TouringPlans.com - worth it?

[glocon]

I've never used TP but I wonder how FP+ is affecting it. If TP really can help with all the FP+ stuff going on, longer lines, etc, I think it would be TOTALLY worth it.

I think that if TP is on the spot people giving real time information, that it could be quite valuable. And just making plans for WDW and having different tools to look at/use help to increase the excitement and anticipation of an upcoming trip.

Last time we went to WDW it was to MK for MNSSHP so no FP anyway, and if we go again during our UO trip this fall it will be for MNSSHP also so no FP again. But this does interest me for if we ever spend more then one day at a Disney park in the future with the longer stand by lines now.

 

[PinkBudgie]

What are you purchasing touring plans? It's always a good time I really like the app and enjoy the conversations that people are having or to see the wait times for my favorite rides.

Not sure I understand your question but it seems like TP good for checking wait times ahead of time. Also, our parks were pretty much locked in back in December when we had to pick our ADRs. So, crowd calendars don't mean much if we have to be there for a meal anyway. Although it may help if we decide to park hop after the meal. I wonder if they give the same book discount for a kindle version.
And I've also been wondering if the FP+ lines have messed with their math for their suggested touring plans. Seems like it might change the strategy.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I've never used TP but I wonder how FP+ is affecting it. If TP really can help with all the FP+ stuff going on, longer lines, etc, I think it would be TOTALLY worth it.

I think that if TP is on the spot people giving real time information, that it could be quite valuable. And just making plans for WDW and having different tools to look at/use help to increase the excitement and anticipation of an upcoming trip.

Last time we went to WDW it was to MK for MNSSHP so no FP anyway, and if we go again during our UO trip this fall it will be for MNSSHP also so no FP again. But this does interest me for if we ever spend more then one day at a Disney park in the future with the longer stand by lines now.

I am starting to play around with personalized plans now for a trip later in the month with daughter and two grandsons. It is interesting trying various scenarios, with/without fastpasses, time shifting, etc.

 

[BJSforVols]

I've used it. I like it. In particular, I like the "Lines" app. While in the parks, it loads quickly and is quite accurate. As for crowd calendars, I use the ones on Touring Plans and cross reference to those on easywdw. Both use a relative scale for their crowd estimates and they are not an exact correlation to each other. I like the fact that Touring Plans gives a crowd estimate number for each park. I then compare to easywdw "recommended parks" and choose according to a consensus. There are actual reasons behind ratings at both sites and reading the explanations is worthwhile.

Agree 100%. This is how we use Touring plans and easy WDW as well. Touring plans is worth it for us.

 

[BJSforVols]

Is it really worth it if you don't use their crowd calendars especially since MDE now has wait times?

It is for me. Touring plan lines app shows the "WDW posted wait times" which I assume would be the same on the MDE app, and then the "actual" wait times which is often less than the posted wait times. Their website explains why there is a difference when there is a difference.

 

[BJSforVols]

Fair enough. I guess what I'm getting at is, it seems like the crowd calendar is Touring Plan's biggest benefit over MDE now. MDE's wait times is straight off the ride itself so TP's not any more accurate than MDE. So if you weren't to use crowd calendar, what other benefit does it have that makes it worth spending any money on it that you can't do for free using MDE?

Excpet for WDW's posted wait times are not always accurate.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

It's like 10 bucks or something. It is definitely worth the money. The actual wait time by app users is a huge plus and has a big place at the table. The more app users entering info the better and more reliable the app is than any other wait time app.

Plus you get all the touring plans stuff.

 

[Kate and Family]

I purchased it for my last visit. And purchased it again for my next visit.

1) Long term planning - Crowd calendar for determining when to go - I am using both Tourplan and EasyWDW (do an internet search, and you will find other as well). But mostly rely on TP and Easy, time constraints for those going with me, weather.

2)Mid term planning - Crowd calendar with park specifics for determining which park to be in. More important than ever. I am using TP and Easy - love when they agree. I read the explanations on Easy and find them very helpful.

