Using TouringPlans for planning a Walt Disney World holiday

While there will be a number of families who go to Walt Disney World without advanced dining reservations or pre-booked FastPass+ selections for rides and shows, I like planning. And I like planning every little detail.

That’s why I’ve signed up for a subscription to TouringPlans for planning our Walt Disney World family holiday. I found myself using the website for looking up restaurants and attractions, and decided to take a subscription to gain access to their subscriber-only planning tools.

The subscription has not disappointed. I’ve now been spending my evenings dragging and dropping rides and shows around my personalised touring plans to minimise wait times and make the most of our time in the Disney Parks.

The system allows users to optimise or evaluate plans. You select a date and park to visit, and then add attractions and shows that you would like to experience, and then add in meals and breaks. The system then creates a plan based on the list, and suggests attractions that would be beneficial to FastPass.

There is then the option to add in FastPass+ selections, and the system can optimise the plan again, taking these into account. The result is a detailed plan with walk times, expected wait times, ride durations and free time.

In addition to this touring plan tool, TouringPlans offers subscribers access to a crowd calendar, which can be useful for holidaymakers to look at before booking a holiday or before deciding on which park to visit on what date. I’ve also enjoyed looking at the different views from the rooms in the category we’ve booked at a Disney World resort and the distances to the lobby.

When we’re in the park, I also plan to try the TouringPlans app in addition to the My Disney Experience app. TouringPlans subscribers have access to Lines–the app by Touring Plans which gives TouringPlans’ estimate of expected wait time in addition to the posted wait time. It also advises on whether the wait time is likely to soon decrease.

Fun tools for those who love their holiday planning!

Tags: Family holiday, Florida, Orlando, Travel, Travel with kids, Walt Disney World