Stressed already!

[buttercup1982]

We are 170 days off our holiday of a lifetime and I feel SO stressed as I've already had a horrendous week with complications with Thomson/Disney now I'm getting to the itinary/planning part and I'm just thinking I may just buy a touring plan, any recommendations?

 

[2Tiggies]

I use Touringplans.com. They have kept us out of lines since 2008 and are well worth the £5 subscription for a year, which also allows you to download their Lines app with wait times. Yes, MDE does have one but Lines gives you the posted wait time AND the actual estimated wait time and I find it much more accurate than any of the others I have cross referenced.

 

[flortlebap]

I use Touringplans.com. They have kept us out of lines since 2008 and are well worth the £5 subscription for a year, which also allows you to download their Lines app with wait times. Yes, MDE does have one but Lines gives you the posted wait time AND the actual estimated wait time and I find it much more accurate than any of the others I have cross referenced.

Just wanted to echo literally every word of this post, lol!

I love TP and the Lines app is much more accurate than MDE.

 

[BudgieMama]

If you're likely to use the app, you can make personalised plans, and then mark things as done as you go along. If you need to change your plans as the day goes along, you can re-optimise the plan to make it work best for you.

I love playing with my personalised plans. Even if they don't work as well as they claim, they were worth it for me!

 

[buttercup1982]

Thank you I'll check it out

 

[lgp1]

I use Touringplans.com. They have kept us out of lines since 2008 and are well worth the £5 subscription for a year, which also allows you to download their Lines app with wait times. Yes, MDE does have one but Lines gives you the posted wait time AND the actual estimated wait time and I find it much more accurate than any of the others I have cross referenced.

Is the app easy to use?

Lyndon

 

[2Tiggies]

Is the app easy to use?

Lyndon

It's idiot-proof There's nothing to it. You open it up, the headings are there and you choose where you want to go. Very easy.


Clare, I will say this. Our first visit was over Easter and it was very crowded when we arrived. I expected busy and had nothing to compare it to so in a way it helped being ignorant and inexperienced. I had subbed to Touring Plans and bought the Unofficial Guide and printed out my touring plans and followed them to the letter. We never waited more than 20 minutes for anything and we rode everything we wanted to, many multiples times in a day. I had no idea just how busy it really was until, after one more Easter trip, we started going in the Fall. I followed the plans to the letter initially and then we started doing what we wanted with the plan and just winging it afterwards.

 

[scoobydooby]

Is the app easy to use? Lyndon

It was easy to use. Less so now if you try to make it suggest which FPPlus you should use. I can't get this to work unless I make personalised plans and those have taken me a few hours to do. Worth it. But no where near as easy as it used to be.

 

[BudgieMama]

Clare, I will say this. Our first visit was over Easter and it was very crowded when we arrived. I expected busy and had nothing to compare it to so in a way it helped being ignorant and inexperienced. I had subbed to Touring Plans and bought the Unofficial Guide and printed out my touring plans and followed them to the letter. We never waited more than 20 minutes for anything and we rode everything we wanted to, many multiples times in a day. I had no idea just how busy it really was until, after one more Easter trip, we started going in the Fall. I followed the plans to the letter initially and then we started doing what we wanted with the plan and just winging it afterwards.

I suspect it will be very useful for us during August... we've included all the things we really want to do in it, but seem to have a lot of time to wander and check things out at our leisure when we've done the stuff on the plan Plus, no arguing about what to do next!

 

[buttercup1982]

We're going August too not sure my in laws understand how long we will have to wait for rides

 

[lgp1]

It's idiot-proof There's nothing to it. You open it up, the headings are there and you choose where you want to go. Very easy.


I had no idea just how busy it really was until, after one more Easter trip, we started going in the Fall. I followed the plans to the letter initially and then we started doing what we wanted with the plan and just winging it afterwards.

I always go in September because it is a bit quieter. The only reason I am tempted to use touringplans is because of what you said about the lines app, but I am wondering will I really need it at this time of year?

Lyndon

 

[flortlebap]

I always go in September because it is a bit quieter. The only reason I am tempted to use touringplans is because of what you said about the lines app, but I am wondering will I really need it at this time of year?

Lyndon

Yes, I think it would be useful.

September isn't as quiet as it used to be and with the added FP+ hassle, I am definitely renewing our subscription for out September trip when it runs out.

 

[lgp1]

Yes, I think it would be useful.

September isn't as quiet as it used to be and with the added FP+ hassle, I am definitely renewing our subscription for out September trip when it runs out.

