Deal Kid gets a hug from Chip, Jan 2011
I have Disney on the brain today as I’m headed to Disney Social Media Moms on the road tomorrow…more on that later.
One thing I’ve learned blogging is that tips I think people just “know” about places I love (like Disney World) need to be brought up from time to time. Today I’m giving a shout-out to website that is an absolute MUST if you’re planning your visit: TouringPlans.com.
Touring Plans, developed by the same folks that do Unofficial Guides
From the crowd calendar, that tells you which parks to visit and avoid on which specific date months ahead, to the plans that tell you from open to close which rides to see in which order, a few minutes with the site will save you HOURS in the heat with a cranky kid waiting in line.
If you’re at Epcot, here’s a great set of tips to save you time in line on Frozen: Ever After.
Looking for more Disney World tips and tricks? Check out my Amazon bestselling book, Disney World Hacks!
Have you used Touring Plans? Do you have another favorite Disney freebie? Please share in the comments.
Love Touring Plans. I also cannot do without RideMax. Before there were apps, there was a little software program called RideMax that would minimize your Disney wait times based upon a selection of attractions you chose. Still going strong and has a mobile version now too. Been using it for a decade now. Totally worth the $14.95 (Disneyland) or $16.95 (WDW) every time.
Thanks, Leslie. I’ll have to give RideMax a try!
Can’t wait to hear about Disney Social Media Moms. I just heard about it for the first time a few weeks ago and hope to be able to apply to go next year. Have fun!
Thanks! It was great…I’ll do a post soon.
We are hardcore Disney fans typically making 2-3 trips a year. In fact, I sort of have a “Camp Mom” plans for my kids at WDW next summer that I would like to credit you for giving me the inspiration for. 🙂
I’m not a fan of Touringplans.com. It’s better than nothing, but I find their crowd calendar to be flawed and I also don’t like how they automate a touring plan for you. It’s much better to have a basic understanding of crowd level, crowd flows, which rides have slow load times vs. anytime attractions, etc.
Currently, I use easywdw.com (which is free). Josh, the owner of the site, is in the parks all the time and he helps you understand why you should tour a certain way rather just telling you what to do. The forums at easywdw.com are excellent as well and very supportive. Most of the people at easywdw.com came from tourguidemike.com (not around anymore) which was touringplans.com’s big competitor a few years ago. I’ve also used RideMax and did not care for it at all. I’m not sure if this is still the case, but I know as recently as a year ago, RideMax did not provide touring plans for Sundays.
The smartest thing that you can do when planning a Disney trip is to (if possible) pick a slow week, use a crowd calendar to determine which park is optimal for that day, and be there BEFORE the park opens. You can get so much done in the first two hours while everyone is trickling in.
AMJ,
Just wanted to say that fact that “camp mom” is spreading makes my week!
Thanks for the insight! I’ll definitely check out the other sites. Many of my readers are in the “better than nothing” category, which is why I like Touringplans. Easy to use, and the automated plans are definitely better than none.
Also totally agree on the “early” plan. Biggest mistake is puttering in the morning.
I found that even “walking with a purpose” when we got to the park made a difference. We were too tired the day after Christmas (do not go on that day!!) to be there before the park opened, but got there soon after opening. We knew we wanted to do Belle’s enchanted story time, and just walked straight there. You could tell that a lot of people were just wandering around semi-aimlessly. So, don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t up at the crack of dawn, because having a plan can make up for a bit of sleeping. (though, of course, being there before the park opens AND having a plan is even better)