Effectiveness of Touring Plans

[Gonzjj]

Preparing for our July trip and now using touring plans to help us mitigate the summer crowds. For those who have used them in the past; how effective are Touring Plans? Would you use them again? Did they pan out as they predict?

Thanks!

 

[JimmyV]

I think that the real value to the Touring Plan product is to be able to get a sense of expected wait times and how they will change over the course of the day. I also think that using their tool to build your own Plan is useful especially in plotting out the first few hours of the day. After that, I find that there are too many variables and things that require you to pivot to make a rigid Plan of much use. By the time lunch rolls around, I am usually freestyling, but have a general sense of what I am going to do because of the Plan. But to say that I am "sticking to the Plan" by that time would be an overstatement. Still, I love playing around with the tool that let's me design my own Plan. It helps get me in the mood for my trip.

 

[cjparker0110]

I agree with JimmyV. I haven't specifically used Touring Plans, but have gone in several times with my plan of attack based on experience, friends and family who work there, guide books and other online forums from back before finding this place. No matter how well planned things were I always had to deviate from my plan. You just can't know 100% for sure what might happen on a given day. All it takes is some special event nearby a day before or after to mess up the crowd calendar. Sometimes the weather will change plans. Sometimes people just break with the norm and go on the "wrong" days. And then there is always the possibility that WDW might make a semi-last minute change after you've preplanned and prebooked all your FP+s and ADRs! From what I've read it seems like Touring Plans is really good and fairly accurate most of the time. But there are many factors to consider that can change things...and even your own stamina may not hold up to your planning!

I always suggest making 3 lists: the must-dos, the maybe-dos and the "I don't care if I ever"dos. Build your plans around those and be prepared to make changes when necessary!

 

[sturner324]

I agree with all of the above posts. I really find the "create your own plan" tool both fun and helpful for the over-planner types like myself. I don't optimize my plans; those versions go against my instincts at times. I keep things where I want them, and just leave room for real-time adjustments.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I probably spent too much time tweaking my plans for the amount of time I spend using them. Like those above, I really like it for the first few hours at RD. It helps me be organized and make the most of RD time. After lunch I just plug in a couple ideas and leave it pretty free form. I pick it up again around dinner to see how things fit with ADRs and then by the end of the evening we're free form again.

Also I found it really helpful at DHS since there are so many shows that it helped to figure out how best to fit them in so we could see as many as possible.

I like TP but this time around I did notice (and my SIL saw this on a separate trip too) that when Lines differs from MDE be careful about believing it. More than once, when they differed signicantly (15-20 mins) MDE was right so just watch that if you're trying to make an ADR or something. Our previous trip was the opposite but it seems like the crowd predictors are struggling to account for all the changes in the parks.

 

[redsbe]

Based on crowd calendars we select our vacation dates (also around our availability and work schedules), then select park days also based on crowd calendars and their advice (for example avoid morning EMH park), then plan our 3 FP for mid day for attractions we must see/enjoy, use RD as needed for others, make list of meal options for each park (no ADRs since we counter service lunch and dinner only). Rest is left to flexibility, crowd levels, weather and other variables one can not entirely control for. Any more detail then that (set schedule or list of attractions in order, plan every 15 or 30 minute blocks) just does not work for us and likely going to be altered anyways do to factors out side our control, see list above.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I always suggest making 3 lists: the must-dos, the maybe-dos and the "I don't care if I ever"dos. Build your plans around those and be prepared to make changes when necessary!

That's what I've got going on: MS=Must See, TP=Time Permits, N=No. Right now the list is only for me but around 3 or so months before our trip I'll be getting my family involved (husband and in-laws). The in-laws are more go with the flow people but still it's far easier, especially for the in-laws, when we vacation with them with a plan. If we didn't we would waste too much time trying to figure out what everyone wants to do. I'm trying to only plan out a certain amount of stuff (more like what rides are best to ride in the morning and what rides are best to get a FP+ for which forums like this and Touring Plans are good for) but then leave wiggle room for the unexpected that always occurs.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Love Touring Plans! I also like the Lines app for your smartphone that gives you wait times that are immediate. So if you're in HS and maybe want to hit Star Tours again after your meal you can check your app and it's pretty darn accurate. in fact we've found it more accurate than Disney's line times.
I also like to play with my plans in the months leading up to our trip. We do NOT go commando anymore, but like that the wait times are pretty accurate as are the crowd levels.
I can't imagine "doing" Disney without tp...

