easyWDW vs. Touring Plans

[sayla27]

I've spent a great deal of time customizing Touring Plans and also looking at the cheat sheets on easyWDW. Just curious, if anyone has experience with both sites, which did they feel was more accurate? Which one would they use again. TIA!

 

[Robo]

. . .easyWDW vs. Touring Plans

 

[1stvisit0909]

I've spent a great deal of time customizing Touring Plans and also looking at the cheat sheets on easyWDW. Just curious, if anyone has experience with both sites, which did they feel was more accurate? Which one would they use again. TIA!

I like them both. I use Josh's rec park, then TP. I usually customize my plans, and then evaluate not optimize.

 

[sayla27]

. . .easyWDW vs. Touring Plans

Very Cute! Maybe it should be a match made in Disney heaven instead.

 

[JZCubed]

I used to use both.

Both are valuable tools.

One costs money, the other does not.

TP provides something extra for the added cost.

As to accuracy - both are valuable tools, but neither is perfect.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Both are excellent, both valuable tools.

 

[dzaharchuk]

We have always found Josh's site to be very accurate, and so we use his park recommendations and then do a loose touring plan. If you are doing this much prep, you should do very well.

We often take a midday break and then hop to whichever park is open latest, so we got to see first hand the difference on a given day between a recommended park and a non- recommended. Easy WDW was always right on, and his posts are quite funny.

 

[Cando86]

I like them both. I use Josh's rec park, then TP. I usually customize my plans, and then evaluate not optimize.

I do the same!

 

[minnie mum]

It has changed for us over the years. For many years I used Touring Plans exclusively, mostly because they were the only game in town (before the internet- yes I'm than old!).

When I discovered easywdw I used Josh's crowd calendars, but still used the Touring Plans touring plans. But I hated spending SOOOOOOOO much time trying to come up with individualized plans for each park. It was just too time consuming; and at times frustrating.

So for the last couple of trips I've used easywdw exclusively. I just take the cheat sheet and omit anything I don't want to see/do. Like Capt. Barbossa, I see them more as a guideline you might say. They aren't inscribed in stone. Couldn't be easier.

 

[sayla27]

Thanks everyone for your replies. They have been very helpful. I did plan my days based on the crowd calendars from Josh's site so I guess that was a good idea! I've done most of my personalized plans, but I also like minimum's idea of taking the cheat sheets and crossing off what I don't need each day. I might compare that to what I currently have to see how they match up. I'm definitely an uber-planner before I go on vacation, but it's so once I'm there I don't have to worry about anything and I know that the plans will always have to be adjusted to the whims of a DD8, DD6 or grumpy husband!

 

[nuzmom]

I've used them both and I think it depends upon your needs/desires.

When I first started planning, I used the tourning plans site (along with some books). I mostly used it for park recommendations/crowd levels. But, I also used it to get a general feel of what to do first/last. Since we vacationed during one of the least busy time at WDW, I just took a map of each park and made general notes based on what I had read on touring plans. I think I had about 4 years of subscriptions (maybe more) - all before they had truly custom plans.

After having MANY park days under my belt, these days I really just need to see a park schedule (w/ EMHs) to know what I want to do - I totally understand the reasoning behind what park to do on what days. And, my methodology matches up with easywdw. Also, easywdw is VERY easy to use, fun, and free.

My personal experience has been that easywdw has been more accurate as far as crowd level, wait time, and park recommendations.

 

[vleeth]

My personalized touring plans for last October we way off with the wait times. I was not happy that I spent all that time coming up with these plans for them to be pretty much useless.

Next trip, I'm just using easywdw.

 

[emsip]

What do you do if EasyWDW and Touring plans has opposite recommendations? For a couple of days on my trip, the "Not Recommended" park on EasyWDW is the same park with the lowest crowd on Touring plans.

 

[siskaren]

I like the fact that Josh (the guy who writes easyWDW) explains why a park is or isn't recommended.

 

[btk2333]

I like the fact that Josh (the guy who writes easyWDW) explains why a park is or isn't recommended.

I agree with this- I subscribe to touringplans because it's cheap, but rely on Josh more. I never use the customized touring plans as they tend to give some wacky results sometimes.

 

[letsgoreds]

I found Touring Plans to be overkill, and labor intensive. Easywdw gives you the information you need in a concise manner...and is more accurate...and is free...and comes with a side of snark.

I often print out Josh's maps, crowd predictors and cheatsheets, and hand them out to any friends new to WDW. I hope his book does well : )

 

[monkeybug]

I've seen quite a few people mention that they use easywdw recommended days over touringplans and I'm wondering why? During our week touringplans lists a few parks with pretty low crowds, but then they are the least recommended park according to easywdw. On one day easywdw recommends a park that according to touringplans has the highest crowd level of all the parks that day. I'm not sure whose estimate to use!

 

[hops&dreams]

Speaking of his book - has anyone taken a look at it? I was considering buying the unofficial guide 2015, but maybe I should buy Josh's book instead?

We've been twice before, but the last trip was in 2012, BEFORE the new fantasy land, FP+, and even putting credit card guarantees on ADRs. I feel like so much has changed, it might do me some good to brush up a bit. our 180 mark has just passed and I have yet to even pick our restaurants, let alone make ADRs.

Any suggestions? I have the 2014 unofficial guide on my kindle, but there's something about holding a planning book in your hands and flipping through it, skipping back and forth....

 

[jcemom]

I've seen quite a few people mention that they use easywdw recommended days over touringplans and I'm wondering why? During our week touringplans lists a few parks with pretty low crowds, but then they are the least recommended park according to easywdw. On one day easywdw recommends a park that according to touringplans has the highest crowd level of all the parks that day. I'm not sure whose estimate to use!

I use Josh's recommended parks because he bases his recommendations on how crowded the parks FEEL, and touringplans is based on average and peak wait times for certain rides (along with some other stuff). I prefer to be there on a day that feels less crowded rather than a day where the walkways feel jam packed but the peak wait time on Splash Mountain is 5 minutes less because they have more boats running.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Speaking of his book - has anyone taken a look at it? I was considering buying the unofficial guide 2015, but maybe I should buy Josh's book instead?

We've been twice before, but the last trip was in 2012, BEFORE the new fantasy land, FP+, and even putting credit card guarantees on ADRs. I feel like so much has changed, it might do me some good to brush up a bit. our 180 mark has just passed and I have yet to even pick our restaurants, let alone make ADRs.

Any suggestions? I have the 2014 unofficial guide on my kindle, but there's something about holding a planning book in your hands and flipping through it, skipping back and forth....

I have Kindle version, good book JOsh and Dave wrote there. I preferred the Kindle as it gets updated, and is always with me, if needed.