Easywdw vs. touring why are #'s so different??

[DisneyDreamer04]

I will admit I am a newbie when it comes to crowd calendars.. The whys, how's, all of it suck me in for hours... BUT we are thinking if rescheduling an upcoming trip due to my sister having a baby... So I looked at different dates: 9/27-10/05 and numbers are way different. We are die hards about not wanting to wait in lines( who isn't), and would rather skip certain attractions than wait 30 minutes for certain rides... I don't know if I can post the numbers but could y'all shed some light in what could be accurate? we are used to the week of Labor Day, and went one time in December, and it was pretty crazy crowd wise for us...

Numbers are -- 3,2,2,2,1,2,2,3,3. The other set is 5,5,4,3,5,5,5,6,6..

Help here please??

 

[mesaboy2]

They are different because there is no mathematical formula for predicting the future. One says crowds will be light, the other says crowds won't be bad. You really can't get wrapped up in specific values--just interpret them very generally like I just did.

 

[wareagle57]

I think TP uses a very different scale. One site might say today is an 8 and TP says it's a 4. If you look at ride times for an 8 day on TP, the lines are much longer than the reported lines for that day.

In other words, TPs wait times are normally pretty close to the predicted crowd level of the day. I wouldn't compare the two sights against each other.

 

[kaylasmom07]

They are different because each site uses a different method to try to predict the crowds.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

They are different because each site uses a different method to try to predict the crowds.

Most correct response on the thread so far.

 

[DisneyDreamer04]

Ok, so I found out how touring plans gets their numbers.. And I understand that there is no way to predict the future. So, can someone tell what easywdw uses to get their numbers. I know not to get wrapped up in numbers, but I am trying to stress how much anxiety I do have. I mean if the numbers on easywdw are more accurate, then October and November have to play in my possibilities of dates, just because if those are the numbers I will see...might as well be cooler while waiting in a line

 

[mesaboy2]

Ok, so I found out how touring plans gets their numbers.. And I understand that there is no way to predict the future. So, can someone tell what easywdw uses to get their numbers. I know not to get wrapped up in numbers, but I am trying to stress how much anxiety I do have. I mean if the numbers on easywdw are more accurate, then October and November have to play in my possibilities of dates, just because if those are the numbers I will see...might as well be cooler while waiting in a line

But you're doing it anyway.

 

[DisneyDreamer04]

But you're doing it anyway.

No disrespect. My mother always taught me if you don't have something helpful to say, not to say anything..

I was just trying to ask questions on here like the hundreds of others.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Ok, so I found out how touring plans gets their numbers.. And I understand that there is no way to predict the future. So, can someone tell what easywdw uses to get their numbers. I know not to get wrapped up in numbers, but I am trying to stress how much anxiety I do have. I mean if the numbers on easywdw are more accurate, then October and November have to play in my possibilities of dates, just because if those are the numbers I will see...might as well be cooler while waiting in a line

Easy uses the same system TGM did, more or less. He looks at EMH schedules for the current day, who had EMH the day before, who has EMH coming up, special events, MSEP nights at MK, Fantasmic nights at Hollywood Studios and a little bit of history.

 

[DisneyDreamer04]

Thanks you very much that gives me an idea of why the difference. Thank you again

 

[wendow]

I will admit I am a newbie when it comes to crowd calendars.. The whys, how's, all of it suck me in for hours... BUT we are thinking if rescheduling an upcoming trip due to my sister having a baby... So I looked at different dates: 9/27-10/05 and numbers are way different. We are die hards about not wanting to wait in lines( who isn't), and would rather skip certain attractions than wait 30 minutes for certain rides... I don't know if I can post the numbers but could y'all shed some light in what could be accurate? we are used to the week of Labor Day, and went one time in December, and it was pretty crazy crowd wise for us...

Numbers are -- 3,2,2,2,1,2,2,3,3. The other set is 5,5,4,3,5,5,5,6,6..

Help here please??

We have used both crowd calendars and found them to be pretty equally accurate but we typically haven't gone in high crowd times. Based on what I know, the second set of numbers you posted seem more likely for 9/27-10/05 b/c that is during F&W and also when some schools are beginning fall breaks. It will be busier than the week of Labor Day but depending on when you went in December, it will be slower.

Hope that is helpful

 

[Goofyuk]

the other issue is that the numbers aren't equal. If I remember rightly. Easywdw ramps up quite quickly at the beginning, to show the difference in low crowds but touringplans goes up in equal amounts. So a 7 on easywdw may only be a 4 on touringplans.

 

[lions1995]

I try to pick the park / day that both agree on as being the better choice(s). That does not always work, but it is a start.

Of course, a good day of rain can mess the whole thing up.

