How do I?

Sign In

Click the link titled "Sign In" in the upper right part of the screen. Or just click here.

Get My Password

For forgotten passwords, click here to have a new password sent to you via email.

I Didn't Get My New Password Email

The most common reason for this is a "junk email" filter blocking our email to you. If you're using a product that blocks so-called "spam" email, ensure this product is set to allow receipt of emails from "TouringPlans.com." Drop us a line if that doesn't fix this problem.

Change My Password

Sign in, then click on the My Profile link in the upper right corner of the screen.

Get My Username

Click here.

I Still Can't Log In!

The most common reasons for being unable to sign in are the use of incorrect passwords and usernames. If you've reset your password and verified your username, and still cannot sign in, the next step is to ensure that your internet browser is set to accept cookies from TouringPlans.com (What's a cookie?).

To do this in Internet Explorer, perform the following steps:

  1. Start Internet Explorer
  2. In the upper left corner of the Internet Explorer screen, you'll see a list of menu options, beginning with "File" and "Edit." Click on the menu option titled "Tools."
  3. A second menu should appear. Toward the bottom of this menu, click the entry titled "Internet Options..."
  4. A new window titled "Internet Options" should appear. Near the top of this menu will be a series of tabs titled "General," "Security," "Privacy," and so on. Click on the tab titled "Privacy."
  5. Toward the bottom of the "Privacy" tab, you'll see a section titled "Web Sites" with a button labeled "Edit." Click the Edit button.
  6. Yet another window will appear, titled "Per Site Privacy Actions." In the middle of the screen will be a text box labeled "Address of Web Site." Enter "TouringPlans.com" in this text box, and click the "Allow" button to the right of the text box.
  7. Click the "OK" button in the lower right corner of the "Per Site Privacy Actions" window.
  8. Close all open Internet Explorer windows.
  9. Restart Internet Explorer and try to sign in again.

For Safari, try this:

  1. Start Safari
  2. In the upper left corner of Safari, you'll see a list of menu options, beginning with "File" and "Edit." Click on the menu option titled "Edit."
  3. A second menu should appear. Toward the bottom of this menu, click the entry titled "Preferences."
  4. A new window should appear. Click the option titled "Security," which should be the second from the right.
  5. Make sure the option titled "Accept cookies" has selected either "Always" or "Only from sites you navigate to" and then click "Show Cookies."
  6. Use the search bar in the upper right corner to look from cookies from TouringPlans.com.
  7. If you find cookies from TouringPlans.com, click the "Remove All" button to remove those from TouringPlans.com.
  8. Close all open windows, close Safari, restart it and try to sign in again.

If the above steps don't work, try signing in on either the home page, or something other than the home page. And if *that* doesn't work, email us and we'll see what else we can suggest.

I see a wrestling site, dating site, or www.cnomy.com when I click on a link on TouringPlans.com!

The cause is almost always adware or spyware on your PC, not our site. To remove this software from your PC, we suggest visiting SpywareInfo.com for advice. Type "cnomy.com" in the search box in the upper right corner of the page, and you'll see notes from dozens of other folks with the same problem (not related to TouringPlans.com), and how to resolve it.

Nothing happens when I click on a link for a touring plan!

The most common cause for this is having Javascript (also known as "Active Scripting" in Internet Explorer) disabled in one's web browser. Here are Microsoft's instructions on how to enable Javascript in Internet Explorer 5 and above:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. On the Security tab, click Internet.
  3. Click Default Level, and then click OK.
  4. If the issue continues to occur:
    1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
    2. On the Security tab, click Internet, and then click Custom Level.
    3. Under Active scripting, click Enable or Prompt.
    4. Click OK, and then click Yes.
    5. Click OK.

Subscriptions

I Bought the Book - Do I Have to Pay to Subscribe?

Owners of a 2011 Unofficial Guide (including the Adults, With Kids and Mini-Mickey titles) receive a 35% discount on a one-year subscription to the premium website. We provide free access to everyone for book updates, the online trip planner, recent news articles and analysis, and the Disney Ticket Calculator.

How Long Does a Paid Subscription Last?

A subscription lasts twelve months from the date of purchase. So if you subscribed on November 10, 2009, your subscription would end at midnight on November 10, 2010. But if you need a couple extra days beyond that, drop us a line - we're flexible.

I keep getting a "Security phrase not set" message when I try to subscribe

We've seen this happen with folks using Norton Password Manager. Please turn Norton Password Manager off during the subscription process, and see if that helps.

