Originally Posted By purplekisses2000 I know weekends are crowded at the parks, but this time it can't be avoided. We will be there Sat Dec 8 and Sun Dec 9, we are leaving on a cruise the morning of the 10th. I have purchased RideMax to help. Do any of you have any good tips for making the most of the weekends?
Originally Posted By SuzieQ Yes. #1 is attitude. I frequently go during crowded times, and have always managed to 'get it all done' without stressing to something like RideMax. Hit Fantasyland early. None of the rides there have Fastpass. Once lines for Peter Pan, Dumbo and Alice get long, they stay long all day. Don't forget you can use your fastpass after it's expiration time. If you are across the park when your Space Mountain time comes up, don't worry. Finish up whatever you are doing, then head to Tomorrowland. You aren't actually going at a time when the weekends are super crowded. It's still early December and the parks don't tend to fill in until closer to Christmas.
Originally Posted By threeundertwo I think Ridemax is great! You've probably already played with it a little. Note that you can submit the same itinerary over again and get different results, so try it a few times to get the sequence that looks the most appealing to you. Run it as close to your visit date as possible so it's as accurate as it can be. Be sure that you visit the rides in bold at the times they say, otherwise you'll need to skip ahead. For example, Alice in Wonderland and Storybookland Canal Boats might be listed at specific times early in the morning or later in the evening. If you delay getting there, you could face a much longer line. Ridemax saves a lot of walking and standing and optimizes the fastpass system for you. You'll have a lot of fun with it.
Originally Posted By 8 ilovemickey 8 I actually find the Unofficial guides to be more helpful then Ridemax. Most importantly get to the park early. Even on less crowded days it's just much easier to get things done in the morning. Make a round of the rides you like. Most likely starting in Tomorrowland then working left to FL, AL, CC, and FL. Collect fastpasses along the way for Space, Indiana, Splash, and Thunder. Leave the park around 1 or so when it's the most crowded. Go to DCA. Ride some rides or collect a couple of fastpasses. Eat lunch. Relax & swim. Come back around 6 or so to enjoy the night at Disneyland. Use your fastpasses. The less crowded attractions such as Pirates, HM, Buzz, and even some of the Fantasyland rides should be fine to wait for. Like SuizeQ said tho. A December weekend is much much less crowded then a July one. And I think that you shouldn't have too much trouble at all...
Originally Posted By purplekisses2000 Thanks for all the advice. I have used ridemax in the past for a previous tips and it worked great at DCA but had a hard time following it in DL. We are going to try again. We don't really have a lot of rides that my family want to do in Fantasyland as they are older, just a couple.
