Touringplans.com

[Susan A]

I'm looking for reviews of touringplans.com.
If you've paid to be a member, tell me how you like. Tell me what you don't like about it.

I have always relied on The Unofficial Guide and like they way it is written.

Thank you.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I've never used the paid version. I've looked at some of the free things available, and always came back to the wisdom I've learned here.

I agree that I like the Unofficial Guide - it is a fun read, as well as being informative.

Is there anything specific we can help you with? I find the touring plans are so different now, with FP+ ... it seems so different than before! For example ... it almost breaks my heart that you need a FP for Haunted Mansion!

[BrerGnat]

I have done the paid version for trips a couple times. In my opinion, ever since FP+ has come online, their crowd level predictions have been pretty far off and their wait time estimates are also not accurate anymore. I wouldn't bother paying anymore since Disney had an official app now for both WDW and Disneyland.

[VWL Mom]

I've had a subscription for the last few years and found it useful. Natalie is right though, since the FP+ roll out it seems to have run amok and may not be worth it right now.

[Basket Mommy]

I have done the paid version for trips a couple times. In my opinion, ever since FP+ has come online, their crowd level predictions have been pretty far off and their wait time estimates are also not accurate anymore. I wouldn't bother paying anymore since Disney had an official app now for both WDW and Disneyland.

This is what I'd say, too. The crowd calendars are so wrong. I've used them for my last 3 trips and they were all way off.

[Susan A]

Thank you all.
Heather, I'm mostly want help picking which day of the week to visit each park. I doubt we are going to Animal K. We will most likely visit lego land on a weekday.

BTW. we won't be park hopping.

Thank you.

[BrerGnat]

Thank you all.
Heather, I'm mostly want help picking which day of the week to visit each park. I doubt we are going to Animal K. We will most likely visit lego land on a weekday.

BTW. we won't be park hopping.

Thank you.

Just skip whichever one has early entry.

[allgiggles]

Thank you all.
Heather, I'm mostly want help picking which day of the week to visit each park. I doubt we are going to Animal K. We will most likely visit lego land on a weekday.

BTW. we won't be park hopping.

Thank you.

I would recommend looking at the crowd calendars and cheat sheets elsewhere. The site is free and the information has always, in my experience, been very accurate. We typically travel to Disney in late June and by using the info we've found, we've been able to accomplish a lot during our days in the parks. This past June we were able to ride 20 attractions (including 10 of them with FP+) on our full day at MK....and that was during about 11 hours in the park.

[Tink#64]

Susan A, I too am a huge fan of The Unofficial Guide ( I buy one for every trip - regardless of what changes have happened to WDW) & I'm a huge fan of Touring Plans.com! Of course the WDW app is the most accurate! I plan all of my own trips, no TA, for me planning the trip is the next best thing to actually being in WDW! I am a huge planner, spread sheets & such, but I am now a huge fan of Touring Plans! I still have control of our trip, but I have all the statistics from TP's! I plan the days we'll be in the parks, I look at the crowd levels - and I avoid Early Morning Extra Magic Hours like the plague - I can choose our park days based on historical & anticipated crowd levels, the site has all the info - park hours, parade times, "EM hours - Am & Pm... then I can go to each day and select the attractions at the planned park, and TP's will help design a plan for touring the park and visiting the attractions of my choice - you can choose your course of touring - less walking or less wait times - but you can still tweak the plans to your desire! For a huge WDW fan AND control freak like me - this is THE BOMB! I have used this site to help plan the last 2 trips (including my DS's trip in 2015 that did include the FP+ system) and I am using it to plan our upcoming trip in May! You can build in your dining & even restroom breaks! You tell it what time you want your touring of that park day to begin & what time you want it to end! You always have control - just have the advantage of all the their data! I just happen to like the touring plan format but best to use with the current info of the WDW app! If I haven't answered any of your questions, please feel free to ask!

[Susan A]

Thank you, Tink!
I enjoy and stress at the same time when planning. My main concern is choosing the least crowded park each day of the week.

