule will be seeing the character.

Also would love more info on these as I didnt find them in the unofficial guide or on the ridemax scheduler.

"other" entertainment in DL/DCA,
the Dapper Dans
Mickey climbing the Matterhorn
Farley
PUSH