Waze runs the numbers on alternatives. It goes through all the possible routes and tells you which is the fastest one given what is known. When Waze tells you I’ve got an alternative it’s a better alternative.

When your friend prefixes something with alternative you know it’s something he found on some YouTube video. If he had done in depth research he would bring you the new experimental way or the the new proven way. If it’s neither the established proven way, the risky experimental way or the new proven way you know it’s bad news.