 

[JZCubed]

One thing I have found missing in the advice has to do with Crowd Level vs. Best Park.

The Crowd Level for your stay will be what it is. This is the number the OP is seemingly getting caught up on. As mentioned, neither Easy nor Touring can predict crowd levels (other than Christmas & Spring Break being '10').

A more useful idea to planning is knowing which Park to attend based on when you are already planning to go.

For instance, if a Park has morning or evening EMH, this is often determined to be 'Worst Park' for that given day - regardless of Crowd Level. Similarly, if you are wanting to go to F&W in EPCOT, it is best to avoid EPCOT on weekends because 'locals' tend to flock the event. And counterintuitively, Magic Kingdom is typically a 'Best Park' on days of hard-ticket events (MVMXP & MNSHP) because regular-ticket holders must leave by 7pm.

Therefore, from my planning experience, having used both EasyWDW & Touringplans, Easy lays out the reasoning behind the decision of which Parks are 'best' and/or 'worst' for a given day. You can chose to use that information as works best for you and your family.

That all being said, you may see a Park as 'worst' because of EMH, but you might really want to go to EMH because, for instance, you have FP+ scheduled at a different Park in the evening. Neither Easy nor Touring know what will work best for your family.

Also keep in mind, if it rains for most if the day, Magic Kingdom will be far more crowded the following day and neither Easy nor Touring can account for that in advance.

In other words, travel when it's convenient for you & your family and only then decide which Park(s) is best for any given day that you are at Disney. 'Best Park', early arrival time (close to rope drop), and having a personal plan is a far better predictor of the time you will spend on lines.

To recap based on my experiences, Easy will have a discussion on Best vs. Worst Park, Touring lets you play around with approximate wait times based on when you are planning to go. Both are useful to those with less experience planning a Disney vacation.

 

[Kalea]

I've not used TP, but do use EasyWDW when working out our park days. I think rather than comparing the two sites, it's more useful to try and understand the rationale and make your own decisions.

On a trip last Oct, we had 8 days of tickets. We only went to Josh's recommended parks. Not always the most recommended park, but a recommended park.

We could tell a difference in a 'most recommended' crowd level 3 park vs a 'recommended' crowd level 7 park. But because we understood why the park was more crowded, we were able to work with it.

The trip for this year came up a bit unexpectedly. But the first thing I did was go to EasyWDW and read the post for that months' crowd calendar. I read why he picked what he picked and then scheduled our park days accordingly.

 

[lugnut33]

Just figure every day will be a crowd level of 9, unless it's holiday time then it will be a 10, and play your day accordingly. That way, if it's not too busy you'll be pleasantly surprised and amazed at all you got done.

 

[dlove28]

OP, I do not have an answer for your specific question, but thought I would chime in on your underlying issue. I too have anxiety about parks and crowds. Not terrible, but enough that low crowds really make a difference. Not just for rides, but counter service, waiting for transportation,etc.

We went the exact same week last year that you mention. The crowds were not low but they were very manageable and we had a great time. We did almost everything that was a priority to us ( other than TSMM. We followed the typical touring strategy, got there early most days, marched at a determined pace in the morning to get all the big rides done before the crowds and then had a more relaxed pace the rest of the day. That week was great for crowds IMHO. We are going back this year for the week prior to that ( not the same week because trying to take advantage of school closing a for the Jewish holidays).

So that week should be good as not munched has changed on the calendar between this year and last. Focus more in recommended parks for each of your days, get their early and take advantage of FP+ to avoid lines.

Oh, and prepare for the heat. It was HOT last year.

 

[dreamit]

On touringplans, each day they show how they did on their predictions for the previous day. I find that on the days they were pretty off on a park's crowd-level prediction, easywdw had predicted accurately. I also have noticed that touringplans has some really off predictions where maybe they're not taking into account a change to the park calendar from the previous year to the current year.

 

[mggeary]

Jusrt one person's opinion, but I think TP bases too much emphasis on last year's data, making it prone to large errors based on minor year to year variations in holiday schedules, EMH, weather, special events. Easywdw uses more reasoning and backs it up with constant park visits to reinforce predictions. I would go with easywdw >> touring plans. I do like how TP now goes back and checks how there predictions help up, keeping them honest, and that retrospective data I bet can be very helpful in using for the same week the following year.

 

[BlueSkies]

WDW veterans here..not TP commandos at all..lol...and don't like big crowds..

Our last several trips I have based our plans on recommendations from Easy WDW..and have not been disappointed...

While I am not sure how accurate the crowd numbers are.althought I do think they are pretty close....I do find that Josh's suggestions are good ones..and have allowed us to make the most of our park days...