Do you follow the crowd plan recommendations when deciding which parks to visit

[OurLabtink]

Do you follow the crowd plan recommendations when deciding which park to go to a given day ? How accurate are the predictions ?

 

[PrincessMe]

Almost always - usually those at EasyWDW. We travel at low season and there is a noticeable difference in crowd levels/wait times if we go to a not-recommended park. Although we usually stay onsite, we generally avoid any park with EMH unless we are up unexpectedly early and can hop for the afternoon.

 

[married2mm]

Do you follow the crowd plan recommendations when deciding which park to go to a given day ?


No,we don't.


How accurate are the predictions ?

No idea,but never had any problems at the parks.

 

[LSUfan4444]

I follow the guidelines of visiting most parks the day after they have EMH, etc., but I don't necessarily chose the park with the lowest crowd prediction. I may chose one that is a 6/10 over one that is a 4/10 if it fits our schedule better, BUT the theory is still in place.

 

[LaurenT]

I follow Josh at EasyWDW.
He's very accurate. Of course, there's no way to predict unexpected things - like severe weather - and that can change the behavior of the crowds. But, given normal circumstances, Josh is almost always right on the money.

 

[Missymouse18]

Sometimes I do, but only for the middle days of the trip. I always begin with Epcot and end with MK, so I use crowd level recommendations to determine which days we will be at DHS and AK.

 

[2012bella13]

I used Josh's & Touring Plans, I compared the two. We were there a little over 2 weeks ago. The only time I think it was severly incorrect was at Magic Kingdom, I do not think They took in the effect that the New FL attractions would bring in more locals. Both Days we went were recomended days, but they seemed packed to me, we did not even try to go to that part of the park on the second day, it just was not worth wasting our time for it, lots of people, long lines, they were not even opening up the Little Mermaid ride until 1pm both days & then only running 1 track.
Now the other parks was great, we went at park opening & walked on every ride.

 

[North of Mouse]

No, never have. We just go where we want to go that day, and if things start to get crowded, we go to another park. No rigid touring for us, just wing it.

 

[maxiesmom]

Yes. I follow Easy WDW.

 

[LSUfan4444]

No, never have. We just go where we want to go that day, and if things start to get crowded, we go to another park. No rigid touring for us, just wing it.

Making a plan based on touring strategies doesn't mean it has to be rigid. You can still be flexible. I would argue that following the theories and suggestions of what parks to visit based on lower crowds allows for more flexibility throughout the day, not less.

Just winging it can actually remove more options and force you to be more rigid.

I don't think either way defines someones capability to be flexible, but having a plan that follows theories of lowest attendance doesn't mean you have to be married to that deicision. Unless of course you don't have hoppers and, if thats the case I can't even imagine what a world without hoppers is like .

 

[catherines_mama]

We've been several times and I feel good about my "plan". It has done well for is in the past. We are rope drop people and like morning EMH to get a lot done and beat the heat. We typically go during summer since we give up most other school breaks to visitations having primary out-of-state custodial custody ourselves.

We like afternoon breaks and park hopping. I recently visited EasyWDw for the first time and laughed because I'm the opposite of his plan. But his plans do say if you go against them, be an early riser and plan to take a break and park hop, so I guess we are okay. I did redo out water park plan to ensure it was a non EMH day at BB, I knew that'd be crazy the 1st days of Aug

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I subscribe to Touring Plans and I use their best/worst park recommendations and I have never had a crowded park. We go in less busy times (except our next trip in 4 weeks) But even on our next trip I am using TP's best park days to decide what park we go to.

 

[Moonwolf]

I won't be because my friend and I decided our park days before I discovered crowd calendars. In fact we'll be going to the least recommended (or next least recommended) park everyday. I panicked about it for a bit but after a while I calmed down. We know what the most popular rides are and will hit those first. After that we'll take everything as they come and just plan to have a good time.

 

[MrsDuck]

Never. Been touring the parks for 20 years.

 

[gottagetback]

Sometimes I do, but only for the middle days of the trip. I always begin with Epcot and end with MK, so I use crowd level recommendations to determine which days we will be at DHS and AK.

Ditto this except we start AND end with MK. Also, I follow the strategy of choosing Epcot when in doubt. Having said that, I've only been twice when crowds are high. We usually go in early May or September.

 

[AuroraRora]

I generally do follow the recommendations, and I use EasyWDW too. The only thing I don't follow is that we always begin and end the trip at MK regardless of crowd level, and also EasyWDW always recommends avoiding EMH parks but as we always stay on-site, I feel like morning EMH is invaluable for getting a lot done if you're there for the beginning of it. So we always do morning EMH, then around 11am or 12pm, we leave and head to the recommended park from then onwards

 

[stinkpickle]

I use them to help pick which park I will start with each day. If the crowds start feeling beyond what was predicted, I start park hopping. We had to do that a couple times, and it worked out great.

 

[ironpig70]

I looked at EasyWDW and as a newb I am more confused now then before.

Looked at May changes and see events after the park closes or at closing.

Is this normal? If I can see Fantasmic at 10:30 on a 10pm closing then why not as this would free up the day more.

 

[itradehilton]

We stay on-site so when we use EMH we go at rope drop other wise we pick from the list recommended by EasyWDW.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

We plan as many days around evening EMH that we can. We LOVE evening EMH!!! The lines are nonexistent, and the parks have a wonderful ambiance in the evening. I use Touringplans.com, but not for the plans. I just use the crowd levels.

We sometimes go on the busiest days, but we usually decide to do that b/c of evening EMH. We tend to go at about 10 AM, do some fastpasses and low wait rides and attractions, then take a break and come back in the evening. Works for us, but not for everyone. Some people prefer to wake up at the buttcrack of dawn. NOT ME!!!! It's vacation, and I intend to treat it as such. I take a chill approach, and we never wait in long lines.

I feel Touringplans is very accurate.