Anyone NOT like TourGuide Mike?

[WeluvDisney2]

Hi everyone, I was just wondering if anyone has USED a Tour Guide Mike tour plan and did not have good luck with it? We are considering following one of his plans in a couple of weeks, and we just wanted to know what others thought who have already used it. Thanks!

 

[Sorcerer Figment]

I am currently planning my second trip with TGM. I too was a bit skeptical at first, especially when his advice contradicted the UG and other guides. And I still find the site a bit difficult to use, but it is worth it. I was truly amazed with the results of my last trip. I actually saw all of Fantasyland in the time it used to take me to get through one of its rides! Mike really knows what he's doing. Just follow his advice (not necessarily to the letter, but use his logic and you're set.) Here's hoping it works for you too!

 

[HillPete]

Mike's plans were spot-on perfect for us. We especially liked the fact that he taught us how to negotiate through the parks when the plans went awry (due to potty emergencies, blisters, ice cream breaks and other non-line problems). We will be using him again in 15 days I can't wait!

Have a great trip!
--H

 

[NCombs]

You will get answers that go both ways here. People feel strongly both ways.

TGM is not a website that lets you put in information about what attractions you want to see and then gives you an itinerary based on that information. So, when you say you are considering using one of his plans, please know that his plans are sample tours just like something in the Unofficial Guide or Passporter. You can use those, create your own based on the information provided, or use the sampe tours and customize to your needs.

I think of TGM as an online guide book. Many people find a lot of value in that (I do). For others, it is not what they are looking for.

 

[alwayspooh]

Who is Tour Guide Mike and where can I find him?

 

[JoyG]

I just got back from a trip using Tour Guide Mike. I didn't have too much time this summer to really dig around in his website like I wanted to, but I found a few "sample tour" plans that fit my family with young children and printed those out for each park. TGM's plans were PERFECT!! We did everything we wanted to do. I will not hesitate to use his plans again.

 

[unixadm]

Who is Tour Guide Mike and where can I find him?

http://www.tourguidemike.com

It is is online service that gives sample itineraries for Disney, lots of good advice on what days to go to what park, what rides to hit first, and why,etc.

I built an itinerary for our trip and made lots of plans using the information the website provided....will find out how good in a week!

 

[bigcrit]

We used TGM during our trip in May. Being an obsessive planner I was also using the following.

TGM, The UG, The UG /w kids and the passporter All of them were good. They were similar alot of the time. We used TGM for our day at AK. Let me tell you now. His advice for this day alone was worth the $20. While everyone else went one way we went another. We had a great day and owe that one to TGM's advice. I would say get all you can. This is an expensive trip you might as well read all you can from the pro's to maximize your time in the parks.....

 

[Msslaydbug]

I know you were asking for people who didn't like TGM and I know there are a few but I had to answer anyway.

When we went in May we had a party of 7 (my family, my brother, and parents). i told them I had an itenerary and we were going to to follow it - no if and or buts about it. At first I got a lot of "I want to ride that ride" or "Why are we going here we just passed ____".

But in all honesty halfway through our first day at MK my entire family was convined TGM knew exactly what he was doing !! They never questioned where we were going and why for the rest of the trip !

 

[HaleyB]

Two trips ago I used the Unofficial Guide. I thought it was pretty good, but boy did we need a vacation from our vacation. We saw a lot and I thought that must be as good as it gets. Still when it came time to plan my next trip I read several other tour books (my kids love to go to book stores, so I read the mostly at the stores and only brought home a few).

I ran into this site and it was like nirvana for me. I was, in fact, not the only Disney crazed person around. Wow. I got tons of fantastic advice here and one bit of fantastic advice was to try TGM. So I took the leap (it also had something to do with an allearsnet.com discount code, I love to 'save' money).

I read all there was to read and followed TGM planning advice. We used his 'green' parks to decide which park to go to each day. Still I had my doubts. We had had such luck with the UG touring plans... so this is what I did. I brought both the UG plans and the TGM sample tours. To make a long story short, the TGM plans got us on more rides with a lot less waiting in lines, they allowed for intelligent work arounds when we hit a closed ride or broken FP machines. The UG touring plans are good, but the TGM plans are great.

Mike is not kidding when he says you can tour without waiting in lines over 15 minutes long, you really can. When you look at the UG tours there is a built in assumption that a 30 minute wait time is fine (the don't use FP if stand-by is 30 minutes or less advice). As you know Mike has very different advice in regards to FP. That is the key to his plans.

You will find people who do not like his website, but I doubt you will find anyone that followed his touring advice that was unhappy with it. The information is wonderful, even if the delivery is not to some peoples liking.

 

[Sorcerer Figment]

Since this is really been getting only pro-TGM reviews, I'll try to break down the complaints I've heard of.

It's not all unique! True, but for those of us who live on the DIS, very little is. But what Mike does is use a set of logic to form a cohesive plan. And it is a different plan than I've seen in any other guide. That's because his goal is to keep us away from the crowds (including those following prominent guidebooks.)

I didn't see every single thing! You might actually see more with a commando approach. However, Mike feels that having a relaxing vacation and still seeing the best of the best is the way to go. If you would rather go commando, the UG is an excellent resource.

It's too much information to take in! There is a lot to take in, because he wants you to be fully prepared. However, there are express planners and summaries that will give you the quick version (but still try to read the full version first.)

His tone is too annoying! Well, I (and most TGM subscribers) prefer a light, happy, optimistic tone when planning for a Disney trip. ;>) But if you want a formal essay style, there are plenty of guidebooks out there that will fill that description.

