Agree with this and what @ryan1 said. There is clearly something fundamentally wrong with the navigation on the current site. So it’s def good they are redesigning!
The public comments and private notes isn’t new, I’ve used it in the past.
4 Likes
My biggest issue regarding finding info on the WDW hotels is getting to the hotel page in the first place! There is no “hotels” option on the pulldown menu on the main dashboard. There are links for parks, dining, crowd calendar, and other lesser things - but not hotels! I think there used to be one, but it went away a few years ago.
1 Like
I am having an issue really seeing this on my phone but I want to jump in regarding the need to have the directions, in as many places as possible, in as many formats as possible for users.
Most people here have experience with the tools, or can navigate/find directions on their own. This is not true for all TouringPlans.com users! There are posts, sometimes multiple posts, daily that ask for help to identify rooms. Some users think the request links to MDE, many users get lost once they get to the map, many don’t know how to set up a trip on their dashboard (will that page change and will detailed directions be linked there), many users look for room requests from their trips in the app.
2 Likes
I like option B
This! I’m always expecting it to be available on the top nav, but have to read through the text on the home page, find the resorts link, click through to the best deluxe/mod/value/villa page, scroll down to find the resort I’m looking for, and then finally get to the room finder tool. (This is if I don’t have a specific trip yet set up on a dashboard/if I’m still deciding on which hotel I want.) The hotels are a major part of WDW so should be easily found from the top nav. Likewise, the room finder tool is a major benefit of TP, so it should be easy to get to as well.
1 Like
My way is faster. Go to Google, type “touringplans.com room finder”. This is pretty much how I find everything I want to use on Touringplans.com…I can never find anything using their own navigation. 
5 Likes
I was going to add this as well! I get turned around on the current tool and have to pay attention to which way North is pointing on the original map because it always changes once you filter/click into different floors. It’s tough re-orienting yourself when North doesn’t always point up on a screen.
2 Likes
That’s how I find everything too.
My way is faster- click the link on your dashboard (direct to the resort you are staying at).
True…but that only works if you already have a trip planned with a resort plugged in. When exploring options, however, there is no direct link (that I can find).
2 Likes
You pick a room view before you decide on a resort?
No. I use the room finder to “explore” the resort. For example, when we were planning our 2020 trips, I use the room finder to help decide on which resort we might prefer. The room views give a great sense of the feel of the resort, etc.
I also will use it after we have picked the resort to narrow down a preferred room…but usually we have already some idea already due to the research done ahead of time.
1 Like
I might want to look at room views at different resorts before picking one.
2 Likes
I like option A best with the example of the room views as the first thing one sees. Then I prefer the layout in the “what are my options for Disney hotels” section of option B best. Too much scrolling on the other option. I don’t mind the instructions as others have mentioned. I if I don’t need to read it, I don’t read it (as I believe most internet users also do).
Could you PLEASE make North always at the top of the maps and when you zoom in to see a particular block/building of rooms so that it’s less confusing?
7 Likes
For the landing page, I like option B better overall, except I like the “what are my resort options” section from option A. However for the rest of the tool, I like option A with the filters on the left nav vs at the top. Or…do the filters even need to permanently remain on the screen? After the initial search, could you just have a filters button so that they aren’t taking up a bunch of real estate/causing scrolling?
Related to filters- I can tell you that the only one I ever use is Room Type. Are these the right filters to include? Someone else mentioned Connecting as an important criteria for them—are there other things like that which are currently missing which could make the tool more useful?
One nice-to-have for me would be actual objective measurement of distances versus using minutes. Obviously, minutes will give you a relative measurement, but it’s still subjective. I don’t know if those minutes were obtained from a 98 year old or from a tall/fast walker like me. I can translate my pace to my own kids to know weather it’s going to be too far, but I don’t know how to translate TP’s pace. What would be easier is knowing if building #X is 1/2 mile to a bus stop or 20 feet. That is objective for everyone. (Anecdotal case- the commentary on CBR is that it’s SO big and SO spread out and people don’t like walking so far—but I didn’t think it was bad at all.)
2 Likes
Oh! I like this suggestion. I agree with you. Could even just combine them. Like saying distance is 1/2 mile (~10 minutes) or something like that.
2 Likes
Oh, one other nice-to-have- could there be a TP’s room pick for each room type at a resort versus just the overall resort? If I haven’t booked a preferred room, but that’s all the TP picks for the best views, it’s not as helpful. I’ll still likely click through the maps, but if I want a quick way to narrow down, having TP picks for each of the water/garden/standard/[whatever room types there are for a particular resort] would be great!
1 Like