Anyone have TourGuideMike and

[JenniferW]

It's a business like anything else and you pay for what you get. What he sells is info that is why people are not supposed to discuss the details exactly. I did get many free tips from the Dis boards and combining the 2 I felt very prepared for our trip. We went at one of the busy times so for us it was helpful (over Tday)

We subscribed for the first time and went to WDW over Tday and I thought it was worth it. It depends on your needs as to what you want. I am trying to give a fair review from my perspective. I don't understand the controversy.

If you follow the plans and his times it works. Even more valuable is the logic of the pacing. We went a few days and followed his advice almost to a tee, getting there early, going to the attractions in the order recommended and those days were the best. 1 day we were lazy and showed up late and while we didn't get through at the pace we liked we covered more ground than I have in past. We didn't find the his restaurant/food info helpful since we didn't eat at the parks much. Mainly did part days and left for afternoon for break and ate then. We used Deb's site to get menus for the food. Didn't use his explanation of the rides/shows since we had seen them in past.

If I were going in off season and not going to be at the park first thing in the morning his advice would not have been as useful, although for 10 people for 10 days, 17 bucks still seems worth it to me. I also picked my days to visit from his advice and that was worthwhile also. I also liked the where to view parades info. I printed out about 15-20 pages of notes to bring with us and liked that much better than a book. (lighter weight, could throw out the pages when we were done)

Jenn

 

[surfgirl]

TGM is like Tivo for me... I thought I would *like* it, I didn't know I would *love* it!

However, there are those that don't like TGM for logical reasons. Sorry it didn't work out, get your money back (certainly a pretty good guarantee policy).

Post your opinions either way? Great. If they are logical. TGM seems to bring out the debaters in many of us. IMHO, because I loved the advice. (Just like I love Tivo). So I want to defend him/the site because it was great. I think that's why the TGM threads get so many posts...

 

[luuuceee]

TGM is like Tivo for me...

I have NEVER heard TGM compared to Tivo...
I understand exactly what you're saying, and I feel the same way. I had no idea the site would be as helpful as it is. But I just had to laugh at your comparison...

 

[Lulu's Mom]

Vanessa,

Based on the way you describe your next visit to DW to be your going to love the site. I assure you that if you take the time to review the information and use the boards to help you learn how to navigate the site and get knowledgeable opinions, you will be very happy. As I said before I was a bit worried about touring in June after always visiting in the slower seasons. This trip went so well, we were able to ride every attraction that we wanted, some two or three times, with virtually no wait in line, saw all the shows we wanted except Off Kilter which was cancelled due to rain, and were still able to head back to the resort around 1:00 to take a nap until around 4:00 when we got up refreshed and ready to head back for a great meal and more park touring.

Make sure to say hi, I go by the same name on that site as I do this one.

For those who were unhappy after purchasing TGM it would be helpful to know how the refund process worked. I know he offers a refund but since I have never found the need to request one it would be great if you all would share your experience. Was he timely with the refund, did you have to go through much hassle to get one, please provide your experiences with the process.

I definatley will say hi... I am about to go sign up right now. I want to take this time to thank all of you on this thread that have been so helpful

Thanks

 

[Lulu's Mom]

It's a business like anything else and you pay for what you get. What he sells is info that is why people are not supposed to discuss the details exactly. I did get many free tips from the Dis boards and combining the 2 I felt very prepared for our trip. We went at one of the busy times so for us it was helpful (over Tday)

We subscribed for the first time and went to WDW over Tday and I thought it was worth it. It depends on your needs as to what you want. I am trying to give a fair review from my perspective. I don't understand the controversy.

If you follow the plans and his times it works. Even more valuable is the logic of the pacing. We went a few days and followed his advice almost to a tee, getting there early, going to the attractions in the order recommended and those days were the best. 1 day we were lazy and showed up late and while we didn't get through at the pace we liked we covered more ground than I have in past. We didn't find the his restaurant/food info helpful since we didn't eat at the parks much. Mainly did part days and left for afternoon for break and ate then. We used Deb's site to get menus for the food. Didn't use his explanation of the rides/shows since we had seen them in past.

If I were going in off season and not going to be at the park first thing in the morning his advice would not have been as useful, although for 10 people for 10 days, 17 bucks still seems worth it to me. I also picked my days to visit from his advice and that was worthwhile also. I also liked the where to view parades info. I printed out about 15-20 pages of notes to bring with us and liked that much better than a book. (lighter weight, could throw out the pages when we were done)

Jenn

You state here that if you do not go to the parks first thing in the morning that it is not worth it. Does anyone else have any input on this?? We do not wake up at the crack of dawn to hit the parks, but usually show up around 11:00- noon. So his info will not help us??

