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disneyrand
08-09-2005, 09:10 PM
vouch for the accuracy of their itineraries. I had read a thread on here today about someone that used the ridemax software. I got curious and downloaded it. I set up a couple of hypothetical itineraries for some of the days that we would be at the park, and I was astounded at the projected wait times. Does this really work? I can get a refund of my money if I'm not satisfied with the software or the results, so there's no real risk involved, but I could see this thing making my trip so easy. And they allow for SO MUCH free time even with riding 10-12 high traffic attractions a day. Any feedback from ridemax users?

DR

coronado_g
08-09-2005, 09:23 PM
I'm peeking over the shoulder to feed the info...

Doug
08-09-2005, 10:31 PM
Well, I go to the DLR often, only tried it once so far, I was 30 minutes late for my shceduled starts time, which was 8am.... killed the schedule.... rode the 1st two rides, after that we did whatever because we blew it... about the first 6 lines where BOLD, indicating they had to be done ontime, so, since we where not able to, it did not work out... not sure when I can try again.... maybe on the 19th...

But let us know what your experience is :>!

with_5
08-09-2005, 11:09 PM
We are going to try it next week for one or two days. I really hope it works.

rentayenta
08-10-2005, 06:04 AM
Love it! Okay, DLF you can start teasing me.


We used it last December and it was right on. Soemtimes the waits were even a little less. The reason, I think, that there is such a big break during the day is because during the middle of the day, the park is so crowded that it doesn't really matter what you ride, the lines are long. I suggest making a few itineraries for the same day with staggering start times in case you want to sleep in or get up early.

We will be using it this December too. It can be as structured or relaxed as you wish. I liked it because it gave us a loose plan and kept the kids from bickering over "what's next".

I figure that I am already spending a lot for the trip- what's another $15. There is also a money back guarantee.


*This is not a paid advertisement for RideMax. ;)

DangerMouse
08-10-2005, 06:52 AM
Ridemax overall worked for us! We used it at the end of April and used it for two of our 4 days at the parks. I found we were right on schedule and I am a total OC person, so I loved having a set plan of what to do and knowing how much time it was going to take. It is KEY that you arrive at gate opening to maximize your rides. Wait times just increase a ton if you go later in the morning.

The only disappointment was DCA. Ridemax didn't take into account that it was the final weekend of the two-fer deal and DCA was a complete and total mob scene. None of the wait times were accurate, and we ended up ditching that part of the schedule.

We are going to use it again in December. I think after using it I could create my own similar schedule, but I would rather have the ridemax program go through that effort. It's worth the 15 bucks to me.

HydroGuy
08-10-2005, 07:28 AM
Bought it and used it on our four-day trip last week. I am almost done with a RideMax critique that I will post in the next day or two. Keep your eyes open for my critique.

The less experienced you are with DLR, the more valuable RideMax is. I am pretty experienced with DL, and the only time we followed a RideMax itinerary was Tue Aug 2 at DCA in the day time and that worked out fine. Other than that, we used it is a guide on wait times. In fact, I dumped a lot of the RideMax data into an Excel spreadsheet and took a printout with me. This proved to be very helpful.

In general I never saw RideMax underestimate the wait time for a ride, but it did overestimate (which is necessary to make it reliable). The only case when I noticed it being really off was when it told us BTMRR would have a 26 minute wait at 9PM one evening, and the actual standby wait for us was 10 minutes. I think this was because of the fireworks and Fantasmic!, which shorten lines and RideMax does not seem to account for this.

Mark Mywords
08-10-2005, 11:13 AM
The less experienced you are with DLR, the more valuable RideMax is.

Hydro's right on with that. I think that ridemax is really great for short trips (1-3 days).

I also used it in the same manner that he mentioned, as a wait time guide. You can "Trick" the software into providing a wait time list for a single attraction throughout the day (although it is time consuming to do so)

leah
08-10-2005, 11:53 AM
Do you think Ridemax is a waste for the "off season"? I'm going in October which I thought would be a slow time but from what I've read here a lot of people are planning on visiting this fall. I'm going Sun-Tues in October - two adults. But since I'm such a planner I was thinking about trying Ridemax - but do you think it would be a waste?

disney_leonard
08-10-2005, 01:21 PM
I bought Ridemax last year and used it when some folks who had never been to DL came out. I thought some of the suggestions were strange and not logical- but was amazed that there was actually time left over. We utilized FastPass per the instructions, figured in a long meal break, etc. It worked great for covering the Maximum amount of Rides!

passthepixiedust
08-10-2005, 01:58 PM
Will ridemax work on a MacIntosh computer ? Or is it one of those windows only deals ????

DangerMouse
08-10-2005, 02:08 PM
Will ridemax work on a MacIntosh computer ? Or is it one of those windows only deals ????

Windows only :( We only have Macs, so I had to download it at a friend's house and now do all my itinerary planning from there.

SCUBAbe
08-10-2005, 04:33 PM
I've used it, loved it...it's wonderful..:)

passthepixiedust
08-10-2005, 10:24 PM
Windows only :( We only have Macs, so I had to download it at a friend's house and now do all my itinerary planning from there.
bummer.... guess I'll just stick to the "unofficial" itinerary ! Thanks for the reply !

seattlemom
08-11-2005, 05:42 AM
Leah,

You have to watch out for parts of October as many schools from Arizona and other southwestern states have 2 weeks off and head to DL.

