Five Reasons You Need a TouringPlans Subscription

Of course we want you to buy our product. Of course we do. Everyone who sells something wants you to buy it. But what you care about is: do you need it?

Here are five reasons we think you should buy a TouringPlans subscription. All of these apply to Disney World; most also go for Disneyland and Universal Orlando.

1. We can help you save time

It’s our mission statement:

We help you have a better vacation by saving you time and money.

Whether it’s using our Crowd Calendar to pick a time of year when lines are shorter, or using our Premium Touring Plans to see everything efficiently, our goal is to help you spend less time in line. That’s more time for pools, resorts, snacks, and soaking up the amazing theme park atmosphere.

2. We can help you save money

Let’s get one thing straight – it’s often true that time is money. But no, I mean literally spending less money.

Our ticket calculator can find you hundreds in savings from authorized ticket resellers. The key word here is authorized — none of those skeevy outfits on Rte. 192 that advertise “Theme park ticketz here cheap”. Other things that save more than the cost of your subscription:

• Skipping a day of Lightning Lane Passes. (Or Express Pass) Our tools can help you find short lines without paying for front-of-the-line access
• Finding savings on a Disney Vacation Club rental with our subscriber-only DVC Deals page
• Letting our knowledge and recommendations steer you away from things you won’t enjoy

3. We show you two sets of ratings

I love that Rotten Tomatoes shows you an audience score and a critics score. Because sometimes I don’t care about high cinema: I want an entertaining shoot-em-up. On our site, we show you two sets of ratings. One is from the experts, including authors of the Unofficial Guides. But the other rating is based on survey results from people just like you.

When the ratings clash, what do you do? Well, you can ask in our forums (or on Lines chat if you’re a subscriber) to get even more advice. Of course, you might not need to go that far …

4. We give you knowledge

Here at TouringPlans, we have nerdy nerds and data scientists. But we know that it’s really about helping you to make a smart decision. Going back to Finnegan’s Bar & Grill, it’s right there in the At-a-Glance why the numbers don’t match up. The entertainment is fun, the beer is cold, and it’s one of only two full-service spots in Universal Studios Florida.

For anyone who wants them, we’ve got cool charts like this one:

But we know how to put that in plain English too: “… tickets cost much less per day after the fourth day. The first day of a 10-day ticket often costs as much as the last six days combined.”

And that’s really where it’s at, you know. To riff on a famous ad series, we see it kind of like this:

• Savings on tickets found with our Cheapest Ticket Calculator: $245
• Knowing how to choose the correct discount for your Disney hotel reservation: $378
• Confidence that you’re well prepared to have a wonderful vacation? Priceless.

5. We can’t do it without you

Some of those tools I’ve mentioned above are behind a subscriber paywall, but many are free to use. You don’t need a subscription to read most pages on the site, or any of our blog’s in-depth articles and reviews. We are only able to keep it that way because of people like you who are willing to contribute where they find value – even if it’s just from reading. Your subscription supports our research, helping us to help you make your trip the best that it can be. Please join today.