3)Short term planning - Ride wait times. I think I will be using TouringPlan mostly, since it gives Posted and input from people that are actually there. Right now, from what I have read here, Disney does not have a good handle on determining wait times I expect that to improve. I will also be using WDW's Official ap (MDE?).

I might play around with the Plans on TouringPlans, but do not plan to use them. I just do not plan down to that level.

 

[sorahl1]

As the last poster stated - their app relies on other users posting wait times.
If people are not posting... it doesn't help.
As far as park plan goes, easywdw is just as valid.
I would say... we know what rides take the longest, what load times are, etc
but things have changed.
I just don't see the value in paying for another app subscription when you can use a site like I mentioned, the MDE app, and what we are seeing for ride waits discussed.
That being said... it is only $10.. But for some people it's ANOTHER $10....

I just have a hard time putting any faith in an app that requires other people to provide input for it to be useful at that time.
When I have tried the app in the past I was there at a busy time (we always go in August) and I found few, if ANY, other people posting to the app. If you do not have a posted wait time within the last 5 minutes before you are looking then it's pointless. Also using 'historical' wait times is also useless as we have seen in the discussions of how Fastpass+ has affected all rides.

I'm just like you, trying to figure out the best approach to maximize my family's visit to the best vacation destination on earth. (meaning - don't flame me )

John

 

[Cirlonde]

I wonder if they give the same book discount for a kindle version.

Yes, you can still get the discount with the Kindle/eBook version. I just subscribed a few days ago using the Kindle version. Basically, to get the discount, you have to answer a couple of questions like...What is the first word in the title of Part Fifteen? Or something along those lines, to prove you have a copy of the book. The site doesn't care if you're looking at paper book or eBook.

However, you cannot get both the book discount and the mousesavers discount (I tried). It gives you whichever one is the better discount if you try to enter both.

 

[katiekomo]

As the last poster stated - their app relies on other users posting wait times. If people are not posting... it doesn't help. As far as park plan goes, easywdw is just as valid. I would say... we know what rides take the longest, what load times are, etc but things have changed. I just don't see the value in paying for another app subscription when you can use a site like I mentioned, the MDE app, and what we are seeing for ride waits discussed. That being said... it is only $10.. But for some people it's ANOTHER $10.... I just have a hard time putting any faith in an app that requires other people to provide input for it to be useful at that time. When I have tried the app in the past I was there at a busy time (we always go in August) and I found few, if ANY, other people posting to the app. If you do not have a posted wait time within the last 5 minutes before you are looking then it's pointless. Also using 'historical' wait times is also useless as we have seen in the discussions of how Fastpass+ has affected all rides. I'm just like you, trying to figure out the best approach to maximize my family's visit to the best vacation destination on earth. (meaning - don't flame me ) John

I agree- an app that relies only on other users posting times is not very helpful. Thankfully, TP does not rely on that. With as many users as they now have, they can use it as a tool... But they have historical data (which is helpful, just not as helpful as it was before FPP) and researchers in the parks every day. The team proudly describes themselves as nerds and they take theme park statistics to a crazy level. Their blogs and explanations are intense! In my experience they have adapted to FPP with ease and their data is still accurate.

Another 'pro' for us is that TP predicts the wait times for upcoming days. I don't plan as much as I used to, but I'll often take a look at the next day and see when our top rides are predicted to have longer wait times. It helps me make a morning 'must do' list. Especially now since FPP is causing some rides have longer lines than we've seen in the past (TP has a great blog post on that... I think it was posted Friday?).

Sounds like it didn't work for your family on that trip. No flames, it's good to share that experience. I would just say it hasn't been 'pointless' or 'useless' for us and I recommend the $10 gamble. YMMV.

 

[garjanjones]

I like the TP site just to switch around attractions, add meals / breaks / parades, and optimize. You can easily see where everything is on the map at the bottom of the page as you are working, and you can play around with different touring strategies. I have not used it in park, so I don't know if their times are accurate, but for me (a guest who ISN'T familiar with where everything is, what MIGHT be wait times, etc) it was totally worth the $12 - $13.

