Any already "expert" planners try TGM? Was it worth it?

[lovetoscrap]

We are preparing for our 4th and 5th trips (Sept for Free Dining and next May with Grandma).

I am a compulsive planner that does go with laminated cards with a step by step "itinerary" for each day --yes, my family teases me unmercifully! BUT, they are quite impressed with how much I know, and the fact that we have never waited very long for any ride--usually walk on or less than 15 min.-- when we followed my "Plan", and everyone gets to do every attraction they want to. We are early morning, get there before it opens types so that certainly helps. We usually stay all day, but these next two trips will be a bit more relaxed--we will probably leave parks after lunch and come back late for the evening events.

I love the UG and touringplans site, read the DIS faithfully, and spend time on allears and several other sites.

So far all my trips have been wonderful and I we have been able to have fun, be flexible, and still enjoy almost everything we wanted to. I have also very successfully helped several friends plan their trips.

Is there anything I would gain from paying for TGM? I feel pretty comfortable with all I have done, but have been reading such great reviews that I feel I might be missing out on something valuable!

Any "expert" planners try TGM? Did you think it was worth it?

 

[kaelarad]

I have use TGM and found the site too overcrowded and hard to navigate. I prefer the unoffical guide. Much easier to use and the plans have worked out well. I am also a planner and use the trip planner on the touring plans website. works great. FIts in our Passporter which is another source I use for planning. Have a great trip!

 

[lark]

I'm a pretty dedicated planner and unofficial guide user. I bought TGM for our upcoming trip. At first it's a little difficult to figure out how to use it or navigate around it. If you never get over that hump, you'll probably find it not particularly worth it. But once you get the hang of it, that problem goes away.

It has its strengths and weaknesses. If you're thinking it will be a good place to find discount codes and stuff, it's no better than these boards or mousesavers. But on the plus side, he has a definite approach to touring, particularly for longer trips (or more than 4 days). It is not my approach typically, but I find myself tiring at times using my methods, so I'm going to give his way a try. Some of it is VERY counterintuitive, so it's a bit of a leap of faith. The other thing I've found so far is that his company is amazingly responsive to its customers. He has one particularly desirable feature that people were waiting for to start making dining plans, and it was slightly delayed. He fixed the problem, probably staying up all night, and was great about responding to everyone. I was impressed about that.

As for whether it's worth it, given the day-by-day or even hour-by-hour cost of a WDW vacation, even if you find only one nugget of info on there that saves you an hour or gives you an idea of one fun thing to do that you might have missed, what's $20?

 

[Scottish-Helen]

I suffer from Obsessive Disney Planning Disorder and have signed up to TGM for our 6th trip which we are going on next week. I think it has been worth every penny and it's my new favourite planning tool. The Unofficial Guide has always been my bible but I love how Mike's site is constantly updated and he gives the reasons behind why he advises doing things. The site takes a little time to get used to because there is a lot of info but once you are up and running it is great and I have learned lots of little things that I wasn't aware of before.

Give him a try, he offers a money back guarantee if you're not happy with the product so you have nothing to lose.

 

[qtwns]

I'm a planner and read the Dis faithfully and like the UG. I subscribed to TGM for the first time to use planning our upcoming trip. I have learned a lot of new stuff that I know will prove to be invaluable. It has also been a fun way to help feed my WDW planning addiction. For $20, go for it if only for the fun of it.

 

[lillygator]

I am an avid planner.....and I did sign up for TGM for our upcoming May trip. It's funny - I had our days chosen already and looking at his advice, I have a really good handle on which day to go to which park!
I am mainly going to try his sample tours and see how it goes...for the price I thought what the heck - but I do find his site hard to navigate....which I don't feel I should really have to hurdle over since I am paying for the information. I am sure there would be a way to make it less cumbersome to get around.

 

[clonetothebone]

I have use TGM and found the site too overcrowded and hard to navigate. I prefer the unoffical guide. Much easier to use and the plans have worked out well. I am also a planner and use the trip planner on the touring plans website. works great. FIts in our Passporter which is another source I use for planning. Have a great trip!

I agree 100%. TGM is very hard to navigate and then the final product is just a preplanned tour where your name is inserted to make it look customized. touringplans.com is simple to get into and you can find the trip plan you want with ease. I would save your money and buy next years edition of UG.

 

[JLS]

If you are a compulsive planner as you say, I think you will LOVE TGM. It is made for people like you. You will have fun reviewing all of the information. Some of the info you will already know, but I think it is worth the money just to have such quick and easy access to the park hours and the TGM's "which park, which days and WHY" advice. There is always something new to be learned. He has info on every single ride, and its easier to use than a book, I think.

