Has anyone bought the Touring Plans on touringplans.com for $6.95?

[kathbuet1]

Was it worth it? We leave on Sunday and just wondering if I should check it out.


Kathy

 

[Greg K.]

Was it worth it? We leave on Sunday and just wondering if I should check it out.


Kathy

The great thing about these plans is they are customized for the exact day you are touring, and the specific circumstances of your group. There are dozens of variations to the plans -- adults with children, seniors, afternoon tours -- and the plans generally seem to work. The UG also posts (with frequent updates) the best days to visit different parks, and the expected crowd levels.

It's only seven bucks (compared to about $20 for Tour Guide Mike) and I think it's well worth the investment. Information is power!

 

[mickeymom629]

I did it too. It's only $6.95, and it's fun to play around with the different game plans for the parks and days, and see what the suggestions are. There's other info on the plans, such as restaurant, trivia, bathroom locations, a place to write your parking space (if you print it out and bring it with you) if you drive a car, etc.

Our family has been so much that we don't really need it, but I think it's great for people who haven't been or haven't been very often.

 

[jennyf10]

I just subscribed to this last weekend for my July 2 - July 9 trip. It helped a little bit but not too much. However, this is because I've read the UG from cover to cover and practically memorized the tour plans! If you have not read the UG then I definately recommend buying the Touring plans on touringplans dot com. Do you have any plan yet for your trip?

 

[bigsis1970]

are they any different then the 45 free ones on the site ?? Thanks Michelle

 

[jennyf10]

Some are different in that there is a 'sleep in late' two day plan for adults, an 'active senior' one day plan, a plan for girls ages 4-8, a plan for boys ages 4-8, a 'holiday' touring plan, etc. I was specifically looking for a plan to deal with the July 4th crowds as well as an EMH plan. The holiday plan just didn't work for me and there is no plan for EMH except to say avoid the park (which I will ignore ). Anyway, the items I found most helpful were the cheat sheets for each park for very crowded days. The sheets contain bar charts listing the rides/attractions with the times for using stand by lines, FP or avoiding it altogether. Between the charts and the touring plans in the book I've come up with my own modified/personalized touring plan. I hope it works!

 

[mill4023]

It's only seven bucks (compared to about $20 for Tour Guide Mike) and I think it's well worth the investment. Information is power!

Just to be fair, TGM is a lot more than touring plans.
I haven't used the plans on Touringplans.com, but I did use the plans in the UG for Disneyland last summer and they worked great. If I wasn't using TGM's sample plans, I'd definitely give the one's on Touringplans a try. You can't really go wrong for $7.

 

[lentesta]

jennyf10, what about the MK holiday plan didn't fit your needs? Are you interested in the same plan with EMH, or something else?

Len

 

[jennyf10]

Wow, Len, I'm somewhat starstruck - I'm talking to a real celebrity!
The holiday plan wasn't what I was looking for because it closely mirrored the regular adult touring plan in the UG. I have two mornings scheduled for MK: July 3 and July 6. My kids are 10 and 6 and are not small children but are not used to rides, either. My plan is to go to MK on July 3rd and tour until lunch at Crystal Palace at 11:30 and on July 6 to take advantage of the EMMH and tour until CRT lunch at 2:00 pm. I've planned the lesser-crowded rides for July 6 between 11:00 and 1:45 but I was looking for an answer as to how to maximize my touring over these two mornings. For instance, since my kids are new to rides I don't want to do Space Mountain first thing in the morning on the first day but do I take advantage of the EMMH on Wednesday to tour Fantasyland? Or should I tour Fantasyland on Sunday and hope I can get on Splash Mountain at 10:00 or 10:30? AAAggghhh, I think I'm overanalyzing! The cheat sheets though were great and worth every penny - between those and the touring plans I think I'll be OK. Either way, I'm at WDW and I don't want to lose sight of that, EVER! (I am soo excited about this trip!)

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi Jennyf10 I will be at the MK on 7/6 with my DD age 11 and DS age 8 my kids are pretty adventurous -- I will keep a look out for you .. (on 7/3 we will be at MGM for the day) Michelle

edit to add -- change in my plans.. I will now be at Epcot 7/3 , BB 7/4 , MK 7/5 , MGM 7/6 and AK 7/7 .. Michelle

 

[bigsis1970]

Ok I must have a paid membership cause I can get all those.. I am using the Holiday touring plans

 

[lentesta]

Ah, yes, I see your dilemma. July 3 is not an EMH morning, but July 6 is. To reduce wait times and backtracking, it's better to see Tomorrowland and Fantasyland on different days. And because your DKs haven't been on rides, you'd like to save Tomorrowland (Space Mountain) for later. That almost certainly means Fantasyland is first up on July 3.

What Fantasyland attractions are the kids interested in? And more generally, what are the, say, 10 must-see attractions for your family?

My first guess is to do Fantasyland and parts of Frontierland on July 3, and Tomorrowland/Adventureland/Frontierland/Liberty Square on July 6. It might also put you in the general area of your restaurants roughly around your lunch times, too, depending on the attractions you want to see.

I like the general idea of a two-morning MK plan. Let me know about the attractions.

Len

 

[MSC]

First, I would like to second, or third, or tenth, whatever, everone who recommends the touringplans.com subscription. Very helpful, in my opinion - I'll know for sure how helpful in about 24 hours.

