Question About TGM and Touringplans.com

[tndisneyfan]

OK I can't believe I'm asking this question, but do you think either of these are worth it?

Here's my story. I've been to WDW several times and consider myself a WDW veteran. This last week we were at DHS and it was packed, I mean packed. We were talking to a nice lady in line and she said she used touringplans.com and they had suggested not to go to DHS that day. We went to DHS only two days before and it was nowhere near that packed. So I started thinking, maybe all those guides are right. Maybe there are certain days to hit certain parks and avoid others. Then DH started saying that he liked a more structured vacation than what we had been doing, which was basically deciding one day what park to hit the next day. So those of you that have used one of these, do you feel that the suggested park days are correct. Do you feel like one is better than the other? I'm not looking for a structured touring plan, one that tells me which ride first, then the next ride and so on. Just something to tell me the best park days.

TIA

 

[clowe247]

We use tour guide mike. It tells us which days are the best days and the not so good days at each park and why. One could probably figure it out on your own but some people don't have or want to put in the time to figure out all the park schedules and special events going on.
Also samples tours are given to the parks so you really don't have to think about it. Just print the guide out and on your way to the parks. Since using TGM samples we get everything done on a timely manor. and we get to see everything we want to see and do
There are some other tips included though out the site that will make your trip enjoyable. Try it and see. Its under $20 to join. Id rather use my money with TGM than going to the book store and spending my money on a book that gets outdated quickly.
I do use allearsnet.com for my resturant menus and reveiws. (thats site is free) I use disboards for tidbits from real folks like the kitchen sink sundae at beachs and cream.

 

[Cinderella1122]

I have used TGM and ridemax for the past 4 or 5 trips and I wouldn't go without either one. I use TGM to help me decide which park to do on each day of my trip. Once I have my days picked, I use ridemax to make my touring plans. I love that ridemax gives you the options to pick and choose which attractions and shows I want to see. I last used both sites during our 2009 xmas week trip and I never waited more than 20 minutes for an attraction.

 

[vicki_c]

I agree with both of the above posters. Although I primarily use TGM, I have also tried RideMax and found it very helpful for a summer trip, and not needed/overkill for our recent January trip.

But I wouldn't go without minimally picking my park days based on TGM's recommendations. I have seen myself the differences between recommended parks and not recommended parks and it is significant much of the time.

Yes, you can figure it out for yourself, but for $20 (and less for me because I'm always a renewal customer) I'd rather use TGM's advice.

 

[angdbinkc]

Another vote here for TGM! We used TGM for our last trip and loved it! So much so we are again for our trip next month! Definitely think it is worth the money! Good luck and have a great trip!!

 

[graceesmom]

I agree with all of the above. This will be my 3rd trip with TGM. It's worth the $20 just for someone else to do the research on which park I should go to each day.

Now that I know his philosophy about how he picks the parks for each day, I could do it myself, but I'd rather spend my time obsessing over what new restaurants I am going to try, changing my resort choice a dozen times, and picking out new disigns for my family's matching t-shirts.

 

[isk8]

I'm a little over the top...I use TGM, Touringplans, and RideMax. I've used the touring plans in the Unofficial Guide for YEARS, and they've never steered me wrong. I used the one day plan for Adults last year during President's Week, and my sister and I were done with everything we wanted to ride at the MK by 11:30 AM. Now that I'm a mom, and my trips to WDW are all about my son and what he wants to do, the touring plans don't exactly meet my needs. So I use TGM for the best days for each park, and Ride Max to plan out our rides since it's totally customizable.

I think TGM would be your best choice since you are primarily looking for the suggested park days. It also has some interesting articles about crowd patterns that you would probably find useful.