Have any of you ever done the touring plans?

[conmama]

There will be 4 of us; me, dh, sons ages 11 and 8.

My question is this: Did you use the touring plans just as they said, or did you modify it somewhat.

I know that they are supposed to keep you one step ahead of the crowd. However, if I try to modify it, I'm afraid it won't work, then.

I was just wanting to know how those of you who used the touring plans did it and what you thought of them.

Thanks

conmama

 

[cocowum]

Last year we (Me DH and DD9)were at WDW during easter it was soo crowded and we followed the MK touring plan from UG to the letter and we did not wait more than 5 minutes for anything. We got to do everything on the list but it was definitely COMMANDO LOL my poor DD was beat!! but we all agreed it was worth it. we were shocked at how perfectly timed we were. My DH kept saying " How do they figure this out" I just smile and recommend the UG to anyone who'll listen

 

[all4fun]

In the past we used the touring plans from the Passporter and they worked great. We haven't been too strict about using touring plans lately because we've been making so many trips we kind of "know our way around" now but the plans are very useful if you have limited time, are touring with family, and/or just want to make the most of your time there. We used the UG on our first trip and I think that book is extremely useful as well. I don't think you can really lose with either one.

 

[chop456]

My DD (6) and I followed a touring plan with a few additions along the way. She loves fast and fun, so we rode everything! When she wanted, we would ride 2 times if the line permitted, or fastpassed it for later. We always had time at the end of the day.

 

[judben821]

When it was just me, DH, and DS we would follow the plans for all the parks. We were amazed that we never waited more than 10 minutes. But you do have to go full force - at least that's what we experienced.

Now that our 2 DD's have joined the family, we follow no plan - except Dumbo first!

 

[nickandalexmom]

Can you get the UG and/pr passporter at any bookstore? If not, where do you get them? Thanks.

 

[cocowum]

I purchased my UG and Passporter at Barnes and Noble but they are available at most bookstores.

 

[eeyore45]

Right now the Passporters are slowly making their way into bookstores/amazon.com... they had a problem with shipping, strikes etc, for the 2005 edition! I ordered mine online - btw our first trip to WDW I went with the UG, love that book, read it with a highlighter tho!! I also purchased a book for DD, she loves it!

http://www.passporterstore.com/default.asp

 

[Yardbird]

I ordered my passporter two weeks ago from Amazon, and got it within a week.

I checked out the UG at the library and I noticed that it doesn't have all the touring plans listed on their website: www.touringplans.com
It is 6.95 to join for access all the plans, but I feel that it's worth it.

 

[nickandalexmom]

Thanks for the info. We will check the bookstores out.

 

[bengalbelle]

Last year we (Me DH and DD9)were at WDW during easter it was soo crowded and we followed the MK touring plan from UG to the letter and we did not wait more than 5 minutes for anything. We got to do everything on the list but it was definitely COMMANDO LOL my poor DD was beat!! but we all agreed it was worth it. we were shocked at how perfectly timed we were. My DH kept saying " How do they figure this out" I just smile and recommend the UG to anyone who'll listen

We were there last year the week after Easter. We did the Dumbo or Die in a Day from the UG. It worked really well for us too.

OP:We did modify it because DS (just turned 3 at the time) wouldn't have been interested in all of the listed rides.
I think you should stay in the sequence, but can skip some of the rides. The plans are tried and true so I wouldn't modify them too much if you want them to work well.
BTW: We had very short wait times and MK was CROWDED!!

I highly recommend the Unofficial Guide especially if you're going at a peak time.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

I know that they are supposed to keep you one step ahead of the crowd. However, if I try to modify it, I'm afraid it won't work, then.

conmama

Actually, we modified the plans by *taking out* attractions we weren't interested in - which put us *more* than one step ahead of the crowd.

I also divided the MK into two halves and toured each side on different days to minimize the backtracking in much of the plans. Then I went through the plan and separated the attractions into two separate lists, one for each side of the park - in the same order that the UG had them. This also sped things up greatly, as it halved the number of attractions on our list for the day, and eliminated the extra walking time. Worked great! We never waited more than 10 minutes for anything, and used Fastpass only twice in our entire stay - and that was to revisit some favorites after our regular touring was finished.

 

[Selket]

I highly recommend Tour Guide Mike (http://www.tourguidemike.com) for his touring plans. We followed those on our last trip and had a great time. His advice is excellent for staying ahead of the crowds. We didn't feel "marched" around the parks and if we got "off-schedule" it was easy to get back on because he explains the reasoning of why to see certain attractions at certain times. We have young children, one with special needs, and I think his advice is golden for having the best vacation experience at WDW.

You pay to access his site - about the cost of a guidebook - refundable if you aren't happy. I"m not affiliated - just a happy repeat customer!

 

[Momof5cubs]

We did Tourguidemike's touring plans last summer, and I definitely found them helpful. I would recommend them, especially if you are going at a busy time.

 

[Dead-metal]

They are great for saving time and arguements about where to go and what to do next.

Highly recommend using them if you can.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

They are great for saving time and arguements about where to go and what to do next.

Highly recommend using them if you can.

Oh, well said! Whether you use published, pre-made plans or come up with ones of your own, a MAJOR benefit is that all members of the party know ahead of time where they're going and what they're doing - no room for arguments. That's a huge time-saver in itself!!

 

[jcemom]

I use the TourGuide Mike plans...and always modify them. That was actually what I liked best about the site after I first joined, that he explains WHY you should go here, then there, etc. It allows you to modify the plans much easier than you otherwise could, IMO.

 

[webprinter]

We use the touring plan from the Unofficial Guide to Disney and it works very well. We skip anything on there that we don't want to do. Debby

 

[jrogers345]

Are the tour plans that Mike and the UG similar? Any difference of opinions on how or why or when?

I just went to the UG website and they recommend NOT taking advantage of EMH. Now I have my schedule and ADR's made by using the EMH's???? Did this the last time and thought it gave us a jump in the morning to do the important rides.

 

[mill4023]

Are the tour plans that Mike and the UG similar? Any difference of opinions on how or why or when?

I just went to the UG website and they recommend NOT taking advantage of EMH. Now I have my schedule and ADR's made by using the EMH's???? Did this the last time and thought it gave us a jump in the morning to do the important rides.

We used one of the plans from the UG for a trip to Disneyland last summer. We bought and read the UG for WDW, and signed up and used touring plans from TourguideMike for our WDW trip this past May.

Both worked very well. The only downside to the UG plans we used were that they required quite a bit of crisscrossing of the park. While I can't disclose any details about TGM's sample plans, I will say that they seemed to be a bit more flexible and less "commando" style than the UG plans. The other thing I like about TGM is that he goes into a lot of explanation on the reasons behind the plans. By knowing why he suggests certain things, it makes it easy to customize the plans to meet your own specific needs.

Personally, I think it is well worth it to buy the UG and subscribe to TGM. I found both very helpful.