Does anyone use unofficial guides touring plans?

[mickeysgirl17]

I was just curious to know if anyone actually used the unofficial guides touring plans? Do they work? What problems have you come across using them?

 

[madelinesmum]

I have been on ***************** and I will tell you that so far, I am disappointed.
I have been to Disney many times and just wanted to know if there was maybe a better way to see and do things, maybe save some time. I got on there last night and really studied some of the plans and they just don't make alot of sense with the way they have you moving all over the place. For example, in AK they had you going from the safari ride, all the way over to Kali River Rapids, alot of jumping around.
Now, in all fairness, I did see some helpful hints and advice, like which rides are busiest in the am, etc. I may need to dig into the site further to see if I'm missing something.

 

[unbroken chain]

Yes, I have used them. They do save time, I think. My son loves to be in charge and follow "the plan" so it works out for us.

 

[writersblock42]

Yes, I have followed them. The biggest problem is that you will be tired. However, we followed them exactly one year and even in the summer never waited in line for anything more than 15 minutes. Yes, they work but be prepared to walk-well jog-run- okay sprint in some cases.

 

[BlindTyldak]

Yes, I've used them, and yes, they work phenominally. You're going to do a lot of backtracking, yes, but that is completely intentional. Remember, Disney set up the parks to keep people in there as long as possible. The touring plan gets you through it as FAST as possible, si that means touring the park out of the order Disney intended. Lots of bouncing around but worth it. It's a bit rough with little ones to keep a strict schedule like that so that I wouldn't do, though.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Well, it sounds like they work. I've been debating whether or not to use them.

 

[JeanfromBNA]

I was just curious to know if anyone actually used the unofficial guides touring plans? Do they work? What problems have you come across using them?

We used the plans as a framework during the low season last September. We arrived early, which was the best advice, and usually followed at least the first four or five suggestions. It wasn't that crowded, so we would complete most of the plan by mid-day. A little too commando for my DH .

 

[RoyalCanadian]

DW and I first used UG's Touring plans during our trip to the World in November 1997. They worked like a dream and we estimated that our total wait time for our entire 5 days in the World was about 90 minutes.

It did help that park attendance was rather low during that time period, but we certainly found that our touring plans helped us avoid lines. We would enter an attraction with no line and leave and find a line waiting to get in. It felt like the crowds were following us.

Since then I have been a UG Touring Plan convert. We used the Touring Plans during low attendance in January 2005 and they worked. We used the Touring Plans during moderate-high attendance in March 2006 and they worked. We will be using the Touring Plans during our New Years trip beginning Dec. 30th and I'm counting on them to work even then.

Some of the touring plans have been the ones right from the back of the book, others have been downloaded from their website. Len and Bob certainly know what they are doing with their amazing touring plans.

 

[MickeyMaz]

I think the plans are pretty well thought out based on statistics. You have to know when to bail out of it if park conditions warrant it though.

If you want somewhat of a supplement to the site, try the WDWTODAY podcast. Len Testa is one of the co-authors of the guide and is a reguilar on the show. They have an extensive collection of archived podcasts that are well documented. I listened to the Animal Kingdom show they had a couple months ago and Len was talking about adjusting the current plan for AK because of Everest. He also mentioned less backtracking when ever possible.

wdwtoday.com