every try a guidebook itinerary?

[cheerdancer11]

wow im looking at this disney book i got and their ride time suggestions are crazy. practically every ride says: go before 10/11am or go after 6pm. it leaves no rides for the bulk of the day! i think im going to try to squeeze as many rides in early on and then just go to my fav rides and try to get fastpasses. any other suggestions? thanks 4 ur help

*Michele*

 

[bytheblood]

I have not. If you are referring to the Unoffical Guide, I use that book for spare toilet paper or to line the kitty litter box.

Seriously? I have not used a suggested itinerary becuase 1. They are written for preference and 2. They are too hard to follow. The day is too hard to predict. If it is super crowded, your wait times will be longer, but if the crowds are light on the otherhand, you will be too far ahead of schedule. I think it is best to relax and enjoy yourself and not try to stick to a schedule. I personally feel that trying to stick to a minute by minute or hour by hour schedule only frustrates the person doing the organizing and steals the fun from the people who are trying to have it. JMHO.

 

[SteamboatMickey]

From personal experience, the Unofficial Guide Magic Kingdom plans have worked VERY well. There was never a huge line for a ride. And this was in August! The problem is that you have to learn how to tweak it to fit what you want to do. Also, a suggestion, you MUST get there when the park opens for it to work right. ::

 

[jimmiej]

I've had great success with the Unofficial Guide touring plans. I first used them on a trip with a group of seven ranging from 12-45 yo. My friend still raves about how efficient our touring was.

 

[Vanryan]

I love the unofficial guide. Just take it with a grain of salt, and know that no single plan will work for everyone. I like the idea of getting my kids thinking about a plan, and how we have to work together or we will spend a lot of time waiting in line. So far so good, we have waited in line for 45 minutes once. And my dad was off getting us fast passes and ice cream, so it was time well spent. My kids are little though, so we haven't tried to do big rides like Tower of Terror, or Rockin' Roller Coaster. But someday!

 

[sarahsmom3]

any news on when the updated ug will come out??? i can't wait!!!!

 

[MsLeFever]

Count me in with the Unofficial Guide fans! I follow the suggested touring plans very closely. I always allow for something unexpected like a ride shut down or an unexpected long line but I find them really worth following. I went with a friend in July once. It was horribly crowded and yet by following the plan we never waited longer than 20 minutes for ANY ride!

Barbara

 

[cheerdancer11]

wow it sounds like they really work! thanks for your help!
michele

 

[eddieras]

do you guys ever purchase the guides or just build them yourself? is UG the only place to buy customized plans?

 

[miksad]

Hi!

If you're a first timer, I highly suggest Birnbaum's Guide - and then you can modify the itinerary each time you go with your own likes and dislikes. As far as the Unofficial Guide goes - they copied what they could from Birnbaum and reworded, but I've always considered it a poor second.

Once you've toured a few times - just keep up on what's new at WDW and make up your own.

Just got back from trip #33! Terrific!!!

 

[Mainebound]

As far as the Unofficial Guide goes - they copied what they could from Birnbaum and reworded, but I've always considered it a poor second.

Uhhh.... UG is an 800 page book, Birnbaum's is 250, with pictures. Not sure how the UG "copied" Birnbaum's, especially when Birnbaum's doesn't even HAVE touring plans, LOL. Maybe you are referring to some other book????

We have used UG touring plans for the last two years with great success. You can go to touringplans.com and pay for touring plans from the UG folks, but if you can get to parks at opening, unless you have special toruing needs, there is no need to get customized plans, IMHO. There is also a paid website, tourguidemike.com, which offers a list of attractions and what to see when.

PM me for more info if you like.

 

[Selket]

I think Tour Guide Mike has the best touring plans (http://www.tourguidemike.com). You pay to join his website but the information there is the best I've found. I always had the UG but could never stick with the touring plans and would get off-track and unable to catch up. With TGM's plans getting off track is no problem - he really gives you a lot of information about when to see what attractions and what days to visit what park. The in-depth stuff is there if you want to read it and be informed or you can just take his express plans and go. You will not be waiting in lines if you do his plans and he doesn't have you marching all over the park making yourself dizzy.

Have fun!

