What makes you a touring superstar?

[Serrina89]

Hi Disers,

I recently had a call with my sister where she told me she had given some advice to a friend about going to disney. Her advice was, "Go with someone who knows what their doing". I asked her to elaborate and she said that when we went together, we never waited in line (Disneyland,skill: FP arrangement to wait 30 min or less the whole day). We walked passed people waiting in line for hours!!! Just hearing that made me feel like a superstar.

In addition when I went with my Husband (boyfriend at the time) on a Uni (first)/DW(last) trip after riding on our first ride together...."Now I know why you enjoy Disney so much! I had talked up the theming and how the rides give you just enough thrill that even a chicken would enjoy it. So ride chickens (me) and ride pros (him) could enjoy the same ride."

What Disney theme park knowledge/tips makes you a superstar and if so, what did people say when they had that ah-ha moment?

 

[yorkieteacher]

Touring Plans, Touring Plans, Touring Plans, plus this website with REAL answers to my questions. These two websites KNOW their stuff!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

On our last trip, DS10 called me "The Map", because I know how to consolidate our touring and know the shortest paths from point A to point B. I also know where the best bathrooms are!

 

[iujen94]

My skill at getting 4th, 5th, etc. FPs. A quick refreshing finger and a lot of patience goes a long way. On a recent trip, my sons and I used a FP to ride TSMM. The standby wait time was 70 minutes. I told them I bet I could get a FP with a return time sooner than 70 minutes. After refreshing in line, I ultimately had another FP to ride in 3 minutes before we even got on the ride.

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

Knowing the parks without needing to use a map at all. I can give better directions to get someone around WDW & each of the parks than I can my own town!

 

[kathy884]

touringplans.com and the custom plan I prepare ahead of time and can change on the fly makes me look like I know what I am doing. lol My fastpasses, lunch plans, etc. all go in to the touring plan too. Easy, Peasy The line app is great too and means I have a better idea of what lines lengths are than those who look at posted times.

 

[srwarden1928]

touring plans is the main key. Knowing about ADRs at 180 days and getting them; fastpasses at 60 days, which ones to get, and getting them helps. But touring plans makes my trip magical EVERY time, and has since 2008

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Reading the DIS and doing mock plans on TP. Also looking at Kenny’s plans.

My XH went every year as a kid. Stayed offsite, went with cousins, aunts, uncles, would go to the parks around noon, etc. He loved disney. Our first two trips were offsite trips with a mix of visiting family, sea world, uni and WDW. I found the dis weeks before we left for our second trip. When we got back i got him to book our first onsite stay with DDP and all.

I read on here for a year. I stressed RD to him, ADRs, FP, etc. we did RD everyday with two little kids and rarely waited in any line longer than 15 minute. 20 max. Did midday breaks. Ate great food. At the end of the trip he said that was the best trip he’d ever had and won’t do Disney any other way. He said what we rode in one day was what he would ride in 3-4 days in July when he went with his parents since they usually arrived around noon.

 

[lynzi2004]

A good touring plan, knowing the benefits of rope drop and using FP to our advantage. DH was very skeptical when planning our first trip 2 years ago to Wdw. He didn't understand all the planning and obsessing I was doing but after that trip he became firm believer in having a plan, as did our kids. At ages 3 and 4, they could easily handle 16 hour days in the parks (not consecutive days!), with a few stroller naps and well timed breaks to wait for parades and fireworks. By ages 4 and 5, they understood Rope drop and FP enough to know that if they wanted to ride something, to get up early and get going or to be willing to wait for me to find a FP time and not just stand in line for hours. In fact, on a recent trip to a local theme park, they asked if I had booked our FP for the day. I told them the park didn't have FP and they looked at me in horror! Lol. We still had a good time, but I stand in far longer lines at the local park than I ever do at Disney. That blows the average persons mind...most people think of WDW as long lines and enormous crowds. Our family looks at it more like a game of how much can we get done!

 

[chescat]

Knowing the parks without needing to use a map at all. I can give better directions to get someone around WDW & each of the parks than I can my own town!

DH was very skeptical when planning our first trip 2 years ago to Wdw. He didn't understand all the planning and obsessing I was doing but after that trip he became firm believer in having a plan...

YES to both of these! We just had our first trip, but we didn't need maps at any of the parks because I'd already looked at them so many times online that I knew where everything was. My husband thought I was losing my mind doing so much planning for a theme park trip, but after a couple of days he just looked at me and said, "I get it." He was an especially huge fan of FP+. I scored serious brownie points for all the planning work I did, and it certainly paid off big time on our trip.