I would like to think that it would because, and I could be completley wrong, but I am sure that not all people want to or do wake up at 6:00am to get ready to hit the parks for the rope drop, especially his up-class customers whom he tours with. What do others think, if you can share.

Thanks again for all the help

 

[VSL]

Lulu's Mom - his info will help but you'll probably get the most out of it if you follow as much of TGM's advice as possible.

 

[luuuceee]

Lulu's Mom...while it is best to get to the parks early and stay a step ahead of the crowds, Jenn did say this in her post:

1 day we were lazy and showed up late and while we didn't get through at the pace we liked we covered more ground than I have in past.

So what you said is correct: even if you don't get there at rope-drop, TGM can help you. You can't really use his sample park tours as written, because they assume you're there first thing in the morning. But you can definitely apply his principles and tailor the plans to your needs.

 

[tammie33]

You state here that if you do not go to the parks first thing in the morning that it is not worth it. Does anyone else have any input on this?? We do not wake up at the crack of dawn to hit the parks, but usually show up around 11:00- noon. So his info will not help us??

I would like to think that it would because, and I could be completley wrong, but I am sure that not all people want to or do wake up at 6:00am to get ready to hit the parks for the rope drop, especially his up-class customers whom he tours with. What do others think, if you can share.

Thanks again for all the help

Lulu's mom,

We are leaving in 8 days from California. Three hour time difference, coupled with the fact that we are nightowls, makes it very difficult to get to the parks at opening. I still feel Mike was a great help when we went in 2003 and happily resigned up for this trip. I'm planning to get up early only once or twice over the course of our trip. We have a 2yoDD and I feel it's important to get some rides in at MK before our CRT breakfast (which I really feel I got because of Mike's advice). All other days we will get up at our own pace and shoot to be at the parks before 11.

As many others have stated, he has a money back guarantee. If you start reading and don't think it will help you, let him know and he'll give you your money back.

 

[Lulu's Mom]

Thanks so much again for all of your response... I am waiting for my AVP to load right now. I am so excited

Thanks so much again

 

[luuuceee]

Lulu's Mom...when you get everything up and running on your AVP, make sure to go over to the message boards and post a "Hi" message. We'll all come say hello!

 

[Mymatisse]

I was not slamming the poster. But he/she put themself in a "no win situation", by saying that TGM is a "total rippoff". I can understand if he had said TGM wasn't for me and felt that his money could be spent better elsewhere. Or I didn't like TGM because it confused me. Or I didn't like TGM because I didn't find anything that I didn't already know. But all that was posted was TGM is a total ripoff and not worth your money. That type of post is not helpful. This is a discussion board. Not a "Slam" and run board.

Ken

Ken, I stand by my position. I think TGM's site is a total ripoff. That's my opinion and i'm entitled to it. And I do think it's a waste of money. Again that's my opinion. I thought that was the purpose to this thread to elicit opinions and thoughts about TGM. If you don't like what I have to say that is your right and I respect it, however I don't back down from my original statement.

 

[heather360]

Hi Everyone,

I leave in 5 days and I'm debating about signing up for TGM. I have all my ADRs made and we know which park we're going to each day. I've been to Disney countless times so I considered myself well informed about the basic stuff.

Okay, Here's the question. Do you like TGM touring plans better than the UG? We are the type of family that rides every ride and we were planning on using the UG plans. I would happily spend the $20 for better touring plans and location advice on the nighttime shows and fireworks.

What do you think?

 

[Lewisc]

Ken, I stand by my position. I think TGM's site is a total ripoff. That's my opinion and i'm entitled to it. And I do think it's a waste of money. Again that's my opinion. I thought that was the purpose to this thread to elicit opinions and thoughts about TGM. If you don't like what I have to say that is your right and I respect it, however I don't back down from my original statement.

I certainly respect, and to some extent, agree with your post. It would be helpful if you gave some information as to why you thought it was a waste of money.

Was the website so confusing you didn't want to take the time to use it?

Was the information mainly common sense stuff that you already knew from DISBOARDS and other internet sites? Things like cutting through the stores in main street to avoid parade crowds.

Were you literally ripped off? Charged twice on your credit card or had a request for a refund refused.

TGM fans you can't have it both ways. Don't complain if the poster wants to post a list of TGM "secrets" that he already knew or that were so obvious to be a "rip off" You really can't have a discussion without a facts.

I'll start with two "secrets" that are common knowledge. Get to the low capacity rides like Dumbo as early in the day as you can. Also go back to Fantasyland during the afternoon parade. Make sure you get a second FP as soon as you're allowed to. Preferably before you even use your current FP.

I've never been a TGM customer but I exchanged some PMs with some TMG customers. I listed about a half dozen tips I've learned through the years. They confirmed that TGM would not give me much additional information.