Crowd Calendar

Hey! The Crowd Calendar looks different.

Yes, it does--this is Crowd Calendar 2.0! Read more here.

I've got a question about Crowd Levels

Read the detailed Crowd Levels page.

I've got a question about Park Recommendations

Check the deep, explanatory Park Recommendations page.

I've got a question about how to use the Per-Park Crowd Levels!

See the bottom of the Per-Park Crowd Levels page.

How important is choosing the right day?

Worrying about the day of the week before you have a good touring plan is like ordering two triple cheeseburgers with fries, then wondering whether the restaurant has Diet Coke. Things like the predicted crowd level, the time of day, and the attractions that you wish to visit will all affect how long you have to stand in line, and in general how crowded a park will be. Other factors, such as day of the week and whether it's a holiday can affect the crowd levels too. Our research team measures all of these factors to develop a model that will predict the amount of time you'll spend waiting in line. The following table shows how important these factors are in determining how long you wait. An importance level of 10 means that a variable has a huge effect; while a level of 1 means that it has virtually no effect at all.

Crowd Calendar Factors
Variable Importance
Attractions 10
Time of Day 10
Crowd Level Index 9
Holiday 8
Extra Magic Hour Morning 5
Day of the Week 2
Weather 1

So what does this tell us? According to our data, the attractions you visit and the time of day at which you visit them will have the greatest influence on how long you wait. On the other hand, the day of week and the weather will play only a small role. Statistically speaking, the time of day is 5 times more important than the day of the week.

Put another way, a good touring plan is much more important than choosing the right day to visit the parks. If you followed the Unofficial Guide's Magic Kingdom One-Day Touring Plan for Adults on a typical slow Tuesday and a typical busy Thursday, you'd only wait in line about 20 more minutes on Thursday - a little less than one incremental minute of wait time per attraction. In contrast, that same touring plan can save up to four hours of standing in line when compared to not following a plan.

Why do some estimates contradict advice in the book/website?

You'll occasionally see a particular recommendation here that contradicts the general advice printed in the Unofficial Guide or mentioned elsewhere on TouringPlans.com. As an example, the Unofficial Guide generally recommends avoiding any park on its Extra Magic Hour days. However, on July 4th, for example, we may recommend Epcot despite having Morning Extra Magic Hour, simply because Epcot is the best park to be in when the crowds are extremely busy.

Similarly, we'll occasionally recommend the Magic Kingdom on a Thursday or Sunday, especially during the slower months, even if there's a special event like Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party scheduled there. This is because we're trying to recommend each park at least once in any seven-day period, so that families taking a weeklong vacation can be sure to visit each park on a reasonably good day. When all of the other rules used don't fulfill this requirement, we're forced to make other "least bad" recommendations, similar to that explained above.

Why have the crowd estimates for my trip have changed?

We collect data on Disney World daily. When the data warrants a change to the recommendations, we do it. Our philosophy is that it is better to have accurate information than to keep things the same purely for consistency's sake.

Does your calendar take into account the economic downturn?

We have dozens of direct and indirect economic factors that have always been included in our crowd estimates. Its an important piece of the puzzle when predicting crowds. Incidentally, there is little evidence that the economic downturn is making crowds lighter. In fact, Disney's promotions, cut-back hours and fewer cast members are indicating that wait times have gotten even longer in some cases.

I've got a question about a specific day!

We're happy to help! Please contact us. We also routinely answer the top questions on our blog.

Touring Plans

What Kind of Touring Plans Are Available?

We offer the widest variety of touring plans available anywhere. These include:

Can I See a List of All the Plans Before Subscribing?

Yes, the website lists all of the plans we have available. There's also a handy search feature to find exactly what you're looking for.

How Do I Customize a Plan for My Trip?

If you'd like to modify one of our plans to fit your schedule, we suggest using our theme park "cheat sheets" to help determine the best times to visit the parks' attractions. You'll find cheat sheets for all four Disney parks, and varying crowd levels. Pick the cheat sheet closest to the crowd level we're predicting for your trip. You can also create your own touring plans using our personalized touring plan service.

How Do I Print a Touring Plan?

Your web browser's "Print" button should work just fine. Before printing, set your printer's page margins to 0.25 inches (0.635 cm) on the top, right, bottom, and left sides of the page. To do this in Internet Explorer, click on the word "File" in the upper left part of the screen, then select "Page Setup" from the menu that appears. You'll find the page margin settings in the lower right corner of the "Page Setup" window.

