How Accurate Are Touring Plans Wait Times???

[DisneyForYou]

Working on our Sat at MK on a 9 attendance day - Touring Plans is giving me a 25 minute wait for Jungle cruise @ 3:30 and a 27 min. wait for Haunted Mansion @ 4:30, Small World approx. 19 min. @ 5pm and Tomorrowland Speedway about 17 min. @ 6pm. I've never used TP before and just wonder how accurate these are??? To me they almost sound too reasonable to be true?!

 

[mullysisters]

The last time I was there they were not very accurate, BUT, the actual times were LESS. HM was listed at 25 minutes, actually closer to 10. Many rides were almost walk on but their wait times were 25-30? This is just from my last trip in May 2014. From what I've read here on the boards there seems to be a trend of Disney posting longer times? Touring Plans is supposed to be actual riders, so I don't know why they would not be accurate.

 

[DrummerBoy523]

Working on our Sat at MK on a 9 attendance day - Touring Plans is giving me a 25 minute wait for Jungle cruise @ 3:30 and a 27 min. wait for Haunted Mansion @ 4:30, Small World approx. 19 min. @ 5pm and Tomorrowland Speedway about 17 min. @ 6pm. I've never used TP before and just wonder how accurate these are??? To me they almost sound too reasonable to be true?!

If you follow the plans loosely, you can typically expect a +/- of about 10-15% on wait times. They are very good at knowing when certain rides will have longer lines than others, and you have to keep in mind they are only a prediction.

A Saturday MK with a 9 will be brutal. Get there at rope drop and you can minimize your wait times.

 

[DisneyForYou]

The last time I was there they were not very accurate, BUT, the actual times were LESS. HM was listed at 25 minutes, actually closer to 10. Many rides were almost walk on but their wait times were 25-30? This is just from my last trip in May 2014. From what I've read here on the boards there seems to be a trend of Disney posting longer times? Touring Plans is supposed to be actual riders, so I don't know why they would not be accurate.

Very interesting but great news!! We are also going in May. We were actually, planning on Sunday 5/31 for MK however it is the ONLY day (out of 31) in May w/out MSEP! So, now we're forced to go on Sat. and I'm just a little scared!

 

[DisneyForYou]

If you follow the plans loosely, you can typically expect a +/- of about 10-15% on wait times. They are very good at knowing when certain rides will have longer lines than others, and you have to keep in mind they are only a prediction.

A Saturday MK with a 9 will be brutal. Get there at rope drop and you can minimize your wait times.

Thanks so much for the help!! We can't do rope drop that day as we need to hit AK (only a 3 day trip with hoppers) but we do have BOG Adrs for Monday to catch a few rope drop rides.

 

[juliekzp]

Hubby and DD will be at MK on May 30 too, and I've been planning for them -- isn't it only a 6, according to Touring Plans? No MSEP on the 31st because the park is closing at 7:00 for a travel agent event.

 

[DisneyForYou]

Hubby and DD will be at MK on May 30 too, and I've been planning for them -- isn't it only a 6, according to Touring Plans? No MSEP on the 31st because the park is closing at 7:00 for a travel agent event.

I would love a 6! Truth be told, I just used Touring Plans for my actual daily itinerary. I started with easyWDW and they give it a 9 . Maybe we'll fall in between, a 7.5 not horrible. Also, makes sense that the wait times predicted on TP are doable. I did see that the USTA's International Pow Wow is to blame for taking away MSEP.

 

[jszat]

The last time I was there they were not very accurate, BUT, the actual times were LESS. HM was listed at 25 minutes, actually closer to 10. Many rides were almost walk on but their wait times were 25-30? This is just from my last trip in May 2014. From what I've read here on the boards there seems to be a trend of Disney posting longer times? Touring Plans is supposed to be actual riders, so I don't know why they would not be accurate.

When in May were you there last year?

 

[LetsTalkWDW]

Hubby and DD will be at MK on May 30 too, and I've been planning for them -- isn't it only a 6, according to Touring Plans? No MSEP on the 31st because the park is closing at 7:00 for a travel agent event.

Just checked TP and WDW calendars. MK is now closing at 6:00pm on 5/31

I would expect this to lower the crowd levels. Locals who might be considering a day trip would probably avoid this day.

 

[DisneyForYou]

Just checked TP and WDW calendars. MK is now closing at 6:00pm on 5/31

I would expect this to lower the crowd levels. Locals who might be considering a day trip would probably avoid this day.

Thanks so much -- we were actually looking at the crowd levels for Sat 5/30. We're no longer planning on visiting MK Sun 5/31 due to the early closure and no MSEP.

 

[mombrontrent]

Do you have a park hopper? Crowds might be lower on the 31st due to the early closure. You could leave before dinner and hop over to either Epcot or HS for the evening.

 

[Trinity88]

When we went last Feb, we found they were a bit off, but in favour of shorter lines. So they overestimated.

 

[DisneyForYou]

Do you have a park hopper? Crowds might be lower on the 31st due to the early closure. You could leave before dinner and hop over to either Epcot or HS for the evening.

Thanks so much for the help!! Yes, we have 3 day hoppers. This is the way I've planned it... so far.

Sat - AK in the AM and MK in the PM
Sun - Epcot all day - I also planned a later arrival here, in case we decide to sleep in due to MK open late the night before.
Mon - 8:00 BOG ADR MK in the early AM and HS the rest of the day.

Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think -- any suggestions???

 

[DisneyForYou]

When we went last Feb, we found they were a bit off, but in favour of shorter lines. So they overestimated.

Great news, thanks!!

 

[DebbieB]

They do adjust for actual rider reports but if they don't have a report, they use projections.

 

[DisneyForYou]

They do adjust for actual rider reports but if they don't have a report, they use projections.

Very interesting - are you saying they may adjust throughout the day due to actual riders reporting to them?

 

[Trinity88]

They have an app (called Lines I believe) where you can track your actual wait times and they use that data to adjust real time wait estimates.

 

[sdomino11]

I think your plan sounds like a great one. We were there in May last year (early-mid May, though) and we used TP. I found it to be an excellent resource. They always over estimated by just a bit which was actually ideal because then we had time to hop into a few shops, take restroom breaks, grab a mickey bar and still stay on plan.
And yes, they update real time while you're in the park. Get their Lines app. At any moment inside the park you'll be able to re-optimize your plan and they'll reset your steps based on current wait times. It's the best tool ever!
We also had fun providing them with our wait times in line. You push a button as you walk into line, then stop the timer as you board the ride. Helps them stay accurate and DH liked using that little feature himself to time our waits.
We're going again in May of this year and I'm using TP again, although I've set it to "very relaxed walking speed" since we're not using a stroller this year. I'm curious to know how accurate this adjustment will be. I'll try to remember to post a TP review after our trip.

 

[DisneyForYou]

I think your plan sounds like a great one. We were there in May last year (early-mid May, though) and we used TP. I found it to be an excellent resource. They always over estimated by just a bit which was actually ideal because then we had time to hop into a few shops, take restroom breaks, grab a mickey bar and still stay on plan.
And yes, they update real time while you're in the park. Get their Lines app. At any moment inside the park you'll be able to re-optimize your plan and they'll reset your steps based on current wait times. It's the best tool ever!
We also had fun providing them with our wait times in line. You push a button as you walk into line, then stop the timer as you board the ride. Helps them stay accurate and DH liked using that little feature himself to time our waits.
We're going again in May of this year and I'm using TP again, although I've set it to "very relaxed walking speed" since we're not using a stroller this year. I'm curious to know how accurate this adjustment will be. I'll try to remember to post a TP review after our trip.

Awesome TP report and great tips - thank you so much!!!!

 

[DebbieB]

Very interesting - are you saying they may adjust throughout the day due to actual riders reporting to them?

Yes, I've done reports on the app and it updates the wait time. When you click on the name of the ride, it will show who reported.

For example, for 7DMT this morning right after opening, someone posted the posted standby of 45 min and an actual standby of 17 min, then shortly after someone else posted an actual standby of 26 min.

I think it's a great app.