 

[macfamily]

*rubs hands together, cackling gleefully*

Go on with your debate, please! I have the feeling I'll get some pretty good info out of it, and it's actually entertaining right now

I currently have Birnbaum's, but have been seriously considering purchasing the Unofficial Guide, tho as a total Disney newb I'm afraid it would end up confusing me and stressing me out even more than I already am. Only three weeks to go anyway, so I'm not sure it's even plausible to buy the book at this point...

 

[goofy4tink]

I try to buy a new PassPorter and UnOfficial Guide for each trip. Do I follow the tour plans? No, not really. But they do give you a pretty good idea of what to expect. There is no way that my dh would follow a plan that exactly. Way too commando for him. But, we do read each book before we go, so that we know what to expect since things do change every year with the addition/subraction of different attractions and shows.

As far as which ones I think are the most worthwhile...UG gives you a very good view. Yes, it can be negative but that's the way it is in WDW. There are downsides. I can't tell you how many people I have heard at WDW saying..."Oh, man. What's with the long lines? Why do we have to wait. I wish I had known." If people would just spend $15 to research a trip that could cost them $3000 they wouldn't be so upset and disappointed. I do like Birnbaum's but since it is the "Official" book it does tend to sugar coat everything. My dd gets the Birnbaum's for Kids each trip. I also love PassPorter. It isn't quite as negative about some things as the UG, but still gives a good picture and is a great planning tool.

 

[DVCLiz]

I buy all the Disney guides each year - even ordered the British version after I became addicted to the UK Trip Reports board! The UG is fantastic and my absolute fave, with Passporter a close second. I can't imagine using only the Official Guide - nice pictures, but no real info on the ins and outs of a real-life touring scenario. I might not follow each and every step, but knowing the crowd flow and the bottleneck attractions, and how to best avoid them, has made me a UG fan for life!!!

 

[Princess Wannabe]

I think some sort of guide book is essential, but we each will have our own preferences as to who's the best. I think I have read every single book out there...it's it printed, I've read it!

IMHO, the Unofficial Guide & Tour Guide Mike are two of the best. Although, TGM can get pretty complicated, trying to navigate everything on his site! Birnbaum's, to me, was more 'pretty' with all of its pictures, but I felt like the advice it offered was pretty simple and basic.

Do I follow their suggested itineraries down to the minute? Heavens, no! But it definitely helps give you a plan of action....

I think, if you DON'T read the guide books, you are one of those poor souls who show up at Mission: Space or Test Track at 11:00 am, and gripe about having to stand in line for 90 minutes. Those of us who read the books - we've already ridden those rides several times, and have MOVED ON!!!

Also, in reference to the comment about most guide books suggesting to ride the rides before 10, or after 6, leaving nothing during the bulk of the day, that is a GREAT time to go back to your hotel room for an afternoon swim or rest....No matter HOW old you are!!! The late afternoon & evening will go so much better if you're fresh and relaxed!!!

 

[dis-happy]

The UG guides are great, especially when it's the busy season at WDW. We've used most of the touring plans in the back that have to do with going with kids. "MK's Dumbo or Die in a Day" is such a hoot! Reading about the rides ahead of time (and what might be too intense for our little ones) helped out a bunch too. Plus, the tidbits of info are plain fun to read.

GET THE UG!!!!!

 

[cheerdancer11]

I'm happy i invested in the UG! I think I might plan a "lunch" mid afternoon at one of the restaurants as a time to relax. That might be fun, in the air conditioning, w/o all the crowds.

 

[aubriee]

When I was planning my trip for January, I bought the Unofficial Guide, Birnbaums, PassPorter, and Birnbaums for Kids. The Unofficial Guide is ALOT of reading, but in my opinion was by far the best of the lot with the PassPorter coming in second. Because of its' size and the pockets in the back, the PassPorter was the one I carried on the trip though. Sorry, but I was not at all impressed with Birenbaum's. It didn't have the in depth stuff that the other two did and was too sugar coated. We started out using the touring plan I had copied from the UG, but realized the crowds weren't large enough for us to need it and we didn't want to backtrack across the parks.

As I plan a solo trip for May, I find myself going back to the Unofficial Guide and PassPorter repeatedly. Yesterday I bought The Unofficial Guide for Grown Ups and Birnbaum's WDW without Kids. I am pleasantly surprised so far with the extra information both present. Depending on crowds in May I will use the UG touring plan for adults.

 

[eddieras]

do you pay for the$7 for the personalized guides or just compile your own itinerary?