Touring Plans/Unofficial Guide 2017

[disneyland_is_magic]

This topic has been hashed out to death but wanted to get some feedback from those using it very recently. I have two previous experiences with it, one very good and one very bad. I am kicking around the idea of trying it again after swearing I never would. Let me give you my two examples, obviously ALOT goes into the success or failure of a trip, more then one decision or what can fit in one post so I acknowledge that off the bat.

First Time: Purchased the book about 3 years ago, read it cover to cover 3 times in preparation and used the plans from the book for adults. We stayed at a Good Neighbor hotel, used the ART, with one day in each park. Arrived for rope drop at DCA, was allowed in early to stand in line for RSR FP. Day went perfectly, we followed the plan exactly despite reluctance about some attractions, finished the plan early and wandered while waiting for WOC. As we were getting ready to load a ride, we'd consult the plan and be ready to go as soon as we unloaded. The day at Disneyland was the same with several short waits for attractions, we were able to time shows, parades, fireworks right into the plan as it said we would. The trip was aided by two things, a slight misty rain that I am sure discouraged locals and a kind CM who told us quietly that besides WOC and RSR there were two other FP machines that were "offline" so we were able to hold extra FPs a couple of times. In the two days, we were never rushed, we wasted little time and saw MANY things that were highlights that we did only because the plan said to. It surprised us over and over. It was the most magical trip I have ever had at Disneyland in my lifetime.

Second Trip: Traveled same week of the year two years later. Reread the new book, purchased the online Touring plan subscription and did a personalized plan. Stayed at Good Neighbor hotel and parked at Disneyland. This time bought hoppers and did two and half days. While working on the touring plan and calculating different options, it would do things that ALARM me (like suggest we run at rope drop to Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln) but I brushed it off. I printed off our plan and map two days before travel. We arrived 1 hour BEFORE magic morning at the garage, second car there and ate breakfast in the car, found they were very slow to open, slow to load the tram and the park was open before we arrived at the gate. First ride we headed to was being refurbished (why wasn't that in the software?) so we skipped that and hit the next on our plan, Space Mountain. This was during HyperSpace and so the 15 minute wait was closer to 40, partly because of our detour via Fantasyland. By the time we finished, magic morning was over, crowds were spilling into the park, we were beary eyed and tired, been up for hours and had hit one ride. We followed the plan the rest of the trip to mediocre success finding inaccurate wait times several times and missed the 60th anniversary fireworks. Overall, we never got back on the right foot and the trip ended being okay. I logged on to my account months later to see a notice about Fantasmic FP(which had been down for Star Wars Land for MONTHS by then) rolled my eyes they had gotten that sloppy and reswore I would never, ever again.

The other trips I have made my own touring plans using common sense and a map or traveled entirely without one to varying degrees of success. Despite my last experience, I do acknowledge the first experience was the best trip I had ever had to DL in my lifetime and it was LARGELY due to following the plan.

So here I sit, reconsidering it again. Tell me what you guys are seeing and experiences, especially with the post 60th state of Disney. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

I'm not a fan of the make-your-own Touring plan. I love the concept, but have had similar feelings of their recommendations being way off or really pertinent information that's not updated. I do like RideMax. A lot! I can't get my family to follow it for more than a couple of hours, but that st least usually gets us on very solid footing for the day. The only downside for RideMax for me is that you can't make a plan for Sundays.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

Why don't they let you plan for Sundays? Is it a religious thing?
Thanks so much for replying and I will check out RideMax!

 

[VandVsmama]

I tried both Touring Plans and RideMax on one of our trips and after comparing the two, I prefer RideMax much more than I do Touring Plans. For example, we were going to use our Magic Morning at DL and Touring Plans told us to go to Adventureland and go on Indiana Jones during the MM/EMH hour...when Adventureland is actually closed! It seemed like RideMax was much more accurate in terms of wait times, walking times to get from one place to another, plus RideMax wouldn't let you pick an attraction if that attraction was down for refurbishment.

