Touring plan for Sept??

[Dennman]

Sept 16-22 will be our first visit in 15 years.
I keep reading about having a touring schedule and the importance of rope drops, breaks, EMH etc etc.
Considering most sites are forcasting crowd levels that week as 1-3 (1 being lowest of the year) I am wondering how important it is to have a minute by minute itinerary.
Any advice is appreciated! We are two adults staying at POR with a 6 day park hopper, visiting all 4 parks.

 

[nepalostparks]

You shouldn't need a minute by minute itinerary, but having at least a basic plan will help make sure you see everything that is a priority to your travel party. We also liked having it to avoid the whole "where do you wanna go next" discussion/argument after every attraction when our large family traveled together.

I always suggest being their for rope drop no matter what time of the year. The first hour or two are always the best time to get the headline attractions done without any wait (Soarin, Toy Story Midway Mania, Space Mountain, etc.) If you aren't morning people, be prepared to use FASTPASS for those bigger attractions so you can avoid standing in line more than you have to.

Have a great trip!

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

You don't necessarily need a minute by minute plan but you will want to have some semblance of a game plan.

If nothing else figure out which park you will do each day. I would also plan on being at the parks at rope drop. Early morning is the best time to catch certain rides whose wait time will sky rocket. I know that they are forecasting low crowd levels but certain rides like Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios and Peter Pan at Magic Kingdom all have huge waits unless you hit them first thing in the morning.

Most importantly, and I'm sure you are aware of this, make sure you use Fast Passes. This will definately help you out.

Other than that stay relaxed and have a great time.

 

[Mukta]

I always have a touringplan for my Sept trips.

I get there at rope drop because not only are the parks empty, the weather is tolerable. I do the first 7 to 10 rides on my list. Having them written down saves 'what should we do now?' time.

I eat lunch and then go back to my room to rest. September is crazy hot and it wears me out. I rest from 2 pm or so to 5 pm or so.

I come back to the parks in the evening and do the rest of the things on my list.

On a 6 or 7 day trip in Sept, you can easily see every attraction in the parks if you are organized.

 

[luv]

A good plan allows you to spend more time enjoying stuff and less time in line. It also takes away all the indecision..."where should we go today?" "What do you want to do now?" "I don't know...where do you want to eat?"

You can go without any plan at all and still have a wonderful time...but IMO, a plan helps.

You're going to have to figure out where you're going, what you'll ride next, where you want to eat (and if there is a table available) at some point. You might as well do it at home, before you go, instead of while you're there, standing around in the heat, feeling tired and crabby.

The more time you spend on this before you go, the less time you have to spend on it while you're there.

 

[lostpro9het]

I've found Tourning to be very effective an helpful for the week of Christmas but during September we blew through the plan in half a day and realized the crowds during September didnt warrant a plan. If you are concerned about making sure you hit all the rides in September, dont sweat it.

 

[Dennman]

Great! I HAVE been working on it and now that I've got input, I know I'm headed in the right direction!
Now if I can get thru the next 45 days!

 

[ShookieJones]

Me - I'm a planner. However there are plenty of folks around here who fly by the seat of their pants.

My opinion. Having SOME kind of a plan can never be a bad thing.

Actually the things you mentioned are probably all the plans you really need to ensure you'll have a great time Any time of th year.
Hitting the parks at Rope drop and utilizing (morning- sometimes evening) EMH will in most cases guarantee:

1.hit everyride you want,
2.see the lowest crowd levels
3. Have the afternoons to relax.

If that sounds good - give that simple planning a try.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you will enjoy yourself!

 

[ThinkTink721]

I tend to be an overplanner.
Here is what my family & I did for our upcoming Aug/Sept trip...
We all sat down & listed our must-do restaurants & rides/attractions.
We planned our trip around those things.
There is SO much to do at WDW!...You can make each trip different by planning different things.
Of course, there are the things that you want to do every trip!
We may even try the waterparks, mini-golf, & Disney Quest this time.
We have done Disney Quest before, but have never done the waterparks or the mini-golf at WDW.
Remember, whatever you plan...have fun!!!

 

[twinnstar]

I am an overplanner too!

I usually make DDRs a few months out, decide if theres any special things I want to do that need to be booked (tours, etc), times for parades and shows.

That will get you to a point where you can figure out what days to do which parks, and when.

my plan of attack when i get to a park is just to try to get a FP for whatever attraction that gets busy and if i dont go on it, i would cry a million rivers. after that, i just go on whatever has the shortest wait, and get FPs as the day goes on, as much as i can.

But heres the most important part of my way of planning: after you plan - FORGET THE PLAN! and just have a good time! I will have a trip planned so obnoxiously, and then the trip comes and i change things around if i dont feel like it, or something else seems better...wherever the tide takes me, as they say.

 

[disneygirl76]

Sept 16-22 will be our first visit in 15 years.
I keep reading about having a touring schedule and the importance of rope drops, breaks, EMH etc etc.
Considering most sites are forcasting crowd levels that week as 1-3 (1 being lowest of the year) I am wondering how important it is to have a minute by minute itinerary.
Any advice is appreciated! We are two adults staying at POR with a 6 day park hopper, visiting all 4 parks.

I have a my own plan -but I don't plan minute to minute. I plan a lot! I mean - A LOT! But we are open to doing things when we want. I have Touring Plans but I don't use them for the touring plans, mostly just for crowd level and some other things. We know how to navigate the parks in a way that works for my DH and I. Since you have not been in 15 years - there is a great deal of new info you should know. you don't necessarily need to follow a touring plan, but you need to prepare. I would recommend that you study the maps, plan out what you want to see when, do your research to see what you want to catch/ride/watch, and just plan it all out.