Ridemax or Unofficial Guide book?

[PhatKat]

Our 1st trip to DL will be Oct 6-10th. It will be my DH, DD6, DS 18 mths, & myself. Would it be better to buy the Unofficial Guide Book or subscribe to Ridemax? The Unofficial guide has touring plans in the book along with other useful information. I'm at a loss would appreciate help!!

 

[Melb]

I have the unofficial guide but I am thinking about subscribing to Ridemax for the year.

The unofficial guide has a lot of great tips but I am intrigued by the Ridemax data analysis...

 

[Leofoenget]

Our 1st trip to DL will be Oct 6-10th. It will be my DH, DD6, DS 18 mths, & myself. Would it be better to buy the Unofficial Guide Book or subscribe to Ridemax? The Unofficial guide has touring plans in the book along with other useful information. I'm at a loss would appreciate help!!

I have used both but for ride iteneries use Ridemax. Unofficial guides are not day specific. I think the info in the UOG is very good, but having specific ride plans with RM is the best

 

[Eeee-va]

I recently got Ridemax and it seems to be a very good way to get a defined schedule. I think what will probably be most beneficial for us is that with everything planned out, we won't have any time where we're waffling around trying to decide what to do. That's usually a pretty big time-waste.

I think that the unofficial guide is probably best for people who don't want to go really in-depth, though. I know one selling point for Ridemax is that you can take just a few minutes to figure out a perfect schedule for your trip, but realistically I spent at least 45 minutes on each day's plan, trying to get everything right, make sure we did all the rides, etc. I think the program and even the tips might be more overwhelming than anything else for people who aren't really into the Disney parks. But my brother, who's going to WDW for part of his honeymoon, didn't even know Ridemax existed, so I'm guessing more of their customers are Disney-saavy folks, versus casual visitors.

I actually would have spent more than 45 minutes per plan, but it's not available for Mac, so I can't use it on my own computer.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I have both. But I didn't really use the guide's schedule. I understand that they do more for WDW than they do DLR. For DLR you can't get schedules that are made to the day and time of year, but it seems that for WDW you can get online and do that. I used the UOG for the other info it.

I just subscribed to Ridemax the other day and it looks good. You put in the rides you want and it tells you the best time to go on them and gives you a schedule. It also includes tips at the bottom of the page for the rides you picked. Like it might tell you were the FP machines are if they are not very obvious. I've haven't tested it out yet, but I'm having fun tweeking my schedule.

 

[TamiV]

Since it's you first trip, I'd probably go with the Unofficial Guide. With Ridemax, you choose the rides you want to go on and it puts them in order for you. Since you haven't been before, that may be a little difficult. The UG has great tips for avoiding the crowds and ride plans for those traveling alone, with kids, etc. It's also got great info on all the hotels and restaraunts and explains each ride in detail. You may be able to find the UG at the library and then decide if you'd like to purchase.

 

[PhatKat]

Thanks for all this info. Since we have never been and are attending with young children I'm not sure what rides they may be afraid of. I do have a copy of the UOFG from the library and I really like it. Ridmax cost $15.00? Is that for a year or just a one trip use? Do they offer any other major benefit?
Thanks!!!!

 

[TamiV]

I believe the $15 is for a 90 subscription, there was the option to order a year's subscription as well, I think it may have been $25. Ridemax only updates their hours based on the park hours, so there is no need to order it before your dates are posted on the disneyland.com website. I subscribed a little early and just played with it, but that's really not necessary.

Only 6 more days til our trip! I'll let you know how it worked!

 

[Desert Dwellers]

I do recommend RideMax to friends with older children or kids who aren't wanting to do character meet and greets. Since it's your first time, you may want more character interactions. You can build a RideMax plan with plenty of breaktimes to give you time for characters, parades, etc.

The Unofficial Guide does have good descriptions of the rides and which rides can be scary. Start with tamer rides and move up as you see your kids' comfort levels. But with a first visit and younger children, the UOG's touring plan for young kids may be just right for you.

I have my RideMax plans done for our visit in two weeks, but we like to ride SM, BTMRR, Indy as many times as we can.

