Using RideMax
RideMax's price is set by how long your license lasts. You can pay online and download it from their website. RideMax installs as easily as any other software.
Before you use RideMax, get prepared:
- Decide when you are going to visit (the specific day is important as waiting patterns are different).
- Pick a realistic start and end time for your day, but start as early as you can because it will save waiting time. I created two schedules, one starting at 8:15 and one at 8:30, and the later start would have cost me almost an hour's waiting, motivation enough to get me out of bed when the alarm rang. Tell the kids they will have to skip rides to get on schedule and they'll be motivated, too.
- Pick the rides and attractions you want to visit. RideMax doesn't provide a description, and unless you're very familiar with the park, you'll need to consult our Disneylandor California Adventure ride guide first to help you choose.
- Decide whether your group will move at a normal pace or more slowly. Normal pace will have you walking across the park more often, sometimes at a brisk pace. Slower pace is better for large groups or people traveling with small children or slow walkers.
RideMax's one drawback is that it's slow. I tested it on a four-year-old PC with a 500 MHz Pentium II processor and 256 MB memory, and it took about 20 minutes for it to create a 25-attraction itinerary, more time than my day's longest wait but far shorter than the theoretical four hours' waiting it saved me. Just tell yourself it's evaluating millions of itineraries to find the best one for you (which it is), and go get some coffee or walk the dog while you wait.
Besides the tips at the RideMax web site, which you should read and follow as closely as possible, I found a few more things helpful:
- Be sure your watch is right. Mine was a few minutes slow, and we fell behind. It was easy to catch up by skipping a ride and coming back later during some free time, though.
- Start on time. Create an alternate schedule that starts 15 minutes later than your planned start just in case, or be prepared to skip attractions to get on schedule. Remember that you have to park and ride the tram or take a bus from your to the park, and you have to buy tickets before you get in. Allow time so you are at the first attraction on schedule.
- Study the Disneyland map in advance, and be sure to keep one in hand. Your RideMax schedule will lead you back and forth across the park, and it's easier to get to your next destination on time if you can start walking right away. I wrote each attraction's Land on my itinerary to make it easier to find.
- Trust the itinerary. You may pass a ride with a short wait and be tempted to take it, but the line will probably be even shorter later when your schedule takes you there. We experienced this with the Haunted Mansion, and were tempted to stop in during scheduled free time when the wait was 15 minutes, but when we came back at our scheduled time, there was no wait at all.
- If you want to see any shows, get the daily schedule from the Disneyland web site and take it with you. The schedule will also let you know if any scheduled rides are unavailable due to maintenance.
RideMax is available for both Disneyland and California Adventure.