Also, you can make a plan with RideMax for Sundays...you just have to pick Saturday instead and use that plan on Sunday.

 

[VandVsmama]

RideMax doesn't have an option to schedule an itinerary for Sundays because their business is closed on Sundays and as a result, they don't send anyone into the parks to collect data on ride wait times.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

I think it's a family run business and whether they give their employees the day off for religious reasons or just to have a day off, because they don't collect hard data on Sundays, they don't make plans for Sundays, either. I have to admit I'm impressed that they don't just estimate based on other days and flat out say they don't want to make a plan without definitive data. They recommend using a Saturday to get a feel for what the plan will look like.

Another thing I like about Ride Max is they offer a money back guarantee if you aren't happy with the way the program works.

Edited to change "Rude Max" to "Ride Max" in my last sentence. Oops! Their customer service has always been very polite, I promise.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

I tried both Touring Plans and RideMax on one of our trips and after comparing the two, I prefer RideMax much more than I do Touring Plans. For example, we were going to use our Magic Morning at DL and Touring Plans told us to go to Adventureland and go on Indiana Jones during the MM/EMH hour...when Adventureland is actually closed! It seemed like RideMax was much more accurate in terms of wait times, walking times to get from one place to another, plus RideMax wouldn't let you pick an attraction if that attraction was down for refurbishment.

Yep it made me crazy they sent us to a refurbishing ride. Yes, I could have double checked that but then what am I paying for?!
I am way excited to try Ride Max! Touring Plans just got sloppy. Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

I'm not a fan of the make-your-own Touring plan. I love the concept, but have had similar feelings of their recommendations being way off or really pertinent information that's not updated

Yes, that's my reluctance too, some common sense things just can't be programmed in.

 

[VandVsmama]

I've used RideMax about 4-5 times now and so far, it's been spot on every single time. Once you subscribe to their service and pay the fee, their website that you login to has all of these recommendations (and some more) on how to best take advantage of your time at DL using RideMax:

1. their software works best when you select up to 12 or 13 attractions/rides. You don't HAVE to pick 12-13 rides, but it works best if you pick no more than 12-13.
2. You also select: what time you'll arrive at the park's main entrance, what time you'll leave, whether you want a normal or slow walking speed, whether you'll use a FP runner or if everybody in your group will go to get FP together. Plus, you can schedule breaks at specific locations at specific times of day if you want.
3. While you CAN schedule breaks at specific times of day, they recommend to not do this if possible in order to minimize ride wait times. Sometimes I follow this advice and sometimes I don't. for example, if we have an early lunch reservation, I schedule that into the RideMax plan.
4. RideMax will automatically calculate & estimate ride wait times, walking times, etc. AND it will tell you the order in which you should go on those rides. It often tells us to grab a FP for something within the first hour of park opening and while this might not make sense to do it that way, our wait on stuff like Star Tours or Space Mountain has always been really low when we do it this way.
5. It gives you the option of picking stuff like the Soundsational Parade as 1 of your attractions but oftentimes I don't have to select the parade based on when the afternoon "break" is scheduled to end.
6. RideMax will always give you a few hours' break in the afternoon when ride wait times are the longest. You can leave the park if you want. Or you can use that time to hop to the other park. Or you can do stuff during that time doing stuff that doesn't involve standing in long lines - shopping, eating a meal at a TS restaurant, going on stuff like Winnie the Pooh, seeing a couple of shows, going to some meet & greets. That sort of thing.
7. If you don't like the ride wait times that you see in your RideMax itinerary, then play with it a lot using different configurations of rides...add 1, remove something, replace a ride with something else and see where that gets you.
8. You can view your itineraries by logging into their website when you're at the parks, but I've found it far easier to just print out the itinerary at home ahead of time and I bring the print out with me.
9. Always make 1 ride plans per day - Plan #1 is your regularly scheduled plan for when you want to be at the parks. Plan #2 has an arrival time later than Plan #1. Plan #2 is a back up plan in case something comes up like you sleep in.
10. You won't be able to schedule your RideMax itinerary/ride plan until 6 weeks before the date that you'll be at the parks. Why? Because RideMax has to wait for Disneyland to release its park hours & entertainment schedule, which usually happens about 6 weeks before any given date. But if you're rearing to go and want to play with it ahead of time, pick a date that has approximately the same park hours as the day you'll be at DL and see what you get. I do this in order to satisfy my DL urges leading up to our trip. LOL!

