touringplans.com - Less than impressed

[vicki_c]

I must be missing something here. I'm sitting in WI and am currently looking at the wait times for Magic Kingdom, using the newest Disney app? It's listing wait times and fp return times, although this late most fps are no longer available. I've been playing with it for a week and it has always listed the wait times for me.

Yes me too. The old Mobile Magic app did not show those specific times though. I've only looked at the new one one time, last week and it was showing me Wait times for MK. That was the only park that we open then.

I thought the new app looked really great on my iPad. It's still nothing I would really use in the park on a regular basis, unless the new FP system uses it in some way. But it seemed so much better than Mobile Magic.

 

[summerw]

On the TP side, I've been a member for a long time. Mostly to support Len's efforts to help people plan well and travel to every disney park each year TP is good for what it does and no one product does everything. It's just too much data to constantly upkeep.

Very classy. Now I will have to check out your site just because I like your style.

On tp, I like how if you're obsessive-planning and want to check things like projected fast pass return times for next year, you can. We're planning our first trip to wow, but I check the Disneyland app often and it seems pretty accurate. You do have to keep in mind the crowd levels are based on wait times, not crowds. So if there are endless pass holders milling about, looking at Xmas decoration, but not riding rides, it feels much more crowded than the levels suggest.

Btw, I am guilty of being one of said pass holders

 

[tbaptista]

Has anyone used the touringplans.com iPhone app when their personal touring plan is loaded into the phone?

It is amazing! I used the TP app which was connected to all of my customized plans. After we would finish an attraction I would just click done and optimize and it would tell us were to go next based on what we wanted to see and get done. Love that it would ask what the FP return time was to accurately get us back to the ride in time.

The only thing is actually knowing whether or not it is saving you time.

Yes we completed the plans we made but did it save time? Perhaps...

But at least I know we hit every attraction/parade/show that we put in our plan...

Would use it every visit. Even my DW loved having it...

 

[ghtx]

Has anyone used the touringplans.com iPhone app when their personal touring plan is loaded into the phone?

I am planning on doing this with my personalized plans on my trip in October. I am a little hesitant to be so reliant on the plan, and so I might wing it occasionally. But I think it's a fun and easy way to keep track of what you've done.

 

[mousermerf]

On the TP side, I've been a member for a long time. Mostly to support Len's efforts to help people plan well and travel to every disney park each year TP is good for what it does and no one product does everything. It's just too much data to constantly upkeep.

Well, that's not exactly true.

Touringplans made a decision to stop focusing on covering "as it happens" news and information about the parks - especially information that may paint Disney in a negative light - in order to maintain a "positive" relationship with Walt Disney World that they feel is more beneficial to them and allows them more access. In its place they began focusing on their statistics and "flavor" commentary about dining and touring with children and various family groups. Gone were updates that Disney just closed down the Wedding Pavilion and had a backlog of brides to call about rescheduled weddings, in its place were updates about the 10 Best Ice Cream Treats at Animal Kingdom.

-R Pedersen, formerly the "News Desk" blogger for TouringPlans.com for 5+ years.