Is a touring plan still necessary?

[Boopuff]

Years ago when we first started going we did a rough touring plan. Now our plans revolve around any FP and ADR we have. We take afternoon breaks and we are 'That family' who are the very last ushered out of the parks. (If you have older kids or all adults late night is the time to ride!)

 

[DVC-Don]

I have not used a touring plane in ....... well, forever. I just freewheel. Maybe an ADR here and there, but ...

 

[patdoc98]

I think it takes MORE planning to make a plan that can allow you to adjust well on the fly, vs. strictly following a set touring plan.

The more times you've been to a park recently, the less you need a fixed plan, as opposed to "Start in Tomorrowland, use our first three FPs in Fantasyland, and then see where we want to go."

If you have a good sense of all the rides and the general wait times and distances, etc., that puts you in the best position. For example, what if you have a FP+ for Winnie the Pooh, but it's down during your window (honey explosion, it happens)? You get an anytime FP to ride it later, but then you need to decide what to do next. You're in the middle of Fantasyland at noon. There are some good choices and some terrible choices, and it's no fun to stand in a huge crowd trying to decide which way to go.

We have two young boys. If we said to them, "What would you like to do next?" it would be a disaster. But there are times when they need a high-energy ride, and other times when they need to relax and be off their feet for awhile. And so on. So we definitely adjust on the fly, in any park. It's better to hang out in the Boneyard or go get a smoothie than deal with a meltdown just to stay "on plan."

 

[ErinInCT]

Hopefully our next trip will be so much easier with older kids (15 and 11). They won't be upset if they don't get to meet Anna/Elsa or ride Dumbo! We refuse to wait in long lines in the heat. If we can't get it on FP+ or the line is less than 20 minutes we'll skip it. We spend most of our time in MK and EPCOT with just one day devoted to DHS. We keep one evening set aside to do the stuff we missed when it is a bit cooler and try to arrange it during the fireworks/parade (which we watch on a diff night) when it is less crowded. We also go in Sept when it is low crowds anyway. But I definitely have a plan of what we wanna see in each "Land" and where they are located so we do not spend a lot of time in the heat running back and forth. We got great FP+s for our next trip so that'll help too!! Make sure you get to do what each kid (and you) want and the rest is gravy!!

 

[rwdavis2]

The extent of our planning prior to FP+ was to pick a park each day, get there at rope drop, ride the headliners, get FPs when possible, and then go with the flow. Nothing too regimented.

With FP+ on the day we do rope drop we'll probably make FP+ reservations for the second park that day if we're hopping. We'll also be more likely to skip rope drop and make the FP+ reservations for later that day. I have a feeling it may be more relaxing once we get there.

 

[MissDisneyDora]

The mood will literally never strike me to wait 2.5 hours in line at SDMT.

It doesn't strike me either, and that's were various Lines apps can be handy.

 

[PantherPete]

This will be our 4th trip to the world but our first with hoppers and older kids. All the times before we followed a very strict touring plan. Is that still necessary with all of the new wait time apps and fast pass + reservations? I'd love to go and just "wing it" (aside from our ADR's and FP+) but I also don't want to be disappointed that we didn't get to do anything because we didn't have any more of a plan laid out.

I suggest that you commit then omit. In other words, make a plan then if something else strikes your fancy while you are at the park, you can always cancel (of course ADR's will have to be canceled before the day of). Be spontaneous, but have a solid back up plan just in case.

 

[johde]

I'm going to agree with most everyone else here. As you get more familiar with the parks you can get by with less of a plan or doing more of the planning on the fly. Instead of planning every minute of every day, you make your FP+ reservations, ADR and the first couple of things you want to get done at RD. The rest of the day more loose.

 

[JRawkSteady]

The MOST important thing to know ahead of time is which park you are going to on what day. As long as you have that down and the first hour or two of the day planned out, I would say a touring plan isn't necessary any longer.

 

[Keishag]

Ok that helps a lot. Thank you for all of the replies. It seems general consensus is that having a basic knowledge of the headliners and making wise FP+ choices should be fine. I am a strict planner but honestly I think it's a whooping on my family who is more spontaneous, so I'm more than willing to wing it as long as I know we will still be able to do and see all of our favorites.

