Anyone use Unofficial Guide's Touring Plans?

[Selket]

We were there last August (myself, DH, and 2 sons - ages 20 months and 5 yrs back then) and I thought I throw some feedback on the "sleep late" issue. The surest way to make everyone miserable is to get them up at the crack of dawn and on the bus to make the EMH. I don't mind it but my husband and the boys would rather have a lazy morning which is just part of being on vacation.

We found that it worked out quite well as long as you have somewhat lower expectations for the # of rides you will do. If you plan to arrive at the MK mid-morning and ride everything in the park you could be miserable! We picked out our "must-sees" and used FP on the popular rides. The Tour Guide Mike site was invaluable for late day starts - as he has tons of tips on what attractions have less waits later in the day and half-day touring plans. The longest wait we had for anything was probably 15 minutes. We also did 2 eride nights so we got our fill of riding things at the MK that were too busy to ride over and over again during the day.

I think if you can get up early and take advantage of EMH you are better off. We did that one morning for the MK and it was fantastic. But if it doesn't work out I wouldn't worry about it. Just lower your expectations accordingly.

Have fun!

 

[mic_key_mouse]

Hi Selket.

I generally agree that it depends on your circumstances, but I think EMH at least once (if not twice) at the MK is important, as is EMH at AK. Epcot isn't critical unless you like to do TT lots (we do, but we go late and use the singles line), nor is it critical for MGM unless you like the 2 major thrill rides. BTW, congrats on making a WDW trip with kids that young- the first time I took mine they were 6 and 7 and the trip was not pleasant at all.

My recommendations to Turner5 were given because his post gave me the impression it was his first time. Rides are the focus the first time for most people, and the only way you can ride them all without the crowds is by getting up. Many first-timers also have the expectation of doing 'everything', and the easiest way to do that is first thing in the morning before the 'masses' arrive. A 3 to 4 hour break in the middle of every day provides plenty of time to stay rested so getting up in the morning is not a big deal. In my experience, relaxing in the middle of the day and taking at least an hour long nap (we will often nap 2 hours) is much more important than how much sleep you get at night because you are out of the mid-day heat- but as you said circumstances come up which may make going to a park later necessary.

I use TourGuideMike, too (it's great- isn't it?)- but I use it the same way I use the UG- as a guide/outline. We are going in 2 weeks for our 'umteenth' visit, and we are planning one (maybe 2) e-ride nights and EMH at least once in the MK. I agree that using e-ride is a very fun and easy way to get on all the major attractions. Since we go a lot, EMH isn't nearly as important as it was a few years ago- but it is still hands down the most important tool a WDW resort guest has at his disposal. Becuase we go a lot, we choose an afternoon in a water park over an afternoon in a theme park. At the end of many of TGM's articles he repeats (2 or 3 times in some of his articles) to get there early and get out at luchtime. As I said above, you have to make a choice- from my experience it is an easy one to make. Get up, ride, then 'get the heck outta' Dodge' for lunch, a swim, and a long nap.

I am happy to see another take on this issue. As long as the person doesn't have high expectations, visiting the parks later may be OK. I have only been in one park one time between 1 and 5 in my last five visits (AK excluded)- and I won't be doing that again any time soon. For me, it just isn't worth it- but I am in the minority, as 'the masses' I speak of make up 90% of the people that go- they sleep in and all show up as I am finishing up all the major attractions. It all comes down to personal preference, and I just can't have a good time fighting big crowds when there is an alternative. I do, however, appreciate that some people prefer to sleep in.

