TouringPlans.com Blog » Fred Hazelton

February, March and Wednesdays at Epcot – Sounds Like The Next Narnia Movie

Fred Hazelton — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:12:30 +0000

Recent changes have been made to the park schedules for February and March 2011. Most affected is the Studios where park schedules have been reduced throughout February. Some minor changes to March have appeared as well. The crowd calendar has been updated to reflect these changes.

Reminder: we still expect these schedules to change in the coming months, perhaps several times, so stay tuned…

In this update we also took the chance to address an issue with Wednesdays at Epcot this fall that many of you noticed. In September through November Epcot is hosting Extra Magic Hour evenings on Wednesdays. Epcot is also hosting Extra Magic Hour mornings on Tuesdays during this period. This back-to-back Extra Magic Hour schedule is rare and caused a sort of ‘perfect storm’ in our models. The data that we have for these situations tells us that wait times should be very high. We feel uneasy about these estimates because of the time of year and the rarity of the schedule so we have made some adjustments. Make sure to double-check the calendar for your dates.

Disney tried this back-to-back EMH schedule last year as well during the Food and Wine Festival. If you were at Epcot on a Wednesday last year during Food and Wine we would love to hear about your experiences with wait times during the day.

February, March and Wednesdays at Epcot – Sounds Like The Next Narnia Movie is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Restaurants Added To Tables In Wonderland Membership

Fred Hazelton — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:07:37 +0000

Four restaurants have been added to list of those accepting the Tables In Wonderland discount.

At Disney’s Boardwalk Resort: Big River Grille & Brewing Works

At Downtown Disney West Side: Bongo’s Cuban Café

At Downtown Disney Pleasure Island: Paradiso 37

At Epcot Italy Pavilion: Via Napoli

Tables in Wonderland is a dining discount program for Florida residents and Annual passholders. For an annual fee of $100 for Florida Residents or $75 for Annual Passholders, members receive a 20% discount on all food and beverage (including alcohol) purchased at participating full service restaurants.

Restaurants Added To Tables In Wonderland Membership is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Per Park Crowd Levels And The Crowd Calendar

Fred Hazelton — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:16:06 +0000

Several readers have asked us questions about how to interpret the per park crowd levels that we recently added to our crowd calendar. Although we use the same methods to produce the numbers there are some differences that we want to spell out.

The per park crowd levels are an absolute ranking of the wait times for that park. We only take wait times into consideration for per park levels. The park recommendations are based on touring conditions. A “Best Park” is one which has the best touring conditions for that day, a “Park to Avoid” is one where the touring conditions are more restrictive. For “touring conditions” we take into account wait times, special events, extra magic hours and other factors that affect touring.

It gets confusing when the per park crowd is low but a park is listed as the park to avoid. How can that be?

Actually, this is telling us something interesting about wait times. It means that on some days where touring conditions are not ideal (Extra Magic Hour Mornings, Special Events, etc.) the wait times are not that bad.

OK, now I’m really confused. When the per park crowd level and park recommendations don’t agree, how do I decide what to do?

Well, you have to determine how the touring conditions affect what you want to do. Here are some examples of when to use the per park crowd levels and when the park recommendations are better.

Use the Per Park Levels if …

you are taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours
you don’t mind that the park closes early
you are not concerned about sticking to a touring plan
the most important thing is low wait times

Use the Park Recommendations if…

you are not taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours
you want regular park hours
you want to complete a touring plan
the most important thing is optimal touring conditions

Keep using the Crowd Calendar as a tool to help you decide what schedule makes the most sense for you. Stay tuned for further features that will allow you to customize the calendar to fit your vacation.

Per Park Crowd Levels And The Crowd Calendar is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Crowd Calendar Update For March 2011

Fred Hazelton — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:44:43 +0000

Park hours and park schedules for March 2011 are available and our crowd calendar has been updated accordingly. Some park schedules for September have been changed so you may notice some updates there too.

Like December 2010, some March hours don’t match historical trends so we’re expecting things to be updated again some time in the new year.

Crowd Calendar Update For March 2011 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Crowd Calendar Update – Hours For March 2011 Posted

Fred Hazelton — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:55:30 +0000

Disney has released park schedules for March 2011 and our Crowd Calendar has been updated to reflect the changes. Per park hours are updated as well. Extended hours begin on Saturday March 12th, in line with the beginning of peak Spring Break season. Crowd Calendar Update – Hours For March 2011 Posted is a post from [...]

Crowd Calendar Update – Hours For March 2011 Posted is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Individual Park Crowd Levels — Now Available!

Fred Hazelton — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:11:29 +0000

“Should I go to Magic Kingdom when it’s a Best Park and the Crowd Level is a ‘7′? Or should I go when it’s a Park to Avoid and the Crowd Level is a ‘2′?”

We’ve received this question many times, and we’ve always wanted to answer it better. So we’re happy to debut a new feature: Per-Park Crowd Levels are now a part of the Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar!

These individual park crowd levels are based on wait times and are measured on a relative scale from 1 to 10. If the Magic Kingdom Crowd Level is a ‘1′ — it’s one of the lightest days of the year for the Magic Kingdom (and when it’s a 10, it’s one of busiest for the Magic Kingdom).

A given park level is only directly related to other park levels for the same park. If Magic Kingdom is a ‘4′ and Epcot is a ‘6′, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the Magic Kingdom is less crowded than Epcot (a ‘4′ day at the Magic Kingdom may have longer waits than a ‘6′ day at Epcot). However, if Epcot is a ‘4′ one day and a ‘6′ the next day, we’re predicting that Epcot will be less crowded on the first day, and more crowded on the second.

