Queston about the crowd calendars

[mshanson3121]

I was working on our AK touring plan, when I noticed that due to TouringPlans recent update, we're now scheduled to visit AK on a level 9 day - however Josh still lists it as one of the recommended parks for the day. So I have some questions.

I know that Josh bases his recommendations on many different factors including events going on in the parks etc... whereas TouringPlans bases it on numbers. Also, Josh's numbers represent how crowded the park will be, whereas the individual park TP numbers mean what the wait time will be, correct? Though I see they also do an overall resort crowd level, like Josh does.

So I'm wondering, going by TP numbers, is there going to be a big difference between a day that is listed as a 9, compared to one that is listed at a 7? How about one that is listed at a 5? Will it actually BE less crowded, or will the wait times just be less? (The overall resort crowd rating is an 8 every day of our visit).

How bad will a "9" day feel in AK? Especially with the construction etc... I'm just wondering if we should switch our AK day. That said - how much will the wait times and crowd levels matter if you have FP+ and a good touring plan?

I mean we would prefer to be in the parks on days when we're not going to be shoulder to shoulder to people, but... I also realize we're going at a busy time of year (June 25-July3)

Also, when Josh and TP disagree, who do you go with? There is a day when we're going when Josh discourages MK (Saturday) because of the evening EMH, and yet TP lists that day as a 6 for MK - the lowest all week. I'm thinking that since the EMH are in the evening, so many people are going later, the morning might be less busy than normal?

 

[Alesia]

I used to swear by the crowd calendar at touring plans, but sometime in the last few years something changed and it just didn't work for us anymore. I still use touring plans for making custom touring plans, and the lines app is really useful, but I do not pay any attention to their crowd calendar.

Going back and forth between two different calendars will just drive you crazy. Pick one and stick with it. I recommend easywdw.

We always go when it's busy and very rarely wait more than 20 minutes for anything. Showing up at rope drop and having a good touring plan are really the key. If you need help making a touring plan, this is what I do: Start with the cheat sheets at easywdw, take out anything that doesn't interest you, put that into the custom touring plan maker at touringplans.com (which is really helpful for determining fastpass timing), hit "evaluate," not "optimize." Done.

EMH always makes a park busier. Evening EMH has less of an impact than morning EMH, but it still makes the park busier.

 

[Ava]

MK is always busiest on Saturdays, because that day sees the most locals who only come for the day plus there is typically evening EMH which draws resort guests.

A lot of what is "best" for you depends on your situation and preferences. Josh never recommends the parks with EMH because they are usually busier, but if you are staying onsite and can utilize morning EMH then hop to another park when it gets crowded that may work out best for you. Same with evening EMH; if you are able to utilize the late evening EMH hours, they can be a great time to tour. We avoid the EMH parks because the AM is too early for us and my kids are too young to stay up for the PM, but a lot of people swear by EMH.

If this is your first visit, I'd do what Alesia recommends - use the cheat sheets from easyWDW to create your plan in TP. We went last year (but didn't use TP, just the cheat sheets with some modifications) so I'm using what I learned on that trip to create personalized TPs for this trip.

 

[mshanson3121]

Great idea, thank you!

 

[mshanson3121]

WOW. Those cheat sheets are impressive!

 

[Lucius Best]

Predicted crowd level 5 or 7 or 9, it doesn't make any difference to me if the Everest standby line at 1pm is 40 minutes, or 70, or 100, because I'm not standing in it. I already rode EE multiple times at rope drop, and I'll be riding it with FP next, so it doesn't really matter. Personally, I refuse to get into any line longer than 20 minutes, and using rope drop and FP+, we can do it.

I definitely consult easywdw.com when planning a trip, but take the recommended parks as suggestions, not gospel truth. Josh always recommends against the days with EMH or events. Also, I would think there's usually a very strong correlation between parks being crowded and lines being long, I don't make any distinction.

How bad will a "9" day feel in AK? Especially with the construction etc... I'm just wondering if we should switch our AK day. That said - how much will the wait times and crowd levels matter if you have FP+ and a good touring plan?

Late June every park is going to be busy. I'm guessing a "9" day at AK will feel crowded, but I would not be too worried. With rope drop and FP+, you can do the big rides before noon, and there are enough shows and animal trails to fill the time in the afternoon. I'd rather do AK on a "9" day than HS or MK.

There is a day when we're going when Josh discourages MK (Saturday) because of the evening EMH, and yet TP lists that day as a 6 for MK - the lowest all week. I'm thinking that since the EMH are in the evening, so many people are going later, the morning might be less busy than normal?

It certainly makes sense that an evening EMH MK day would be less busy early in the morning, theoretically a lot of the late night EMH people will be sleeping in and arriving later. If you are there at rope drop, it might be a good plan. But it's also a Saturday, and that's going to make parks more crowded regardless.

 

[Doug M]

If you need help making a touring plan, this is what I do: Start with the cheat sheets at easywdw, take out anything that doesn't interest you, put that into the custom touring plan maker at touringplans.com (which is really helpful for determining fastpass timing), hit "evaluate," not "optimize." Done.

Why do you select evaluate instead of optimize? Doesnt the latter reorder your selections to minimize either walking or waiting time?

 

[Alesia]

Why do you select evaluate instead of optimize? Doesnt the latter reorder your selections to minimize either walking or waiting time?

Because the order that's on the easywdw cheat sheets works better than what touring plans will suggest.

 

[Doug M]

Because the order that's on the easywdw cheat sheets works better than what touring plans will suggest.

Thanks, i will give that a shot!

 

[Ava]

Why do you select evaluate instead of optimize? Doesnt the latter reorder your selections to minimize either walking or waiting time?

I've found that when I optimize, TP sometimes has me criss-crossing the park more than I'd like even though I select "minimize walking." It might not give me absolute shortest waits possible, but I prefer to see all of our priorities in one area of the park before moving on to another area.

Since I'm making personalized TPs, what I do is add all the attractions I want, enter in any ADRs and an afternoon break if we're taking one, then optimize it. Then I'll move around the order of attractions, using the park map to come up with a route that makes sense to me and gives us the least amount of backtracking. Then I evaluate it to see how the timing plays out. Shuffle things around and/or remove things if needed, and evaluate again. It's not an exact science, you just have to play around with it until you get to a plan you're happy with. I also only put our "must do" attractions into the TP so we don't waste time doing attractions that are secondary to us. Those we can see if we end up finishing our TP ahead of schedule.

 

[Trinity88]

Since I'm making personalized TPs, what I do is add all the attractions I want, enter in any ADRs and an afternoon break if we're taking one, then optimize it. Then I'll move around the order of attractions, using the park map to come up with a route that makes sense to me and gives us the least amount of backtracking. Then I evaluate it to see how the timing plays out. Shuffle things around and/or remove things if needed, and evaluate again. It's not an exact science, you just have to play around with it until you get to a plan you're happy with.

That's exactly what I do as well, works great!

As for crowd calendars, I do try to mix easywdw and touring plans. But in the end I go with easywdw if they conflict.

 

[Ava]

That's exactly what I do as well, works great!

Good to know! I've never actually used TP before, but I sure am having fun making them!