If you have a good time no matter the circumstances or how many rides you 'do' then sleeping in is fine- we sleep in half of our 10 day trips and get up the other five days. But if doing all the major rides with a 5-10 minute wait is important to the person, going early is the only way to do it

Blessings,
mic_key_mouse

 

[Selket]

Mic- you are 100% correct that the best way to do all the parks is using the EMH if you are staying on the property! Believe me - if it was just me and my family was like me we'd be up at the crack of dawn waiting to get into a park

When I say that you *could* visit the parks later in the day but you need to have lower expectations I really do mean *LOWER* expectations on the # of rides you want to do. Times we got to the park around 10 in the morning we still left at 2-3 pm for an afternoon break...and had lunch during that time as well. So we only rode a few things - yet some were headliners and it was the things we really wanted to do. Most people would be disappointed with that style of touring - yet it is about the best you can hope for if you want a relaxed vacation AND arrive late at the parks AND have little kids! We'd also catch some more rides in the evenings with FP. It was the FP and TGM plans that let us avoid the wait times. And we used the eride nights to get in all of our intense riding. In all we saw less than half the attractions for every park but we did see all the things we #1 wanted to see and had a good time. If my kids were older I'd definitely do EMH most every day.

The absolute worst were these folks standing in lines for over an hour with young children and the kids just looked miserable.

I found, however, that I often could not get either of my kids to nap in the afternoon....even though the 1 yr old was very used to a long afternoon nap. He often slept a little bit (an hour maybe?) but sometimes caught another nap in his stroller at the parks. The 5 yr old would not sleep at all. He was too excited and always wanted to go straight to the pool and swim! He absolutely could not stand trying to take a nap or rest in the room.

In August we also got a lot of rain - so sometimes the time we planned to hit the pool it was closed due to thunderstorms - and would stay closed for hours. We rearranged some of our days so we could hit the pool in the mornings before the rain set in - and just did half days at the park (after 4 pm). Our kids were as interested in the pool as the parks so some days that had to be #1 priority.

I agree the best plan is doing the EMH and take afternoon breaks (in the busy times). If you use my style of touring then you'd need to go into the park with a top 3 list and get those things done and know what other attractions don't have much wait and do those while you wait for the FP's to come due!

EMH for Fantasyland - if your kids want to do it - is very necessary. It's the only way I'd ride Dumbo

 

[AllyandJack]

Dumb question here - what is a Tour Guide Mike?!?!

I love the UG, too. I don't care if a lot of the same tips and quotes are in there - it's still great to get the Disney fix!

 

[mic_key_mouse]

Hi AllyandJack.

Tour Guide Mike is an automated vacation planner that chooses recommendations for your WDW trip based upon your preferences to a questionairre you fill in after you join. The touring plans are not as 'intense' (?) as the Unofficial Guide- as he has a philosophy which focuses on relaxing rather than seeing everything. As I said above, I use them both in concert (along with the Passporter) as guides/outlines.

The thing that really make TGM stand out is that he updates the site every few days based upon anticipated crowd patterns and changes Disney may make to the park hours, etc. I made some major changes to my itinerary a few days ago based upon 'the latest' information coming out of WDW- and I will check back a few times before I go to see if there is more new information posted.

It is only $21.95 (I think...) and is worth it's weight in gold IMHO. Much of his itinerary advice for special events like MVMCP, e-ride nights, holidays, etc. is not available in any other guide that I have seen. That alone makes it worth the investment for me. You can find him at www.tourguidemike.com.

I agree with you about the UG. I buy the latest edition almost every year, and all the quotes are pretty much the same. I kind of like that- it gives it a 'familiar' feel. Besides, I am quoted in there and hope they keep my 'timeless advice' (j/k) in there


Hi Selket.

I had the same trouble with naps back in the mid-90's, and after 'experimenting' with a few things this is what I found works best for us. We never take a break shorter than 3 hours, and they usually wind up being between 4-5 hours. This may sound strange to some, but when you get up early you finish all the major attractions and have the rest of the day to do whatever you want. I choose to look at WDW like a 'resort vacation'- and part of a resort vacation is relaxing. When we leave the park at lunchtime, we go either offsite or to a hotel for lunch to begin the 'winding down' process. Just getting away from the parks to eat helps more than I ever thought it would. During the 'trial and error' period, I used to have the kids lay down and nap without a swim. For us it just doesn't work, so I let them swim for 45 minutes to an hour. We always beat the mid-afternoon rain- usually sleeping by then We go back to the room, and they each take a quick warm shower, which helps them to relax even more. I call the front desk for a wake up call an hour (but usually two) later- and the curtains get shut and we sleep. This has worked well for us ever since my first trip with the boys, which was a 'learning experience' in more ways than one. Hopefully, you will find this helpful on your next trip For those staying off-site, I think TGM would be VERY helpful, as he lists all four parks each day, and ranks them in order of least busy to most busy. If you can't use EMH, how will you know which park to go to without advice? Do you agree, Selket?