This is what I was thinking. To be honest from what I have read I am not looking forward to the FP+ I wish they would have left things as they were, but it might turn out to be alright.

Lyndon

 

[2Tiggies]

It was easy to use. Less so now if you try to make it suggest which FPPlus you should use. I can't get this to work unless I make personalised plans and those have taken me a few hours to do. Worth it. But no where near as easy as it used to be.

The Optimized Plans are a more advanced feature and not designed to use on the fly, so I think they assume you are putting this together before your trip when you have more time. I agree, it takes a bit of time and work though, but I quite like the ones it has churned out for me thus far. Referring to Lines is something I do to check the wait times and very importantly to me, to verify the actual wait time vs that posted, which can be vastly different.

I always go in September because it is a bit quieter. The only reason I am tempted to use touringplans is because of what you said about the lines app, but I am wondering will I really need it at this time of year?

Lyndon

Lyndon, we have done a few Septembers in a row now and yes it is very quiet at the beginning of the month but once the Halloween parties kick in, MK becomes much busier. With the F&W starting earlier this year, I'd want a small back up plan just in case. And even so, wait times may not get up to 180 minutes in the middle of the day in September, but it's nice to be able to see that BTMR is 15 minutes before dashing across there; or that the posted time says 15 and the actual time is 45, so that I don't waste my time.

 

[cliveywolves]

We're going August too not sure my in laws understand how long we will have to wait for rides

Dont panic it all will be fine... We have never followed a touring plan but I do hear they can work out good...!

We have been 3 times in August and never had any major issues with rides... Just plan your day, maximise FP and even more now with FP+ you can pre book,but take breaks dont try and do to much each day it is hot and very humid.. But enjoy it

 

[lgp1]

Lyndon, we have done a few Septembers in a row now and yes it is very quiet at the beginning of the month but once the Halloween parties kick in, MK becomes much busier. With the F&W starting earlier this year, I'd want a small back up plan just in case. And even so, wait times may not get up to 180 minutes in the middle of the day in September, but it's nice to be able to see that BTMR is 15 minutes before dashing across there; or that the posted time says 15 and the actual time is 45, so that I don't waste my time.

Ok i'm convinced lol, will definitely be subscribing.

Lyndon

 

[2Tiggies]

Ok i'm convinced lol, will definitely be subscribing.

Lyndon

At the risk of this coming across the wrong way, sometimes the length and details of the debates on whether to get TP subscriptions amuse me.

For those who do not want to follow a plan, and yes, you can have a great trip and get plenty done by planning your own strategy, it's not an issue. They decide not to use one and that's the end of it. But when folk are considering getting one or not getting one and having discussions about it, they must surely think they could possibly benefit from it (?) (Again, this is not directed at you or anyone on this thread). This question comes up regularly and is a fair question but seriously, it costs about £5 for a year. A whole year. And as for the fiver? Well I spend £4 on a bottle of shampoo that lasts me 2 weeks and I have to buy it again Our trip is costing nearly £6k this year for two of us, including everything, so the £5 sub really isn't going to make any difference, even if I suddenly decide I don't want to use it anymore.

I don't think you'll regret your decision

 

[lgp1]

Yes, I think it would be useful.

September isn't as quiet as it used to be and with the added FP+ hassle, I am definitely renewing our subscription for out September trip when it runs out.

Thank you. As I said to 2Tiggies I will definitely be subscribing.

Lyndon

 

[lgp1]

At the risk of this coming across the wrong way, sometimes the length and details of the debates on whether to get TP subscriptions amuse me.

For those who do not want to follow a plan, and yes, you can have a great trip and get plenty done by planning your own strategy, it's not an issue. They decide not to use one and that's the end of it. But when folk are considering getting one or not getting one and having discussions about it, they must surely think they could possibly benefit from it (?) (Again, this is not directed at you or anyone on this thread). This question comes up regularly and is a fair question but seriously, it costs about £5 for a year. A whole year. And as for the fiver? Well I spend £4 on a bottle of shampoo that lasts me 2 weeks and I have to buy it again Our trip is costing nearly £6k this year for two of us, including everything, so the £5 sub really isn't going to make any difference, even if I suddenly decide I don't want to use it anymore.

I don't think you'll regret your decision

Every time we have been in September we just did what we wanted to on the day, but as flortlebap said it's not as quiet as it used to be, and with the added hassle of FP+ I think it will be better to have some sort of plan in place.

Thank you for your help.

Lyndon