 

[ArielSRL]

This will be my first trip using touring plans but it's been so helpful in my planning. We haven't been in 4 years so we are FP+ virgins. I wanted to have something that helped me know when to schedule those FPs. I know we will deviate several times but at least I have a sense of what we are trying to experience and it really helped pass the time as we started planning this trip about a year out. I have never planned that far in advance before, so there was quite a bit of waiting time!

 

[emij]

Like the previous posters, I love it for the mornings especially. Really helps make the most of the time with lower crowds and minimize walking. My kids really want to have flexibility, though, so by lunch we just use it as general suggestions. Agree that it helped plan HS shows!

 

[awalker1015]

I used TP last March to plan our trip within an inch of its life. In the end we ditched the plan and did rope drop and just used FPs in the afternoon. The plan had us crisscrossing the park too much. But I do love the Lines app. The wait times are very accurate. A friend of mine did use the plans and said they were effective for the most part.

 

[jvattes]

Huge TP fan over here. Have used them on multiple trips now, and the one day we didn't have a stellar time was the one day we did not follow the plan (initially because of unanticipated ride closures, then we just gave up). TP is the best $10 I have ever spent on any vacation, ever.

That said, one has to be willing to be flexible. If you follow a plan to within an inch of your life, you're gonna have a bad time. You're still on vacation - so if you don't want to do that thing that's next, skip it, re-optimize (if that's your style) and move on.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I used TP last March to plan our trip within an inch of its life. In the end we ditched the plan and did rope drop and just used FPs in the afternoon. The plan had us crisscrossing the park too much. But I do love the Lines app. The wait times are very accurate. A friend of mine did use the plans and said they were effective for the most part.

fyi In the app you can change to less walking which will keep you from criss crossing the park!

 

[ginny65]

We have everything planned for our trip next week, but just read about this Lines app. Is it worth the cost to join Touring Plans just to have the app while we are at WDW? We have used the MDE app, but I'm wondering if we should pay and download the Lines app.

 

[mshanson3121]

Preparing for our July trip and now using touring plans to help us mitigate the summer crowds. For those who have used them in the past; how effective are Touring Plans? Would you use them again? Did they pan out as they predict?

Thanks!

I have used them and will not again. They were quite honestly a waste of my time for our summer vacation. I stressed and stressed about touring plans, because I was led to believe on this board that the ONLY way to have a "successful" trip in the summer was to have detailed touring plans. And this is probably true - if your only goal is to see and do it all and cram as many rides in as possible. But we are NOT those people. We are people who are far more content to go with the flow, see what we see, stop and enjoy what takes our fancy etc...

So, if your main concern is rushing from ride to ride, then yes, I think they will be useful. Were they accurate? So-so. We only used them loosely for the first couple days then I literally threw them in the garbage. For many rides their wait times were fairly accurate - however they weren't able to predict the ride that was broken down, which of course kind of threw off the other plans. They grossly underestimate Test Track (they only factor in the ride itself, not the pre-ride design area, or the after-area, which easily adds 30 minutes). There were other discrepancies, I just forget what.

To me, the only "plan" worth making is: book your 3 FP+ for your can't miss rides and ADR. From there, just go with the flow, especially if you're doing rope drop. I mean, I definitely think it's worthwhile looking over the park maps to get a feel for what is where, and I still think the most effective way to tour is to do one land/general area at a time. We did Frontier and Adventure Lands the first day, Tomorrowland and Fantasyland the second day, and then the third day we did a bit more Fantasyland and focused more on meet & greets. Doing RD with FP+, I really don't see Touring Plans that necessary because you can get a lot done in those first couple hours, because wait times are pretty low. I mean it's really just common sense stuff: hit the "biggies" first, do the others after. You don't need to pay money for an app to figure that out. Now, if you weren't arriving until mid-afternoon or evening, I could see needing to be a bit more strategic in your planning, and where the app could come in a bit more handy because every ride will have wait times to some degree and many significant ones. So, the app can help you work around that.

But again, a touring plan can only take you so far. Because they don't plan on impromptu potty and snack breaks, your child seeing a character that they REALLY want to meet, or wanting to ride Magic Carpets or Tomorrowland Speedway two times in a row, or wanting to play checkers on Tom Sawyers Island, instead of heading back for the next ride etc... etc... For me, while I love Disney, the vacation is about our children, and what THEY want, not what we want. So we are very content to sit back and let them take the lead, rather than rushing them (or making them skip) experiences, just so we can get to the next ride.

