Mark Winters from RideMax
If you spend too much time in line at Disney World or Disneyland, the RideMax software may be just for you! One of our clients, Mark Winters, developed Ridemax and talked with us recently about his time saving product.
FamilyTravelGurus: How did you come up with the idea for RideMax?
Early in our marriage, my wife (who is a HUGE Disney fan) and I visited Disneyland fairly often, even though we didn’t live in California. I was familiar with some of the “canned” touring plans that you see in guidebooks, but as a software developer, I thought it would be cool if there was a software program that could create a CUSTOMIZED plan just for me — a plan containing the attractions *I* wanted to visit, with the start time, stop time, and meal times I wanted as well.
As a result of that desire to create a custom plan, I knew any software would also need some estimates of the wait times at the various attractions as the day went on, so I started collecting wait time statistics at different seasons of the year, and at different times of day.
I think one of the first “breakthroughs” occurred a couple of years later, after I had developed a “beta” version of RideMax. My wife and I decided to see if we could visit every single attraction in one day at Disneyland (with the exception of those that were closed that day and perhaps the vehicles on Main Street, if I recall). We used RideMax to map out a plan for us. We visited the park on a busy Saturday in October, starting right when the park opened at 8am, and finished the attractions on the plan by 11:30 or so that night. We were even able to ride some of the attractions twice, and we also had enough time for a long “rest” break in the afternoon. Most of our waits were 10 minutes or less, so I considered that pretty successful!
I think the cool thing about that trip was that as we were going through the day, we felt like the park had given up some big “secret,” that only we were privy to, on how to visit everything with minimal waiting, and that was pretty exciting. We could SEE the crowds, but hardly ever FELT them.
So, from that point I added some polish to the program, including several enhancements, and then released the Disneyland version commercially. In 2006 we moved to the Orlando area to help move along the Disney World version of the software.
FamilyTravelGurus: What are some challenges for getting the most out of your time at Disneyland? At Disney World?
Regardless of whether you’re visiting Disneyland or Disney World — or even regardless of whether you’re using a RideMax plan or not — one key to helping reduce your wait is to arrive at the park early, before the gates open for the day. The lines can be very short during the first hour or two the park is open, and early arrivals can also gain a huge FASTPASS advantage over those arriving later.
At Disney World specifically, an additional challenge is working the various shows into your day, and I think this is especially challenging at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This is where I believe RideMax can really help, since the show times are built in to the software, and you can let the computer help figure out how to fit these in, rather than having to do this planning all by yourself.
FamilyTravelGurus: Do you make updates to the program as new attractions are introduced or from feedback you get from users?
Each time you start the software, RideMax downloads our latest data, which can include new attractions that have recently become available, or changes to show times, etc.
With regard to feedback from customers, when we first released the Disney World version of RideMax, it didn’t include specific show times for the fireworks, parades, or the various shows at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Feedback from customers was overwhelmingly in favor of adding these shows to the software, and we responded by adding this capability to the Disney World version of the software in late 2008.
FamilyTravelGurus: You have booked a few Disney cruises with us – when you take a Disney cruise do you come up with a detailed plan for your time like you do at Disney World?
I look at a cruise differently than a visit to the theme parks. For me, a cruise can be a time to relax and get away from the “schedules” of daily life. So from that standpoint, I haven’t had anything like a “RideMax plan” when I’ve been on a cruise. Having said that, on a Disney cruise there are a couple of things that I have tried to be “focused” about. One is obtaining reservations for Palo, and the other — on Castaway Cay day — is disembarking early enough to claim a decent spot on the beach.
And, by the way, thanks for your help in planning our Disney cruise vacations. You weren’t the first company we tried, but the fact that we’ve relied on your help now for several vacations speaks well of the work you’ve done!
FamilyTravelGurus: We appreciate the cruises you’ve booked with us, too! What is the current price for RideMax? What’s the best way for people to get in touch with you for more information or to order the RideMax software?
RideMax comes in two separate versions, one for Walt Disney World, and the other for Disneyland. We currently offer both 90-day and full-year subscriptions for both products. The price depends on the version and subscription length, but currently ranges from $14.95 for the 90-day Disneyland version, which supports both Disneyland and California Adventure, up to $29.95 for the full-year Disney World version, which supports all of the four major Disney World parks. The 90-day Disney World version, suitable for planning a single visit, is $18.95.
Details and more information are available at the RideMax website:
FamilyTravelGurus: Thanks Mark. We often hear from clients that they didn’t get a chance to see everything they wanted to when visiting Disney World or Disneyland. Your software is a great tool for families to get the most out of their limited Disney vacation time.