Overwhelmed - Touring plans - Help please!

[hhill]

Hi everybody,

I would like to vent and also get your advice please. This is our first trip to WDW and when we decided to go i didn't even know all the planning it would take. I am a planner but even for me this is too much. I am in the process of making day plans for each park and i am using Touring plans but also Easy WDW and i don't know what to do at this point.

i guess i don't know which one to follow! TP recommends different attractions and in different orders than Josh does so i don't know which one i should go with.

I need to make my FP+ selections in 2 weeks and i am just going crazy.

I really want to be able to ride the main attractions and enjoy the park and make it a wonderful experience for my family but no being in long lines.

Which one should i use? should i follow TP or Easy wdw?

Help please!

 

[KatieCharlotte]

It will be okay.

I don't follow a touring plan, except to see which parks are NOT recommended on which days, so I can avoid them if possible. Then, I make a list of everything my family really wants to do. We have "must-do's" and "if we have time for it" lists. Feel free to skip things that "everyone" says you should do if they don't sound interesting to your family. The touring plan websites will show you which attractions build up really long lines. Make sure you do those right when the park opens or get afternoon FP+ for them. As long as you do that, the precise order doesn't matter much. Think about how you're going to move around the park in general, so you don't have to cross from one side to the other, especially if you have kids or adults who get tired.

Remember, the planner is supposed to have fun too. If you plan in too much detail, you feel like you are executing a plan rather than having a vacation. I have learned this from experience and am still learning it.

 

[hhill]

It will be okay.

I don't follow a touring plan, except to see which parks are NOT recommended on which days, so I can avoid them if possible. Then, I make a list of everything my family really wants to do. We have "must-do's" and "if we have time for it" lists. Feel free to skip things that "everyone" says you should do if they don't sound interesting to your family. The touring plan websites will show you which attractions build up really long lines. Make sure you do those right when the park opens or get afternoon FP+ for them. As long as you do that, the precise order doesn't matter much. Think about how you're going to move around the park in general, so you don't have to cross from one side to the other, especially if you have kids or adults who get tired.

Remember, the planner is supposed to have fun too. If you plan in too much detail, you feel like you are executing a plan rather than having a vacation. I have learned this from experience and am still learning it.

That is exactly how i feel; now this is our first trip i really need a touring plan i just feel like i need to pick one and i dont know if i should go with easy wdw or TP.

 

[shanejoseph]

Easy WDW. However, listen to the previous post. Take a breath. Planning is important, but don't forget it's a vacation. I know the first trip is very intimidating, but realize it's your first, and you definitely won't be able to experience all WDW! We've been five times in the past eight years, planning the sixth for Dec. - Jan., and still discover something new each time! I don't know when you'll be going, I truly hope it's not at an extremely busy time. This has a tendency to ruin people's first impressions of WDW. In all our trips we have never used a planning website. However, due to our next trip being the MOST CROWDED time for WDW, I will use easywdw.com to direct us to which park to visit on which days. From my experience on these boards, I would venture to say that over 90% of disers would recommend easywdw. Again, take a deep breath, it'll be great! Plan, but don't take it too serious! No matter how solid your schedule is, trust me once you get there, you'll have to roll with the flow several times!

 

[mousehockey37]

Hi everybody,

I would like to vent and also get your advice please. This is our first trip to WDW and when we decided to go i didn't even know all the planning it would take. I am a planner but even for me this is too much. I am in the process of making day plans for each park and i am using Touring plans but also Easy WDW and i don't know what to do at this point.

i guess i don't know which one to follow! TP recommends different attractions and in different orders than Josh does so i don't know which one i should go with.

I need to make my FP+ selections in 2 weeks and i am just going crazy.

I really want to be able to ride the main attractions and enjoy the park and make it a wonderful experience for my family but no being in long lines.

Which one should i use? should i follow TP or Easy wdw?

Help please!

First things first. Breathe.

I would suggest just writing things down. There's going to be a ton of variables that are going to effect you each day.

