Would you recommend Ridemax since we are going during a super busy time?

[jacobsmommy]

We will be at DLR from Tuesday, June 19th to Friday, June 22nd. Carsland will have just opened and there will be Grad Nights too! Would we be best off to subscribe to Ridemax to make sure our daily plan is the best possible one we can make? Or do you think we'll be ok on our own? We were there in '07 right after the Nemo subs opened and then in '10 when World of Color first debuted, but I am thinking this summer will be much crazier.

 

[furb & dez]

No, I'd consider it a waste of money. You're going to be there during a busy time; expect to see many fewer things and to be in crushing crowds.

Paying a service to plan your day for you when it's going to be bad no matter what just seems ridiculous.

 

[ryleeranger]

We are going to be there at the same time. I was going to get a Ride Max subscription to try out but we have season passes and even if it doesn't work well on this trip, we will surely use it again for another trip.

 

[limace]

We had great success using it during our last mid-summer trip, in 07. It's cheap and we found it totally worth it.

 

[ArchOwl]

I would definitely consider purchasing it as it has been very helpful to me and all those who I have recommended it to. At such a busy time, I would want all the help i could get! I posted the other day that Ridemax now has plans available for Carsland through June 30th. They also have plans to be there during opening weekend and revise their estimates as necessary.

 

[sheetz]

Having a plan is actually *more* important when it's crowded, so subscribing to Ridemax might be a good idea. The problem is that Carsland will have opened so soon before your arrival date that Ridemax may not have adequate amount of time to fully test their software. It's possible that using ride wait time apps may be more useful.

 

[NiceOneSimba]

I'm a Ridemax fan. It made a HUGE difference in our trip. Even my doubter of a husband agrees it was totally worth the money and time to set up plans prior to our trip.

Sheetz is right, they might not have enough data to make it totally foolproof that early. But, I'd be willing to bet that the "not quite foolproof" Ridemax plan would still be lots better than no plan at all.

 

[quantumottle]

Ultimately, Ridemax will be free if you don't like it. They give your money back if it doesn't work for you. However, Ridemax excels at the busiest of times. I first tried it during Christmas week several years ago, it was the best 20 bucks I spent on the entire trip, and that was before they offered an online waiting time app.

 

[lroger01]

It's worth it! I just used it to figure out my arrival day plans. We're planning to take this half day slow and just do a few attractions.

My parents haven't been to DL since they took me when I was 7. I don't want to rush to attractions, but want to let them savor the memories and take pictures and such. They can't walk and stand for hours and plan for most of the trip to just sit and soak up the atmosphere.

We do want to ride a few memorable attractions - tea cups, small world, jungle cruise, and pirates. Using Ride Max I figured out that there was no need for us to hurry into the parks. We can take our time checking in at 3pm and unpacking as wait times for our 4 attractions will get considerably shorter after 5pm.

Originally I wanted to hurry up and get there so we'd get as much time as possible in the park that first day (we're driving up from San Diego). Now thanks to Ride Max I can see that I don't need to stress. We'll have a better first day by taking it slow and easy.

Even if you decide not to follow the plans step-by-step, just using it to plan out how much you might be able to enjoy in a day (or morning) is worth the small cost.

 

[limace]

I just wanted to add to my response above, since I'm not on my phone now and can type a little more.

We used Ridemax on our trip in July of '07, right after Nemo opened. My husband mocked me mercilessly-he's soooooo not a planner-but had to admit afterwards that it made a big difference in our experience. We were there when it was hot (I don't do hot weather well) and crowded and we were traveling with an 18 month old. It could have been a disastrous trip, but by combining early and late visits to the park, naps at the hotel, and Ridemax, it all went really really smoothly. $15 is a bargain, and is worth it if it saves even one day of miserable touring. I'm excited to try the mobile version when we're there this August (speaking of hot and crowded....).

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

So is Ridemax king? Should I consider any other app(s) for this trip? If I bought this, would any of the other free or less expensive just be ignored on my android?

 

[ArchOwl]

So is Ridemax king? Should I consider any other app(s) for this trip? If I bought this, would any of the other free or less expensive just be ignored on my android?