Exactly. I love making my own plans, then optimizing them. The fact that I can put in a walking speed, and whether our preference is walking a little more or waiting a title more is an added bonus depending on who we are touring with.

 

[LilyWDW]

I like Touring Plans. I currently have a subscription to it. I find their app to be very accurate AND it loads better then MDE quite often. So while MDE may get the wait times from the actual attraction, it is no help if I can't log on.

That said, their best and worse days are no more accurate then EasyWDW. In fact, since I started keeping an eye on things and in my personal experience, I have found EasyWDW to be more accurate. Both services are having trouble right now because they don't have historical data with FP+ as a variable. So it still can have an "unknown" impact on wait times and best days.

 

[cinmell]

I have a question about touring plans. I saw they they have MNSSHP listed for August 29th. Since dates haven't been released by WDW, how accurate do you think this is? I don't see the party listed on easywdw or any other site.

 

[Sabor]

Just returned from WDW yesterday.

This was out first trip using touringplans.com -- I am a planner, DVC member and always do a lot of research. Have used many WDW sites in the past.

I made 5 personal touring plans on the site, using our FP+, ADR's and what we wanted to see. All 5 of these worked out almost perfectly to the minute every single time without a hiccup. It really was quite amazing that it factored in the walking time and anticipated waits and was so remarkably accurate.

Well worth the cost.

 

[bexter12]

I love the personalized touring plans. We did 50+ attractions and shows at DL in a single day using and optimizing their app after every ride.

What i like about it is that if you decide to stray from their plan, you can always optimize and it refreshes based on what you still want to do.

I'm planning on using if the the ultimate MK attempt on May 23 and am looking forward to it.

Well worth $10 in my opinion.

 

[frozengurl]

I heard so many people say "worth it" so I got it about 2 months ago. I have not been on my trips yet this year but so far I still find myself using easy WDW over TP. I just like the way the descriptions are for each day on EasyWDW. I also did not like the customized TP that TP gave me for my upcoming trip this weekend. I kept trying to customize or optimize it but it just doesn't seem to make sense to me to follow it. I am much more comfortable with my own TP that I've come up with, so, I really haven't found myself using TP too much so far. However, it's only 10$ so it's not that big of a deal to me considering how much I'll be spending this year towards my trips. I do like the lines app though... Probably the best part of TP

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

We like it particularly for access to the Lines app which we found to be very helpful on our WDW trip last year. We also purchased our subscription with the 20% off discount through Mousesavers.com and definitely thought it was a good deal.

 

[siskaren]

I have a question about touring plans. I saw they they have MNSSHP listed for August 29th. Since dates haven't been released by WDW, how accurate do you think this is? I don't see the party listed on easywdw or any other site.

Official dates haven't been released but the calendar for August has been and since August 29th is showing a 7pm close for MK, TP is assuming that it's because there's going to be an MNSSHP that day. (And I could've sworn that Josh had put MNSSHP with a question mark on that date, but I don't see it now.)

 

[Kristine316]

OP asked if Touring Plans had a more reliable crowd calendar than other WDW planning sites and my opinion on that is.... NO.

Using Touring Plans own data in their "How We Did Section" we see that Touring Plans underestimates overall crowd levels on a regular basis.

I have actually been pretty disheartened keeping watch on it lately and comparing it to other sites like Easywdw because I realize that none of them are super reliable. It really is hit or miss. Easywdw seems to do really well in overall crowd levels, to the point where it has impressed me but, Most Recommended park seems to be off a lot lately.

Is it worth the $10... absolutely. Totally worth it. The information on these sites is invaluable. There is a lot more to these sites than just predicting crowds, tons more. Easywdw is free so, that site is a total gem and if you don't check it out for an upcoming WDW in my opinion you are making a big mistake.