Fee based touring plans-worth it?

[jeepgirl30]

I subscribed. I think the price dropped from when i first found it but i paid $10.

Is it worth it? For me, the peace of mind I covered everything is sure worth $10. Is it needed? Probably not but with paying thousands of dollars for the trip i feel much better knowing i went it into with all the information i could.

I really couldn't find a forum like the dis for universal. not many trip reports out there or reviews for dining and such.

I'll skip going to starbucks 2X to pay for it!

 

[Tizzy_Meliss]

I think it is refreshing to hear from ACTUAL members of my site who have taken their own time to answer the OP's question honestly and frankly. Isn't that what this board is for?

Of course you would think it's refreshing, it brings in more paying customers for you.

Your site may be a very nice site chock full of info with very nice people, since I'm not an ACTUAL user I wouldn't know. IMO, you still don't need to pay to plan a vacation when everything you could possibly need to know is right here on this board for FREE. People here go out of their way to be as helpful as possible and answer any and all questions and they do a pretty awesome job at if you ask me. I am proud of the work they do. Which is why I think it's a little bad taste to have new people sign up here only to sing your praise and vanish.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and this is mine.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'd like to have a plan for tackling World of Harry Potter, but cant justify the expense blindly...we're staying onsite so I will have the express passes so I wonder if that will help enough with time management

The hotel express passes have worked for us!

WWofHP. Decide if you want to do the Ollivander's attraction. Decide if you want to do it first (probably a good idea if you're going to do it) or if you want Forbidden Journey first.

Use Early Entrance for WWofHP. Go to the one you decided to go to first. Do the second one. Repeat Forbidden Journey if you wish to. Once you're done with those two, ride Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff until you can't ride them anymore, using express pass, of course. (some won't use it for Hippogriff unless the line gets too long...we tend to use it no matter what even if it shaves a mere 30 seconds off our wait time)

Shop. Eat. (3 Broomsticks starts lunch at 10:30) Sit. Stare at the wondrous area around you. Repeat anything you want to repeat.

Go enjoy the wonderful things in the rest of the park. If Pteranodon Flyers is on your list (assuming you have a child that meets the guidelines that allow your group to ride), you might run off to Jurassic once the full park opens, do that, then come back. That line gets brutal and doesn't take express pass.

 

[OrlandoInformer]

I've been a member of this site for 12 years, and I'll say that I subscribed to OI about three months ago and have been very happy with the information provided on the Universal resort.

 

[Mainebound]

I'm also a recent OI subscriber and I am very happy with it. Like Brian Noble, I love planning for my WDW/USO trips, I consider that one of my hobbies, and I view the cost worth the investment for that. Do you NEED it to have a great time at USO? Of course not, especially if you stay onsite. But I am a longtime DIS member, someone who has been to Universal many times, and I am finding the site worth the cost.

 

[JTorr]

Of course you would think it's refreshing, it brings in more paying customers for you.

Your site may be a very nice site chock full of info with very nice people, since I'm not an ACTUAL user I wouldn't know. IMO, you still don't need to pay to plan a vacation when everything you could possibly need to know is right here on this board for FREE. People here go out of their way to be as helpful as possible and answer any and all questions and they do a pretty awesome job at if you ask me. I am proud of the work they do. Which is why I think it's a little bad taste to have new people sign up here only to sing your praise and vanish.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and this is mine.

I had never heard of DIS before so I hadn't used it. I spend most of my "forum time" on OI. Now that I've found DIS I'll likely continue to use it. As I said in my OP I'm a local, so I'm always looking for reviews and new happenings, and this is obviously a very full and robust site.

That being said, the original poster DID ask about people who had used the OI subscription service before, so why would it be a bad thing to have OI subscriber's input to that post? I'm kind of surprised that new members wouldn't be more welcomed.

Some people make their first posts on vacation forums to find out information and ask questions, others come to give their opinions. It seems like everyone's posts though are still valid whether new to the forums, or regulars with their 1000's of posts

It's my opinion that you can never get enough input, and there's still plenty of great FREE information on OI. I'd actually recommend to anyone coming to Orlando to get your information from multiple places, so you can make the best plan for yourself.

 

[Tizzy_Meliss]

I'm feeling very popularrrrrrr.

That being said, the original poster DID ask about people who had used the OI subscription service before, so why would it be a bad thing to have OI subscriber's input to that post? I'm kind of surprised that new members wouldn't be more welcomed.

Some people make their first posts on vacation forums to find out information and ask questions, others come to give their opinions. It seems like everyone's posts though are still valid whether new to the forums, or regulars with their 1000's of posts.

New members are always welcome here. 10,000 or 1 post count doesn't matter and that was not my issue. There is a difference between someone signing up here to become a new member wanting help, join in conversations, or just to lurk and gain information and someone signing up to only give a good review to an identical site that also happens to be a pay site then never to be heard from again.

OP asked:

Has anyone used a pay service based website? I saw someone mention it on here but did a search and havent found anyone who has used the trip planning feature. Apparently it's a $15.00 subscripton for access to the sites, maps, boards, tips etc.. Included is trip planning guides for each park. We're going to US and IOA in June for a two day trip and like when I first went to Disneyworld, I wanted a plan to use so my time would be most efficient. I'd like to have a plan for tackling World of Harry Potter, but cant justify the expense blindly...we're staying onsite so I will have the express passes so I wonder if that will help enough with time management.

I replied that she didn't need to pay the expense when it can all be found right here for free.

The Disboard (especially here on the Darkside) is the friendliest most helpful bunch of people you will ever meet. I don't want to continue to beat this dead horse and tarnish that reputation. Especially when posts are being edited by posters.

 

[sebamt]

Before I answer this question, let me say that I've been an avid reader of the DIS for years. I've done 3 trips to WDW, 3 on DCL, and this summer it will be my 1st trip to Universal. Planning is my hobby (some may even say I'm an obsessive planner!), and I'm on these boards and on other web sites on a daily basis. I subscribed to OI a few months ago, and I'm really happy with what I'm getting for the $10 I paid.

It's probably true that much of the information on OI can also be found here on the DIS. However, while the information on OI is organized and easily accessible, the one on the DIS sometimes takes a lot of time of to find when you have to go through dozens of posts.

While I really appreciate the people on the DIS who give their time and expertise and contribute on a daily basis to help so many people who are planning a trip to Orlando, subscribers of OI get access to Dan, who will work on your touring plans, answer your questions, and will even do research on the obscure topics that people questions on.

For example, a few days ago, after searching and searching on the DIS, I submitted a few detailed questions about the laundry rooms at HRH to OI. I was very impressed that Dan replied to my email within 24 hours and told me he would go and research this in person for me.

Bottom line, you certainly don't have to spend the extra $10 or $15 on another trip planning site, but if you enjoy planning or have very specific questions, I think it's worth it. After all, what's $10 when you're spending hundreds, if not thousands, on the whole trip.

This is just my opinion, YMMV...