 

[Hawleys]

I believe the $15 is for a 90 subscription, there was the option to order a year's subscription as well, I think it may have been $25. Ridemax only updates their hours based on the park hours, so there is no need to order it before your dates are posted on the disneyland.com website. I subscribed a little early and just played with it, but that's really not necessary.

Only 6 more days til our trip! I'll let you know how it worked!

Have a wonderful trip! I recently purchased Ridemax as well and I am eager to hear how it worked for you.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I am going against the majority. I have learned more here and through the Unofficial guide book(from the library) than I think I would get spending money on a schedule.
Just me. I have been going for a long time and I learn something new each time I go.

Jack

 

[TamiV]

Have a wonderful trip! I recently purchased Ridemax as well and I am eager to hear how it worked for you.

Thank you! I'll be sure to share our experience!

 

[PinkBudgie]

One thing I noticed playing around with Ridemax- I haven't used it yet, just making schedules now- is that it doesn't have the Disneyland RR and it doesn't have the castle walk through. So I have been writing them in where it says "break".

 

[S. S. Columbia]

For a first trip… the more the merrier.

The UG is o.k., but IMO it’s not the “be all and end all.” Outdated information in the ’09 edition is listed in this link.

RideMax.com has some good touring information (in addition to making itineraries). And RideMax comes with a money-back guarantee.

The Disneyland Encyclopedia by Chris Strodder (link) is an interesting and fun book that has plenty of information that won’t be found in the UG.

The HydroGuy Tips Compilation is excellent:

HydroGuy Tips Compilation
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

HTH

 

[mac_daddy]

First time I will also be going with my family, for my DS 6th BDay on 7-29. I haven't been back since 1982 and 1971.
Anyone have any suggestions on good Cali eats? I am wondering about the cajun inspired dishes onsite. I live in Houston and have had some pretty good cajun faire here...

 

[Eeee-va]

I think Ridemax considers the railroad and monorail "transportation." I know when I did my plans, there was at least one plan where they suggested you could take the train from one point to another...but I do wish they had a way to add the train in.

No idea about the walk-through...when's a nice, non-busy time to see it? I figure we won't stick to the plan religiously (YES, we will be at the rides we choose to do when the plan says to, but I figure we'll just remove some rides if we need a break). So I figure we'll just squeeze it in somewhere. Not scheduling breaks was my main weakness, I think, and since I have a Mac it's on my dad's computer, which would be quite a drive. Oops.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Yes, Ridemax mentioned taking the RR to one of the locations. The UOG to DL tells you the best non crowded station to get on but I forget which one. I better check that before I go. At the very least, Ridemax gives an idea of what kind of line to expect at what time. At least I hope so. It seems like the economy made DLR even more crowded.

As for Cajun food, the only one I know in the area is Ralph Brennan's Creole Cafe. I've never been there so I don't know how it is.

 

[aymekae]

Hi there… I’ll try to help the best I can. I did purchase a 90 day subscription to RideMax. I absolutely loved it! All the way up until I got to our first attraction at DL. Turns out, we were supposed to grab a Fast Pass for Space Mountain, and it ended up being 5 minutes wait (what that really means it, the amount of time it takes to walk to the ride, and then walk on). It turned out to be a very light day with no crowds at all (maybe because it was raining?) but we pretty much tossed out the itinerary. We did everything on our plan in the first few hours. The longest wait was 10 minutes for Peter Pan. So I’m not saying it’s not helpful, I just didn’t need it. I also didn’t realize they don’t have data for Sundays, and ask you to use Saturday schedule instead. That doesn’t appear to be an issue for your trip.

I also purchased the UOG, though for our WDW trip, not DL. I just have to say it was a fabulous book, and I read through the whole thing twice (even the chapter about children, though we have none! Lol.) I felt so much more prepared when I actually got there, as if I’d been going there for years. I recommend the book just for the sheer amount of information they include (yes, I know most of it’s online, but it was worth it to me to have it all in one place, and a hard copy, too.)

My advice is: because you’re going at a relatively low-peak time of year (early October), and 4 out of 5 days you’re going is a weekday, AND you’re going to be there for 5 days (which sounds like a lot to me… we had 5 days at WDW with 4 parks, and that was plenty of time for us!), you won’t really need to “maximize” your time. I would get the book for the wealth of information, and skip RideMax, at least this time. You can also re-sell the book when you’re done, if you want.