How does it affect my trip planning?

Say you’re on a 5-day trip, and want to schedule your touring around the single best day to hit the Fantasyland dark rides. Or the most relaxing day to enjoy Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris. Or you want to hit Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the day you can most likely get a FASTPASS for Toy Story Mania after 10am! These Park Crowd Levels should help you do just that.

How do these numbers relate to the Best Park Recommendations?

As the calendar shows, we don’t simply choose the day with the lowest park crowd level to be the Best Park for a given day. Further, we don’t choose the absolute least crowded park for each day (if we did, the Animal Kingdom would be the Best Park every day of the year). Our Park Recommendations are based on a formula that includes Extra Magic Hours, special events & holidays, as well as guaranteeing that each park is a “Best Park” at least one day out of every seven days. To read more about how we calculate the Best Parks and Parks To Avoid, read the Park Recommendations breakdown.

Go check them out!

The Park Crowd Levels can be found here and are available exclusively for premium subscribers. Any questions, comments? Leave us a comment or email us!

Individual Park Crowd Levels — Now Available! is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Gay Days 2011 Added To The Crowd Calendar

Fred Hazelton — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:10:45 +0000

We have added an estimate for the Gay Days schedule in 2011. These are only estimates while we wait for the actual schedule to be announced. We are assuming that they will keep the same schedule as in years past.

June 2 – Animal Kingdom
June 3 – Hollywood Studios
June 4 – Magic Kingdom
June 5 – Epcot

In 2010, our wait time data showed that the affect of Gay Days on crowd levels is minimal. Crowds during Gay Days are in line with typical crowds for early June.

Gay Days 2011 Added To The Crowd Calendar is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

February Hours Posted – Crowd Calendar Updated

Fred Hazelton — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:27:20 +0000

Disney has posted the park hours and schedules for February 2011 (subject to change, of course), and has made changes to park hours for July, August, and January. When Disney changes its park hours, it’s a good indicator that their forecast for the crowds has changed — so we change ours as well.

Further, we’ve updated an additional 18 days in the next six months based on data we’re receiving from Lines users (big thanks!). We want you to have the best trip possible, and these changes will give you a more accurate picture of what the crowds will look like. And as usual, please let us know if you have any questions related to your trip.

February Hours Posted – Crowd Calendar Updated is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Comparing Christmas Hours in 2010

Fred Hazelton — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:01:05 +0000

Park schedules are posted on Disney’s Website for December 2010.

The park hours and park schedules for the Magic Kingdom over the Christmas holidays are very different than what we’ve seen in the past few years. So different in fact that it seems likely that the park hours and schedules will change as the holiday approaches.

Park Hours

Between 2006 and 2009 the Magic Kingdom was open for 15 to 18 hours (8:00am to 1:00am or 2:00am) each day between December 23rd and December 31st. In 2010 the Magic Kingdom is scheduled to be open for 14 or 15 hours (9:00am to 11:00 or midnight) during the same period.

Spectromagic Parades

Every year between 2006 and 2009 there were two Spectromagic Parades December 23rd through December 31st. Presently, the posted schedule shows only one Spectromagic Parade offered during the same days in 2010.

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010 is still six months away and the park schedules are always subject to change. If you are planning your trip for Christmas 2010 it is possible that the park hours will change in the next few months. Our crowd calendar is based on a combination of several factors including historical park hours. Our crowd level predictions are presently based on the assumption that park hours will be similar to years past.

Comparing Christmas Hours in 2010 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Crowd Calendar Update – Extra Magic Hour Mornings

Fred Hazelton — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:01:11 +0000

It has been a week since we launched our new and improved Crowd Calendar 2.0 and we thank everyone for all the great comments and support.

Today, we’re tweaking our Crowd Calendar’s park recommendations. Many of you have written to us mentioning that we’ve recommended certain parks on Extra Magic Hour mornings. This goes against our usual strategy for recommending parks, especially since non-resort guests cannot take advantage of Extra Magic Hour mornings.

When it comes to EMH mornings, it’s a tough call: if you’re a resort guest and can park hop, you can beat the crowds by waking up early and switching parks by 11am. If you’re not, you’re definitely better off hitting another park.

For the purposes of our Crowd Calendar, we need to make it optimal for all guests, hence the changes we’re putting in place today. Most affected are the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Crowds at these parks are affected not just by Extra Magic hours but also by nighttime schedules like Spectromagic and Fantasmic. You may find that these parks went from “Best Park” to “Park to Avoid” for the day of your visit. If you were planning to take advantage of Extra Magic hours it still may be a good choice. These new recommendations are best for non-resort guests who can not take advantage of the Extra Magic hour.

Thinking about heading to a park on a Extra Magic Hour morning?

TouringPlans.com Tips for Extra Magic Hour (EMH) mornings

Best for resort guests with park hoppers
Arrive at the turnstile 20-30 minutes before the EMH
Follow a morning touring plan that includes the attractions open during EMH
Exit the park before lunch
Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios are good choices for EMH mornings
Animal Kingdom EMH morning is not recommended for touring (Waits during EMH morning are historically higher than the first hour of a non-EMH day)

Follow these tips to get the most out of your Extra Magic Hour Morning.

Crowd Calendar Update – Extra Magic Hour Mornings is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook