Touring Plan

[mrs06chris]

Which touring plan is the best? TIA!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

My own! It's free!

Although it's fair to say I know WDW probably better than many visitors at this point, I've been able to dodge crowds quite well without paying for anything. I've been doing it a lot longer than anyone has been charging.

Heck...I'm starting to think I could start charging.

More or less you can get all the info you need fromthe DIS.

Also, think when you are in the park. Take logical steps to zig when the crowd zags.

Some folks get pretty heated when you tell them a TP is waste of money. I'm not sure why, but I see lots of posts that indicate to me that they almost cause more anxiety than they alleviate.

One of the most basic rules is this: avoid MK on a Saturday.

Here are some more:

Avoid eating lunch between noon and 1pm, unless you have a dinign reservation. Evne then you are better eating a late brunch or eating a late lunch. (Breakfast costs less but will keep you full for a while). If you do, you'll avoid being in line when everyone else in in line to eat. you'll be on rdies while they eat. you'll also get teh post lunch drowseis later.

the park crowd peaks between 11am and 3:30pm. Then it subsides again after the evening parade.

Ealry morning and late night are your firend. plus, the parks are really neat looking after dark.

If you look at your dates, and MK clsoes early, usually that equals low crowds. If Mk opens before 9am, that likely means bigger crowds. If MK is open before 9am and past 11pm every night - that means even bigger crowds. If they expend hours at all four parks - then it's going to be a whopper. Even then, if you use the early and late hours youc an see most things. if it's super crowded, then maybe plan to spend more time at the resort.

If it's super crowded week, and you stay offsite, there's a chance MK will erach capacity.

If you go during an ideal weather time, crowds are likley to be bigger. If you sacrifice the weather, you are likley to get lower crowds. If you are not going during a school holiday week you will get lower crowds. Most of MArch is a holday for some shcool district. You also ahev to watch for some special events - like the marathons, or Star WArs weekend. But even during thsoe events - mostly you just have to avoid the one park on thenone day.

If you have a choice - usually the left line is shorter.

Generally, if the standby line is more than 20 minutes -most of the time - get a fp or walk away. Start each day with an e-ride (a FP attraction) and fastpass, or Dumbo. Avoid kiddie rides during the hours that kiddies are awake. There is no line for Small World at midnight. Pepter Pan is another oddball. There is always a line for PP.

When a new attraction opens, everyone will make a b-line for that ride. EE was that ride for AK, bu it's old enough that half the crowd goes to the safari. TSM was that ride at HS. (now some folks are heading to Star Tours. I imagine, I haven't been since it opened.) At Epcot, everyone still currently heads to Soarin. Even with a fp Soarin' takes for ever. Ride at your own peril.

World Showcase opens at 11am. Though the rides in WS are not e-rides, they may get lines if it's a busy day. The line at 11am are short. Otherwise there are only two real erides at Epcot: Soarin' and TestTRack. Secondary rides would be Mission space orange, and the Innoventions virtual roller coaster. That one is pretty neat.

do use child swap if you have a small child. Do use fastpass.Always try to have a passpass.When you are eligible, get your next one.

While you are in line...decide where you will go after that ride. You don't need an elaborate schedule, or all day plan..you just want to avoid standing around decided which way to go while you consult your map. We usually go fomr one ride, except ofr keeping a fresh fp - we tend to go one rides in order. Like doing Splash and Big Thunder together. But you don'talways have to do that either. Late at night -when crowds are low - focuds more on big rides. When crowds are high -like 11to 3 - focus more on lesser rides. To do taht though you do have to know what the all the fast pass attractions are in that park. SO DO know teh gneral layoutof each park before you get there.

Oh, the better you are in shape -the better your endurance. so start walking, (I try to walk a brisk every day for a month before my visit) and make sure you have two great paris of comfy walking shoes. Don't skimp. If your feet/legs get sore or injured, your day is done. If your endurance is already compromised, consider a scooter. Consider strollers for very yougn kids, but remember a stroller is also a hassle. Any extra baggage is extra baggage. Travel LIGHT. A fifty pound backpack will seriously reduce your endurance! notonlyu that, but you have to endure the bag search at every park entrance. If you can eliminate the pocketbook, you will love it! (Unless you MUSt have one) Do carry your emergency meds! (liike an epi-pen or asthma inhaler, insulin, maybe a sinlge advil) Do have one perosn in yoru group carry a band aid, and or sliver of moleskin if anyoneis prone to blisters.