 

[chicagogrl]

We always had a plan but the last time we went certain rides were not crowded so we would just walk in. But we definitely know what we like and don't want to miss.

 

[Nancyg56]

Ok that helps a lot. Thank you for all of the replies. It seems general consensus is that having a basic knowledge of the headliners and making wise FP+ choices should be fine. I am a strict planner but honestly I think it's a whooping on my family who is more spontaneous, so I'm more than willing to wing it as long as I know we will still be able to do and see all of our favorites.

We have never had a strict touringplan, but we do have a plan. If you are comfortable in the parks, and since you already have your FP in place, you should be fine. I think that for you, "spontaneous" i someone else's plan! LOL!

My family knows which park we will be in on any given day, has ADR's and FP booked, and that's it. We decde which direcion to head in, always know which attractions and events are our Must Do's, so after that we are god to go!

The one thing that is hard for me to let go is that afternoon parade! WE will be there in August and I have already been warned that my family will probably want to skip it this year. ,I get that it is stinkin' hot at 3 PM, and that swimming or enjoying a lovely cold cocktail, is appealing.....but like you....I am having a difficult time letting my unofficial structure go! It may take more than one cocktail to ge rid of that travel plan I do manage to keep in my mind, even if we do not use plans.

 

[starsweeper]

We only plan 1 ADR a day and our FP+ but arrive for park open. We have 4 young children so we do the popular rides before crowds increase and go by the kids' interests from there. While we don't have a strict schedule, we use the mornings to our advantage so we can relax and go with the flow after lunch. That's when we use additional FP+, line apps and show schedules to pick things on the fly.

However, we also plan enough days to hit all our must do's a couple times at our favorite park MK (2.5-3 days) and spend less time at the other three parks.

 

[KorieDWnut]

The whole touring plan thing really depends on what kind of person you are.

I know what parks I am going to on each day I am there. I made my FP+ based on which parks I will be at . If I have a Dining plan with TS, then I make my ADRs according to what parks I will be at each day. So all of that intertwines.
Aside from that, we wake up whenever, eat breakfast whenever, head to our planned park, do our FP rides , eat when we have an ADR but otherwise just walk around the parks doing whatever we feel like in the moment. Sure sometimes we have to wait in long lines. It doesnt bother us because it is Disney and we are well informed about lines. It is what it is.

It is sooooo not my thing to have my whole day planned. That actually causes me more stress than winging it. But like I said, it depends on what kind of person you are.

 

[chicagogrl]

This has been good. I also feel the more you have gone you know where to go etc. we get more relaxed every time. I am trying to pass info to s friend who is going with their small children for the first time. It can be overwhelming.

 

[nat8199]

With little kids, I find a touring plan necessary. DH and I want to take a trip without kids next May, and I don't think that we will need a touring plan. Other than making FP+ one night for rides like BTMR and Mine train (I really want to see them after dark!) and knowing we want to rope drop HS for RnR, Tot, and maybe star tours, we will have no plan.

Our goal is to totally relax, though. We will go on the rides that look good, eat the snacks and food we see that smell or look good, and wander around knowing that we are without kids. Missing out on a bunch of rides will not bother us at all.

And we will have hoppers, so if something seems appealing somewhere else, we will be able to go there.

 

[GillianP1301]

I think once you have decided which parks and what day, booked FP+ and ADRs, you can very easily just "wing it" for the time in between, especially if it's not your first or last visit. This is how I plan. I'm familiar enough with the parks now and know what is must do for me that I can easily cover all that off and if I do miss something, I know I'll be back again in a year, so no big deal. If it were a once in a lifetime trip, or if I was not familiar with the layout of the parks at all, then for sure I would say the more planning the better.

 

[quagmire0]

We've never followed the touring plans to the T, but we've definitely found them invaluable to have an enjoyable experience at the park. If you go to Disney multiple times a year, you'll probably have the touring plan in your head. And besides you go multiple times a year and have less of a need to 'do everything'. However, if you're like us and you go every couple years, you need that refresher course that the touring plans provide. Not to mention taking into consideration new rides and traffic patterns. This June will be our first trip since the FP+ era started, so I can't offer an apples to apples comparison at this point. But for our family, that goes every couple years max, we want to do as much as we can in that small amount of time. That means we don't have time to wait in line.