Kathy-- Tell us your stories!!! Were the wait time estimates right on track with RideMax? What about the best days for each park? How long did you have to wait for some of the big headliners? --Katie
Yes - was going to post tomorrow - trying to get photopass done.
I am an industrial engineer, so the program and queuing theory (RideMax must use...) really intrigued me. My husband (also an engineer) and I took the plans I did to the parks - I did different versions for each park in case we got behind or ahead, and so when we passed popular attractions we looked at the wait times psted and checked the RideMax plans.....RideMax was right on. It was unbelieveable. After two days of checking, though we didn't check anymore.
So, if it says your wait will be 140 mins - believe it. If it says your wait will be 12 mins at Dumbo, believe it. And the tips are really, really good. So are the explanations about the rides.
We actually got ahead of the plan - with one exception, and I'll explain that below.
But, a real benefit is in doing the multiple plans ahead of time. You can use it to stress test your own touring plans, and your own determination. When you run a touring plan that starts early and only waiting say 60 mins all day, then run a touring plan where you arrive later and it shows you waiting like 4 times as long - well, you get the idea pretty quickly. I went over the plans with my kids before we left, showing them the differences, and they all agreed to follow the recommended plans.
The one time it didn't work was when we....didn't follow the plan. Then we caught up, got an alternate plan, which did work, but wasn't as pleasant.
The next day we got back to the "best" plan and had a great time - my kids all hugged me and said thanks for putting the plans together!
Basically, I paid 19.99 and invested time before the trip (running the plans and doing alternate plans) that paid off in terms of a really fun trip. I saw on another thread how frustrated people were - one person even posted and said someone at their resort was in tears and saying they were leaving WDW because they couldn't ride anything. We still had to deal with the crowds, but it was manageable. I did schedule breaks, too. I think that helped in terms of being realistic - we did need to sit down, rest, and just moving through the crowds took time.
We did character meals and table service, so if you want to know how much time to plan for something in particular (like a buffet) let me know. We also waited to see the fairies. Again, put it in the plan - no problem.
It sounds complicated, but it wasn't. It is very very easy and fun to use.
). There are two meals that I'd like to time out: Late breakfast at Crystal Palace (10:30am ADR) and the F! pacakge at MM (4:05pm ADR). Do you have any idea how long to put in for these two?-- Our other ADR's aren't as crucial to our park plans (thank goodness!). --Katie
Bummer!!!
