RideMax

[boys5times]

I've used Ridemax in the past (pre MaxPass) and it was great. With 19 of us going for 3 days though, adding maxpass is a LOT more money. We are going during a less busy time (last Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday of this month.)

My question is has anyone used Ridemax since maxPass came out, and if so, was it still helpful?

Thank you!

 

[Christin82]

Yes, we used RideMax with MaxPass last December, and it worked quite well. I’ve been using RideMax on all our annual trips to DLR since 2010. It was even better back when Fastpass return times weren’t as strict because it would create plans in which you’d stack FastPasses for later use, but even in 2019, it is still very helpful in minimizing wait times and optimizing touring order.

I know the parks well enough now that I could pretty much create my own touring plans on the fly at this point, but I still prefer to use RideMax because it ensures that we’ll see and do everything we want and won’t waste time deliberating as to which attraction we should visit next.

The plans always give us several hours in the middle of the day to take a break, shop, eat, and/or do whatever we want. Since the plans are available on mobile devices, we can adjust our plans at any time if we change our minds.

We go for 5 days, and our first day is always casual, RideMax-free, with little planning other than general goals and dining reservations. We prepare RideMax itineraries in advance for days 2, 3, and 4. At the hotel on the night before day 5, we decide what we want to do on our last day and make an itinerary for that day.

At any rate, I highly recommend RideMax!

 

[ironband74]

I used Ridemax for the first time in December 2010 and it was a real life saver. I've continued to use it and used it this past December during the super-busy week between Christmas and New Year.

At this point, I'm with Cristin82 in that I can make my own plans on the fly, but I like to use Ridemax to 'model' my plans and make sure I'm on the right track.

However, the software needs some serious updates with regard to MaxPass, since it doesn't account for the fact that you can pull a fast pass now as soon as you are in the park, whether that's as part of MM or EMH, or just part of the pre-rope drop entry time you are given.

Because that first fast pass is usually for shortly after official opening, it really sets you up for being ahead of the curve. And you can kinda-sorta work around it by leaving the attraction that you're going to fp first off your plan, but then you have to make sure you can fit the actual ride in shortly after opening...so that gets a little sticky.

For instance, our first day at DCA - was an EMH day and we didn't have EMH (we had no choice because every day that week was EMH). However, we were close to the front of the line for regular entry, so upon entering the park I snagged fast passes for Incredicoaster, then we rode Soarin' standby (since you can usually get on Soarin' prior to rope drop even if you aren't eligible for EMH). We had time to wait for B1, rode, and made it to rope drop at Pixar Pier with a few minutes to spare. Shortly thereafter (while riding TSMM and PPA) the Incredicoaster passes activated and I was able to pull RSR passes. This put us 2 big rides ahead of schedule as opposed to the RideMax agenda.

It's still helpful for sure, but I found myself using it to get a general feeling for the flow of the day and then coming up with my own plan. There is no way for RideMax to account for picking up cancelled fastpasses either, which can be huge on a crowded day. Flexibility is key.

All that said, your trip at the end of the month with 19 people, yeah, MaxPass is a bit much (but maybe have one person get it each day just for the photos!), and I think Ridemax will suit you just fine as a planning tool since the parks will not be super packed. It's still a great product and I enjoy using it to plan out scenarios.

Have a great trip!

 

[HarlanE]

Has anyone used Ridemax since Covid? What has been your experience?

 

[ironband74]

We went at Easter, and I purchased Ridemax to gut check my plans. I didn't really use it to create actual plans, though.

They have added the ability to indicate whether you are using Genie+ and whether you are purchasing ILLs, and also you can adjust on the fly once you have a LL to move your plan around it. It's decent and convenient, but not at all optimal in most cases. The tips as of Easter were mostly outdated, so it was really just the scheduling that was useful.

The software doesn't take into account use of the refresh trick to get earlier return times for LL, and also doesn't account for MEPs that you pick up by fishing downed attractions. However you can adjust the plan with your actual times once you have them...But that of course means even more time on your phone.

Anyway, it still works, but I was able to build much more optimal plans than Ridemax suggested to me by dry-running my days using the Disneyland app and Thrill Data. Still, it gave me some data and a starting point from which to tweak my plans.

YMMV.