How well is touringplans working in a non-fastpass world?

[DavidNYC]

If you read these boards regularly you probably have enough information in your head already to make any 3rd party subscription not worth it. They may offer some value to those who have no idea what they're doing but there's nothing they offer which you cannot get from here and other similar sites. Anyone who things they have some magical knowledge is mistaken - they go off of the same trends and averages that everyone talks about here and may or may not be accurate at any given moment because averages are just that and can vary on any given day.

 

[bsmcneil]

If you read these boards regularly you probably have enough information in your head already to make any 3rd party subscription not worth it. They may offer some value to those who have no idea what they're doing but there's nothing they offer which you cannot get from here and other similar sites. Anyone who things they have some magical knowledge is mistaken - they go off of the same trends and averages that everyone talks about here and may or may not be accurate at any given moment because averages are just that and can vary on any given day.

I think, as with everything, your mileage may vary. I've been to WDW between a dozen and twenty times (though not since Dec 2015). I've read all of the guides and stay fairly up to date. AND, I subscribed to TP this year (for the first time) because I think their tools will help me. Everyone's different (and every trip, especially now, is different).

 

[Akck]

If you read these boards regularly you probably have enough information in your head already to make any 3rd party subscription not worth it. They may offer some value to those who have no idea what they're doing but there's nothing they offer which you cannot get from here and other similar sites. Anyone who things they have some magical knowledge is mistaken - they go off of the same trends and averages that everyone talks about here and may or may not be accurate at any given moment because averages are just that and can vary on any given day.

I’m willing to bet that a good portion of the information you see here is based on plans from TP. If you just look at this thread, many answers are from members who have subscribed to TP for years, me included. I doubt you’ll convince the OP that their subscription was a waste, especially with the customized help they got from TP (likewise I’m sure TP is grateful for the feedback correcting their models).

Yes, they certainly don’t have some magical knowledge. They use statistics, which can be magic to some. Yes, their estimates can be wrong, but their system is dynamic and can be updated through the day. I assume they utilize data reported from their Lines app to do this. About their Lines app, I’ve found it to be very useful while in the park and many times it decided the next ride we headed toward.

 

[BellaBaby]

We are here now and TP has been very accurate. A bit of a lifesaver with no FP. Wait times are horrendous.

 

[The Iron Giant]

We are here now and TP has been very accurate. A bit of a lifesaver with no FP. Wait times are horrendous.

This. If anything, the lack of fastpass makes Touring Plans even more valuable!

 

[Twitterpaited]

Never used them, but no 3rd party has any special insight into crowd levels or wait times. If they have a feature where people currently at the park are manually inputting wait times that still has nothing to do what it will be like an hour from now. I would imagine the most popular rides generally have the longest wait times and later in the day you might get lucky as people have already done their favorite rides. You might also get lucky if a ride closed for maintenance just reopened so it has a short line. Some rides also close during bad weather, so after the storm passes, you might also get lucky with a shorter line. I don't know of any algorithm that can successfully predict wait times hours or day in advance.

They have a bit of special insight. They have data tracking the wait times to be able predict the wait times at particular times of day and based n the crowd levels. They also get data from guests in real time who track the wait times for them.
Without FP+, I think touringplans is even more important. You can optimize your plan and/or figure out the best windows for particular rides. Mine worked out very well for me, except they predicted a much lower wait time for Jungle Cruise than it actually was (Posted 60 minutes, Expected 37 minutes, Actual 60 minutes).

 

[Goofyme1968]

Here right now. No app is perfect. But touring plans is far more accurate than Disney. It's like they are basing lines on FP days. We found most attractions were almost 1/2 the posted. BTR would show 65 minute wait and would be less than 25. TP hit it pretty close.
Be aware. Something like FP is happening. Saw it over the last ten days progress.
I've never followed the Touring plan exactly but they know the trends. If they say wait to ride, trust it

 

[MrWreckless]

If you read these boards regularly you probably have enough information in your head already to make any 3rd party subscription not worth it. They may offer some value to those who have no idea what they're doing but there's nothing they offer which you cannot get from here and other similar sites. Anyone who things they have some magical knowledge is mistaken - they go off of the same trends and averages that everyone talks about here and may or may not be accurate at any given moment because averages are just that and can vary on any given day.

This board has an app that updates expected line wait times based off real time guest feedback and current in park conditions? You do realize those trends and averages you reference are more than likely coming from touring plans right?

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I've used TP Lines app for years and I've found it's gotten more accurate especially post Covid. It's never 100% and neither is Disney but on the majority of my trips, TP is more accurate than MDE or posted wait times at the parks.

I am convinced Disney likes to overestimate times at an attempt to manipulate crowds/people's park directions (especially back when FP+ was in use) and to make guests happier so you feel like you didn't wait as long as the posted wait time.

