Have you used Tour Guide Mike?

[Lollipop Mom]

I respectfully disagree with anyone who says the information in the AVP can be found here, or any other site for free. Yes, there are certain things that are the same as here. That is pretty basic information though. The real "heart" of the good information is NOT found here for free. I would guess that anyone who says they have tried it and found the same information on public boards didn't look very far in to it. There are COUNTLESS pages of information. The first secion does contain more basic information that you may have seen here but that is FAR from the extent of the AVP. I've used the AVP for planning 3 of my last 4 trips. The BEST of the best tips I found in the AVP are things that directly contradict what I see recommended here on the boards. Two of the 3 trips I planned using tourguidemike were for the week between Christmas Week in 03 and 04. Both were weeks that set all time high attendance records for Disney. Both trips my family and I managed to do everything we wanted to and we did not wait for more than 10 minutes for any attraction on etiher trip. On 12/28 of this year we spend half a day in the Magic Kingdom and did 19 attractions including multiple rides on Splash and BTMRR. We did not wait for more than 5 minutes for any of those attractions.

Is it worth the money? Absolutely. It is MUCH MUCH more than a touring plan! I have yet to find another planning resource (and I do own the UOG, Passporter, WDW with Kids and Birnbaums) that gives me more comprehensive information. None of these resources told me not only the best time of day to visit Goofy's barnstormer in order to avoid standing in line but also given me hints for how to keep my "sound sensitive" son from being scared if we happen to be walking through the barn when it roars through (btw...the tip worked perfectly!). None of the other resources give me an article or chapter written to tell me how to modify the advice they give to best work in "worse case scenario weeks" like Spring Break, Thanksgiving or Christmas weeks. TGM doesn't just publish ONE article for these holiday weeks, he publishes a customized srurvival guide to each of these weeks. None of the other resources are edited and modified regularly to stay up to date as Disney makes changes. The #1 thing I like about TGM that makes his site different is that he doesn't just give the advice, he explains WHY he advises this particular thing. I like knowing why. I like that if for some reason I need to go against his advice because of something in my itenerary that I just can't change I understand the reasoning and can then come up with how to approach it to make the best of it. I love that not only does he give a touring plan but also a chart with every attraction in the park listed showing the times it's best to visit this attraction to avoid a line. Not just "the best" time, but times that are "better than average" too. That way it's easy for me to completely customize a new plan or if I get off track because my 2 year old has a mad crush on Belle and can't be pulled away from her when we see her in the park somewhere, I can easily not only get back on track but figure out when it is best to return to things we may need to skip over right then.

 

[Jolimont]

Thank you so much everyone for your advice and input! I decided to purchase and I've just started to use it. So far it seems like my browser doesn't like his site much and I haven't been able to view anything yet, but we can probably fix that pretty easily. I'll let you know how it goes for me!

 

[Disneydreamer315]

I respectfully disagree with anyone who says the information in the AVP can be found here, or any other site for free.

Completely agree Lollipopmom. I mean who else (i.e. what service, guide, or book) modified their touring information regarding christmas day 2004, and the subsequent days during the Christmas break because of the rain forcast?!!!!! TGM did, and he emailed everybody that was going in December with the notice as well!!

Just a tiny little incy bincy bit of what this service does. Cant say enough how great it is.

 

[julybride]

I respectfully disagree with anyone who says the information in the AVP can be found here, or any other site for free.

Lollipopmom,

Your post says it all. TGM more up to date than any published guide book. He also dispenses his advice with a great deal of humor. I love having the whys of his touring plans. It makes it so much easier to work around the needs of my family.

This summer when Disney had overwhelming crowds TGM was right there, updating his advice, helping his subscribers stay ahead of the game. TGM operates a VIP tour service. His team is in the parks every day, helping real people navigate the wonderful, wacky, world. His advice is not just theory. It is culled from years of experience and enhanced by his (and his teams) experiences with actual guests.

And if you really (really) delve into the information found in the AVP you will find that his advice is unique to him.

 

[jcemom]

Thank you so much everyone for your advice and input! I decided to purchase and I've just started to use it. So far it seems like my browser doesn't like his site much and I haven't been able to view anything yet, but we can probably fix that pretty easily. I'll let you know how it goes for me!

Let us know if we can help in any way! I'm not terribly computer-savvy, but I'm sure others here are much more knowledgeable than I, and all of us TGM fans want you to enjoy the site as much as we do!

