Touring Plans

[glbh]

We are planning a WDW trip for Spring Break 2004 (March 29th) and I bought the book "The 2003 Hassle-Free Walt Disney World Vacation" by Steven M. Barrett to get some info. There are touring plans listed for all four parks. Are these good to go by?

 

[QuickGold]

I've never used them before, but I can vouch for the Unofficial Guide plans....they're great!

 

[CanadaPT]

The Unofficial Guide is absolutely amazing if you want to really cut down on wait times!!
I highly recommend it.

 

[catnik]

Another vote for the Unofficial Guide by Bob Sehlinger.......terrific in terms of touring plans, restaurant/resort recommendations, the works!

 

[glbh]

Is that a book? I haven't heard of it.

 

[catnik]

Yes, the full title is The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2004 edition by Bob Sehlinger. You can buy it at any major bookstore (Barnes and Nobles, Borders, etc) or online at Amazon.com. I really recommend it (and no, I don't get any kick-backs )

 

[ashejen]

Another vote for Unofficial Guide. We were there just before Thanksgiving 2003 and it was invaluable. By the time 1 or 2pm hit, we were done with the "majors" in MK and were just waiting on Philharmagic. My In-laws didn't understand the rationale and ended up having to go back another day because the crowds got too bad.

Then again, if you're going off season (our experience was at the end of September for off-season), we really had no need for one and just used it to remember what we wanted to do....

 

[lentesta]

Hi glbh,

I wrote the computer software the Unofficial Guide uses to create its touring plans. (Thanks to everyone here for their kind words on the Guide .) I'm almost certain those plans are as close to optimal as one is likely to find anywhere. On a busy day at the Magic Kingdom, they can save you up to five hours of standing in line per day.

The plans are the result of many years of research by a host of experts in both academia and industry. No less than six Ph.D's consulted on the software. We collected wait time statistics at every attraction, FASTPASS booth and restaurant every thirty minutes from park opening to park close several weeks per year for many years. And we employ a professional statistician to analyze those data. Finally, we do extensive testing on the touring plans with real families in the parks to make sure the plans work. To the best of my knowledge, no other Disney guidebook employs these kinds of resources when creating their touring plans.

I've met Steven Barrett in person. He's a very smart guy and I like his book. We didn't get a chance to discuss touring plans, but I'd bet his method to create touring plans isn't the same as ours. The expertise, time and money needed for our kind of effort is beyond the resources of all but a handful of organizations.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions on the touring plans! Thanks again to everyone for their comments.

Sincerely,

Len

 

[zurgswife]

Personally I'm not a touring plan fan...I seem to to fine on my own and I've just learned to be flexible and us Fast Pass....

 

[Kaycee]

I'm with Zurgswife - I tried doing touring plans our first visit, and that just doesn't work for us. But if you plan on using a touring plan, it sounds like the Unofficial Guide is definitely the way to go. There are a lot of fans of the Unofficial Guide here (as you have seen!) and the writers really do their homework.

Plus, Len is a wonderful guy who jumps in to help answer questions here on the DIS Boards every chance he gets. Any book that has a guy like Len working on it has to be good!

 

[luvsTink]

I am a believer in touring plans. If only to avoid the "confusion moments"..you know...you have seen the families at the park, stopped in the middle of walkway, staring intently at maps and schedules, looks of bewilderment covering their faces. With a touring plan we never had to ask "what now?"

We did a combo of Unofficial Guide and Tour Guide Mike. I figure we invested about $45.00 and it was worth every penny.

Anne

 

[danny1649]

Guide books have great touring plan's,please rember to be flexible and take the time to enjoy WDW.Hey if you miss it this trip what could be better than seeing it on your next trip.

 

[CanadaPT]

Originally posted by danny1649
Guide books have great touring plan's,please rember to be flexible and take the time to enjoy WDW.Hey if you miss it this trip what could be better than seeing it on your next trip.

That's a good point! The best part about the touring plans is that you can ensure you get to see all the attractions you want and then you have lots of time to repeat or spend time taking in all the great atmosphere. It really depends on your "personality" Type A's, raise your hand!!