Blessings,
mic_key_mouse

 

[jcemom]

Originally posted by Turner5
I've been reading it and plan to follow it as close as possible. I am getting a little frustrated though. I have one child (age 7) who I know will not want to ride some of the thrill rides, and 2 other children who will want to ride the thrill rides (9, 11). I hate to separate, but I guess it would be best. The youngest really needs to follow Dumbo, but the rest of us want to follow the 2 day plan. What to do? How in the world can you make everyone happy so that we all have a good time!!!!????

TourGuide Mike's 2-day plan includes all of Fantasyland--Dumbo, too--as well as all of the mountains, our children were 1 1/2, 9, and 10 when we went and we found it to be the perfect fit for a family with various aged children, you might want to consider checking his site out. Another option would be a custom touring plan from touringplans.com.

 

[Selket]

Mic - the nap advise sounds like a very good plan. I will try that if we manage to all get up early for an EMH! My DH does not like WDW as much as myself and part of getting him to go is letting him do what he wants. So if it is sleeping late so be it. I do some EMH with my older son and he can watch the one who is 2.5 yrs old when we're there. Sometimes it works better to split up that way! Sometimes the young son will wake up early at home though (like 6 a.m.) so if he does that on vacation I guess it is EMH here we come! woo hoo! Then your afternoon break plan sounds like the ticket. It would be nice to get back to the hotel to eat.

A couple of months ago younger DS was diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes and last month we found out that he has a severe peanut allergy so we are really bound to his schedule for eating in some ways....because he is so young. Sometimes with his insulin he can drop low suddenly (esp. before lunch) and we have sometimes a few minutes before he has to sit down to lunch or start eating something! Because of the peanut allergy we have to be very careful eating out so this year we're somewhat planning so that meals are the most stable things. We are also staying at the CR for the first time just to be so close to the MK so we can take shorter trips over there. The chefs at CR are helping us with his meals and have offered to provide him with all meals he needs at the resort. We also use a GAC (he had mobility issues last summer - couldn't stand or walk - this summer it looks like we'll get one so he can wait in a shaded or a/c'd area if we have waits). The GAC doesn't make the waits any shorter however. We try to not have waits!

The UG is a great book but it has never quite worked for me and I can't make it work with our needs which tend to shift quickly. I can't have a schedule and stick to it really. This is why I like TGM so much. He gives you a schedule if you want it - but he also gives so much info on what to do when and why that when you find yourself at the park mid-day or whenever you know what attractions you should be a FP for, which ones have short lines that time of day and so forth. We also do hit some thrill rides (for me if no one else!). We did great with TGM last summer and are using this year. I think the UG is better for folks with older kids, or those without special needs and such that want to see most park attractions in a day or two for each park....and you can stick to a schedule!

 

[mic_key_mouse]

My ex-wife is not an early riser either. When we got the midday break down to a 'science', she was MUCH happier getting up in the AM and sleeping during the heat of the day. If you can get DH to read these threads maybe he will give it a try It would be terrible to miss EMH at the MK when you can be there in ten minutes

I 'vaguely' remember when my kids were your age (they are teenagers now). There is no way I would wake up the toddler- EMH or not Talk about starting the day off on the wrong foot! Hopefully, everyone will be up and it will work out for you.

Interesting information about the GAC. I have lost mobility and am currently on disability, so I was hoping the GAC would provide some benefits- but it doesn't sound promising

Blessings,
mic_key_mouse