 

[VandVsmama]

Also, if you have, let's say Plan #1, which has you arrive at the gates at 9am, but somebody suddenly has to go to the bathroom and it takes forever, so now you are 15 min behind "schedule" according to your RideMax plan....

Let's say now it's 9:15. What you should NOT do is start by going to the ride that's in the 9:00 am time slot on your itinerary. You skip ahead and do what's scheduled for ~ 9:15. If you don't do it this way, then you'll basically be running with the rest of the crowd and early in the morning, 15 min can make a big difference in how long a wait you have at certain slow loader rides.

 

[Steven G]

I've been using touring plans with some success, my biggest issue with them is that they don't have certain options, so I have to jury rig it.

For example,although they have Jedi training, they don't have you go to the initial signup in the morning. They also don't have any of the special meal options like dessert party for WOC, the aladdins oasis. As well, they don't have a lot of the meet and greets,etc.


even with all that, the touring plans went off with success, but that is only because I did some extra research. However, I usually end up starting with their suggestion, and then tweaking it, based off that side research.

 

[SeiterClan]

I've used RideMax about 4-5 times now and so far, it's been spot on every single time. Once you subscribe to their service and pay the fee, their website that you login to has all of these recommendations (and some more) on how to best take advantage of your time at DL using RideMax:

1. their software works best when you select up to 12 or 13 attractions/rides. You don't HAVE to pick 12-13 rides, but it works best if you pick no more than 12-13.
2. You also select: what time you'll arrive at the park's main entrance, what time you'll leave, whether you want a normal or slow walking speed, whether you'll use a FP runner or if everybody in your group will go to get FP together. Plus, you can schedule breaks at specific locations at specific times of day if you want.
3. While you CAN schedule breaks at specific times of day, they recommend to not do this if possible in order to minimize ride wait times. Sometimes I follow this advice and sometimes I don't. for example, if we have an early lunch reservation, I schedule that into the RideMax plan.
4. RideMax will automatically calculate & estimate ride wait times, walking times, etc. AND it will tell you the order in which you should go on those rides. It often tells us to grab a FP for something within the first hour of park opening and while this might not make sense to do it that way, our wait on stuff like Star Tours or Space Mountain has always been really low when we do it this way.
5. It gives you the option of picking stuff like the Soundsational Parade as 1 of your attractions but oftentimes I don't have to select the parade based on when the afternoon "break" is scheduled to end.
6. RideMax will always give you a few hours' break in the afternoon when ride wait times are the longest. You can leave the park if you want. Or you can use that time to hop to the other park. Or you can do stuff during that time doing stuff that doesn't involve standing in long lines - shopping, eating a meal at a TS restaurant, going on stuff like Winnie the Pooh, seeing a couple of shows, going to some meet & greets. That sort of thing.
7. If you don't like the ride wait times that you see in your RideMax itinerary, then play with it a lot using different configurations of rides...add 1, remove something, replace a ride with something else and see where that gets you.
8. You can view your itineraries by logging into their website when you're at the parks, but I've found it far easier to just print out the itinerary at home ahead of time and I bring the print out with me.
9. Always make 1 ride plans per day - Plan #1 is your regularly scheduled plan for when you want to be at the parks. Plan #2 has an arrival time later than Plan #1. Plan #2 is a back up plan in case something comes up like you sleep in.
10. You won't be able to schedule your RideMax itinerary/ride plan until 6 weeks before the date that you'll be at the parks. Why? Because RideMax has to wait for Disneyland to release its park hours & entertainment schedule, which usually happens about 6 weeks before any given date. But if you're rearing to go and want to play with it ahead of time, pick a date that has approximately the same park hours as the day you'll be at DL and see what you get. I do this in order to satisfy my DL urges leading up to our trip. LOL!

