Touringplans.com Crowd Calendar

[Lou Holtz]

Some parks may generally be more popular than others, so I think it might make more sense to compare the same park on different days than different parks on the same day. A good day at EP may still have longer lines than a bad day at AK, ...maybe?

Yeah, no maybe about it. The slowest days Epcot still has peak waits of an hour or more for its most popular attractions. Slowest days at AK, you'll be hard pressed to find even one half hour line at any point in the day.

 

[SurfinTX]

I think Touringplans states it best when they were setting up 2.0 for how much effect you can have on avoiding the crowds.

The number 1 effect is time you arrive at the park. Not if it's a holiday. Not if there is a special event.

That said if you are at that park for the event i.e. you want to do all of the Star Wars related events at DHS on a Star Wars Weekend then expect the max wait time that is predicted for the park. You will constantly be dealing with on a "6" day 105 minute waits for the big events. That's why attractions are also at the top for importance.

However, the description is that it is crowded but manageable on a 6 day. If you go into DHS on that same day at rope drop and just ride the rides you can expect a typical strategy will work well with less than 10-20 min wait times early if you follow a plan then use FP later in the afternoon.

Early EMH is only half as important as events and time of day. Most of the year this is usualy the only factor determining which park to avoid (if your not taking advantage of early EMH and then hop out of the park).

The most important thing you can take away from this is it's important to have a plan.

If you are wanting to ride as much as possible then you must avoid in order of importance:
1. Arriving late especially at an early EMH.
2. Going to the featured event such as SWW or Gay Days and being involved with those activities.
3. Holidays will jam pack certain parks and leave others almost uneffected.
4. If you can find any way to go when school is in session then do it. It's not as big a factor as the above since Disney will do rehabs and scale down ride cycle times to ease the load on CMs so certain rides will have just as bad a wait. Still, the overall feel of the parks are a lot less crowded, especially restaraunts and shows since most of the people in the parks are "in line".

 

[Belle & Ariel]

Any thoughts on why crowd level prediction for Tues June 1st is a 9?

And better yet, how the next day drops to a 3????

 

[mkleinbe]

And better yet, how the next day drops to a 3????

I was wondering about June 1st and 2nd as well. I guess it's all about Memorial Day.

I'm irritated with myself this year. I scheduled our trip around Memorial Day without thinking. Last year we got there the Wednesday after and the crowds weren't that bad. I have a feeling we're going to be in amongst the masses this trip so my bubble has been burst a bit.

 

[Lou Holtz]

I think the drop can be explained by the new system allowing for more variation. The old one, four was the lowest, ten was the highest. A nine in the new system is the same as a nine in the old ( a low nine though), but a three is the same as a five. In this new system, there should be the same number of each rating. There should be 36.5 ones, 36.5 twos, etc because its based on an average Disney crowd. The old one wasn't.

 

[mkleinbe]

I think the drop can be explained by the new system allowing for more variation. The old one, four was the lowest, ten was the highest. A nine in the new system is the same as a nine in the old ( a low nine though), but a three is the same as a five. In this new system, there should be the same number of each rating. There should be 36.5 ones, 36.5 twos, etc because its based on an average Disney crowd. The old one wasn't.

My head is spinning.....very technical.....

I need to stay off the website though. I'm in a panic about the updated numbers for Memorial Day weekend. They changed again, just today...

 

[MartDM]

You make an excellent cheerleader for Touringplans. WOW, what was I thinking by questioning their logic? Especially since I was too "cheap" to both buy the book AND subscribe to the site. Between this being a crazy year and the random notes that put a strong emphasis on a good touring plan, however, I'm beginning to think that the whole "Best Parks/Parks to Avoid" is not all that important. Which come to think of it, makes me glad that I didn't pay extra for it.

Maybe I'm being too sarcastic. I really think the book is wonderful and valuable. Since no one has replied that they've been burned by the crowd calendar, perhaps it's pretty good as well.

YES, you are being too sarcastic. Sunshine girl was trying to help. A simple thank you would have sufficed.

 

[MartDM]

4 bucks is a lot better then the $22 TGM charges.

I agree completely. I've always found TP's crowd calendar/best parks to be spot on and the touring plans on the site very flexible and customizable. I did not find that to be the case with TGM, whose site has a lot of deficiencies (the most frustrating of which is that he didn't update any seasonal info until long after it was available on all the free sites).