He's too pro-Disney! I do want to get travel advice from someone who actually likes where there going, but... It's true that he's not as critical as some guides, but he also never encourages you to go somewhere that is less than fantastic. He just doesn't feel the need to rant on the subject.

TGM subscribers are like a cult! Well no, in a cult membership is far more compulsary. With Mike, we keep resubscribing because it works. And with so many returning TGM'ers and private forums (where flaming is kept to a minimum, like on Smokey-the-bear's watch.) We do sort of develop a family. (It's amazing when you run into a fellow TGM subscriber, and can really make your day!)

Hope this gives you a bit more info on which to base your decision. Have fun planning, however you decide to!

 

[jpeltier]

We used TGM June 1-6 last year and became enthusiasic supporters. My DH like a lot of men, hates the hustle of theme parks. However,after the TGM experience,he said no more trips without TGM. No lines longer than 15 minutes-we saw everything that we wanted to see. In fact, we had to find ways to use up time in the parks.We are going back to WDW on the same dates as last year and are looking forward to another great trip with TGM!
Julie
PS. This is a hint for the parade that we found on our own. THIS IS NOT A TGM HINT-SO NO FLAMING FROM TGM SUBSCIBERS!!!!! Before the parade-about 1-11/2 hours- go to the trading post and sit on the benches out front. We did this just to rest and then realized what a great spot for watching the parade. Yes, people did line up in front of us but we just stood on the benches and had a fabulous view. The pictures we took were awesome! DH stood at the rope just in case we wanted an up close view. It was the most perfect area! Good luck!

 

[andrabell]

The DisBoards has a spectacular search function. There are at least 46 threads about TourGuide MiKE here.

 

[WeluvDisney2]

The DisBoards has a spectacular search function. Perhaps one of these 46 threads about Tour Guide MiKE might help you.

46 threads about Tour Guide MiKE.

Andrabell, your link is not working... it just said "vBulletin Message
Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms."

However, I think I have my question answered. It sounds like everyone who has actually USED Tourguide Mikes plans were happy with them. I think I will take the plunge! I will let you all know how it worked for us when we return. Thanks everyone!

 

[AnaheimGirl]

The DisBoards has a spectacular search function. Perhaps one of these 46 threads about Tour Guide MiKE might help you.

46 threads about Tour Guide MiKE.

Just FYI -- it's not so spectacular. It doesn't work at all for me. I can't even get to the search page. Maybe it's the same way for some others.

I get really sick of seeing people chastized for not using the search function when it doesn't even work for everyone. :

and yes, I've asked on the tech support board and no one could figure out what my problems are.

-- edited to add: Oh, and with regard to the OP. I find it interesting that not a single person has said anything against TGM's advice. Even though one post listed a lot of reasons why people may not like his site, there was nothing against his actual advice. Well, maybe the "we didn't see everything" comment, but gimme a break. The guy says all over his site that he wants you to see the best of the best, not "every single thing". How anyone could come away from using his advice with that complaint is beyond me!

Oh, and one more thing! Someone referred to TGM as an online "service". It's really not a service. To me that implies that he's doing something specific for you. It's really more like an on-line guide book. If you go there thinking you'll be getting some sort of personalized service, you'll probably be disappointed. If you go there thinking you're getting a great on-line guide, you'll probably be happy with it.

 

[Pedler]

We used TGM for our recent trip. Our first full day at the Magic Kingdom we did 26 rides and did not race around the park like park commandos. We also had Breakfast at the Crystal Palace, Dinner at CRT and a a few hour break in the day. For us TGM was worth it.

 

[JRawkSteady]

Only thing I don't like about him is the fact that he's so adamant about going back to the hotel for a break - I hate that, b/c I'm not the type of person to waste a whole afternoon in the hotel room and transportation

other than that, he's great

 

[tzuhouse]

I'm using TGM and even if I get to the parks and am disappointed in his approach (which I doubt), I've already gotten my money's worth just because Mike told me what to do to make sure I got all the ADRs, tours, cruises, etc. that I wanted.

Mary

 

[missypie]

Only thing I don't like about him is the fact that he's so adamant about going back to the hotel for a break - I hate that, b/c I'm not the type of person to waste a whole afternoon in the hotel room and transportation

other than that, he's great

What you have to remember is that if you DON'T go back for a break, the very crowded afternoon hours are going to be yours to fill. The longest line we waited in during our 10 park days in late May/early June was 17 minutes - for Small World. It was a very busy afternoon but we weren't ready for a break, so we ended up in our longest line. Not that it was THAT long....still, if you use FP and know what the "whenever" rides and attractions are, you can fill the afternoon without long lines.

We LOVED TGM...I will tell you that to be successful, you need for your group to be "on board." It's best when you aren't the only adult saying "we have to go here now" "No, we can't ride that now, we'll ride that later," etc. Other adults don't like being told what to do and not do all the time, so you really need to sell the other grown ups on your plan - whatever it is - before you enter the park.

 

[buckler]

Another pro-TGM person here! We have used TGM for 2 trips and will use him again on our next trip. On our first trip I had cut and paste info from the TGM site into a Word document to make our own personalized itinerary (modified from his suggested tour plan to eliminate a few rides my kids wouldn't like). My DH kept questioning my itinerary and asking why we were going rides in a certain order and why I kept moving the family into a certain part of the waiting area outside of the shows. But by the end of the 1st trip my DH was a convert. He understood that by going in a certain order we were avoiding all the lines and by waiting in certain places we were getting the best seats in all the shows. When the 2nd trip rolled around my DH was 100% behind renewing our TGM subscription. He never questions my itinerary now. In fact he asks to look at it so he knows whats going on too!