- Can you put in 2-3 hour pool/nap breaks?
Yes, you can put in two "break times" of whatever duration you want. Plus, RideMax adds its own "free time" when the rides can be done in less time that you have allotted. Often the free time overlaps with afternoon breaks so you do not need to schedule your afternoon breaks into RideMax because a lot of "free time" is scheduled mid-days automatically.
- What happens if you deviate from the plan? Is your day ruined?
Well, if you deviate a whole lot then you may not be able to complete the itinerary. But that does not ruin the day, it just means you did not follow RideMax all day.
- How do you plan in park hopping and meals?
If you plan to parkhop, then you can tell RideMax when you will arrive and depart a park. For example, you go to DL from 9AM-1PM, take a hotel break, and then go to DCA from 5PM-9PM. You run two itineraries - a DL itinerary where you tell RideMax your park arrival and departure times, and then a DCA itinerary where you do the same.
If you want to hop back and forth multiple times in one day, you have to be more creative but it can be done with RideMax.
Meals will either be part of your scheduled break time or during RideMax free time.
- What about fireworks/parades, etc?
Those you need to schedule with your break time that you are allowed to enter.
- How will it work with the new nemo ride? They don’t have data on that yet.
RideMax will schedule wait times that are highly conservative. In cases like this, they will send someone to DL when Nemo opens and gather data and then update their estimates. If you visit DL the week Nemo opens, you will be working with very conservative wait time data. If you visit in the weeks that follow, RideMax will update the data. This is what they did for AK's Expedetion Everest which opened right before we went to WDW.
Even if you experiment with RideMax 1-2 months ahead of time, it is always a good idea to run your actual itineraries as close to your departure date as possible, as this will have the most up-to-date estimates.
If you visit DL the week after Nemo opens (not the same week), I suspect RideMax will already have updated data for Nemo you can use and run right before you leave.
- Finally I ABSOLUTELY HATE the idea of having to follow a strict plan. I am all about being efficient and having a mental plan, but it just seems too structured to me.
I have started to think we should get it because we are going in June, a very busy time.
What do you all think?
Hydroguy, do you use ridemax or has your plan alone worked for you??
Yes, I have used RideMax plans at both DLR and WDW and they have worked well for me. But never for an entire day - just for part of a day. But I use RideMax in other ways that may or may not help you.
With 4+ days, you will have plenty of time. If you follow good touring strategies (similar between WDW and DLR, and discussed in depth here: "Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR"
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319) and you know how to use Fastpass, you will be fine without RideMax.
Here are other ways I use RideMax:
I "test drive" certain scenarios to see how realistic they are. For example, on our June trip (last week of June) my sister and family will be joining us at DCA for one day. They have never been to DCA and I want to make sure to hit all the highlights. I will use RideMax to test drive the things we will want to do, and let it tell me how much extra time it thinks we will have. Also I will look especially at what RideMax thinks about how we should spend time in the morning at DCA.
Chances are I will not follow much or any of the DCA itinerary, partly because I can usually do better than RideMax with my own strategies as long as there are not too many rides we are planning. RideMax has to err on the side of high wait time estimates, because they want to make sure if they give you an itinerary that you can actually do it. Since actual wait times will probably be a little less, if you know your way around DLR and know Fastpass you can usually get more done than RideMax thinks you can, because you are dealing with actual wait times, not wait time estimates that are on the conservative side like RideMax.
I also pull data out of RideMax and make up wait time data sheets for DL and DCA that I bring along for reference - see
http://hydroguy.smugmug.com/gallery/724783#31805414-L-LB
Finally, I bought RideMax for WDW for our first trip there last June. While I got lots of good advice from TGM, the UOG, and DIS, I experimented with RideMax to get a feel for how lines built up on different rides. I also "test drove" different scenarios. Although I did not follow a RideMax itinerary at all at WDW, I let RideMax guide me to understand if I was "overdoing it" on any particular day and how much it was practical to get done. This especially helped me at Epcot, where it became apparent I wanted to do more in one day than was reasonable. So rather than figuring that out too late while we were actually at Epcot, RideMax helped me figure that out ahead of time so I could lower my expectations. This allowed Epcot to go more smoothly.
The bottom line is that RideMax can help you in more ways than merely spitting out an itinerary.
If the above seems like it will help you, then buy RideMax. They have a money-back guarantee and are not very expensive in the first place. Even if you follow one of the tips in their Help system it will probably be worth it. But if you decide not to get it you will be fine as well. It depends on what makes you feel more comfortable. Just remember, if you buy RideMax and print up itineraries and bring them to DLR, there is no one poitning a gun at you to force you to follow them. You can bring them along as a security blanket, and follow them completely, partly, or not at all.
