Plan Wait Times Question

I’ll be going to both USF & UIOF during the 2nd week of August and am playing around with plans and when using the Optimize feature I am seeing what looks like some very reasonable wait times. Could this be true?

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=4370327

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=4370344

Yes. These wait times are reasonable. It is because you are going the first week that Orlando (Orange County) schools are returning to class. Your Sunday is pretty busy at IOA, but that Wed. at USF should be a low CL

I will say that while the times are reasonable on Wed. your plan seems, to me, is a bit unrealistic… I’ve never met anyone who can ride 10 attractions without needing to pee / drink / look at a gift shop / etc… You’re kinda on a hectic march all over the WWOHP and Production Central side of USF.

Thank you so kindly for your response. You are right, I know there is some adjusting to do, but that is how it optimized it for me. At least I have lunch built in. But even at that I too question why it has me going from one end to the other on occassion. Should I just manually input rides nearer to each other in a logical flow and then have it evaluate?

Even as-is though it has me finishing the tours hours ahead of closing which should in essence give me more time to do those things you mentioned, the light show at IOA and Shrek 4-D is only there if time permits but not a necessity.

All-in-all though if the times are fairly accurate as you say then that is fantastic.

I should clarify, that my concern is more about the lack of breaks / rest than the route.

The route is fine… if you want to start in WWOHP. It just seems like you rush back there to beat the crowds, but then immediately leave and walk all the way back to the front of the park.

TP will tell you to go to wherever the queue is the shortest. You may crisscross the park to save 6 minutes in queue.

How much time would be “lost” waiting in queue later in the day versus walking all the way to the back of the park and then returning to the front.

IME - 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 street shows / 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 MIB, then rest, and then plan to go to The Simpsons it only allocates a one minute walk time, instead of what should have been like 10 minutes.

Personally, I tell it I’m going to an eatery near my next ride to make sure it accounts for the walk to that ride.

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.

Oh definitely will be taking breaks. As mentioned that was just playing around with plans and just an initial input of rides I am interested in riding and when the wait times showed up I was surprised at how low they were overall. So when I posted the plans it was mainly to show the wait times that were appearing and questioning the validity of them from those here who have experience.

Thank you for your suggestions and as I continue to build this to a more realistic outlook on how a day may go I’ll post again.

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When building and using extra park hours is it best to go to popular rides in the back first using the assumption that many people will stop at the front ones as they approach them first?

If you do have access to EPA then you should definitely head back to WWOHP first. The crowds there only ramp up as the day progresses. The morning is, IME, the best time to explore the area, do wand spells, shop, eat.

I like to do the rides about 5 minutes before park opening or right at RD - before the herd gets there.

Are you doing EPA?

Yes I have EPA. I’m going with my 10 year old son and it’s all about the rides. But as I understand it not all rides will necessarily be open during the EP period.

For some reason, when I pull up your plans, it shows me the attractions, but not the wait times. So I can only offer this. Be aware that this year waits have been much higher than people anticipated. If your plan is showing very low waits, there is a possibility that they will go up. They seem to be seeing an unprecedented amount of people in the parks that have been contradicting the historical data. I realize that school will be back in session, but if you are seeing exceptionally low wait times, maybe mentally prepare for them to be a bit higher.

I, too, can’t see the wait times. (I’m guessing you edited the plan but haven’t re-evaluated it?)

But looking at the “pattern” there…I would experiment also with adjusting your settings to minimize walking, rather than balanced, and use relaxed as your walking speed. This will do a better job, in my experience, in giving you reasonable wait times, but also keep you from walking from one end of the park of the other for very little benefit overall.

I definitely recommend doing WWOHP as soon as possible. As previously stated, crowds build there quickly, and by lunch time, the place is often so jam-packed it is hard to maneuver.

Also note that since you have a rest at 3:00 pm for 15 minutes, the software doesn’t really account for walking time for the position just PRIOR to that rest and just after. So, while you have a 15 minute rest…you’ll probably notice that there is effectively no walk time listed in getting from F&F to Animal Actors. (Essentially, your 15 minutes will be you walking from one side of the park to the other!)

I actually find it better to add an eatery instead of a “break” with a note that it is a REST period. This will then account for walking time…just pick an eatery that is somewhat near one or the other locations (or somewhere in between the two).

Using a “break” I find more useful for allocating larger blocks of time you won’t be in the park, or will be occupied doing something else. Unfortunately, using it for small breaks can upset the plan.

I’ve been to the WWOHP before and am not so interested in doing that. My wife may go do that while my son and I hit the rides. Are there any rides that open at the 8am early entry time that we can take advantage of in either of the 2 parks?

Despicable Me typically opens for early entry at USO.

Spider-Man opens early at IOA.

Other than that, basically just WWOHP attractions open early in both parks.

ETA: If you are doing a day where you do NOT want to do WWOHP, then I would focus on doing the non-HP ride, and then hopping in line for the next attraction.

For example, at IOA, if you do Spider-Man, and then get in line for Hulk, you are basically now ahead of the crowd. You do Hulk as others are getting in line for it, and start moving around clockwise. You can get a lot done that way, because you are literally hitting the next ride before everyone else each step of the way.

Ok, thanks. I’m going to play around with it more as I have time.

Maybe Spider-man doesn’t open at 8am, the optimization feature has me going to Hulk first although it doesn’t open until 9am.

From: Universal Orlando

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Just add a note at the start of your plan to do Spider-Man first, and then follow the optimization. Hulk first at normal opening time is best since you can get in line before the other guests.

Gotcha. Thanks.

I built a full plan for USF. You can see I have it set for 3 rides, then REST, 3 rides, REST, 3 rides and REAL MEAL TIME (Lunch). This all goes in a fairly natural walking progression through the park.

Then with plenty of time remaining according to the plan evaluator to go to Animal Actors, Shrek 4D and Diagon Alley.

Once again though those wait times seem awfully short to me with the longest being 30 minutes. Even if it is off by a bit and are a little longer it still seems implausible but what do I know.

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=4379097

I know this is just for REST and not the actual locations you’ll go to, but Finn’s doesn’t open to 11am. FYI

Your plans seem to be coming along great! Do you have small children? I ask because Shrek 4-D is, IMHO, probably the worst attraction at all of Universal.

I love 4-D stuff like MuppetVision and It’s a Bug Life at WDW. So, when I say Shrek is a dud understand that it’s coming from someone that likes this stuff…

Also, the movie is available for free in many places online. It was on Netflix for a long time…

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