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Terri
05-19-2005, 09:22 AM
Has anyone used ridemax since the 5th? I'm also curious about the accuracy of the times, etc. Any thoughts?

And...what does everyone suggest...we'll be there on a Sunday during memorial day...do we use the saturday program or the monday program?

Thanks all!!!

Disneyland here I come! Check out that counter!!! :D

bradk
05-19-2005, 09:46 AM
not really helpful to you, but i'll be using it this weekend. i used saturday for sunday and it seemed to promise an awful lot for DL, so we'll see.

Terri
05-19-2005, 09:54 AM
not really helpful to you, but i'll be using it this weekend. i used saturday for sunday and it seemed to promise an awful lot for DL, so we'll see.

No...I think it will be helpful! Will you be logging on while at DL? If so, just drop me a quickie review on Ridemax if you think about it.

wow...18 hours away! I'm jealous! Right now, I'm just trying to tie up loose ends like mail, newspaper, dog sitters, school, etc.

Enjoy SoCal Brad...wave at the animals for me in San Diego...it's a BEAUTIFUL zoo, my favorite nationwide. Just make sure you have comfy walking shoes cuz you'll do a lot of walking!

Enjoy and I look forward to hearing your ridemax review!

bradk
05-19-2005, 09:58 AM
yeah, no promises, but i'm sure i can drop a line or two, especially after seeing that the carousel does have service available. hopefully it's not too expensive.

and as long as it stays in the low 70s in SD, i'll be fine :) i'm dreading the 90 degree weather in the LA area

HydroGuy
05-19-2005, 10:39 AM
Along the same lines, I am curious about anyone who has found other creative uses for Ridemax. I am planning to use it for our trip in August (have not bought it yet), but am not sure whether we will follow its schedule strictly or just use it as a guide.

I saw a post somewhere where someone for instance chose the same ride over and over, and Ridemax essentially gave predicted wait times all day for that ride. That seems like good data to have. If that works well, I think I might do that for certain DL and DCA rides and boil the data down onto a single spreadsheet for quick reference each day.

Has anyone tried this? Does it work very well? Any other creative ideas? Perhaps Ridemax Mark could comment?

bradk
05-19-2005, 10:53 AM
well, the two basic things you need to understand about ridemax is (1) it errors on the side of longer wait times, so in theory, when you build the schedule, you should be guaranteed to do everything on your schedule and, if you improvise, probably a lot more. in most cases, this should also leave you with time to spare and (2) it pays to be flexible and knowledgeable and be able to make adjustments on the fly, the very least of reasons why is a ride can go down at any time.

i'll give you a good example. i have JC selected for two days. The first day, it gave it to me after sunset. which is good, i want that. however, the next day, it gave me ~7:30. i'd rather do it earlier in the day, so i will have to take advantage of other free time to sneak it into the schedule myself. i also need to manually move the scheduled mark twain to an earlier time so i can make sure i can see mickey climb the matterhorn. i may end up waiting a little more in line doing these things, but the 5-10 minutes it may cost me end up allowing me to have a better overall experience.

i'm one of the people who has done that with the same ride over and over (usually dumbo), but the thing is, it's logic. i already know dumbo is a slow loading ride and that there's a bell curve where the crowds start out lower in the morning, reach a peak by early afternoon and then decline. it's just really interesting to realize people will wait 90 minutes in line for a 2 minute ride.

yellowrosedtxn
05-19-2005, 10:57 AM
so i can make sure i can see mickey climb the matterhorn. When does that usually happen. We are going to be at DL for several days, but on one of those days I would like to see that.

Thanks.

bradk
05-19-2005, 10:59 AM
it was actually recently posted by Wesley I believe. he said that the weekend schedule is 11a, 12:30p, 5:40p. also, i think it was MyBeast who added that mickey does not climb during the week.

yellowrosedtxn
05-19-2005, 11:02 AM
Thanks, I put that in my notes.

dlandnut
05-19-2005, 11:04 AM
Have a great time, Brad. Remember all your MP cronies who are anxious to hear about your trip. :)

Terri
05-19-2005, 11:35 AM
One of my plans is to do some kind of comparison between the "tour" suggestions in the Unofficial guide, Frommer's guide and ridemax and see how they pan out. I'm somewhat anal that way ;) I have a tendency to overanalyze things...

I've never tried to hold to a dictated schedule at the parks, so I'm a little unsure about Ridemax's ability to lead me around. However, my DH is in agreement that we must have a plan of attack or we've wasted a lot of time wondering around.

I'm going to try to post reports while I'm down there...at worst case, I'll post when I get back.

bradk
05-19-2005, 11:40 AM
the unofficial guide itineraries are reputedly decent, but they fall short in that they don't take the particular day in consideration and rides in refurb and what not.

they do have a very nice service for the WDW side which provides custom itineraries based on the specific day (as well as who's going), which is definitely worth the price if you're planning a trip for WDW, but for DLR, they're just pretty generic and the basic things you pick up just reading MP, like ride dumbo first thing or last thing and all that.

hlbtimes2
05-19-2005, 11:55 AM
it's just really interesting to realize people will wait 90 minutes in line for a 2 minute ride.

My guess is, many of those people are parents. When your little one must ride Dumbo, and ride it NOW! you stand in line, and wait your turn. I've been in that position more then once. Sometimes there is just no reasoning with them.

mkcbunny
05-19-2005, 12:09 PM
the unofficial guide itineraries are reputedly decent, but they fall short in that they don't take the particular day in consideration and rides in refurb and what not.
The veeeeery first year my friend and I went to DL together as adults [1999], we used Unofficial, and we were amazed at how well it worked and how few people were actualy PLANNING their experience. So many people just don't do that. Since then, Ridemax has perfected the concept. The main thing is, if you even HAVE a plan, you're ahead of the game. Just knowing about crush rides like Peter Pan, Dumbo, and the Matterhorn, and about FastPassing Splash and Indy if need be, you're going to do well.

I find the toughest things to make sure you see are the rides you are so-so about, the ones that you don't rush to and don't have FastPass. We never did Small World because (a) it was not open at EE, and (b) the line is fully exposed to the sun, so if you don't do it early and it's hot [which it was when we went - high 80s], it's hellish to wait for. [And my hubby was a little afraid of hearing that song over, and over, and over again.] Next time. :)

bradk
05-19-2005, 12:10 PM
if the heat exhaustion doesn't kill you, the small world theme will!

mkcbunny
05-19-2005, 12:27 PM
And...what does everyone suggest...we'll be there on a Sunday during memorial day...

Oh, and it probably goes without saying that getting there nice and early is your best advantage. Especially with the holiday crowds. you can always take a break later when it gets super busy.

HydroGuy
05-19-2005, 01:53 PM
One of my plans is to do some kind of comparison between the "tour" suggestions in the Unofficial guide, Frommer's guide and ridemax and see how they pan out...I'm going to try to post reports while I'm down there...at worst case, I'll post when I get back.
I will be looking forward to your comparison report. Don't forget now!

keschy
05-19-2005, 02:00 PM
What exactly is ridemax? I have never heard of it before but it sounds interesting.

bradk
05-19-2005, 02:22 PM
http://www.ridemax.com