Pretty Disappoointed with Tour Guide Mike

[Ready to go in Ok]

I am so glad nobody likes TGM. More of "them" means easier touring for me!

ITA!

 

[steelmagnolia]

I have used a couple of the Passporter books. I've used TGM several times and I'm wandering around this site a bunch. Like them all. Don't know if I'm a bona fide cult member of any of them or not. But just in case, could we have an intervention? Preferably at a WDW theme park. Near the castle in the MK would be nice.

 

[loveysbydesign]

I was skeptical of TGM...so skeptical that I didn't subscribe until 2 weeks before we left! Boy that was a mistake, I'd wish I'd signed up sooner!!! i thought I'd researched as much as I could until I joined, I was wrong. I htink if you have small children his touring plans and a godsend! We were there last month and never waited more than 10 minutes in line....my dh was shocked!!! He'd heard horror stories of the long lines from his friend who had just been there about 1 month before us!
I think the green, yellow, red calendar of days is worth the $18.00 by itself! I was able to navigate the site pretty easily, but it did take time.
That being said I do think Mike needs to take some of the $ he makes and get a better website developer!!!!!!

 

[Nancyg56]

I found the TGM website to be too cumbersome for me. I had the UG and touringplans, so this was for additional information. I got enough to justify the money I spent, but unless I am planning to go during a busy season, I'll stick to the UG. Right now we have a 4 YO with us, and won't do the child swap, and she loves just seeing characters, parades, fireworks, etc so that combined with the very slow season, makes TGM not worth it to me. With that said, once we need to go during busy seasons and she wants all of the attractions, I will buckle down and learn to navigate thru his website.

 

[MinnieM21]

I agree that the website is sooo confusing. I just like the info for the best days recommendations. But I end up going to Epcot almost everyday so I have no idea why I subscribed actually. I think it's just an addiction to lots of Disney information since I don't even actually use the information.

 

[eliza61]

That's $18 I'll never see again! A total waste, is my opinion. You can get all you need from the DIS. I don't even understand his site, and I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to different web sites.

Ditto. between the dis boards and allears. I could have gotten the same info for free and I think alot less stress. Definitely overhyped.

 

[PixieDustTink]

I purchased TGM's guide recently. Our trip is quite a ways off but, I really liked this guide as opposed to using other guides! We used Passporter last trip and while we "may" still use that guide in conjunction with this one, I am SO glad I have TGM's guide!!

For one thing the opinions given on the different resorts are far more honest with TGM. One thing I really wanted was a more expert opinion on how the deluxe resorts at Disney might compare with a five star hotel elsewhere. I didn't want an all glowing report. I wanted to really know what I would be getting. I felt Mike's guide was more informative on issues such as those.

I felt the price was easily justified and comparable to any other guide I might buy so I wasn't at all disappointed with TGM. The interactive and personalized touring plan is handy. I was impressed right away with the depth of information of this guide.

I can only go to WDW in the summer as I cannot take DS out of school. This plan will allow me to tour the parks with minimal time wasted. We will be able to see exactly what we want to see and not end up standing out in the mid afternoon heat of July or August.

Working on different web pages myself, I could immediately see the amount of work that had gone into TGM's planning guide. It's really been put together with a lot of care and effort.

I've really enjoyed using this guide!

 

[PiperPizzaz]

I had my schedule made after being on here and when I joined TGM I totally had to scrap it! So I don't agree you can find the same info here. The site is very badly laid out I do agree. The problem is web sites are set up a certain way they just are and his is NOT laid out the way everyone else's is. It took me around 3 days to figure it out and I have been a graphic designer and designed web sites. You just have to be patient and go through it all.

 

[SueGreen]

ITA...I just want to add some extra insight!

What really gets my goat is that TGM advertises that it 'personalizes' your trip!!!! This means TGM adds your name wherever appropriate!!!!

You tell TGM the dates of your trip...and you still have to clog thru info that relates to MONTHS after your trip. I thought I type in July, that I would only see info related to July...Nope, I see August, November, December, etc.

I was going to mention that too. The "Automated" vacation planner he pushes isn't automated AT ALL. It just adds your name and gives you a list of attractions appropriate for your ages. Well, I can figure that out!

I just got totally confused with the sample tours too. He has them for either adults and teens OR kids. What happens if you have both like we do?

When I questioned something over there on the forums too, I was jumped on. I agree with the earlier poster that said it's knda "cultish" over there.

I'm sure the guy knows what he's doing, he makes a living giving tours, but I just couldn't figure out how to take all that mixed (sometimes conflicting) advice and come up with a plan for us.

I've learned more just reading everything I can on the Dis over the last few days than I did in 3 weeks over there.

 

[Noah122898]

THE MORE OF "YOU" THAT DON'T USE TGM, THE BETTER FOR "US" THAT DO!

 

[TravelinGal]

I guess I'm a member of the 'cult' too.

TGM is worth every penny to me. All the information I had from many previous trips, DISboards, allearsnet etc couldn't combine with the touring plans TGM has.

We had a 10 day trip (including 2 travel days)- so 8 days, really. We had FOUR sick days (very sick...) between 3 people. That left 4 days to play at the parks. We saw EVERYTHING we wanted to see and had time to rest during the day as well. (1 yr olds HAVE to have a nap... ) We were never exhausted from park touring like in the past when we tried to see the same 4 parks in 7 days. We never waited in line for more than 10 minutes - it was usually 5 minutes or less - or walk on even! Including the new rides - Soarin' and Expedition Everest.