Let's look at the basics. Find the parks to avoid on certain days, then do just that. Be flexible. If you have parkhoppers, this is all the better. Depending on when you go, the weather may play a part in your day/night planning.

Look at when you might want to do your dining reservations and coordinate them with your fastpasses if you want (so that you're in the same vicinity).

Overall, I, personally, tend to have an idea of where I want to go each day, but then look at the weather. Sure, I have ponchos and stuff, but that afternoon break is nice too. When the afternoon storms roll through, I'm getting myself ready to head back out to a park that night, which one? Depends on what the remaining weather looks like.

Keeping weather in mind, it will storm. It's Florida. Not all the parks offer the same cover if you get caught out in a storm.

With some of these tips in mind, just relax, have an open mind and remember, with the new FP+ you can do like the ADR's and make them 6 months out, but you can also manage everything from the phone app while you're in the park too.

 

[BrianL]

You reall don't need to plan your touring that deeply. You certianly can, but really the EAsyWDW crowd calendar and recommended park is all that you need to worry about. If the crowd levels are low to moderate, you really will have an easy time of it in the recommended park. So, just show up and then do what you want. If you hit Rope drop try to knock out your big stuff early. Make a few FP+ resies and you're all set!

 

[kidd_freeper]

You will have a great time no matter what you do!!!!

 

[hops&dreams]

for our last trip, I used josh's EasyWDW for park suggestions, and it was great.

As for using a touring plan - what time of year are you going? What kind of vacationers are you? Example: we (my family) are sleep-in-ers. We enjoy being ON VACATION, sleeping in, taking a relaxed approach. Friends of mine - they'd rather die than miss a rope drop on vacation, and they want to squeeze every value out of the vacation. She will ride EVERY ride, and check it off her "list".

So, plan according to your family's style. If you're die-hard, plan on going commando (go, go, go! not without underwear ) and as I understand it, Touring Plans has very good guides for this type of park touring. If you're more relaxed, make sure you hit the rides/attractions that are important to those in your party and enjoy the rest as they present themselves to you. You might be surprised how little waits might be, or you might come across a ride that just comes off a fix or something.

I hope you enjoy your trip. Calm down... don't plan it all to the gnats butt - it'll take the fun away from vacationing. Sometimes it's best to let the magic reveal itself to you. With that in mind, I would make plans for headliners and dining. Other than that... roll with it and be flexible!

 

[DakotaRose]

If you are satisfied with the attractions On the easywdw plan then do it. However, if you want to add or subtract from that plan, you will find a Touring Plans customized plan more to your liking. Either will work fine and be a big improvement over winging it in terms of time spent waiting in line. Easywdw appeals to those who like it simple and easy. Touring Plans offers more detail that many newbies value like walking distances and ride durations. I use both.

 

[hhill]

It is May 17th thru 23rd, the crowd levels all of my days are between 5 and 6 except for the 23rd which is 8 but it is still the "highly recommended park" according to Easy wdw.

We will be there at rope drop, and i guess the only park i am having doubts with is Magic Kingdom. I plan to go there on the 18th and the 23rd to splits lands and attractions.

Thanks so much for your help, i know i need to relax it is vacation.

 

[elyse43230]

If you have a subscription, you can make Personalized plans on Touring plans. These are my go-to option and have worked beautifully for 3 years straight (in busy June time).

You can plug in what you want, and it will suggest FP+ times. Use those to guide your FP+ selections. Then once you've reserved those, go back to you personalized plan and input your FP+ selections and Optimize, Optimize, Optimize and you have a personalized plan.

These work incredibly well for me (also you can use the TG app and get them on your phone as you go through the park!).

 

[Winnowill]

I love the personalized touring plans. I used them with my FP planning, TP in one browser window, MDE in another. If you put in the number of FPs but don't choose them in TP, it'll give you suggestions for which FPs to book. Book them, re-run the TP, and, well, it's a thing of beauty.