Please tell me about Ride Max

[bangzoom6877]

I used Tour Guide Mike to plan our last Disney World trip in July 2008. I am using it again. I am finding a lot of the same information of course, with minor updates here and there (like character dining prices).

Is Ride Max better than Tour Guide Mike in your opinion? How customized is it? Is it easier to use than TGM? Are there some of those "secret" tips I can utilize? I am considering using it for this July's trip. I am in the heavy duty planning stages for this trip already, and in a couple of weeks I will be off for an 11-day Spring break (DH and I are teachers). I plan to do a lot of my planning while I am off. Is it worth it to get Ride Max and use it? Any info or opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[We_love_WDW]

We used it last July/Aug and liked it. I liked being able to put in what rides/attrations I wanted to go to and Ridemax planned it out. We really did not wait in line...I am still thinking if I want to get it for this June

 

[jana616]

I've never used TGM, so I can't compare the two. However, I got RM for out trip last September, and I loved it. That said, here are some thoughts about it:

1) The time of year we went was so low crowds, it wasn't really necessary. The waits for everything were non-existent, and often the wait times they listed were longer than they actually were. However, if your trip is in July, I think it would be a fabulous tool.

2) As far as customization...if you are willing to put in time to play around with it, try different options as far as breaks, speed, and rides, you can get it very customized and find a plan you really like. And I found, if you are a planner like I am, that it was super fun to play with it!

3) My only complaint (and it's not RM's fault), is that it's really hard to guess what your day will be like way in advance. We have two small boys (exactly the same ages as yours!), and potty breaks, meltdowns, stopping to splash in puddles all threw us off plan at times. Now for us, with no waits anywhere, it didn't matter, but it would in July. So if you use it, you either need to add some extra breaks, or prepare for the inevitable falling off schedule. If you've been before, you already kind of know what rides you'll want to do multiple times, so that helps.

4) When I used it, RM had a money back guarantee. So if you hate it, you're not out anything but time. They also have awesome customer service! If you get it, check out the RM Users thread...it was a huge help.

ETA: I forgot to add that they have pages of tips for each park that you can print with your plans, like where to stand at rope drop, where to view parades, etc. Also, even if you decide not to follow the minute-by-minute plans, I found it super useful in terms of seeing a pattern of when certain rides were recommended (like at rope drop ride Dumbo and then Tomorrowland Speedway, even though it means leaving Fantasyland, because the line for that gets crazy).

 

[bangzoom6877]

I've never used TGM, so I can't compare the two. However, I got RM for out trip last September, and I loved it. That said, here are some thoughts about it:

1) The time of year we went was so low crowds, it wasn't really necessary. The waits for everything were non-existent, and often the wait times they listed were longer than they actually were. However, if your trip is in July, I think it would be a fabulous tool.

2) As far as customization...if you are willing to put in time to play around with it, try different options as far as breaks, speed, and rides, you can get it very customized and find a plan you really like. And I found, if you are a planner like I am, that it was super fun to play with it!

3) My only complaint (and it's not RM's fault), is that it's really hard to guess what your day will be like way in advance. We have two small boys (exactly the same ages as yours!), and potty breaks, meltdowns, stopping to splash in puddles all threw us off plan at times. Now for us, with no waits anywhere, it didn't matter, but it would in July. So if you use it, you either need to add some extra breaks, or prepare for the inevitable falling off schedule. If you've been before, you already kind of know what rides you'll want to do multiple times, so that helps.

4) When I used it, RM had a money back guarantee. So if you hate it, you're not out anything but time. They also have awesome customer service! If you get it, check out the RM Users thread...it was a huge help.

ETA: I forgot to add that they have pages of tips for each park that you can print with your plans, like where to stand at rope drop, where to view parades, etc. Also, even if you decide not to follow the minute-by-minute plans, I found it super useful in terms of seeing a pattern of when certain rides were recommended (like at rope drop ride Dumbo and then Tomorrowland Speedway, even though it means leaving Fantasyland, because the line for that gets crazy).

Thanks for all the info and advice! We went to WDW in July 2008 so I know everything you're talking about as far as crowds and lines, and also potty breaks and unforeseen things that come up with small children. We take our kids out to different places all the time so believe me, we know that plans do not always go as planned!

I think what I will do is wait until Spring break officially starts at the end of March, then purchase the 3-month subscription. We leave on July 8th because we're driving down to Boca first to visit some relatives, and we get to WDW on July 13th. So if I buy it at the end of March, the 3-month subscription will expire at the end of June, right before we go. And I am sure to have a plan way before then!

I love planning these trips. It will be fu to play around with the system!

We do plan afternoon breaks every day. What we usually do is have lunch by 12PM, then we eigher leave the park for a couple of hours, or we do one or 2 more things that do not have lines and then we leave. We aim to leave no later than 2PM. That's exactly how we did it on the last trip and it worked out great! I am proud to say that by keeping my kids on their normal napping and eating schedules, there were no major meltdowns. My big one got upset one time because we didn't make it in to see the Finding Nemo show at AK. But he got over it quickly!