 

[QueenT]

Lovetoscrap, it sounds like I could really use your advice! I am planning a big trip in October. I am not really a planner at heart though, so it is a struggle.

We have been to WDW 2 times previously, and I did use this site & some guidebooks, which helped.


For this trip (8 nights) I am thinking about getting up early & getting to the parks at opening (DH & I at least), then leaving around 2pm, doing some other activity, eating dinner, possibly returning to the same or a different park for evening activities but not necessarily rides.

We have others coming with us, dd11, ds16, ds18, dd21, dd22, and an infant belonging to dd21.

My thought is that they could either get up early with us, which was previously a big bone of contention, or alternatively just meet up with us in the parks when they get up, taking disney transportation to the parks.

I imagine they would stay in the parks longer than dh & I, except maybe dd21 w/ infant.

This way we could meet up for some rides we all want experience, we could meet up for dinner & some shows, but all could do their own thing also.

What do you think?

I don't want it to be like we are all on separate vacations, but I do want everybody to enjoy things at a pace that works for them.

 

[mdoc]

We are WDW veterans. We (or some subset of we - DH has taken some of the kids without me) have gone every year for the last 8, and sometimes we go more than once in a year. DH is pretty good at Disney. He basically already did much of what TGM advised (some of it is, after all, common sense). However, there were 2 or 3 pieces of advice that TGM had that alone were worth the price we paid for it. And it reiterated what we already did, and let us know how important it actually was that we were doing it.

 

[teachingmykids]

I signed up yesterday, based on the praises from this board. I'm still poking around the site trying to find my plan... The articles are good and it seems to be full of info. Only time will tell if it helps me or not. We are going in Sept ~ not really crowded ~ but I may pick up a tip or two. We, too, are WDW vets, so I'll be please if I learn something spectacular. I can see where it would really help newbies or summer visitors.

 

[jjan]

I have a question if if I can butt in...

I know that TGM's site isn't a fancy custom day by day vacation planner, but say that we are going in August and I sign up for that trip, but then we squeeze a quick June trip in... will I be able to see which days are best and info for that period of time in June or is it just for my already scheduled week and all other info like that is blocked to me? TIA

 

[lark]

I have a question if if I can butt in...

I know that TGM's site isn't a fancy custom day by day vacation planner, but say that we are going in August and I sign up for that trip, but then we squeeze a quick June trip in... will I be able to see which days are best and info for that period of time in June or is it just for my already scheduled week and all other info like that is blocked to me? TIA

You would be able to see it. Nothing is blocked. (Actually, on edit and thinking about it, he does have unique forums on his message boards that are based on what month you're going. I'm not sure you'd be allowed to subscribe to more than one.)

But whether or not it would be consistent with his rules to plan two trips for price of one, I'm not sure.

 

[jjan]

I'm not sure you'd be allowed to subscribe to more than one.)

But whether or not it would be consistent with his rules to plan two trips for price of one, I'm not sure.

Thank you for the info. I didn't mean that I was trying for a 2 for one deal, but I just wanted to know how specific his site is to someone's trip. Right now we only have an August trip planned and I was thinking of signing up very soon, but if we can somehow manage a quick Star Wars weekend, I just wondered his site would still be helpful. Thanks again.

 

[kaygela]

I, too, am a compulsive planner and decided to try TGM even though we have been to Disney several times and have always had great experiences with very little waits for rides and attractions. I'm not sure if TGM has been a help to me since most of what I read, I felt that I already knew and had done in the past. But, I think it's reassuring to have another site to read through to help you make decisions. Like many people have said, even if you pick up one idea, it's worth the $20 in the scheme of things. To me, it's like buying anothe guide book.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[LMC]

Quick question if I can butt in....
Does TGM update his info daily if need be? I am sure he already has updated info for the EE attraction where as any book publication would not. BUT, if at any given time there is say a huge attendance fluctuation for some reason (conventions, cheerleader competitions, etc) does he update his site to give you new recommendations for your park touring?

 

[dwcrazee]

Quick question if I can butt in....
Does TGM update his info daily if need be? I am sure he already has updated info for the EE attraction where as any book publication would not. BUT, if at any given time there is say a huge attendance fluctuation for some reason (conventions, cheerleader competitions, etc) does he update his site to give you new recommendations for your park touring?

Yes, that is why I love it. I signed up about 4 months before my trip and have gotten updates through out. He is in the parks everyday and it shows in the details! we leave in 9 days and I cannot wait to use what I learned.

And, of course ,if you have any doubts there is a money back guarantee.

 

[teachingmykids]

He is in the parks everyday and it shows in the details!

What a dream job! Where do I sign up?