 

[ArielSRL]

I have used them and will not again. They were quite honestly a waste of my time for our summer vacation. I stressed and stressed about touring plans, because I was led to believe on this board that the ONLY way to have a "successful" trip in the summer was to have detailed touring plans. And this is probably true - if your only goal is to see and do it all and cram as many rides in as possible. But we are NOT those people. We are people who are far more content to go with the flow, see what we see, stop and enjoy what takes our fancy etc...

So, if your main concern is rushing from ride to ride, then yes, I think they will be useful. Were they accurate? So-so. We only used them loosely for the first couple days then I literally threw them in the garbage. For many rides their wait times were fairly accurate - however they weren't able to predict the ride that was broken down, which of course kind of threw off the other plans. They grossly underestimate Test Track (they only factor in the ride itself, not the pre-ride design area, or the after-area, which easily adds 30 minutes). There were other discrepancies, I just forget what.

To me, the only "plan" worth making is: book your 3 FP+ for your can't miss rides and ADR. From there, just go with the flow, especially if you're doing rope drop. I mean, I definitely think it's worthwhile looking over the park maps to get a feel for what is where, and I still think the most effective way to tour is to do one land/general area at a time. We did Frontier and Adventure Lands the first day, Tomorrowland and Fantasyland the second day, and then the third day we did a bit more Fantasyland and focused more on meet & greets. Doing RD with FP+, I really don't see Touring Plans that necessary because you can get a lot done in those first couple hours, because wait times are pretty low. I mean it's really just common sense stuff: hit the "biggies" first, do the others after. You don't need to pay money for an app to figure that out. Now, if you weren't arriving until mid-afternoon or evening, I could see needing to be a bit more strategic in your planning, and where the app could come in a bit more handy because every ride will have wait times to some degree and many significant ones. So, the app can help you work around that.

But again, a touring plan can only take you so far. Because they don't plan on impromptu potty and snack breaks, your child seeing a character that they REALLY want to meet, or wanting to ride Magic Carpets or Tomorrowland Speedway two times in a row, or wanting to play checkers on Tom Sawyers Island, instead of heading back for the next ride etc... etc... For me, while I love Disney, the vacation is about our children, and what THEY want, not what we want. So we are very content to sit back and let them take the lead, rather than rushing them (or making them skip) experiences, just so we can get to the next ride.

I get what you are saying but I think there is a way to use them and still be very flexible. I certainly don't plan to rush my kids to the next ride just because I have a touring plan. Touring plans are great starting off points. If its not for you, great, but just because someone has them doesn't mean their trip is all about themselves and not about their children.

 

[mshanson3121]

I get what you are saying but I think there is a way to use them and still be very flexible. I certainly don't plan to rush my kids to the next ride just because I have a touring plan. Touring plans are great starting off points. If its not for you, great, but just because someone has them doesn't mean their trip is all about themselves and not about their children.

I didn't say it was, nor is that my intention. But there are people on here who sometimes lose sight of enjoying the moment, for the sake of trying to get as many rides done as possible. Especially newbies.

 

[mindeola]

I will keep my subscription even if I don't exactly follow their plans again. I like all the crazy pre-planning and tweaking. That part is almost as fun as vacation for me! If you optimize the plan, it is a lot of zig zagging, commando style, balls to the wall touring. We completely followed it last summer and we were able to accomplish all that we wanted to- while still having a great time! We averaged 10-13 miles per day on that one. This year I made the plan they way I wanted it and did not optimize. I wanted to do each land and then move on rather than criss crossing. We averaged 8-10 miles a day.

Their lines app is definitely more accurate than MDE. I rely on it more than MDE. I also like to mark off the things we have done if we get stuck in a line. helps me to visually see what we have left, what might be ok to skip, etc.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I didn't say it was, nor is that my intention. But there are people on here who sometimes lose sight of enjoying the moment, for the sake of trying to get as many rides done as possible. Especially newbies.

But if that's what the "newbie" (your word, not mine) wants then let them plan their own vacation the way they like!
Different strokes for different folks. And I'd far rather be prepared for a 90 minute wait for 7DMT than be surprised. With tp you can at least judge what attractions are important to get to immediately and they also recommend which attractions to FP.
It's much more than a commando plan.

 

[TsLoveMickey]

My favorite trips have been based on the Easy WDW "Cheat Sheets" -- they're much more lax than Touring Plans and everyone in my party likes me better when I use these instead. LOL!
http://www.easywdw.com/easy/cheat-s...t-sheets-maps-touring-plans-and-wait-times-4/