Anyone have TourGuideMike and

[MissMichelle]

TGM User and Lover here While this message board is better (I credit that to more content) the overall site of TGM is very informative to me. This is my 3rd trip to the world and I think it'll go that much smoother thanks to TGM.

I also have the passporter, Birnbaums for both adults and kids and also the UG. The ONLY one I don't like (while I know I'm the minority) is the UG.

I am sorry for those who haven't such a positive experience over on TGM, but for those looking to try it--I say do it---it'll be worth it since you can always get a refund if not happy.

JMO for what it's worth.

 

[surfgirl]

I honestly don't see how in anyway it was a low blow, it was my opinion that I came to from reading posts that he made on his website that were very rude and unprofessional...I am not going to get into to details about it, but that is what I saw. Everyone on here has different opinions and I respect them, and even though you say you "humbly disagree" and "no flames necessary" I don't see how that could be true when you went on to say I was giving "low blows". I don't see why that was necessary when I was just expressing my opinion from concrete experiences. Anyway, I also do have a friend that signed up for Tour Guide Mike that sent some very constructive criticism(in no way was it offensive, only polite suggestion) and rather than respond to her or ask her if she wanted a refund(which at the time she did not), he just refunded her, nothing else. I do not see how that is professional IMO. And from what I witnessed, it seems that he can't take criticism very well, which is a must in business. I did also say in my post, if you would be so kind as to read it again, that he did have some very good info, but I did not like the site overall. And his attitude does not change the facts on the page, just makes me not want to use it. Just like I would not buy from a store or go to a restaurant that has bad service. Also if one person had a great experience at a store/restaurant and another had a negative experience and said something about it...would you say that was a low blow? I certainly would not. I think there needs to be more respect on here for those that have different opinions. And I can honestly say I truly respect those that have positive experiences with the website, I wish I had but I didnt, and that is a fact. Sorry everyone, long post, just wanted to say my peace.

LeesyUD,

Sorry I wasn't very clear in my original post. What I was trying to state (not so eloquently apparently), was where you listed concrete reasons for not liking his site, I thought that was fair. No flames necessary - not of ME, but of YOU. We have a different opinion - we're all allowed to have different opinions.

Where I became defensive (not sure if that's the right way to describe it?) is when I felt you just threw out negative comments without the 'whys'. People (not you necessarily, but others certainly) tend to throw out negative comments 'just because'. They do a 'hit and run' by throwing out a negative word/comment/phrase without the logical reason behind it. They then get upset when others call them on it.

I wasn't disrespecting your *opinion*, I was calling you out on the fact that you just threw out negative terms without substance behind them. I'm sorry that there was a misunderstanding, but I stand behind my dislike of throwing negativity out there without explanation.

Regardless, I still loved TGM's site. I'm out of this thread, PM me if you want to talk or have any other questions.

 

[krissyh]

Yesterday was the first time I've heard of TGM. I was intrigued, interested, willing to give it a shot...
Then I read all of the posts and realized a couple of things.
1. I'm going on vacation. For a high school teacher, a trip in Feb. should be to relieve stress, not create it.
B. I have grown obsessed. "Am I planning correctly?" "Will I see everything?" "Will BF want to go this restaruant?" All this and more on the next episode of Soap... My Psychology class will soon be learning about Psy. Disorders, if I keep this up, I can be my own example. I'll continue to read the posts and ask about what I don't know, but I'm taking back control of my trip.
3. I do not want to set the alarm while on vacation so that I don't have to wait in line, outside where there is no SNOW, just to ensure I make it on a specific ride. No matter how many experts tell me to "get to the parks early"
D. No wonder BF threw up his arms and said "Just make the plans, I'll be happy with it." Hey, he's never been...he won't know if he missed something!
5. Thanks to the free ticket upgrade, it was worth it for us to buy extra days with the no-exrire option. If we miss something, we'll see it next time! Again without going crazy and turning into one of those people who push, cut and annoy just to "see it all"
F. Fun, I'm going to have goofy, student-free, snow-free, relaxing, gluttunous fun, with a fair bit of sleeping in. My day is divided into 40 minute chunks in which I must cover "X". I don't want a schedule on vacation.
So anyway...

Thanks for leading me to my little epiphany. This is a vacation, not a step by step rush to make sure I cover everything while I forget to smell the flowers. For all of you that want to do that - go for it! Have fun! Me, I'm sleeping in, ordering extra butter and remembering that missing something is a reason to come back another time. TGM - thanks but no thanks, I don't want to find out if I'd love him or hate him.
I leave Feb. 20! I'm now anxious rather than anxious.
Have a great day, great holiday (whatever the holiday) and everyone ENJOY BEING ALLOWED TO ACT LIKE A CHILD! I'm makeing the BF ride Dumbo!

 

[VSL]

krissyh - TGM does have you stop to smell the flowers, relax and take your time (which is the biggest comparison people seem to make between TGM and UG - TGM is more laid-back whereas UG is more commando style). The only 'inconvenience' is getting up early.

Either way, have a great trip!

 

[zachnlucy]

... his message board also has some really good links to documents for his subscribers that I found very valuable (like a best time to ride chart)

Where? Could you email me with directions? I've looked all over the forums and can't find documents. Articles, yes. Documents, no.

 

[VSL]

You can make the articles printer-friendly (see top left-hand corner) and print them out (into documents).

 

[zachnlucy]

You can make the articles printer-friendly (see top left-hand corner) and print them out (into documents).

Oh, I've done that. I thought she was talking about something else. Thanks for your response.

 

[kutchyone]

zachnlucy,

Go to the TGM site boards and ask your question there. Someone will be able to assist you immediately.