 

[lucky978]

I, too, will cast a vote in favor of TGM! I've used it for my last two trips and love it. I actually got more use of it this time than last time. I think that's because I spent more time on the site. Go for it!

 

[Brian Noble]

I'm a first-time user, so can't say how well it has helped me or not. I have read things there I've found no where else. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but frankly I don't have time to spend every waking hour reading bulletin boards. For me, even if every last piece of advice exists somewhere else, it is worth $22 of my time to find it in one well-organized place rather than wading through each thread in the DIS every day, plus mouseplant, laughingplace, mouseinfo, wdwmagic, the allears newsletter, mousesavers, ...

When I recommend resources to friends, I recommend two: TGM and UG. I consder the two of them together $40 well spent, particularly when put in context of the cost of a WDW vacation: for our family of four, planning a cheap-to-moderate trip, we're spending $2800 for the week on tickets, hotel, airfare, and rental car alone. That $40 is less than 2% of the total cost, and will pay more dividends than almost anything else I buy.

Is it worth $22 of your time? Only you know what your time is worth.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I wasn't leaning towards subscibing to TGM... But, now I am thinking that, since we will be there the week of the big kick-off for the big 50th Celebration, ( May 05, 05 ) TGM may really pay off for us? I am thinking that he may have the very latest that could help us out a LOT. There may be a lot of things going on, and a lot of tips that would prove valuable.

Do you TGM fans here on the DIS think that he would really have some great info and tips on enjoying the Magic Kingdom the first week of May, during this Kick-Off?

Also, We will be leaving home on April 29th... Should we bring the laptop and access his site once we arrive in Orlando? We wouldn't really need to rely on any emails if we were to access his site before we finally get to MK later in the week, right????

Thanks!

 

[ChairborneRangr]

LOL,

He already has info started on 05-05-05 and will update it up to the morining of 05-05-05, so yes, I think it will help

 

[Jolimont]

First impression: I've been using Mike's site about one hour non-stop (as a subscriber) and I'm a little confused. Maybe I was supposed to be taken to my individual plan as soon as I filled out my specifics, but my browser hung there forever so I rebooted my machine and logged in again. Then I was faced with hundreds of articles, all of them interesting and informative (I've never been to WDW before) but I can't for the life of me get to my individualized plan. I found a form I could fill out from scratch all by myself, but that's not why I paid $19 (thanks for the tip on the mousesaver discount!)

So right now I'm having to give up for today--pesky work!--and I have no idea of what my specific itinerary should be. I guess I was hoping for an obvious personalized plan where he'd tell me first do this, then do that, etc. Instead I got a lot of good general advice. I can't imagine that the specific plan wouldn't be there, it's got to be, I just haven't found it yet!

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[Disneydreamer315]

Jolimont

Why don't you jump onto the TourguideMiKE forums and post a thread there. That way all the tgm'ers can help you by giving specifics, which we can't do here because its a public site. We are not allowed to freely discuss the whys, hows, and all the good stuff on the disboard.

If you somehow incorperate your Dis name, I will watch for that thread (and I imagine numerous others who are both dis'ers and tgm's) and leap in there to help you get going in the right direction.

Although generalizations are always a bad thing, I have noticed that some of people who have not felt tgm was a good investment have used the site for 24 hrs or less.

Unless it has changed, I believe the money back guarentee has no time limit, that is you can use it for 6 months if you want, and get your money back if you don't find the site worth it. To me, that speaks volumes of the confidence of the owner, TourGuideMiKE.

 

[ChairborneRangr]

What is your userid over there?

Log in and hit the AVP Forums button

Go to the AVP2.0 Forum and post your issues. My userid is "Outpost200" over there.

 

[julybride]

First impression: I've been using Mike's site about one hour non-stop (as a subscriber) and I'm a little confused. Maybe I was supposed to be taken to my individual plan as soon as I filled out my specifics, but my browser hung there forever so I rebooted my machine and logged in again. Then I was faced with hundreds of articles, all of them interesting and informative (I've never been to WDW before) but I can't for the life of me get to my individualized plan. I found a form I could fill out from scratch all by myself, but that's not why I paid $19 (thanks for the tip on the mousesaver discount!)