With Ride Max, could I also work my attractions schedule around my dining ADRs? We have some lunch ADRs on this trip, which we didn't do before (we always ate CS but want to relax more this time and try new places), and I would like to work the schedule around those. I know that sounds crazy to some people, but the food on vacation is really important to us for the whole experience, to make it complete. We go to WDW every other year and our attitude is that we will have fun no mater what attractions we see, our kids will enjoy themselves, and there is always the next trip to try something we missed if we feel the need to do that!

Thanks again for the info, this was very helpful and it sounds like a very fun planning tool!

 

[DaveStroem]

I think what I will do is wait until Spring break officially starts at the end of March, then purchase the 3-month subscription. We leave on July 8th because we're driving down to Boca first to visit some relatives, and we get to WDW on July 13th. So if I buy it at the end of March, the 3-month subscription will expire at the end of June, right before we go. And I am sure to have a plan way before then!

NO

Make sure you wait till the 3 month time frame covers you trip. The initial information only goes up about 2 months out and many things such as show times only come out the Saturday before (this is when Disney puts out the info) You will want to double check your plan just before leaving.

I know it is hard to wait but getting RM to early is like opening up a toy at Christmas and not having the batteries to make it work.

 

[MurphyJoe]

With Ride Max, could I also work my attractions schedule around my dining ADRs? We have some lunch ADRs on this trip, which we didn't do before (we always ate CS but want to relax more this time and try new places), and I would like to work the schedule around those. I know that sounds crazy to some people, but the food on vacation is really important to us for the whole experience, to make it complete. We go to WDW every other year and our attitude is that we will have fun no mater what attractions we see, our kids will enjoy themselves, and there is always the next trip to try something we missed if we feel the need to do that!

Thanks again for the info, this was very helpful and it sounds like a very fun planning tool!

Yes, you can tell RideMax when and where you're dinning and it will add it to the plan, and try to factor in its location.

Also, depending on the number of breaks (and even then), RideMax is programmed not schedule you for anything during part of the afternoon. So try running your plan with and without an afternoon break and see what happens.

 

[mickey916]

With Ride Max, could I also work my attractions schedule around my dining ADRs?

Yes, it is very easy to schedule in your ADRs. You put them in as breaks and can even tell RM where they are and how long you expect to be. It's very flexible and fun. I would heed the PP's advice though and make sure you buy the subscription so that the 3 month period covers your trip. I bought mine to cover until the end of my April trip and still had to wait about a month before I could actually play with my April dates, and you're definitely going to want to re-run your plans the week prior to your trip to adjust for any showtime changes. If you're a planner, you'll love Ridemax!

 

[redheadx3]

I just purchased RM for my trip beginning of June. I also subscribe to TGM.
The tips suggestions by both RM & TGM are similar but I think TGM is a bit more detailed. You can put the times and dining place for your ADR into RM.
RM is fun to play around with and it has been somewhat helpful to me, although because I'm the overplanner type, my attraction schedule was almost identical to the RM plan. As TGM always suggest to use FP to your advantage, RM doesn't alway send me to get a FP 1st thing after RD or send you to get the next FP and the next available time. RM has been more helpful determining when the window of return will be for a FP, which can be useful to determine how many rides you can do before your time you want to leave the park for the day. I'm having problems deciding which RM mode is better for us, normal or slow mode. With small kids, i would definitely choose slow mode, but my kids are getting older so we shouldn't run into any meltdowns and the only one making us stop will be me to shop.

 

[brandip22]

I'm thinking of buying RM for our trip in May. I am researching it today, so thanks for the info! I also use TGM and have all of our ADRs planned already. I am having a hard time deciding which rides to do when though with a 7 y/o and a 22-month old! I am hoping RM will just do it for me so I don't have to plan that much!! LOL

 

[ginnymack]

I LOVE RM and think it is especially good for a first timer - or even someone who is trying out a different time of year.

Major selling points for me -
- I think it gives very realistic ideas of how long you will actually be waiting - which is helpful with young children.
- It ends the "what next" debate. You know before you go!
- You never "overpromise" unless there is something out of your control (sick child, unexpected ride downtime)
- You can insure everyone's favorites are present and accounted for!
- When someone is asking "when are we going to do ____" You can reply with a to the minute answer!

One thing that worked well for us was going "Commando Disney" in the morning (arriving at Rope Drop, and go, go, go)! Taking a nice afternoon break (collect fast passes as you leave!) and then leaving the evening open (or only have 1-2 things on your schedule). That will leave plenty of time to wander, explore, re-ride a morning favorite, or just absorb the atmosphere! Then you get to experience the best of both worlds!

 

[charity]

If I get ride Max for my May trip when will I be able to plan for those days?

 

[mickey916]

If I get ride Max for my May trip when will I be able to plan for those days?

Not yet. I'm still only showing through April. I would think May would come up soon though, probably next week, judging from when March and April came up. Keep an eye on the Ridemax Users thread, someone will usually post once the next month comes up. You could play around with similar dates just to get used to the system, if you're like me and can't wait, but it does get a little frustrating not being able to plan your real dates...