But since Len's hanging around here and giving personalized plans, I can't resist this question -

What's the best plan for arriving at the MK at about noon on a Saturday afternoon during Tropical Storm Arlene w/2 DD3&5 who'll want to do everything?

The best laid plans.........

 

[lentesta]

....ummmmm....bring extra shoes?

The Swiss Family Treehouse and Enchanted Tiki Room in Adventureland might be good choices around noon....almost certainly minimal waits. Also nearby is the Country Bear Jamboree, and a bit farther is Tom Sawyer Island. If you wanted to grab something to eat, I believe Pecos Bills has the second largest capacity in the MK. And if you're feeling ambitious, you could send someone (possibly yourself) to pick up FASTPASSes for one of the Fantasyland attractions as soon as you got in the park (I'd suggest Peter Pan) for later. Whoever gets those FASTPASSes will need a snack to keep up their energy (of course!), and I recommend the fudge on Main Street. Trust me, I'm a professional.

Then....you could skip the afternoon parade that day to see some of the Fantasyland attractions while everyone else is on Main Street. PhilharMagic, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, and maybe Small World (maybe) might be good choices during the parade. Just make sure you're not on the Adventureland side of the parade route at 3 pm, or you're stuck there. Alternatively, Toontown would probably be less crowded during the parade.

How's that? On my short list of things to do is a 1 1/2 day MK plan that starts at noon on Day 1. Sometime this month.

Oh, don't forget the MK Cheat Sheet. That will also help.

Len

 

[jennyf10]

OK, I'm back. They actually expect me to work at work and not plan my Disney trip! It is difficult to narrow the choices down to 10! Here was my hopeful plan: (try not to laugh too hard at me )
Sunday AM (regular hours): Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan, Mad Tea Party, Snow White, then Pirates of the Caribbean and Aladdin before lunch at CP at 11:30.
Wednesday AM (EMMH): Two of three: SM, Buzz and/or Stitch. I'll let the kids decide. Then over to Splash Mountain to ride and maybe get a FP for BTMR. Over to Haunted Mansion, then Small World, back to BTMR if obtained FP or see Philharmonic. More realistically, here are the must sees: Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan, Pirates, Buzz, Space Mountain or Stitch, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Splash Mountain, Small World. I'm the roller coaster person in the family and I may come back to the park on my own to catch the faster rides - I'm also not ruling out a night at MK. This whole strange plan came about because I had planned on Wednesday being an EMEH so we would sleep in late, go to CRT at 2:00 and then stay late. July 4 was our big touring day at MK but from what I've read I won't be able to ride ANYTHING that day!
So how foolish am I for attempting this plan?

 

[jennyf10]

bigsis1970, I hope to see you there, too! And we will just walk on all of the rides!

 

[MSC]

How's that? On my short list of things to do is a 1 1/2 day MK plan that starts at noon on Day 1. Sometime this month.

Oh, don't forget the MK Cheat Sheet. That will also help.

Len

How's that?? That's Awesome!! I was just kidding -- I didn't really expect a custom plan! Thanks. Skipping the afternoon parade is a great idea. The girls won't even miss it (they can't miss what they don't know about) and we'll be back for it another day I am sure. Plus we'll probably stick around for Spectromagic anyway. I try to update tomorrow to let you know how it went.

(And I already had my cheat sheet printed and packed.)

I love the Dis Boards!! And the UOG!!

 

[bianca66]

I did, about a month ago, and we start our WDW adventure Sunday.
We're following the "girls 4-8" two-day touring plan with some minor modifications. She doesn't want to ride Dumbo or Pooh ("baby rides") so we're going straight to Peter Pan, then to Snow White (which the plan doesn't call for at all...) I'm having hubby grab a FP for Mickey's Philharmagic first thing, too. We're also going to Haunted Mansion instead of Splash Mtn. as we're doing a nice lunch afterward. I'm thinking these deviations won't matter much, as long as we can be in Fantasyland shortly after the rope drops.
Obviously, I won't know how the plan works until after Sunday morning, so if we have internet access, I'll let everybody know. I'm also trying to consider that everyone is saying it's extra crowded this summer.
I have enjoyed going thru all the different plans and I copied out several different ones to take w/me, say, in case for some insane reason, we sleep in one day.... and there are also plans for holidays, when I guess it's really super-crowded. So far, I think it was worth the 6.95, also, what somebody else said, considering what you're paying for the trip. We just bought the 4day p.h. tickets (and from AAA at a discount) last wk. and I'm still in sticker shock!

 

[bianca66]

Speaking of the afternoon parade, is it a must-see? I'd much rather take a break around 1 every day and go back to my resort and swim and eat and rest before going back that evening. I definitely want to see the pm parade and fireworks, but it just seemss that the 3pm parade is in the hottest part of the day (we're going next week) and doesn't it usually rain around then, too? How bad should I feel if I miss this? (Btw,I'v never seen it, but I've been to MK before.)

 

[Greg K.]

Speaking of the afternoon parade, is it a must-see? I'd much rather take a break around 1 every day and go back to my resort and swim and eat and rest before going back that evening. I definitely want to see the pm parade and fireworks, but it just seemss that the 3pm parade is in the hottest part of the day (we're going next week) and doesn't it usually rain around then, too? How bad should I feel if I miss this? (Btw,I'v never seen it, but I've been to MK before.)

As afternoon MK Disney parades go, it's okay, but not the best. That title, I think, belongs to the "Remember the Magic" parade they had back in '97, for the 25th anniversary.