Ridemax...

[MPHARJ]

is it worth the investment? I keep hearing about it, this is our first trip to DL, and I want to make sure my kids get to do everything they want to do, with out waiting in long lines. Should I invest the $?

 

[dizzyami]

I don't know that much about it, but my guess is Nemo would throw off the data. If you have any questions or need specific tips let us here know how many days you will be there, and how old the group is, and I am sure you will get many great tips.

 

[HydroGuy]

If the question is if RideMax is worth $15, I think that is a no brainer. The answer is "yes". If you are spending thousands of dollars to visit DLR (even if you are only spending hundreds of dollars) then an additional $15 is nothing in comparison.

If your question is if RideMax is fundamentally a worthwhile product, apart from the $15 price, then it depends on the type of person you are. Many people have benefited from RideMax. I have used it myself and think it is a very cool product. It does work.

And the RideMax people will be at DL when Nemo opens to gather data, as this will significantly affect how lines build at DL.

 

[PrairyChikk]

YES! Definitely worth it!
We used it when we were there over Easter. When we had a look at the crazy lines first thing in the morning we figured there was no way it would work. But it did! We did all of the rides we wanted to do each day by 1:00 and had the rest of the day to hit our faves twice and tour around. We spent 3 days in DLR and DCA.

 

[bouncy54]

YES! Definitely worth it!
We used it when we were there over Easter. When we had a look at the crazy lines first thing in the morning we figured there was no way it would work. But it did! We did all of the rides we wanted to do each day by 1:00 and had the rest of the day to hit our faves twice and tour around. We spent 3 days in DLR and DCA.

Alrighty then! That's what I wanted to hear. The first weekend of our vacation at DL is over Veteran's Day Weekend and I expect the crowds to be like Easter.

I have already purchased the year subscription of Ridemax and would love to hear any, and all, details of your success with the software. I don't want you to give out any secrets or anything, but did you use a "runner" for the fastpasses?

 

[DancingQueen]

Yes it is worth it! I used it last year for our trip and it worked great. I purchased it again for our trip this year too.

 

[PrairyChikk]

We didn't use a "runner" for fastpasses and I think it was a good thing. The crowds were so heavy we would have lost hubby, lol.
I printed schedules for the times we wanted to be at the park (bright and early in the am) and also a second set in case we slept in. The only thing I would have done differently was to do another schedule for the rides we wanted to hit twice, during the afternoon (the thrill rides). The wait times for all of those rides were looong - 90+ minutes - without a ridemax plan.

 

[GoofyBaby]

Yes! It is more than worth the $15 investment. We used Ridemax over Spring Break last month. The crowds were just horrendous. But we never waited in line more than 10-15 minutes. Most waits were around 8 minutes. We did every single ride we wanted to do, had time for 3 hour break each day and got to ride our favorites multiple times! We did not use a runner for Fastpass.

 

[DLVixen]

I also think it's a great tool, especially if you make a few different scenarios in case you need to change your plans. I think it was worth it just for the tips! parade view areas & such. Which btw I got great seats for both parade of dreams & the electrical parade thanks to ridemax I didn't stick to my schedules 100% but we improvised and they still worked good for us

 

[zukeeper]

Would it be worth it for mid-may? Crowds should be pretty low, does it still pay off?

 

[bouncy54]

I'm so glad to hear that you didn't have to use a runner. No one in my family wanted that privilege!

I'm feeling better and better about going to the park on that first weekend. We'll only be there the last half of that first Saturday, so I don't expect to be able to do a whole lot of rides, but I think we'll do fine on Sunday with the help of Ridemax.

 

[HydroGuy]

Would it be worth it for mid-may? Crowds should be pretty low, does it still pay off?

Even RideMax will tell you that their itineraries are not as helpful during periods of low crowds. But for $15 it may be worth it for some people anyways for peace of mind.

 

[HydroGuy]

Before RideMax had a runner option we used a runner. I am a pretty high energy person, and would prefer everyone in my family conserve energy while I get the FPs. Plus when I get them I can power walk, while when everyone goes then we do not move as quickly.

 

[Leofoenget]

Would it be worth it for mid-may? Crowds should be pretty low, does it still pay off?

I am also going Mid May. I may get it for a year because I have other trips planned. The thing I am noticing about it, is, how often do they update it? OK, the FASTPASS is down for INDY, many of the "disconnected rides" are now "connected" and they say it wont' work for Sundays.

 

[HydroGuy]

I am also going Mid May. I may get it for a year because I have other trips planned. The thing I am noticing about it, is, how often do they update it? OK, the FASTPASS is down for INDY, many of the "disconnected rides" are now "connected" and they say it wont' work for Sundays.

They update the software very regularly, even though some of the pages on their website use old examples and screen shots which refer to thing like Star Tours FP which is no more.

As soon as FP was down for Indy, they updated the software. They are up to date on all of the disconnected rides (and have always been up to date on disconnected rides).

And it is not so much that "the software will not work on Sundays" as it is making it work on Sundays involves RideMax staff gathering data on Sundays (so they can give good Sunday itineraries) and they do not wish to gather data on Sundays for personal reasons. Best bet at DLR is to just use Saturday as your "Sunday" and it will be conservative because there is Early Entry on Saturdays but not Sundays.

 

[Adi12982]

For the last bunch of months they have updated at the end for two months away - for example this week they updated to add June, at the End of March the updated to add for May . . .

 

[HydroGuy]

For the last bunch of months they have updated at the end for two months away - for example this week they updated to add June, at the End of March the updated to add for May . . .

Even so, when they add data for a month (like June, just added today) - they may still tweak that data before June and even during June. For example, they have new tips added today about Nemo and how they will be getting Nemo data in June.

This goes back to the RideMax recommendation to always run your itineraries as close to departure as possible. In other words, for those going in June like I am you should not rely on the June data they just released today. While that data is not necessarily "wrong" or "bad", it is just that better data will be made available between now and then. So use today's June for "practice".

As I have said elsewhere, I typically do not follow RideMax itineraries, but I do run itineraries do give me an idea of how our day will flow. However, with the Nemo ride opening I may follow RideMax a little more strictly than I usually do because Nemo will be so disruptive to my typical touring strategies.

 

[talie95]

I think it would be worth it. Like someone else said, it's only $15 compared to all the money you spend on your DL trip. I've used it and it is pretty accurate and gives some good tips. We didn't stick to it completely since we weren't there during a really busy time but it still helped us to know where to go at what times to avoid the lines. Have fun and they offer a money back gaurantee I believe so if you don't like it you can get a refund

 

[WVMomof3]

You had me all talked into getting the Ridemax. We used TourGuide Mike in WDW and loved it. But I am a Mac user and it doesn't look like it will work for me. Bummer!