We will be coming to WDW with a 15yo and 5yo. I just joined touringplans today and started working on my first day. I am happy to have the system optimize it for me, but I also know that I can optimize it further, because my party will probably split up for some things. So, DD and I may go to a stage show while DH/stepD are riding the more thrilling rides. Should I plug in all the attractions we want to see, let the system optimize it and then manually edit it to make some things at the same time since we’ll be split up? Then let the system evaluate my modified plan? I know it would probably yell at me for having some things at the same time, but we will truly be doing two things at the same time for a good bit of our days.
You can’t have two things at the same time - the Optimizer works in a linear step-by step fashion. One possible work-around is to determine the time you would like to split up, enter a break at that time for an appropriate duration, and note that DH/DD15 are doing X and you/DD5 are doing Y.
Ok, but if I Optimize first, then edit and only evaluate for my last step (not letting it make any changes), will it not evaluate either?
Evaluate takes the steps in the order listed and figures out how long they will take, so it does not deal with doing two steps at the same time either.
Ok, thanks. I think my best bet is to just plug in the attractions that DH/stepD are doing alone and the ones we will all be doing together and let it optimize that. Then DD and I will have to work our stuff in around that as most of our stuff will be stage shows, looking at animals at AK, and meeting some princesses, which we might need a FP for depending on who/what time of day.
Not sure about this, but can’t you make two touring plans? I name mine Half day in AK or Full day at HS or whatever - can’t you make two that have the group doing the same things for part of the time and other things selected as well?
That’s what I would try to do.
We frequently do “Pick a Parent, Pick a Park” with our kids - for at least one day - on this day, the kids choose the parent and the park - and we have two touring plans. Usually we are in different parks, however.
I honestly didn’t even think of that, but I’m glad you suggested it! I think, then, that I should have 2 plans per park and I’ll start with optimizing the schedule for my DH/stepD, because they will be doing most of the rides. Then I can add the things that we are doing together to my second plan for the day and add the things that my DD and I will do while they are riding. I could just use the evaluate button after trying to schedule it myself and see how it looks.
I’m assuming that when you use the optimize function there isn’t a way to “freeze” or “lock” a particular attraction is there? So that it could optimize everything else around those locked items?
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Your assumption is correct. That’s why people use breaks to set aside a particular time to do something, as you set the start time and duration.