So right now I'm having to give up for today--pesky work!--and I have no idea of what my specific itinerary should be. I guess I was hoping for an obvious personalized plan where he'd tell me first do this, then do that, etc. Instead I got a lot of good general advice. I can't imagine that the specific plan wouldn't be there, it's got to be, I just haven't found it yet!

Thanks for your help everyone!

Jolimont,

The initial amount of information on the AVP can be daunting. I would suggest on your next visit that you pop over to the AVP forums. We TGMers can help you navigate the world of the AVP. You can browse past posts from people who, like you, were overwhelmed by the site. (In truth, most of us felt that way at one time.)

Also, browse through some of the sample tours. See how Mike explains the whys of his plan. I think, for me personally, the sample tours were my "aha moment".

 

[caribbeanme]

I also have TGM, and I found his advice to be spot on during my summer trip. The only time I followed different advice (in another guidebook) I paid dearly for diverging from the plan. I think what made the difference in the TGM plans were the constant updates, particularly important now that WDW has changed its entire EMH schedule and ticket plan AFTER all the 2005 guides were published.

While the planning guides and articles are invaluable, I'm also a big fan of the photo guides of the resorts and parks. They're fabulous for when I need a WDW fix..

 

[Nik's Mom]

You are absolutely right, Lolipop Mom. I don't want to lead people to believe that everything can be found here for free, because it can't. I should say, basic info can be found here (or anywhere), but Mike's site offers so much more (no offense to the DIS). Believe me, if I was not pleased with his site, I would never have purchased it a 2nd time.
Jolimont, if you have the dial up modem service, it does take some time for your AVP to load (at least mine did). Just be patient and try again. Surf his tips forums. I believe there is an AVP tip section.

 

[JohnNJ]

Jolimont:

As information since you're just getting started with TGM.

A major difference between TGMike and books like the Unofficial Guide is the Touring Plan concept and the way it's presented. TGMike explains his whole philosophy and the how's and why's of his recommendations so you get to be an expert yourself. He not only offers different touring plans for each park and for singles, families with young children or older children, thrillseekers, ride weenies (chickens), etc. but he also modifies his plans based on time of year (summer, holidays, slow times), crowd levels and even the weather. After reading his various touring articles you will be able to analyze the situation at the parks and modify the plans yourself accordingly. You'll always be one step ahead of the crowd. You'll zig when they zag.

As was suggested, the AVP forums are a great place to start. You'll get tons of help getting started. The AVP Overview outlines the layout of the site and how to get started also. Look for the button on the top right.

Welcome.

 

[trstno1]

I just read my first post from early in this thread, and I realized that it might be misunderstood as stating that you can fin TGM's inormation elsewhere - on the web or in guidebooks. The basic information can be found elsewhere, but there's a lot on TGM that I haven't found anywhere else.

For my prior trip, I purchased the Unofficial Guide, the Passporter, and TGM. Now, I've given away my UG to friends, and I've only used the Passporter to store my tickets and travel info. for my upcoming trip. I renewed TGM, and I'm on there nearly every day. That's my vote for TGM.

I love the DisBoards, and I'm on here almost every day also, but I still find the extra information, including the touring plans on TGM, to be well worth the money.

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

I've used the UG and its touring plans. I am a big advocate of having a schedule and plan of attack for every park. Does TGM offer similar touring plans?

 

[LIFERBABE]

I've used TGM for the last 2 years. In 2004 we went twice to WDW once in June and again the last 2 weeks of December.

I followed his touring plan for MVMCP last month and his advice was excellent!! We went to the Dec 17th last night of MVMCP completely sold out and we did everything we wanted to do and basically walked on. I used his touring plan and the maps from Passporter to customize our itin. and it worked out perfect. At certain times we were to be at certain places and in between we enjoyed the land we were in. The one time we got off schedule it was like we were transported to another world, because TGM's world was not that crazy. We quickly got back on track after that! We had front row for the MVMCP parade (just us and the rope) plenty of cocoa, pictures with minimal wait, saw the shows etc.
I had read on these boards how others were disappointed in MVMCP 2004 because it was crowded and didnt think it was worth it, but we went to the most crowded one of them all and we thought it was totally worth it, because we had a TGM plan. Oh we also ate at LTT that night too!

So I will always have a Passporter and I will use TGM especially for any special events as we visit so often, we "tour" loosely now.

 

[moonmomma]

I just renewed TGM for the third time! I love all of the updated information..and its all in one place.