Question for REALLY experienced "plan-o-holic" veterans!

[ranthony]

I was just wondering if anyone has used both the UG's touring plans and sample touring plans from Tour Guide Mike (on different trips, of course)? Without revealing details of the plans how would you rate thier effectiveness when compared to one another?

TIA,
Rhonda

 

[zulaya]

As you can see from my sig, we have been many times in the past few years. I have never used the UG or Tour Guide Mike.

I like Passporter's plan outline best, but I always tend to make my own plans. But I use Passporter as a basis if I need a guideline for a particular trip.

 

[mkymouse4ever]

Agree! We only use our own plan Evolved from years of touring. pre-tour guide mike's etc...


MKY

 

[Atotty]

I am a **huge** TGM fan. We used his plans last time and we didn't stand in line longer than 15 mins anywhere...the one time it was 15 mins was Dumbos. He tells you get a FP, ride this and this, then it'll be time for your FP and it works every time.

I can't speak to how the UG plans work. We opted to use TGM because I knew others who had used him and liked him.

If you have any questions, just e-mail me.

 

[snowglobe girl]

I have read several touring plans including Mike's and the Unofficial Guide. They were great for ratings, reviews, and tips, but I found that they jumped around too much - requiring you to go from one part of the park to another - zig zagging around to jump on rides. We always get to the park early (and lines usually don't start getting too long for a couple of hours) and circle around the parks. That has always worked best for us. Both those guides do have a lot of useful information.

 

[kaygela]

I get alot of great tips from the quides, but I tend to do my own thing as far as touring. I have found that the wait times can be unpredictable at times so I sort of see what the situation is when I'm there and then decide what to fast pass, etc. I always works well that way for us.

 

[Micca]

No experience with TGM, but we used the UG and tailored it to our needs. Having been to WDW approx 30 times, we no longer need a guide, but I still buy the UG because it's fun to read.

 

[wmarsich]

We went to Disney on the fly a couple of years ago and only had two days to do the parks the week before Easter. To my husbands frustration, I insisted on using the UG touring plan when we went to the parks. He complained that I was taking the fun out of it! We had an amazing time and never waited for more than 10 minutes at a ride (Dumbo). Although it sounds somewhat robotic when you read the plans in the book, it didn't feel that way going through them and we never ran around at all. As the day progresssed, we talked to people that had waited amazingly long periods of time in lines and their kids looked exhausted. My husband now brags about his brilliant wife and quickly suggests the plans to anyone who mentions that they are going to Disney. We're going again in the fall for 8 days and will use the plans again without question even though we have tons of time, I don't want to spend it in Line I just subscribed to TGM and will compare the two sources when planning our upcoming trips. Have fun on your trip!
Wendy

 

[coinkc]

I used TGM for our first trip to WDW last summer. We were there in July so I knew it would be hot and crowded and wanted some advice. I did not follow his plans exactly but kept them as a general plan and I did stick to his "what days for which parks" strategies. Worked like a charm! The only ride we waited longer than 15 minutes for was Test TRack and that was because I had gone at a time when TGM said not to!

 

[barb3779]

bumping this up -- I've had the same question on UG vs TGM, would like to hear from more vets too!

 

[hygienejean]

I have the UG (too many issues to count!) and subscribe to TGM. I think this next trip we will try TGM's plans...they don't seem to jump around too much. Last year I followed his (TGM's) advice for the Spectromagic parade and it worked perfectly. I still love to read UG, it is my favorite WDW book but I think I like TGM's plans better. I think in the end either one is a good bet! Good Luck!

 

[heffalump9]

We have always used UG's tour plans to organize our visits. But I never realized how great they were till my visit during Spring Break, all of our other visits have been during off season. UG's plans and the use of FP allowed us to move smoothly through all the crowds (MK was wall to wall crowds), see what we wanted with minimal waits, revisit our favorites over and over again. Plus with the time lists we were able to Park hop more effectively.

 

[dpuck1998]

I'm a big fan of TGM. I used it for my trip in the summer when the parks were very busy. I didn't "follow" his plans to the letter, but all the information and guidelines he provides were very helpful. I don't think I will use it again unless now that I have all that information already, but 8 days in the summer last year and things went superb.

 

[Lollipop Mom]

We haven't personally used both but I can give a sort of comparison. We were there from 4/24 to 5/2 this year. We knew that one of DHs coworkers would be there and overlapping our dates by a few days. We planned a dinner together since we have kids close in age. We were using TGM (LOVE IT!!!! Can't say enough great things!) and they were using the custom tour plans from the ug site (not the preprinted ones in the book, the ones you custom order from touringplans.com). This was our second trip using TGM's advice (the first being 12/28 to 1/2) and we didn't wait for more than 20 minutes for anything, *most* things under 10 minutes. Our kids never felt like we were on a "touring plan" and didn't complain a bit (it's like WDW is a no whining zone for them). Their review of their touring plan was that it was great at keeping the out of long lines when they were able to stick to it but that they were having a hard time sticking to it with the kids. It was causing major meltdown problems when the kids wanted to go "off plan" for something and Mom and Dad didn't. Their conclusion was that they won't use that again with little kids but that if it were an "adults
only" trip they wouldn't hesitate to use it.

I know the big "selling point" for the custom touring plans is that they use a computer to determine the best tour plan for your selected attractions to avoid wait times. That's great if you are going with people old enough to understand that concept and who are ok with delayed gratification but it can be tough if you are dealing with little ones. The computer can't take into account a 4 year old's reaction to seeing a favorite ride and wanting to do it RIGHT NOW, not after 4 other things first. That advice is best given by a human. Since TGM was written by someone who does VIP tours for a living, he's been through the parks with hundreds of families so he does give great advice for dealing with the little ones AND avoiding the lines.

It's not like there is only one pattern of rides that can keep you out of lines so both will be helpful in that respect. It's more about your personality and preferences as well as those of your group. The custom plans give a more tailored "down to business" type of plan whereas TGM is more sort of conversational and has info on things other than just touring plans. It's all about your preferences. Both have a very loyal following.

 

[barb3779]

Any more opinions from vets? I have read UG cover to cover and also subscribe to TGm - and I'm leaning toward following TGM's reccomendations for our July trip ( although in all honesty some portions of both plans are the same)