This is very helpful info! Wondering if it takes into account large groups ie. we will have my husband & I, my parents(aka best grandparents ever!) plus my 6 kids ages 2,5,7,9,11 & 14 who love to ride anything & everything!?! Also does it calculate in things like Jedi Training Academy at a certain time that you register for or watching MSEP parades/fireworks? I would be really interested to know how accurate it is because we only visit every 4 years or so so we really have to use every momentt wisely. any advice or help would be great!

 

[VandVsmama]

At best we get to go to DL once a year, but sometimes it's once every other year. It's entirely because of our infrequent visits that I use RideMax. The last time my kids did Jedi Training Academy, they didn't yet have the whole "sign up in the morning for a specific time in the afternoon" sort of thing. I haven't used RideMax yet with JTA at a specific time of day.

BUT....
What you COULD do is plan on signing your children up for Jedi Training Academy during the "free time" time slot. That "free time" window usually goes from 1pm-ish until 5 or 6pm, but the length of that window & when it starts or ends really varies based on what time of year you're going to be at DL.

I'd say that it would be safe to plan on doing Jedi Training Academy at any time between 1-4pm. And if the RideMax plan results in your morning "session" ending after 1pm, then just update it to put in a scheduled break at Tomorrowland Terrace starting at 1pm.

The RideMax app doesn't really take into account how large or small your group is. In your case, given the age range of children plus the fact that grandparents will be coming along, too, when you set up your itinerary within the application, select walking speed to be slow. Or you could do 2 plans: 1 with slow walking speed, 1 with normal walking speed. You could start with Day 1 using the normal walking speed plan and see how it works and if everybody is feeling too rushed, then switch to the slow walking speed one instead.

Will this be the first time that your parents will be joining your family?

 

[SeiterClan]

At best we get to go to DL once a year, but sometimes it's once every other year. It's entirely because of our infrequent visits that I use RideMax. The last time my kids did Jedi Training Academy, they didn't yet have the whole "sign up in the morning for a specific time in the afternoon" sort of thing. I haven't used RideMax yet with JTA at a specific time of day.

BUT....
What you COULD do is plan on signing your children up for Jedi Training Academy during the "free time" time slot. That "free time" window usually goes from 1pm-ish until 5 or 6pm, but the length of that window & when it starts or ends really varies based on what time of year you're going to be at DL.

I'd say that it would be safe to plan on doing Jedi Training Academy at any time between 1-4pm. And if the RideMax plan results in your morning "session" ending after 1pm, then just update it to put in a scheduled break at Tomorrowland Terrace starting at 1pm.

The RideMax app doesn't really take into account how large or small your group is. In your case, given the age range of children plus the fact that grandparents will be coming along, too, when you set up your itinerary within the application, select walking speed to be slow. Or you could do 2 plans: 1 with slow walking speed, 1 with normal walking speed. You could start with Day 1 using the normal walking speed plan and see how it works and if everybody is feeling too rushed, then switch to the slow walking speed one instead.

Will this be the first time that your parents will be joining your family?

Yes my parents have come with us to DL before on all of our trips but we just don't go very often because it's so expensive for our large family! We will be there Thursday Feb.2nd-Sat. Feb. 4th so hopefully it's not

At best we get to go to DL once a year, but sometimes it's once every other year. It's entirely because of our infrequent visits that I use RideMax. The last time my kids did Jedi Training Academy, they didn't yet have the whole "sign up in the morning for a specific time in the afternoon" sort of thing. I haven't used RideMax yet with JTA at a specific time of day.