I made fastpass+ reservations. I've thought about arriving bf park opening on SOME mornings and then thought about which attractions to visit and in which order. Then I feel tense and stop thinking!!

I get overwhelmed planning many details. We also have two kids, 7 and 9, so we need some spontaneity.

For our upcoming trip this month, I avoided all parks hosting extra magic hours.

Are there any other specific tips for avoiding long lines and big crowds?

Thanks!!!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

The best tip I have for avoiding long lines is the oldest one ... get to the park early. There is still a huge difference in crowds first thing in the morning and compared to later. You'll still get a lost more done in the first couple of park hours, as compared to later.

We often get to the park early, do as much as we can before the lines get crazy, go back for a break/swim and then come back later with our 3 FP+ waiting for us when the lines are longer.

[Lindslou]

Hey all,

I keep hearing this feedback that Touring Plans is not very accurate these days for crowd level predictions. I can't say because last year I went to DL and haven't been to WDW in 2 years. Does anyone have a particular website that they think is accurate with predicting crowd levels?

Thank you!!

[SleepinB]

I am also a fan of Touringplans.com. I use Touringplans like Tink#64. It is very helpful when choosing which day to visit which park 180 days in advance when I have to make dining reservations. While the crowd levels may not always be 100% accurate, the majority of the time they are very close and much more accurate than if I tried to guess. I find the touring plans to be helpful when trying to minimize standing in lines while maximizing the number of rides I can hit in the shortest period of time.

Much like ibelieveindisneymagic, I found early park entry and then 3 FP+ after a break in the day worked great. Combining a touring plan and my own touring preferences I was able to hit a significant number of rides in the morning and then come back after a mid-day break to use my FP+ when the lines were longer.

Bottom line is that when spending $3,000 - $10,000 for a WDW vacation, $8 to $10 for the information contained on Touringplans.com seems worth it to me.

[Tink#64]

I agree with SleepinB 100%! We all spend so much time, money & energy planning these trips for our families, I want all information available to me to plan the best trip possible! I want all the information, I make the plan - if we get there and deviate based on the particular day or our whims - that's ok - but I also have all the info on the other parks if we want to switch gears! It's such a small rice to pay for all that information. It's all just a guess based on historical information - but TP's plans has way more of that info than I could possibly come up with on my own! We always arrive at our AM park of choice before park opening, utilize fast passes, skip shopping until the afternoon, and always save those huge capacity show-type attractions until afternoon as well! We maximize our time with those major attractions before lunch - we NEVER wait more than 30 in a stand by line! I am a fan - my personal knowledge & preferences along with Touring Plans information on which parks for which day - really works for us! My subscription is about up and I will purchase the most recent Unofficial Guide (I love them) and I'll get a discount on my TP's subscription for that purchase, but IMHO, the subscription fee is nominal compared to the information & touring advice that I receive! Happy Planning!

[SleepinB]

Well said, Tink.

[allgiggles]

I would recommend looking at the crowd calendars and cheat sheets elsewhere. The site is free and the information has always, in my experience, been very accurate. We typically travel to Disney in late June and by using the info we've found, we've been able to accomplish a lot during our days in the parks. This past June we were able to ride 20 attractions (including 10 of them with FP+) on our full day at MK....and that was during about 11 hours in the park.

Since my post was edited for having the link to a "competing site", thus making the post look a little silly, maybe I can give a few clues so you can find the website on your own if you're so inclined. It's EASY to plan a trip to WDW if you have the right resources (dot COM).

Now I'm off to figure out why "touringplans.com" isn't considered a competing site and is ok to mention in thread titles and posts....

[j2k]

We often get to the park early, do as much as we can before the lines get crazy, go back for a break/swim and then come back later with our 3 FP+ waiting for us when the lines are longer.

I love this. I haven't been to the parks since the FP+ rollout and have been thinking this would be our plan on our next trip. I'm happy to see someone else has success with this plan.