Ridemax

Ridemax is some sophisticated software that uses an algorithm to maximize ride time (hence the name) and minimize wait times.  It's one short-coming is that it doesn't necessary minimize walking.  So, if we follow the Ridemax plan (and I think we should), be ready to walk a bit!

First, you can make a custom plan name and you input the times you will be at the park:

Next, you select the rides you want to ride, and the number of times you want to ride them.  If you make a plan that's "too loaded" the software will tell you and you'll have to go back and make new selections.

You can also choose your touring speed, also known as how fast you can move a group of 20+ people around the park.  While you're at it, you can also add in breaks and tell the software where and when you'd like a break.  In this plan I said we wanted to eat at Cafe Orleans at 1pm:

Once you put all of that into the software you get the results.  The output tells you when to be where, when to get FastPasses, when to use them, etc.  You can see that the first thing to do is get the Matterhorn FastPass, then head for Storybook Canal.  The beauty of the MaxPass is that you don't have to be anywhere near the ride to get the pass-just use the app and get the pass!  You can also see the estimated wait time, how much time we'll spend on the ride, and how much time we'll spend walking.

Also, RideMax does this thing where they try to free up some time in the afternoon.  They do this because they think you might want to go back to your hotel/condo/house and rest for a bit.  In this case we only have about an hour and a half because I added so many rides to the plan.  In cases when the park is open from 8am until midnight the software will leave 4-5 hours open during the day, usually the busiest part of the day.

Last, the software give a total of how much time will be spent waiting in line, riding rides, and walking:

The only other thing to know about RideMax is that the guys who run the software are constantly updating the algorithm so the best thing to do is run the scenario the night before going to the park to get the most up-to-date data.