Anyone else find Tour Guide Mike's website confusing?

[meatballsmom]

Yep - I do, too. Somehow, I thought I was going to get some sort of touring plan made up for me after putting in my "stuff." Needless to say - my eyes are about to bug out of my head after reading all those articles & web pages, etc.. It's written in a "cutsie" manner which is fine, but after being on the DIS for the past several years, there's not too much that I didn't know already. It is definately GREAT for people who haven't gone too much or haven't gone for quite a while as so much has changed.

We'll all have a good time at WDW regardless!!!

I thought the same thing. I thought I would get an itinerary planned out specially for me. It's just a generic for the times we are going.

 

[kizmac]

www.live365.com Go here and type Disney in the search and a whole bunch of stations with park music come up along with TGM's station!

 

[mom23boys]

I am so glad for this thread, I also think TGM is very confusing. I have done the tutorial, put in all the things I want to do and I still do not get it.

My trip is in 3 plus weeks and I cannot seem to get motivated to do anything else with it.

 

[goodferry]

I found it confusing at first, but once I got into it, and asked questions on the forums, I got the hang of it, and it is actually really helpful, just a little overwhelming at first. The best part, for me, is the up-to-date, always changing info!

 

[tlbwriter]

A: If you mean that I look at YOUR specific dates and then say go here on your first day, and here on your second day, etc., I’m afraid that’s beyond my or anyone else’s current technology. What I CAN do, however, is provide you with the information and tools you need to easily make these decisions yourself."

Well, I read all of that and I'm still confused. I don't expect him to say "Since you have X adults and X kids ages X-X, here is a list of the days you should go and the attractions you should see, and a minute-by-minute itinerary." But I also don't want him to just say "Here's a list of the attractions kids like, and here's a list of the attractions adults like." I want something in between. For example, I want to input my vacation dates and get a list of the best and worst days during that timespan to visit particular parks. And the criteria he uses for determining that. And if something changes at WDW, I want to be able to back to TGM and see those changes reflected in his list of best and worst days. Will I get that?

I know UG isn't tailored to my personal trip. But if TGM isn't either, then what does it offer that UG doesn't?

 

[goodferry]

Tracy, you won't get a "here's the best parks for the days of your trip" what you will get is, let's say you are going in August, you would find "here are the best parks, by day of the week for 8/1-8/13" and then another table of the best parks by day of the week for 8/13-8/30 since the emh schedule changes right in the middle of August, and his best parks for each day of the week are updated very regularly based on what is actually happening at Disney. I printed out a schedule for the days we are there with the best parks for each day of the week from his website, shrunk it and laminated it just in case something goes screwy and we deviate from my itinerary

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

YES! YES! YES!! i realllllly thought it was just me! i also expected a very different product (i expected tgm to take my dates and say "monday: ak, tuesday: mgm, etc" not just give me volumes of info to wade thru and figure out for myself! i could do that using the info here and at www.touringplans.com plus my unofficial guide and passporter!

One nice thing about TGM is the flexibility you have in making your own itinerary by using his tips, such as the best days to visit each park. With my upcoming trip, I was able to come up with multiple daily itineraries and I'll pick the best one once the park hours and parade schedules are released.

 

[PKS44]

anyone who is a TGM subscriber who is still confused or "not getting it" --the place to post this is on the TGM forums..lots of people are there to help you who do get it including Mike, and members of his staff like Peanut...if you want answers to problems, the place for that is over there...if you just want to kvetch about it (Yiddish word = complain/whine/moan, etc) then probably these boards are better for that....sorry if that sounded harsh--I just mean that while I agree that Mike's site is not as I would have it--no site can please everybody perfectly...but there are solutions to these problems and I personally have found his service well worth the money..more so than any guidebook I have ever seen and I think I have seen them all.

 

[gigi1313]

i would if i could... but i could not access the forums... mike is working on making it work for me...

 

[poohluvr]

I found it overwhelming at first, but after using it for a while I got used to it, and found it pretty easy to follow.

 

[duck_adoo]

..iif you just want to kvetch about it (Yiddish word = complain/whine/moan, etc) then probably these boards are better for that....sorry if that sounded hardsh--I just mean that while I agree that Mike's site is not as I would have it--no site can please everybody perfectly...but there are solutions to these problems and I personally have found his service well worth the money..more so than any guidebook I have ever seen and I think I have seen them all.[/QUOTE]

I don't think anyone wanted to "kvetch about it" the OP asked for opinions and they were provided. It seems that people agree there's alot of good information there, it's just IMO, it's not easy to get to.

 

[eargal]

Personally, I love tourguidemike. I like that it allows you to follow his reasoning in WHY you should do what you do when you do it. I consider planning the vacation part of the fun of the vacation and Tourguidemike has been wonderful for me. I know everyone likes something a little different. It's just a matter of personal preference.

 

[LeesyUD]

I would just like to thank everyone that responded to my post!! I actually wasn't expecting so many people to respond. I just wanted to get some opinions so I appreciated and respect them all!! Since I enjoy the info on his sight so much I am finding new ways to organize it myself so I don't go crazy So thanks again!!!!

 

[Mainebound]

Having subscribed twice, for two trips, I agree that TGM website is totally counterintuitive and difficult to navigate. I don't have that trobule with any other complex website, such as this one, or WDW's, or Amazon. To the OP -- the problem is NOT YOU.

 

[DisneyAunt]

I subscribed to TGM for my November trip. I too thought I would get a "customized" tourguide,but I guess not. I like his site and there is lots of great information but I too find it confusing and hard for me to organize. I will keep trying to figure it out. Overall I think it is great and has excellent tips and information.

 

[letterdavidman]

anyone who is a TGM subscriber who is still confused or "not getting it" --the place to post this is on the TGM forums..lots of people are there to help you who do get it including Mike, and members of his staff like Peanut...if you want answers to problems, the place for that is over there...iif you just want to kvetch about it (Yiddish word = complain/whine/moan, etc) then probably these boards are better for that....sorry if that sounded hardsh--I just mean that while I agree that Mike's site is not as I would have it--no site can please everybody perfectly...but there are solutions to these problems and I personally have found his service well worth the money..more so than any guidebook I have ever seen and I think I have seen them all.

"hardsh"?

Apparently not that "bright"...

 

[Noah122898]

Last year I used TGM and NOT to its fullest potential. We still had a great trip but I was lazy about reading the articles and stuff. This year I really read and printed all vital info and feel really confident that this will be an even better trip. There are loads of help on his board, go for it!!

 

[dgaston]

I am a vet of many trips to WDW, Have used Birnbaum (first trip) Unofficial Guide (maybe 10 years ago), Passporter, and now TGM twice. I agree that the site is not intuitive, however, I have found info there that has improved our park touring a lot! I am using it again, primarily because with DH teaching HS we visit at crowded times -- next trip is Christmas Week!

I also suggest using the AVP Forums for specific questions!