BUT....
What you COULD do is plan on signing your children up for Jedi Training Academy during the "free time" time slot. That "free time" window usually goes from 1pm-ish until 5 or 6pm, but the length of that window & when it starts or ends really varies based on what time of year you're going to be at DL.

I'd say that it would be safe to plan on doing Jedi Training Academy at any time between 1-4pm. And if the RideMax plan results in your morning "session" ending after 1pm, then just update it to put in a scheduled break at Tomorrowland Terrace starting at 1pm.

The RideMax app doesn't really take into account how large or small your group is. In your case, given the age range of children plus the fact that grandparents will be coming along, too, when you set up your itinerary within the application, select walking speed to be slow. Or you could do 2 plans: 1 with slow walking speed, 1 with normal walking speed. You could start with Day 1 using the normal walking speed plan and see how it works and if everybody is feeling too rushed, then switch to the slow walking speed one instead.

Will this be the first time that your parents will be joining your family?

Yes my parents have with us to DL on all of our trips but we just don't go very often because it's so expensive for our large family!We will be there Thursday Feb. 2nd-Sat Feb. 4th so hopefully it's not too busy. We will have 3 day PH but no MM so thinking of doing CA ON Wed. But hopping over to DL to do POTC bc it will closed for refurbished after that day & end the day in CA with WOC. Can RideMax do plans incorporating both parks? Friday will be our DL day & plan was to hit Fantasyland rides ie PP, Dumbo, Alice first & hoped to sign up for the 4:35pm Jedi Training Academy then later watch Earlier MSEP then fireworks. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[msb578]

Tacking on a follow-up question...

I recently subscribed to Touringplans- both for WDW and DLR. I am an experienced WDW visitor, but have no experience at DLR.

I have a one-day MK visit coming up during a very crowded week in April. And then, likely a one-day visit to DL on a slow Monday in late September.

My question is: for those who have used Touringplans at both places, is it any more/less accurate at one or the other? I guess if DL has a crowd level of 2, I don't have a lot to worry about. But still, it's an unfamiliar place for me and I'm hoping to rely on a personalized touring plan.

 

[VandVsmama]

With 3-day tickets, you do get a MM entry to DL, which would be on Thursday or Saturday for when you're there.

 

[mom2rtk]

Tacking on a follow-up question...

I recently subscribed to Touringplans- both for WDW and DLR. I am an experienced WDW visitor, but have no experience at DLR.

I have a one-day MK visit coming up during a very crowded week in April. And then, likely a one-day visit to DL on a slow Monday in late September.

My question is: for those who have used Touringplans at both places, is it any more/less accurate at one or the other? I guess if DL has a crowd level of 2, I don't have a lot to worry about. But still, it's an unfamiliar place for me and I'm hoping to rely on a personalized touring plan.

I wouldn't hold my breath on that crowd level 2 on a Monday in late September.

 

[msb578]

I wouldn't hold my breath on that crowd level 2 on a Monday in late September.

Oh exactly! I'm not making any assumptions. That's why I bought the subscription. Just hoping it'll help someone like me, who will be disoriented by the layout and unwritten rules (compared to MK).

 

[Khokhonutt]

I've used RideMax about 4-5 times now and so far, it's been spot on every single time. Once you subscribe to their service and pay the fee, their website that you login to has all of these recommendations (and some more) on how to best take advantage of your time at DL using RideMax:

When you've purchased RideMax, do you get the subscription only or do you get the eBook as well? Just curious if the recommendations/tips you mentioned are available with the basic subscription or part of the eBook.

 

[VandVsmama]

When you've purchased RideMax, do you get the subscription only or do you get the eBook as well? Just curious if the recommendations/tips you mentioned are available with the basic subscription or part of the eBook.

I don't think they started offering the ebook until fairly recently. I renewed my subscription, but opted to not get the eBook. the tips I mentioned are available with the basic subscription.