 

[zachnlucy]

Did that. No answers. Whoops. No I didn't. I looked there but didn't ask.

 

[tzuhouse]

I looked for the thread over there, but didn't see it. Course, I didn't look a lot. I never printed his entire pages because some of the articles, recommendation touring guidelines, etc. would have been pages long. I copied them, pasted in a word document, then went through, reading it and removing the parts I didn't have to have printed. Reduced all the information to a reasonable amount for me. You probably thought of that already, but just in case... I never saw the printer friendly things, but I didn't really look, since I didn't want to print everything.

Mary

 

[kutchyone]

I tried it but was not thrilled. I found it difficult to navigate, and that I already knew 90% of what I was reading and the stuff I did not know was not too important.

We are not overplanners and tend to travel non-peak times and always travel with the idea that we'll be returning. Getting on as many rides as humanly possible in the shortest amount of time does not interest us.

I emailed a couple of questions and each time was directed to the forums to post questions and find answers. I felt I was paying for a forum, not a vacation planner.

That being said, I asked for a refund and it was processed rapidly and professionally.

If someone is on the fence about trying it --- you really have nothing to lose (other than time).

Thanks for the information, it's great to know that you were refunded your money with no problem.

If anyone is interested in the TGM site they now know that they won't have a problem getting a refund if they find the site not to their liking or expectations. I do suggest following his directions and giving it a few days of navigations. If you run into problems there are many people in the boards over there that will be able to assist you. If you find that you really like the site and found some helpful tips make sure to give your opinion here without releasing any paid for details that you may have learned.

 

[ChairborneRangr]

UK DEB --

ThankyouThankyouThankyou -- a TGM user that actually tried to answer the question and not just get indignant. Great points, although the UOG is pretty comprehensive about parks on certain days as well (maybe not as much as TGM -- I don't know because I am not a member, though I am thinking of joining -- anyone know where a coupon is??

http://www.themouseforless.com/membersavings/Benefits/TourGuideMIKE.shtml

w w w . t h e m o u s e f o r l e s s . c o m /membersavings/Benefits/TourGuideMIKE.shtml

 

[ChairborneRangr]

Where? Could you email me with directions? I've looked all over the forums and can't find documents. Articles, yes. Documents, no.

I think they may have been referencing my page...
http://www.tourguidemike.com/stephenscoolstuff/menu.asp

For those of you that are new to TGM check it out. My userid over there is "Stephen"

(BTW, I do not actually work for Mike, although I do communicate with him frequently and have met him and toured FW with him.)

 

[julia & nicks mom]

I think they may have been referencing my page...
http://www.tourguidemike.com/stephenscoolstuff/menu.asp

For those of you that are new to TGM check it out. My userid over there is "Stephen"

(BTW, I do not actually work for Mike, although I do communicate with him frequently and have met him and toured FW with him.)

Your pages are exactly what I meant!! They were AWESOME - thank you for putting them together!!!

 

[JennaTX]

I think they may have been referencing my page...
http://www.tourguidemike.com/stephenscoolstuff/menu.asp

For those of you that are new to TGM check it out. My userid over there is "Stephen"

(BTW, I do not actually work for Mike, although I do communicate with him frequently and have met him and toured FW with him.)

Stephen,

Thanks for posting these both here and on the thread for TGM. Your files were exactly what I was thinking about when the question was asked. I used them for my trip this year and plan on using them again next year!

 

[zachnlucy]

Thanks Stephen. Your pages are great.

 

[PrincessKitty]

This thread convinced me I have to try TGM...until I went to his site and discovered the program is not really set up for AP holders like me who go 6 or 8 or more times per year. Sounds like a really great service, though!

 

[andrabell]

*dabs blood from eyes*

We just returned last evening. We were at WDW from Thanksgiving afternoon until yesterday. TGM was the best $18 I could have spent. We had minimal exposure to crowds, most rides were walk-ons, nothing more than a 5 or 10 minute wait, had excellent viewings of all parades and nighttime spectaculars.

That is all.

 

[taximomfor4]

This thread convinced me I have to try TGM...until I went to his site and discovered the program is not really set up for AP holders like me who go 6 or 8 or more times per year. Sounds like a really great service, though!

I have an AP, and am heading out for my 4th trip on this AP in a couple of weeks. I have purchased TGM for all but one of the trips, including this one coming up. Of course the discount helps, for people renewing their membership. I don't use it to get as many rides into a day as possible...I have had enough trips now that I am not rushing. I do it to get no-nonsense advice, ideas, reviews, and to help choose when to go where.

Just wanted to chime in, let everyone know that multiple trip-takers can still sometimes get valuable info from TGM!

 

[Jazztrax]

I like Mike. We are AP holders and DVC owners, and have friends who work for Disney in Imagineering, Resorts, and Finance. Why would I pay for TGM you ask? I still believe in Mickey, Magic, and Pixie Dust. I am a Disney freak, I love planning, planning, planning. Most of my family is anti-plan-this is a vacation-who cares, but somebody has to know what is going on.

I like the fact that Mike is in the park on a daily basis, finds all the shortcuts, often missed special places, how to snag all those hard to get ADR's, best places to watch parades, fireworks, shows, least crowded days of the week, all the pictures, reviews of everything and more, plus he is current. All for $20.

He's not for everybody, but I wouldn't be afraid of spending the $$ to check him out. Give yourself a few days of perusing the site, don't be alarmed at the sheer volume of stuff, it is arranged in a logical manner. The AVP forums are extremely helpful. He does NOT plan your vacation for you, he gives you the tools to plan a vacation based on your family's needs and interests.

Planning is a fun part of the process for me, so I enjoy learning his website.

Dee