Does anyone use Ridemax?

[nutshell]

just curious. I used it several years ago and loved it, but not sure if I need it this trip given all the knowledge in these boards. Thoughts?



https://www.ridemax.com/

 

[TiggerMomNine]

We are going in June, and I purchased both RM and TP Lines. I ended up requesting a refund for RM. TP is so much more flexible on my phone, and lets you move things up or down on your plan. It also has the crowd calendar, and it has more shows and entertainment than RM does. Plus, it's cheaper. I was willing to pay for both, but this time, I'm using just TP.

 

[BobearQSI]

not sure if I need it this trip given all the knowledge in these boards

The knowledge on these boards does not replace what RideMax does. RideMax takes a list of rides you want to do, and uses computing power to generate a list of what order you should visit the rides in order to minimize your waiting time, as well as keep walking time down.

I've used both TP and RM, and I've found RM to be much more accurate. RM doesn't predict as far out as TP does, and RM also updates their predictions more regularly. I once had a subscription, and got an e-mail saying "we just received information suggesting today and the next two days are going to be way busier than normal - if you have plans for these days, please re-run them as we have updated our predicitions." TP rarely updates their predictions, even after special events and such are announced (like the opening day of GoG: Mission Breakout).

For a plan made ahead of time, I'd use RideMax.
I use the Touringplans Lines app to see real-time in-park day-of changes to wait times.

Another thought, is RideMax has a list of Tips and Tricks. I found these to be incredibly out of date - a good handful of them were not possible because Disney has changed how they do things so the tricks didn't work anymore. Their Tips and Tricks section on their website seems to be from years ago (ride specific tricks printed on the plans seemed accurate, though).

 

[Khokhonutt]

I purchased RideMax for our 5 day trip in late June, mainly because this is our first time to DLR. For WDW I know things well enough that we've never used touring plans, I've only used the Lines app for wait times and such. I figured the minimal charge for the 3 month RideMax subscription was worth it to have a game plan for our mornings, at least until we get a feel for where things are and what we're getting done each day.

 

[nutshell]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll use RM again!

 

[BriannaRuth]

I uber-plan DL and for years used RideMax. This year I told my kids I was going to skip it because I didn't end up using it much last time; I pretty much know how things work and when to go on what now. They were so upset! They said they really liked having the schedule! So I'll do what I always do ... make the plan and use it as a guideline, rather than as something set in stone.

I do like being able to look at the time Ridemax suggests I should have X number of attractions done just to see if we're staying somewhat on schedule, and it does help with planning lunch breaks, etc.

 

[VandVsmama]

We use Ridemax on our trips and have had good success with it. We don't always follow it to the letter and we often deviate from its proposed itinerary. But using it has helped us get the most out of the parks during our limited and infrequent visits to DL. Some folks don't care for Ridemax or Touring Plans. Everybody should go ahead and do whatever seems to work best for them!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Touring Plans isn't that great for DL. The times aren't that accurate, neither are the crowd calendars. They seem to put more of their effort into WDW. I haven't tried RideMax yet, but that's mainly because I'm an AP who typically doesn't plan in advance (did get TP for my attempt to go on every ride in one day though, but don't think I'll use it much for DL).

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

I would strongly discourage anyone from using TP for DL..on my home screen they still had info abt Fantasmic fast passes MONTHS after rehab started.
In my "personalize" plan I paid for it suggested we arrive at rope drop to dash off to .....Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Ride times were way wrong and so was rides under refurb.
Very disappointed.

 

[BriannaRuth]

In my "personalize" plan I paid for it suggested we arrive at rope drop to dash off to .....Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Ride times were way wrong and so was rides under refurb.
Very disappointed.

Really?? Wow, every time I've ever used it, it has us start at FL or TL. Wonder what was up with this?

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

To be fair it was just what their "software" created based on my list of rides, so I tweaked it...but it still felt a little crazy.
Frankly, I think almost ANY plan is a good plan. The point is to keep MOVING and avoid the, "what do you feel like? I dunno. "

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

@BriannaRuth I have heard good things about Ridemax! I plan to try them instead!

 

[CAbryan]

I have both and would pick Ridemax over TP.

They are cheap compared to the overall cost of the trip and its better to have some sort of plan vs wandering around trying to figure out what to do next.

Ridemax:
PLUS:
Accurate ride times/current

CONS:
Cannot select the rides you want to use FP on.
Cannot re-order the plan and have the software update times.


TP LINES:
PLUS:
Can select what rides to use a FP on
Can reorder the plan to your liking

CONS:
Wait times seem way off

I ran both for Sat - 2hr break - With a late start time of 10am (All FP rides with Mr Toad/IASW/PP)

TP is underestimating wait times

Ridemax is having us get FP's for rides we would never use one on like Splash and Buzz. I would never waste a FP on either but at least Splash makes sense if you would only ride that during the day (I had that option unchecked).

Rideamax Total Wait: 266 min
TP Total Wait: 188 min

From 10am to 2:30pm TP has us ridding pretty much everything.
Ridemax uses the entire day up to 11:45pm. The longest wait is 1.5hr for ST (which I would skip and try to walk on later in the evening). In general the overall plan seems realistic and would be a good plan for anyone to follow.

If I wanted to punish myself I would try that TP plan but it seems so unrealistic I don't want to ruin our day.

 

[nutshell]

Does RideMax work well on smart phones, or is it better to use on desktop and print out the itinerary?

 

[Khokhonutt]

Does RideMax work well on smart phones, or is it better to use on desktop and print out the itinerary?

I can only speak for my Samsung Android phone, but it looks good on the phone to me. They don't have an app that you install, you just go to the website and they have a mobile version of the site that is designed to look good on a small screen. So far I've done all my plan building on my PC, but viewing the plans on the phone so far tells me there's no need to print plans.

That said, keep in mind that access to the website will require an active network connection. With that in mind, you'll have to plan of having data (or hope they have wifi by then) and you'll have to hope your connection works wherever you are.

 

[Winnowill]

TP is pretty good for creating a plan as long as you take their predicted wait times (and anticipated FP return times) with a grain of salt. We had a situation (before the Disneyland app showed return times) where TP said to grab FP for Space Mountain at noon, and that it would have a return time of 2:10, which worked exactly as we wanted for our planned break time. Got to the FP time board and...return times were 6:00. We took it, but that required us to re-think our plans for later in the day.

 

[Frozen2014]

TP is pretty good for creating a plan as long as you take their predicted wait times (and anticipated FP return times) with a grain of salt. We had a situation (before the Disneyland app showed return times) where TP said to grab FP for Space Mountain at noon, and that it would have a return time of 2:10, which worked exactly as we wanted for our planned break time. Got to the FP time board and...return times were 6:00. We took it, but that required us to re-think our plans for later in the day.

That's really annoying...which brings up a question. If you pull a FP and the time is far out as in your case, is there a way to discard it and pull another? Or you're stuck and need to wait the 2hrs for being able to pull again?

PS - Our first trip and I've subscribed to TP...but am just using it for a general guide.

 

[BriannaRuth]

I don't think there would be any way to discard it and pull another, but the return times are clearly stated near the machines BEFORE you pull the pass, so if you get there and the return time is too late, just don't pull one. You can also check the DL app to see what the return times are before you even go to the machine.

 

[Frozen2014]

I don't think there would be any way to discard it and pull another, but the return times are clearly stated near the machines BEFORE you pull the pass, so if you get there and the return time is too late, just don't pull one. You can also check the DL app to see what the return times are before you even go to the machine.

Oh great. Didn't know that the return times were posted (and I guess the app too if you have a data plan).