Stay hydrated. Dehydration will notonly make you miserable for days, it can even be dangerous. So watch the alcohol/caffeine consumption.

If someone is miserable, do somethign different: take a break, get a snack, sit, hit a thrill ride, go some place quiet, see a show, buy something, laugh, Maybe doing something difffernent is getting up and out sooner, maybe it's going slower, maybe it's letting go, maybe it's rallying more....use the free shuttle boats perhaps, or maybe pick up the pace.

I'm sure others can add their own variations on all of the above. Maybe all of what I suggest doesn't work for you. there are also other ways to zig when the crowd zags, (I'm not goiing to give away all my tricks for free!) but if you follow the above advice you will be well on your way to avoiding the worst lines. Best wishes!

 

[Tea4Alice]

MickeyLuv'r, well done! Awesome Tips!

 

[mrs06chris]

Thank you MickeyLuv'r!
We're going the week after Easter and I keep hearing how these touring plans are so great.

 

[uscgrl93]

I agree with mickeyluv'r about "purchasing" touring plans...but that is only because I am OCD and want to create my own. I use easywdw.com and my own experience to come up with things that work for me. Purchasing a TP makes sense if you don't have time to plan, don't like to plan, have never been to WDW, or really don't know where to begin.

We do things like: hit the parks at RD, go back to the resort, and return to another park in the evening. Even if a park is not recommended, if they have EMH, we go. But we go BEFORE they open. So that means we are standing at the gates at MK at 6:45 AM on EMH morning. Since most people do not want to get up at 5:30/6:00 AM to make it there by 6:45, we never wait in line for the first few hours. By noon we will have already ridden all the "big" rides.

 

[GreenDog]

Those are great tips. I don't see why you wouldn't get the touring plan anyway. Look, sit down and add up everything you are spending to go to Disney. When you have that number, then ask yourself if you'd spend $10 more to go to Disney. When you say yes, then go to touringplans.com and buy the subscription and get the touring plan. More information won't hurt. We use them and I think they are great. I make my own adjustments to them based on my experience at the parks, but in the end they are a guide and one that I find useful. If you go Easter week and you see very large crowd estimates the use the holiday touring plan. Also, make RD. That makes a HUGE difference.

 

[MissPrice]

thank Micyluv'r, I will use your tips next week

 

[tjsbwilwert]

The holiday touring plan for Epcot and MK (touringplans.com) worked like a charm last week (Christmas-New Years). We saw all major attractions with very little wait by 1:00. It was totally worth the money.

 

[conniehar90]

www.easywdw.com. It is free and is the best site out there. They tell you which dates to go to which parks.

Also, folks are still rushing to TSMM not Star Tours. Star Tours gets crowded after the Indy show lets out, but other than that, there is minimal wait.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I've heard the debate about it only being $10, and I suppose that's valid for some folks...but the opposite is also true. For me it would be throwing away money.

One concern are the many threads that say, "OMG! My TP just completely changed the best parks for our entire week! What do we do?" the DIS has lots of those! I usually avoid TP threads all together; I've been attacked too many times! It bothers me to see folks suffer such anxiety, when it could have been avoided. It's also impossible to refute those who say a TP worked for them.

One HUGE benefit of doing the thinking for yourself is that we don't get upset over an unpredictable change. Like horrible weather, or an unexpected delay. I know how to compensate.

I also know that ANY touring plan you are relying on someone else's likes and dislikes. Look at ANY thread on the BEST place to eat at WDW, and eventually every restaurant will be listed. Ask which is worst, and you'll also get every place listed. There is no such ting as an object WDW plan; there is no such thing as a universally perfect touring plan. They also must rely on trends - not actual day of circumstances. It's impossible to predict many events in advance: weather, ride breakdowns, love bugs, etc. Those often have a BIG impact on our vacation.

I see touring WDW like a giant brain teaser. It is fun to solve! It is fun to pull various threads and see how they impact our vacation; staying at different resorts, for example. A stay near MK = more TS meals near MK. A stay at Pop = added value from the refillable mugs (coffee). A stay at the Swan = a rental car. Universal = staying/dining on I-Drive. Going with 2 is TOTALLY different from going with 12 people.

I can understnd WHY some folks would not want to put in the DIY effort. Touring WDW has LOTS of variables to consider. I'm just saying it can be done and there are real benefits of figuring out how to tour without someone else's prescribed plan and personal opinions.

