Is "lines" and " touringplans.com" worth it?

[ballarinamom]

DH is trying to decide if we need this. We have been to Disneyland many times but this is our first trip with Carsland. Any thoughts about good apps?

 

[Malcon10t]

Touring Plans is based on history. Since there is so little history of Cars Land, they really aren't going to be very accurate.

 

[ballarinamom]

The app called " lines" gives the current times for wait times and it's free. If you buy the " touring plan" its past history? Why would I pay for that? Lol! They are crazy to charge!

 

[AppleDGang]

Yes - absolutely. I'm a big Lines fan. I'm a vet too - both WDW and DLR, and find Lines to be invaluable. And it's only like $7. The value are the touring plans - not the wait times. The other posters aren't users, obviously. As for accuracy w/ CL, I've been reviewing them today, and think their plans are good.

If your DH wants it, go for it.

 

[YoAdrianB]

I think Touring Plans/Lines is totally worth it too. Used it last year to make the most of a one day trip, completing pretty much everything on our wish list - even during peak season! For wait times, character meets, and other cool park stuff, the Mobile Magic app might be worth looking into.

 

[DisneytheKid]

Touring Plans is based on history. Since there is so little history of Cars Land, they really aren't going to be very accurate.

I was unaware of that. Good to know!

 

[AppleDGang]

Saying it's based on "history" is selling Lines short. It's actually a data algorithm that takes into account historical crowd levels (by season, date, time of day, school calendars, etc), wait times for an attraction (for each hour of the day), and events and entertainment (parades, fireworks, etc).

And to be clear, the intent is not to *predict* wait times. (And it's impossible to predict when an attraction will malfunction, for example.) And since that data is always available, that wouldn't be very useful either.

The real value is to a sequence plan for the day which will *minimize* wait times - for all attractions. So it's not about predicting wait times. It's about planning a day in which you'll spend the least amount of time possible waiting in line.

 

[KateDrake]

I haven't used the apps, but I have used the touring plans when visiting WDW, and they work very well. I haven't tried them at Disneyland, just because we go in the off season and don't really need them, but I think they would work well here, too. They put a lot of time and thought into the plans, and they do work.

I've never bought the apps, instead I've just purchased a copy of the Unofficial Guide or even found one at my local library. If the cost is the issue, that might be a good option for you.

 

[skiingfast]

Saying it's based on "history" is selling Lines short. It's actually a data algorithm that takes into account historical crowd levels (by season, date, time of day, school calendars, etc), wait times for an attraction (for each hour of the day), and events and entertainment (parades, fireworks, etc).

And that is the problem the makes it inaccurate. There is no history for new attractions. Also no history for specific dates that fall on different days of the week year to year. It doesn't update for these new happenings to be accurate. It works well in WDW where they gather data more often.

 

[BayGirl22]

I'd start with: What are you trying to get out of the app?

Are you looking to predict low crowd times; plan out a daily touring plan to minimize waits or just to have a structured plan of what you'll do; or know where the shortest current line is while you're in the park?

People here seem to like RideMax for generating an optimized order to minimize wait times. I personally am liking Touring Plans for laying out a very customized schedule of what I want to accomplish in a day, when wait time/crowds are less of an issue. I'm not familiar with Lines so can't speak to that one. From the reviews I've seen they all have pro's and con's at DL so think about what's most important to you before choosing.

 

[Malcon10t]

I like touringplans.com, don't get me wrong. BUT, with regards to Cars Land, it hasn't been very helpful. An example, for the most part, the day after Labor Day can be compared to last year, and they can plan based on similar patterns. But looking at the last year, how accurate will those plans be for Cars Land? The OP was asking in regards to Cars Land.

 

[jimmysmom74]

I have used touringplans for many WDW trips and find it a very valuable app. Not only does it give you lines, which uses many different factors in determining line waits, but you can also create your own tour plans and they are available to view on the app and keep you on track.
As far as carsland, as a comparison, when toy story mania opened at DHS, we found their times very accurate and FP availability on target. Hope it helps!

 

[AppleDGang]

I like touringplans.com, don't get me wrong. BUT, with regards to Cars Land, it hasn't been very helpful. An example, for the most part, the day after Labor Day can be compared to last year, and they can plan based on similar patterns. But looking at the last year, how accurate will those plans be for Cars Land? The OP was asking in regards to Cars Land.

I'll agree that the data sample size is small, that's fair. But OP would be well served with having some plan (RideMax, Touringplans) than none at all. That's my point.

 

[interstate70s]

I have the Lines app for Disneyland and its alright. I think it can be pretty accurate. It seems to have added posted wait times, it used to just have their predicted wait times and reported wait times. I do like it better than mousewait because it is better organized and it doesn 't 100% rely on on people reporting in, but it does include that element. I actually have seen since Carsland opened lots of reported wait times listed under "staff " so it seems like they are trying to keep it updated. I cant compare it to mobile magic though as I haven't used that app. I like how easy if is to search menus and restaurants just because its well organized. The cost is kind of a drop in the bucket when considering the cost of a vacation. I wouldn't say its essential but its fun to play with.

 

[BayGirl22]

I have used touringplans for many WDW trips and find it a very valuable app. Not only does it give you lines, which uses many different factors in determining line waits, but you can also create your own tour plans and they are available to view on the app and keep you on track.
As far as carsland, as a comparison, when toy story mania opened at DHS, we found their times very accurate and FP availability on target. Hope it helps!

The argument I've heard here is that Touringplans for DL is much less accurate than for WDW. They don't have as much data on the DL parks. But they are working on developing it.

Still, I think its better to have some plan than none, and TP offers me the flexibility I wanted to create my own plan and then view it on a phone/iPad when I'm there. I also don't think any app is going to have a very accurate prediction of CarsLand yet. There are just too many unknowns, especially with all of the break downs being reported, those are unpredictable. No one here has cracked that code and I wouldn't expect an app to have figured it out yet. Seems like for now its better to pay attention to these boards for the latest Cars Land strategies and plan to play that part of the trip by ear. Use the apps for the rest of the park where they will be more accurate.

 

[sheetz]

Touringplans Blog has written up 2 entries on how to deal with Cars Land. Read them and see if you like them.

http://blog.touringplans.com/2012/07/18/cars-land-survival-guide-general-admission/#more-29153

http://blog.touringplans.com/2012/07/11/cars-land-survival-guide-early-entry/

Since you've already been to DLR many times you probably don't need a strict plan of attack for the rest of DCA and DL.

 

[ballarinamom]

For us, we know our DL plan as we've been several times and know the deal- Peter Pan,Dumbo, etc.... We don't need menus because we have that pretty much figured out, too. But we are really interested in something that would give us the most accurate Carsland/ DCA info as that will be a whole new animal this trip. In the past, DCA meant Soarin fp then off to Toy Story.. Since we are going just before Thanskgiving week, we have a lot of new factors to consider.