I suspect TGM would be better than buying a regular guide book for a guest that doesn't want to take the time to go through 2 or 3 internet sites and who want to pay for some type of information.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

Hi Everyone,

I leave in 5 days and I'm debating about signing up for TGM. I have all my ADRs made and we know which park we're going to each day. I've been to Disney countless times so I considered myself well informed about the basic stuff.

Okay, Here's the question. Do you like TGM touring plans better than the UG? We are the type of family that rides every ride and we were planning on using the UG plans. I would happily spend the $20 for better touring plans and location advice on the nighttime shows and fireworks.

What do you think?

IMHO - you do not have enough time for TGM - I would not subscribe if I had less than a month to go

he does not give specific touring plans - you have to come up with your own based on his advice!

I liked TGM - but it is learning from him not him and applying his advice to your trip - he does not just hand it to you on a silver platter -

I liked that he was on top of changes and stuff - and they have some good documents in the message boards - but I honestly think at this point you will not have enough time to learn to navigate the site and feel it was worth the money

 

[luuuceee]

IMHO - you do not have enough time for TGM - I would not subscribe if I had less than a month to go

he does not give specific touring plans - you have to come up with your own based on his advice!

I liked TGM - but it is learning from him not him and applying his advice to your trip - he does not just hand it to you on a silver platter -

I liked that he was on top of changes and stuff - and they have some good documents in the message boards - but I honestly think at this point you will not have enough time to learn to navigate the site and feel it was worth the money

TGM DOES have the sample park touring plans that a lot of people follow to the letter, but since Heather said they are the type to ride every ride, it is absolutely correct that she would have to come up with her own touring plans (using the sample ones as a guide, perhaps) using his advice.

There is a lot of useful info that can be gleaned from TGM with only 5 days to go, and he does have the "Express Planner" stuff just for those people who sign up with just a short time to go. It would also be beneficial to sign up just to get the updated info of what's going on out at WDW now.

Having said that...if I were in Heather's position, I would not sign up for TGM with 5 days to go. Even with all the info I know I can gain on that site, I personally would need more than 5 days to put it all together.

So Heather, my answer to you is: yes, you can get some good info; however, it's up to you. If you're a veteran and know what you're doing and have had fab experiences before, you might consider just going on this trip now and then signing up for TGM for the next one.

 

[luuuceee]

Ken, I stand by my position. I think TGM's site is a total ripoff. That's my opinion and i'm entitled to it. And I do think it's a waste of money. Again that's my opinion. I thought that was the purpose to this thread to elicit opinions and thoughts about TGM. If you don't like what I have to say that is your right and I respect it, however I don't back down from my original statement.

I agree that you are absolutely entitled to your opinon, and I would never want you to feel bullied into backing down - that's just not right. My opinion is opposite yours, which makes me curious as to why you have the opinion you have.

Like Lewis suggested, could you perhaps provide some reasons why you say this? I'm asking this not to set you up for a slam fest, but because I really an interested in what you have to say.

 

[heather360]

luuuceee, julia and nicks mom:

Thanks for the quick response. I'm taking your advice and not signing up for TGM for this trip. I have a feeling it would just stress me out even more at this late date. Hopefully the UG touring plans will work well enough this time around. I have TGM site bookmarked and plan to use it for the next trip. His site does sound good and I would enjoy learning his tips.

Thanks for your help.

 

[kutchyone]

If those were the best "secrets" that I rececied from TGM I would have asked for a refund. Those are probably included because he of course would want to be all inclusive but there is much more and in real time.

 

[Lewisc]

If those were the best "secrets" that I rececied from TGM I would have asked for a refund. Those are probably included because he of course would want to be all inclusive but there is much more and in real time.

There really isn't any way to have an intelligent discussion on this topic. Any example you post of a great secret will get you slammed for violating a sacred oath. We can't have a discussion if one party is unable or unwilling to provide information supporting their position.

As a result of pms with several TMG users I feel confident that I wouldn't benefit from the site. I could post a dozen or more common sense type of tips but I won't since TGM users won't be adding anything to list by giving any examples where TGM adds extra information.

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

Hi Everyone,

I leave in 5 days and I'm debating about signing up for TGM. I have all my ADRs made and we know which park we're going to each day. I've been to Disney countless times so I considered myself well informed about the basic stuff.

Okay, Here's the question. Do you like TGM touring plans better than the UG? We are the type of family that rides every ride and we were planning on using the UG plans. I would happily spend the $20 for better touring plans and location advice on the nighttime shows and fireworks.

What do you think?

We used the UG plans in '04 and TGM last month. The benefit of using TGM is that it gives you the info you need to change your plan on the fly.

If something comes up (sick child, need to rest, decide to have an early or late lunch/dinner) you're not left scratching your head wondering what to do or how to rearrange the rest of your day to accomodate for your change in plans. I don't think the UG plans offered the same flexibility, and with small children, flexibility is a must.