HydroGuy
08-11-2005, 06:56 AM
Do you think Ridemax is a waste for the "off season"? I'm going in October which I thought would be a slow time but from what I've read here a lot of people are planning on visiting this fall. I'm going Sun-Tues in October - two adults. But since I'm such a planner I was thinking about trying Ridemax - but do you think it would be a waste?The RideMax website will tell you that RideMax has more value when DL is busy. If you go during the slowest time of year, RideMax will tell you you do not need it. I agree.

HydroGuy
08-11-2005, 06:59 AM
I also used it in the same manner that he mentioned, as a wait time guide. You can "Trick" the software into providing a wait time list for a single attraction throughout the day (although it is time consuming to do so)I don't want to admit how much time I spent getting the wait time data into Excel and into a usable form, although now that I have done it I could do it faster next time. I have not done so yet, but I am going to suggest to RideMax that they provide this data as part of RideMax. I think it could only help their sales.

EvanRude
08-11-2005, 09:55 AM
Something I like about using RideMax is that I can give a schedual to the sleepy heads. Head to the Park with the kids and when they finally make it to the park they know where we are.
The only improvement I'd like is for the show's, fireworks and parades to be a selection.
vary cool

TowerofTerror
08-11-2005, 10:00 AM
that would be nice.I say why use this when you can save money by asking AP`s that go to the park all the time.If you like give me the money and Ill make the scdeule for you.

Mark Mywords
08-11-2005, 10:59 AM
that would be nice.I say why use this when you can save money by asking AP`s that go to the park all the time.If you like give me the money and Ill make the scdeule for you.

Hmmm... dunno about this. I sort of get what you're saying, but you wouldn't end up with as much of a detailed touring plan if you did so. Have you seen the plans that ridemax produces? They're very impressive in how precise they are. You can readily see how the program leverages the power of your computer to cross analyze the wait-time data tables to produce a plan that gets you on as many rides in your time frame as possible. IMO, Many of the time saving instructions included in ridemax touring plans are not-so-intuitive, even to seasoned Disneyland visitors. I think it's pretty safe to say that, in a "Total rides ridden in a day at Disneyland" contest between a AP with good park knowledge and somebody using a ridemax plan, there's a very good chance the ridemax user will win.

A subscription is, what, like $16? I think it's fully worth it, especially if you have a short time to visit the park.

-mark

TowerofTerror
08-11-2005, 11:17 AM
yes it true but why dont you just ask other on here and ask them to help you plan what to do and go on instead of ridemax

HydroGuy
08-11-2005, 11:23 AM
See my detailed RideMax critique here: http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?p=705541#post705541

Leap for Joy
08-11-2005, 12:18 PM
I love RideMax! And, really, you can't beat the price! You're likely to spend that much on at least one meal you don't enjoy while on vacation!

Another advantage that has yet to be mentioned: kids are willing to buy into the schedule idea. We used it when going with a friend and her two sons ages 4 and 7. When they saw something extremely appealing, we could tell them that we're going to do that later, and show them on the schedule, and they were happy being led elsewhere. It eliminated the arm pulling toward the AstroOrbitor problem!

Mark Mywords
08-11-2005, 12:26 PM
yes it true but why dont you just ask other on here and ask them to help you plan what to do and go on instead of ridemax

Because of the detail. Here's an excerpt from a ridemax plan:

(Time/Attraction/Expected Wait/Ride Time/Walking Time to Next Attraction)
8:05 AM Dumbo, the Flying Elephant 10 Min 3 Min 1 Min
8:19 AM Mr. Toad's Wild Ride 2 Min 2 Min 1 Min
8:24 AM Matterhorn Bobsleds 8 Min 3 Min 1 Min
8:36 AM Alice in Wonderland 6 Min 4 Min 4 Min
8:50 AM Astro Orbiter 7 Min 2 Min 3 Min
9:02 AM Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 8 Min 4 Min 5 Min
9:19 AM Get Splash Mountain FASTPASS 0 Min 1 Min 3 Min
9:23 AM Haunted Mansion 7 Min 8 Min 13 Min

An experienced AP would most likely give you some pieces of advice that compare to the ridemax plan (ie, ride dumbo first thing, get fantasyland out of the way early, grab a Splash Mountain FP early), but would lack the optimized step-by-step detail.

HydroGuy
08-11-2005, 11:50 PM
IMO, Many of the time saving instructions included in ridemax touring plans are not-so-intuitive, even to seasoned Disneyland visitors. I think it's pretty safe to say that, in a "Total rides ridden in a day at Disneyland" contest between a AP with good park knowledge and somebody using a ridemax plan, there's a very good chance the ridemax user will win.I agree about the unintuitive instructions. For example, is it better first thing in the morning to ride a big ride (say Splash), to ride a smaller ride (say Peter Pan), or to take some time to get a FastPass? RideMax crunches these numbers.

Your hypothetical contest would be interesting. If it were a busy day, and the contest involved a lot of rides, and no rides broke down, and it was one experienced DL person vs. RideMax, then RideMax would likely win. However, take away any of the previous qualifications and I would bet on the experienced DL person. Why? For a few reasons.

First, RideMax itineraries need to overestimate wait times to take into account daily fluctuations. Thus there is "fat" in a RideMax itinerary. Second, with a group you can have someone wait in line (for say Matterhorn) while a runner goes to get FPs for another ride and then rejoins the group in line. Thus no time is effectively spent walking to and getting FPs. And third, as soon as a ride breaks down, the RideMax plan may no longer work. On the other hand, an experienced DL person could make an on-the-spot revision.

I do not think that RideMax is trying to supplant the DL veteran, so they would probably not be that interested in the above "contest". Rather, I think they are trying to help people plan and get more out of their trip. If they can allow all RideMax users to do this, they have succeeded, whether or not they can beat a crafty DL veteran.