May this thread continue to stay above the fray!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Which touring plan is the best? TIA!

Simple answer: Whichever one fits your needs.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I cannot emphasize having a good plan enough. Even if it isn't a formal touring plan, but a loose idea of what you wish to hit and when you're going to hit it, it's going to save you time and it is going to save you hassle. Look at it this way. Even if you're wrong in your plan, at least you're heading through the long line for 15 minutes rather than wasting that 15 minutes trying to decide what to do next and then getting in that same long line 15 minutes later. That said, a good plan will keep you out of those long lines. There are some times of the year where a plan isn't necessary. But those days are dwindling in number. And some people go so often that a plan isn't necessary for them. But most people cannot go during those times and don't get to go that often. So for the most part, a good touring plan is going to save you time. It's going to save you headaches and hassles. It's going to make your trip more enjoyable.

Now that I've established a good plan is a good idea, how do you go about making one? For the inexperienced, I do not suggest paying $10, getting the first plan that looks superficially the best to you, and using it all the while not doing your homework. Sometimes, that works out fine. And it is better than doing nothing. But too often, people that use touring plans as a substitute for doing their homework end up in a situation where they have to make an adjustment on the fly and they can't do it successfully. I suggest the UG and a subscription. It has a wealth of info as to when to hit what and when not to. It is well organized and it is easy to get to what you wish to read. It has info on what rides may look suitable for young ones, but may not be and why. Tons of info. It's well worth the money for the inexperienced.

As for this site, one can find some useful information here. But one ends up finding some wrong information here too. And for the inexperienced, it's often hard to figure out which is which. There are some well meaning people that end up giving wrong info because they assume that their experience is universal or they just are so eager to help that they didn't stop to think about the person's situation that is asking the question. Then they get all defensive when someone differs and things often end up in a cat fight.

 

[Lidian]

I see touring WDW like a giant brain teaser. It is fun to solve!

This I agree with completely! Well said.

 

[LaurenT]

I'm also going the week after Easter. If you want my park picks per day, they are:
April 8 (Easter) - Animal Kingdom
April 9 - Epcot
April 10 - Magic Kingdom
April 11 - Magic Kingdom
April 12 - Hollywood Studios
April 13 - Epcot

 

[mickeyluv'r]

IAs for this site, one can find some useful information here. But one ends up finding some wrong information here too. And for the inexperienced, it's often hard to figure out which is which. There are some well meaning people that end up giving wrong info because they assume that their experience is universal or they just are so eager to help that they didn't stop to think about the person's situation that is asking the question. Then they get all defensive when someone differs and things often end up in a cat fight.

The gist of this is true. I'll add that in many cases folks get defensive about an opinion. In many cases, something that seems sort of factual, ends up being rather subjective. All reality is often based on perception.
Wait times for buses are a good example. Most folks don't look at their watch when they get to the bus stop and actually record when they arrive at the park. Likewise, when describing how long it took you to get to the park -when do you start/stop your timer -when you arrive at the bus stop, when you board the bus, when you arrive at the park bus stop, when you yourself get off the bus, or when you walk through the turnstyle?

If you don't like the decor/bright lighting at a restaurant, are you going to like the food? Maybe, but maybe you are inclined to dislike the food as well. Maybe the wait you perceive seems longer than it really was. Maybe your server thinks your unhappy expression is about something they said...and so it snowballs.

 

[daybreaker]

Just to let everyone know, touringplans.com is testing out customizable touring plans... So if youre worried that one of the pre-defined plans doent exactly fit what you want to do, you can create your own. Add the rides you want, times you want to eat, etc, and it uses its algorithm to build a touring plan based on everything you want to do.

And right now, its in beta, so theyre offering it for free to everyone for now: http://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/join/basic

 

[tofubeast]

I think mickeyluv'r really laid it all out for you. GREAT ADVICE there.

I will say though, that I have used RideMax at both DLR and WDW and it has worked AMAZINGLY well. I cannot rave about RM enough. That said, now that I have the general gist of how it all works, I don't 'think' I need a touring plan other than the one I create on my own.

 

[marlogood]

Thanks for all the touring info. My husband and I have been going to WDW for many years but this year we are taking my niece and her kids. That means we will be spending more time at MK. I found lots of info that I hadn't known before.
Can't wait for our trip to begin and their first visit!