It depends how you want to use it. Most, if not all, the other apps are strictly wait time apps. You use them to see current conditions in the parks. Ridemax is a ride ordering software. Ridemax does not tell you current conditions, you make a plan ahead of time by telling Ridemax what you want to do that day. Ridemax orders the rides for you so you spend the least amount of time in line.

I tend to use Ridemax in the morning to help me order the rides I should do first and when to collect FPs. I then usually do my own thing in the evening, using my FPs and either watching shows or going on rides with shorter lines. So I usually end up using Lines from Touring Plans or Mousewait to figure out current waiting times in the evening. But you could use Ridemax all day and it would tell you exactly what to do.

I think Touring Plans is beginning to develop a ride ordering program like Ridemax, but to my knowledge, Ridemax still has the best data to create plans. They have years of line data compared to Touring Plans.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Thanks. I'm in.
Found a few other free apps to play with.

 

[milan15]

If you don't have a smartphone, is ridemax worth buying still?
I am thinking about buying it for our July trip, but I don't have a smart phone (so I like to be disconnected while on vacation, sue me). Am I going to not get the full effect or will it be just fine planning before with it and using that information at the park via a printout or whatnot?

 

[limace]

I have used it previously before I had a smartphone and it worked really well with printouts. I highly recommend it.

 

[milan15]

I have used it previously before I had a smartphone and it worked really well with printouts. I highly recommend it.

thanks
at such a low cost, we'll have to try it out this trip

 

[Keyser]

If you don't have a smartphone, is ridemax worth buying still?
I am thinking about buying it for our July trip, but I don't have a smart phone (so I like to be disconnected while on vacation, sue me). Am I going to not get the full effect or will it be just fine planning before with it and using that information at the park via a printout or whatnot?

I bought it for our upcoming first trip to DLR. If nothing else, it has already helped me realize where I had some unrealistic expectations about how much we could do, and get a sense of general order of rides that I think will be helpful. I will know more once I go about how reliable it really was, but I'm already convinced it wasn't a waste of money.

 

[NiceOneSimba]

I didn't use it with my smartphone, because it would have killed my battery. I just printed out 2 or 3 different plans for each day (regular, slow, longer nap time) and brought the printouts with me. I'm sure I looked like a total dork, but it worked great!

 

[NorthernCalMom]

I just subscribed to Ridemax for our August trip, but unfortunately, they currently only go to July 31, which makes sense, since the beginning of August opening hours just came out. Those of you who'll use it before us: I'd love if you let me know how it worked out! Susan, you won't be the only dork!! I don't have a smart phone either and will run around with my printouts... Long live dorkdom!!!

 

[ArchOwl]

If you don't have a smartphone, is ridemax worth buying still?
I am thinking about buying it for our July trip, but I don't have a smart phone (so I like to be disconnected while on vacation, sue me). Am I going to not get the full effect or will it be just fine planning before with it and using that information at the park via a printout or whatnot?

Oh yes, you can definitely print out your itineraries and use those. You do not have to use the mobile version. I would suggest, however, printing them out as close to the date you will use them as possible. That will give you the latest data to generate plans. There are lots of people walking around with park maps, times guides, etc. You won't feel out of place. You can also spot who else is using Ridemax and compare notes! I did that last year, I saw someone in line at the turnstiles behind me and we compared itineraries. We saw them throughout the day and we both were ahead of schedule.

thanks
at such a low cost, we'll have to try it out this trip

Just so you know, Ridemax will refund the cost of your subscription if you felt it didn't work. So really, you have nothing to lose!

I just subscribed to Ridemax for our August trip, but unfortunately, they currently only go to July 31, which makes sense, since the beginning of August opening hours just came out. Those of you who'll use it before us: I'd love if you let me know how it worked out! Susan, you won't be the only dork!! I don't have a smart phone either and will run around with my printouts... Long live dorkdom!!!

Yeah, Ridemax can only go as fast as Disney puts out hours. So, hopefully you will have your dates soon! I love playing around with different itineraries and it really helped me understand how to best use FP and when to ride certain rides. I hope you have fun with it as well!