Different strokes for different folks. Simple enough.

Just like my DH says - "Glad you don't like mushrooms. More for me!"

 

[FOV]

Do you think it would be worth it for me to subscribe to TGM? Here's what I need and don't need:

I could use some help refining my itinerary but I already have my package booked (free dining ) and I am 100% happy with my resort (POR-been there before ) and I know which restaurants I want to visit . Our kids are 11, 8 & 5. The 11 y/o is a coaster/thrill seeker and the 5 y/o loves to meet characters - so we don't all have the same interests.

What I am looking for is for someone to say "Go to BB on Monday morning then visit Epcot." "Go to Disney Quest on Wednesday afternoon and MK in the evening...." I can figure out the theme parks pretty well so I guess my biggest dilemas are how to fit in the water parks and Disney Quest.

Is TGM just going to tell me to see which park had late EMH and visit that park the next morning? I know this already.

 

[RadioFanatic]

another one here who wasn't a fan of TGM - I also didn't like the plans and the main reason I got it - for hours and MNSSHP were a waste b/c his hours were put up later than they were on the DIS and he took FOREVER to post stuff about the halloween party - and I still found it unhelpful.

And yes, it annoys me to see my name everywhere. Yuk.

 

[kaelarad]

I too found TGM extremely hard to navigate and it was of no use to me. I use Touringplans.com and passporter. I also like the advice you get on Dis and allears. But what I think is great is that there are all sorts of options for people. What works for one may not work for another. That's ok. The desired result is that we all have magical trips regardless of what resources we use

 

[Kick Save]

Joined TGM a while back, and like most found it tough to navigate. I did find a lot of info that was worthwhile though, so I think I got my money's worth. We'll see for sure if it was worth it in August.

That said, I'm a little perturbed with the amount of time it's taking to publish the second half of December's "Best Parks" calendar. I've got a pretty solid idea of when I'm going where, just like to double check before calling for the ADRs.

 

[SueGreen]

Do you think it would be worth it for me to subscribe to TGM? Here's what I need and don't need:

I could use some help refining my itinerary but I already have my package booked (free dining ) and I am 100% happy with my resort (POR-been there before ) and I know which restaurants I want to visit . Our kids are 11, 8 & 5. The 11 y/o is a coaster/thrill seeker and the 5 y/o loves to meet characters - so we don't all have the same interests.

What I am looking for is for someone to say "Go to BB on Monday morning then visit Epcot." "Go to Disney Quest on Wednesday afternoon and MK in the evening...." I can figure out the theme parks pretty well so I guess my biggest dilemas are how to fit in the water parks and Disney Quest.

Is TGM just going to tell me to see which park had late EMH and visit that park the next morning? I know this already.

You definitely won't get the "go here then go here" specific advice. The best days charts show multiple options each day as to which park to hit and the sample tours are filled with different recommendations and options. The attractions guide, which is supposedly "customized" for you, just has sections like "Hit these attractions as close to park opening as possible", "try to hit these before lunch", etc. When I read that, I was like "Well, Duh! hit the popular ones first, then the next most, etc).

I was looking for the same type of thing you are, but never found it. when you said: "Is TGM just going to tell me to see which park had late EMH and visit that park the next morning? "

Yep, that's exactly what he's going to do.

 

[CathrynRose]

are you people on crack? Have you waited in line longer than 10 minutes? If so, : SHOULDA BOUGHT TGM. I was simply amazed and assume those who get refunds are just perplexed by the site. TOo bad for you- less lines for me!

Geez - relax! For someone who has been to WDW many, many, many times - and spent countless hours on Disney message boards for literally TEN years (i.e. me) it's hard to find somehting you dont already know.

I didnt ask for my money back, however I wont be buying him again.

And for a "newbie" - it'd be waaaay to much info for the average once-every-10-year Disney traveler.

No, I'm not on crack.

 

[dreamergirl78]

I too signed up for TGM. I am on the fence about it. I found some really great info that I wasn't looking for (all of the links in his site get me totally sidetracked). I did enjoy his reasoning behind his choices. And I loved the little "secrets" he lets you in on. I was bummed about the touring plans. Yes alot of what he says makes sense but as it will be just my DS (8) and I going, I really don't have the luxury of sending someone for fastpasses or holding a spot at the parade or grabbing a table here while everyone else continues the tour. I need to print out his shortened version of the touring plans to see how those go. In all honesty if I printed out every explaination and every detail I would have to carry a HUGE briefcase to store all of the papers!
I really love seeing different points of view about how to "do" WDW. For those of us who do not get to go but once in awhile, any time saving, money saving, "insider" tips are welcomed!
I would use his site again however, just like I would purchase a copy of the UG for future trips!

 

[MomWith2Cinderellas]

We used TGM and it is a little confusing on the site, but that being said his information was very helpful. We will be using him for our trip (hopefully) 2/2007.

 

[fakereadhed]

I admit that TGM can be hard to read. Part of the problem I have is that he writes like he is talking to you. Probably from all the years of talking to clients on his tours. I hate to admit this in a public forum, but I have tried to read one of Dr. Laura's books and it was the same way. She's easy to listen to, but her spoken words written down are hard to follow. I have the same problem reading the stuff at TGM.
But I still think that overall, I have gotten a lot of information that I have not found elsewhere from TGM.