Don’t Want to Plan or Use a Touring Plan? This Post is for You!

I think Erin Foster did an excellent job trying to persuade readers to use a Touring Plan.  I’m going to take a different tack. For people who feel creating and following a touring plan is too onerous, just use a touring plan as a to-do list. It only takes a few minutes to create a Touring Plan to-do list. You can make the to-do list while taking a bus, boat, monorail, or Skyliner to the parks.

Once you are in the park click the “Optimize” button. To check attractions off your to-do list, click the “Done” button.

As you work through your to-do list, click the “Optimize” to incorporate the latest conditions in the park.

If you want to take a break; take a break. If you want to add an attraction to your to-do list; add an attraction. If you want to remove an attraction from your to-do list; delete an attraction. Just re-optimize your to-do list often.

My To-Do List from March 15, 2021

I created a to-do list with twelve attractions:

• • • Astro Orbiter
    • Big Thunder Mountain
    • Buzz Lightyear
    • Jungle Cruise
    • Mickey’s PhilharMagic
    • Peter Pan’s Flight
    • Pirates of the Caribbean
    • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
    • Space Mountain
    • Splash Mountain
    • The Haunted Mansion
    • Under the Sea

I optimized my to-do list when I arrived at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom at 7:20 a.m. The first item on my list was Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Unfortunately, I did not see any trains running, and a line was forming. I assumed the ride was not operating. I deleted the attraction and re-optimized. Now, the first step was Peter Pan’s Flight. As I approached the attraction I could see that the attraction was running and guests were riding. The next attractions were Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, The Haunted Mansion, and Mickey’s PhilharMagic. I completed all 6 attractions before 10:00 a.m.

At 10:00 a.m. I took a break, a long 7-hour break. I returned to the Magic Kingdom at 5:30 p.m. to complete my to-do list. I added back Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and re-optimized. Below is the complete list of attractions and the order I did them.

Review of Daily Data

The charts below show the wait times for the twelve attractions I had on my to-do list. The software tries to organize the attractions to minimize walking and wait times. The yellow dot on each chart is the wait times I experienced. The maroon diamonds are actual wait times submitted by other users. Besides, Splash Mountain, my actual wait time was the lowest wait time or close to the lowest wait time submitted for each attraction.

Every time I try to outsmart the Touring Plans software, the software wins. I would have questioned doing Splash Mountain at 5:50, and I was not happy waiting 51 minutes. I could have done it later, but it would have saved me only 10 minutes. That time savings would have been lost on having to walk across the park for one attraction.

Have you been reluctant to use a touring plan? Will you give it a try now?