I’m trying to make plans for a first-timer trip in January. I’ve got two things I want to do but I’m not sure how (or if):
We plan on two days at each park, can I just input the things we want to see and the days we want to be there and have it plan what to do on what days? Or do I need to figure out what to put in the plan each day?
Is there a way for the program to suggest food that is close along the route suggested or within a reasonable detour time frame? I don’t want to input a lunch that’s across the park when we could do a different place and save time and then do the lunch for dinner.
Welcome to the forum!
You will have to create one plan for each park for each day, and you be the one to choose the attractions, shows, meals, etc. that you want in each. The plan does not suggest exactly what should be in your plan, it only puts the items in an optimal order (which you can move around). The plans will also give you detailed timing for when you’ll arrive at something, how long you will wait in line, how long the attraction takes, how long to walk to the next thing, and how much free time you have. I suggest you study the maps of each park to understand what is where.
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One easy way to start making a plan is to look at an existing one, then copy it and plug in your dates and right park hours. You can add or delete things, and move them around. “Evaluate” will keep things in order and update the times, while “Optimize” will rearrange things to get the shortest total time waiting in line. You can practice making plans, over and over, to get variations and see how they compare.
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To keep the plan more realistic, I normally set the walking speed to ‘very slow’ and set it to ‘minimize walking’. This way you will not have to cross a park several times.
To come up with the place for lunch - I would suggest putting in all the attractions in your plan and optimizing. Then, look at where you will be around desired lunch time. Finally, look at the map and find the acceptable dining location close to this attraction.
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This is the stuff of dreams.
Unfortunately no. You’ll have to tell it which things on which days and it will tell you the order.
Welcome!!
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Everyone is spot on so far… Here’s what I’ll add…
I’ve seen too many “perfect” plans that go from ride-to-ride nonstop. You really need to put a 10 – 15 minute break in your plan every 1.5 hours. I’ve had more than one person tell me, “I’m on vacation. I don’t need to schedule when I pee.”
These breaks are a buffer for unexpected Magic / toilet / gift shops / drinks / etc.…
When putting in these breaks make sure to account for the walking time to your next attraction. Any time you insert a “rest” into a plan, the walking times after the rest are wrong due to a bug in TP software. For example, you are at Dumbo, then rest, and then plan to go to Jungle Cruise it only allocates a one minute walk time, instead of what should have been like 10-15 minutes.
If your next attraction is nearby this isn’t a big deal, but it is something to consider.
It’s always IMHO better to have the break & not need it than get behind.
Also, IME, while I LOVE TP it’s not perfect. On average I have to cut 2 - 4 attractions / shows every day. This is even with giving myself all those breaks. More often than not TP will greatly underestimate a couple of predicted queue waits. (Often an additional 30 - 50 minutes) So… be prepared to figure out what you can be ok missing or not getting a repeat ride on.
I have kept my plans over the last 3 years and written out all the data. (predicted vs. actual waits) IME - Touring Plans averages a -81 minutes longer than predicted each day. Again… I’ll never go to WDW / DLR / UOR without a personalized TP , but I’ve learned that you have to leave good amounts of unscheduled time & add in 10 – 15 minutes breaks every 90 minutes or so to be able to realistically accomplish all that I want.
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One more suggestion: it worked better when we scheduled all the must-dos in the first half of the day. It is afternoons that tend to be less predictable - rain, long lines, tired kids, etc.
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Thank you everyone! Are there maps here or someplace you recommend that show where all the food and attractions are located? Is there one in the park guide touringplans sells? I had planned to put in a snack break every 2 hours because I’m going with a 6 and a 4 year old and that’s been about their endurance at more local theme parks, so maybe instead of a rest break I’ll put in food and it won’t assume we’re still walking. Hopefully with a more detailed map than I’ve been able to see so far I can figure out how to logically break up the areas into two days. I’ll set plenty of rests and the slowest speeds, we just want a game plan because knowing where to go next means less wasted time trying to figure it out. It’s good to know it’ll probably take more time, I started with Animal Kingdom because it has the least amount of stuff we want to do and it said we would be done in 3 hours 
If I download the app can I sign in there and alter my plans day-of while we’re there?
WDW’s site has a map you can explore on your computer. It’s also on MDE (their app). You can filter for things like dining.
I have to admit I like the clean, simplified maps at https://www.easywdw.com/easy/ . If you look under each park, under “Theme Park Touring,” there is a printable color map for that park. The map shows where all the restrooms and attractions are, along with QS and TS restaurants. Things are color-coded.
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Yes, you can download Lines (for WDW) app, and see your plans. You can modify them on the app anytime. The chat feature on Lines is very handy, very helpful (it’s mostly just us users responding).
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Yes! Having done WDW with a five year old three times this last year, I can vouch for much-needed, frequent snack breaks! One thing you may or may not know is that you can bring your own food into the parks… So I always have a small stash of goldfish, pirates booty, and lollipops in my bag in case quick service lines are long.
Also, while she doesn’t nap anymore, and hasn’t since she was three, she still benefited greatly from “downtime “in the middle of the afternoons. Sometimes it worked to just do one of the shows, or watch some of the animated shorts around the parks. Other times, it was helpful to have a tableservice meal in air conditioning. We also rode the monorail for a little bit one day! And, of course, a mid afternoon break to go swimming in the pool never hurts! So that’s my extra unsolicited advice for you – you may want to build in a longer break in the afternoons.
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Thank you all so much! This is very helpful, and I’ll take all the extra advice I can get!
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The people on the forums are pretty great, so after you build a plan, if you want to share it (you’re given that option in the plans) - folks with lots of park experience can offer feedback, or based on when you’re wanting to eat suggest a place near that in your plans.
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