Do You Offer Touring Plans for Universal/Islands of Adventure/SeaWorld/Disneyland?

Not yet, but we do keep track of which parks folks ask for the most.

Do You Offer Professionally Customized Touring Plans?

We no longer offer a customized touring plan service. We can refer you to some very good folks who do. Their cost varies, but generally runs from $100 per hour to a flat fee of $2,500 per trip. Drop us a line if you'd like more details.

I Need a Plan That Isn't Listed

The fastest way to get exactly the plan you want is to create it yourself using our personalized touring plan feature.

Lines (wait times on your phone!)

How do I get Lines?

If you're on the iPhone, you can download the app here. If you're on the Android, search for "WDW Lines" on the Android Marketplace. And if you're on any other phone, just navigate to http://m.touringplans.com. Note that we only officially support iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and the Palm Pre. Results may vary on other phones!

I'm having trouble logging in!

  1. Make sure Javascript is turned on (iPhone) Go to Settings, click on Safari, and turn 'Javascript' on.
  2. Make sure your phone is accepting cookies (iPhone) Go to Settings, click on Safari, click on Accept Cookies, and flip to 'From visited' or 'Always'.
  3. Make sure you're using the default browser (BlackBerry) BlackBerrys can have multiple browsers. Make sure you're using the "BlackBerry" browser that ships with your device.
  4. Make sure stylesheet support is turned on (BlackBerry) Open the BlackBerry Browser. Bring up the options screen, go to Options > Browser Configuration, then select Support Style Sheets. Finally, Save Options.

  5. Try logging out, and then logging back in (All)

    Try navigate to http://m.touringplans.com/logout on your smartphone to log out. Then log back in again.

How does Lines work?

Read our announcement blog post.

You don't support my phone!

We currently only support iPhone, Android, Palm Pre, and BlackBerry smart phones, but are working on others and listening to the most popular requests. Leave a note here if we don't support your phone yet!

I still can't get Lines to work!

Email us!. Please include your phone type and your username, and describe your issue as best as you can!

Disney Ticket Calculator

What is the Disney Ticket Calculator?

Disney currently offers dozens of different admission options to its theme parks. To simplify this as much as possible, TouringPlans.com offers the Disney Ticket Calculator to help determine the least-expensive ticket options for your specific vacation plans. This service is free and considers all of the generally-available ticket options currently in use, from Disney and major third-party ticket wholesalers.

How do I use the "Advanced Options"?

Any other discounts available?

Florida residents are frequently offered steep discounts for admission to most Disney theme parks. These are almost always the best options for Floridians.

Disney offers admission discounts to members of the U.S. armed forces. The rates are better than those available from ticket wholesalers, but not as good as those available to Florida residents.

Free Trip Planner

My trip is longer than seven days. How do I add more days to my Trip Planner?

The Trip Planner supports trips up to 21 days long. To add days to your planner, look for a link titled "Add Day" on the right side of planner. If you're on Day 7 of your trip, the link will be titled "Add Day 8." Click the link to add the extra day.

What other destinations will the Trip Planner include?

Upcoming destinations we're working on include Las Vegas, Disneyland, and a generic "anywhere" destination for planning trips to any location.  Our long-term plans include support for every destination in the Unofficial Guide travel series.  If there's a specific destination you'd like to see first, drop us a line at Webmaster@TouringPlans.com.

I run a destination-specific website or travel agency. How do I get my own customized theme for a particular destination?

Send an email to Webmaster@TouringPlans.com for more details.

What margins should I use in order to print my Trip Planner pages correctly?

You should use at least a minimum margin of Left: 0.25, Right: 0.25, Top: 0.25, and Bottom: 0.19. You can change these settings by clicking "File->Page Setup" on your browser window

What web browsers does the Online Trip Planner Application support?

A: We currently support Internet Explorer 4.x, 5.x, 6.x, and 7.x Netscape 4.x, 5.x,6.x, and 7.x, Mozilla 0.x, 1.x, 2.x and Opera 7.x. The Mac Safari Browser is supported but some users have reported problems using varying parts of the Online Trip Planner.

Is there any special software or plugins that I need in order to use the Online Trip Planner?

If you plan to view the pdf version of your Trip Planner, you will need to install the Adobe Reader