 

[Cabius]

As others have said, the TP Lines app is consistently more accurate that the MDE app, as Disney is overestimating wait times to cut down on long queues that overflow into the park. Given normal operations, the WDW app seemed to overstate actual wait times by 15-30 minutes, while the Lines app was pretty spot-on.

For example: when Pirates had a posted wait of 45 minutes, TP estimated 19 and we were on in 17.

When Alien Swirling Saucers had a posted wait of 45 minutes, TP estimated 25 and we were on in 27.

Disney is overstating wait times because the standby queues were not physically designed to hold the entire capacity. Kilimnjaro Safaris standby queue may only hold 1,500 people, so when there are 3,000 people in line (a 1-hour wait) it wraps all around Africa -- even into ugly backstage areas! It's causing major crowd control headaches now that they are ramping up capacity and grabbing dollars before they can actually support those crowd levels.

All that said, there are exceptions, mostly related to ride closures. If a major people-eater goes down, wait times at nearby attractions do increase, and the Lines app won't necessarily adjust for that in real-time. We headed toward Gran Fiesta Tour when TP Lines predicted a 10-minute wait, but noticed that Frozen Ever After was down. Sure enough, the queue for Gran Fiesta Tour really was 45+ minutes, as every hot, tired, cranky parent in the FEA queue took their hot, tired, cranky kiddos to the nearest ride. (We didn't even both to get in that queue.)

 

[soniam]

Used it today at DHS. It’s always off about the first ride of the day, but the other predictions were about right. It was kind of hard today though, because Rise went down very early, by 11am, and didn’t come back until after 1:30pm. Slinky was also down at some point. This was all before the rain hit about 5pm. We left way before that.

 

[Cynt]

I used TP for our October trip. It pretty much followed the 80-20 rule. 80% of the time it was spot on. 20% of the time it was off by 15 to 35 minutes.
Yes, I would purchase it again. I also enjoyed tracking our time in line with the app.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Used them recently. Were always 15-20 mins less wait then the Disney wait times. Lines app was much more accurate.

Agree with this 100 percent. I used the line app during my trip from July 9 - 19th and Lines App was almost always within the true wait time plus or minus 5 minutes whereas the posted disney wait time was all over the place.

 

[sethschroeder]

Just throwing this hear and why I say don't track wait times in a thread just pay the tiny amount of money and get Touring Plans.

You can disagree though.

 

[acebatonfan]

Take TouringPlans with a grain of salt since it relies a lot on historical data, and things are definitely a bit different now with no FP+ affecting general standby times. I used it for my 2020 trip and my upcoming December trip, and if anything it's more for just general planning. Stuff like what days were historically party nights or crazy crowd days so I keep that in mind when making reservations, a general battle plan for the parks (stuff like knowing FOP is a 100% rope drop while ITTBAB could be done at any time), and what little off-the-road gems we should check out if we just want to relax. I do like comparing the wait times between disney and TouringPlans when we are deciding between which ride to do in what order in a certain area, especially when Disney tends to overinflate many of their times.

I've been a bigger fan of the Unofficial Guide, but that is pretty much like a big book version of TouringPlans. It feels like more general information versus looking at a whole set of numbers and trying to plan a trip to-the-minute.

 

[Lanie]

I have a Touring Plan subscription and never used it for the Personalized Touring Plan option, only for the crowd calendar and lines wait times... Seems like I have been missing out big time! I'll get started on some personalized plans ASAP!

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

So what has the verdict been...is it worth investing in a subscription just for the Lines App right now? I'm going soon and lugging a toddler around so want to get the best idea of a ride's wait time.

 

[Cabius]

So what has the verdict been...is it worth investing in a subscription just for the Lines App right now? I'm going soon and lugging a toddler around so want to get the best idea of a ride's wait time.

I find it very valuable, and also am glad to support TP. I didn't use the personalized planner this time, but between the Lines app, reservation finder, and room research/request tools, definitely feel that I got a lot of value.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

I find it very valuable, and also am glad to support TP. I didn't use the personalized planner this time, but between the Lines app, reservation finder, and room research/request tools, definitely feel that I got a lot of value.

Thanks, I think I will try a subscription then. $18 for a year isn't too bad to give it a try.

 

[Akck]

So what has the verdict been...is it worth investing in a subscription just for the Lines App right now? I'm going soon and lugging a toddler around so want to get the best idea of a ride's wait time.

I’ve had a subscription since 2019 for WDW. I did have ones for UO and DL, but I let those lapse since we have no plans to go to either in the foreseeable future. While I do make plans for each park, I don’t follow them religiously. They let me know if I should go left or right in the park. After the first ride, I use the lines app to decide the next nearby ride.