Convince me the Touring Plan App is worth it...or not.

[akaDaddy]

Our family has come to a split decision on weather the Touring Plan App is worth the $12.99.

To me, having the wait times (which are reported to be more accurate than MDE) while at the park would be worth it. Others feel we can get enough info from the boards and MDE to have a good plan.

I'm looking for testimonials, tell me what you liked, what worked best, helped the most....

But don't hold back, if you've tried it and it wasn't worth it, tell me why.

Thanks for helping

 

[juliekzp]

Use it, love it. Much more user friendly than MDE, and actual v. posted wait times are pretty accurate (and often very different from each other).

 

[100acreHiker]

I used it, but only for our MK days, and it was brilliant in mapping out a plan that saved us time and walking. I didn't find it really helped much for the other parks, as we didn't have much to do, but it was helpful, even then, to visualize our route for the day. But for MK at rope drop, it was a definite timesaver and useful tool. I loved being able to go back and change things up, and it helped me realize that I could drop one of our FPs that wasn't really necessary.

 

[100acreHiker]

also wanted to add that you can find a coupon code for it on retailmenot that can save you a couple of dollars off the subscription price.

 

[LoveThatMouse!]

Agreed! Even the line app alone is worth the cost but as the above poster mentioned, there is a 20% off code that pops up when you're scrolling around on their site. They also have a money back quarantee.

 

[Magpie]

I haven't tried the app, but 12.99 (with maybe 20 percent off!) is hardly anything. I've paid more than that, multiple times, for the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World book. With a money back guarantee, I don't think you can go wrong downloading it. At the very least, it'll offer you some fun pre-trip-planning entertainment!

Now, that said, I do quite nicely just using Josh's EasyWdw.com site, which is free. But we've got many visits under our belt (of late, we've been visiting 2 to 3 times a year) and we're very familiar with the parks.

 

[Sophie_2003]

Love it. Spent a day at MK last Sunday and crowds were pretty good for July. We threw out the plan after 3-4 rides because standby lines were short, but used the app to see what fp+ were still available and where waits were best. It also helped us at Epcot yesterday to see which FP were available. Find the app more reliable than mde. Good luck

 

[Jennytoon]

My favorite feature of Lines is that under the wait time it gives you advice about what to *do* with that wait time. For example

-- ride now, lines grow until 2:30 PM
-- wait, lines drop after 2:30 PM

In other words, it saves you having to know whether 20 minutes on BTMRR is a really good time in the middle of the day that you've just happened to catch at the right moment, or if you can find it the same in an hour.

Obviously how worthwhile you think this is depends on how well you think they do at assessing the ebb and flow of lines over the course of the day, but I like it.

Another perspective I have heard on this -- with or without the 20% off, calculate the cost of TP as a fraction of the cost of your overall vacation. When you look at that really, really tiny ratio -- it starts to seem like a worthwhile gamble on something that you could really like. In this vein, compare it to the price of a couple of funnel cakes -- if you're spending longer debating it than you would spend on the funnel cakes, you probably should just go ahead and get it.

And speaking of funnel cakes, another feature that I really like is the menu search. Know where all the funnel cakes are in the Epcot but can't remember in the MK? Lines has you covered.

 

[sleepymouse]

Worth it!!! I love creating and manipulating personalized TPs. It helps me learn a lot about what to do when and see how shifting things around alters waits.

 

[Mrs. Max Goof]

100% worth it.

We created our own plans and visited the parks when the resort was at an overall crowd level of 8. I think the longest we waited was 20 minutes, and it was to meet Gaston. The personalized plans are worth the price of subscription.

 

[soniam]

Not only does the app list the posted wait times, but it also has expected and reported (if people are reporting in the park) wait times. It also lists FP+ availability. The menus are really convenient too. You can do a search on them too. My favorite part, though, is the touring plans, especially the optimized personalized plans. We always use it for both WDW and Universal. It's worth every penny.

 

[cigar95]

The usual note for those interested in personalized touring plans - you can create them and use them without spending a dime. touringPlans has quite a bit of paid content, but the personalized plans are not part of it.
(I will also add that the wait times data that appears in the app *is* part of the paid content, and for ten bucks a year, worth it.)

 

[lroger01]

I like and use, all the features mentioned above. What is fun for me though is the Chat feature. It's meant for getting questions answered while in the park, but goes beyond that. There are no categories or search so any question is OK. It's nice to be standing in AK and ask opinions of the restaurants near you. Or, where in DH is a good spot for a kid to nap, for example.

 

[firstimeirishman]

I've tinkering with it for a week or so now ahead of our first ever trip and found it really useful so far, especially just to give me a sense of scale of the parks and walking times etc and also attractionsl lengths. But that was a good point made earlier, as a percentage of your total cost of the holiday it fades into insignificance and even if it only saves me a hour of standing in lines then I'll consider it money well spent.

 

[Karin1984]

Split the money between the people who do want to use it. The people who don't pay, are not allowed to use the information and have to stand in long lines to feel the pain of not spending a few dollars.

With the total amount of money you are going to spend on travelling, hotels, park tickets, dining, souvenirs and other stuff like new outfits, sunglasses, sunscreen etc. is this amount of money such a big percentage on the total budget that it is necessary to discuss this purchase? If you really need to save money to pay the fee, pay attention to your grocery shopping for a few weeks, collect/use coupons, buy the cheaper brands and you will have the money in no time.

I like it for the waiting times, the personalized plans, the quick overview of the restaurants, menus, rides and shows (the rides and shows information really annoy me in the MDE app, I had an update the other day and it didn't really improve) it has FP+ availability and I like that you ccan also search menus by items.

 

[cvjpirate]

I find it very much worth it if for nothing else but the ride times. It helps me a lot with planning and figuring out when and what rides to use for my fp+ to save the most time during my trip. Could I get buy without it, sure I could but I believe the time it saves me is well worth the money.

 

[tlmadden73]

I'm curious how the wait times are any more accurate than what MDE would post? How does it know FP+ availability?

I just find it odd to spend money on something that the MDE app seemingly gives you or spend money on something that simply experience in the park itself (or advice on these forums) would give you for free.
I guess I would have to try it (is there a demo?)

I understand the cost is minimal .. but I guess if your goal is to "maximize" your day and get on as many rides as feasibly possible, I can see it as useful. I guess I just prefer making my own plan based on my experience in the parks previously.

Is the cost for the Touring Plan app a one time fee? Or a subscription?

 

[perditax]

Considering the miniscule cost of the app compared to a Disney vacation, it was totally worth it for me.

It gathers its data via crowd-sourcing, I believe, meaning users on the ground actually report real-world wait times. They also post their accuracy ratings after the fact, IIRC.

It does a lot more than than the MDE app and a lot more reliably.

Don't forget there are multiple ways to get discounts, such as owning the UO DCL guide.