Tempted to try TourGuide Mike

[sara74]

Signed up for TGM after I had planned which day we would be in which park and made all my ADR's (we are on the meal plan so I have one for every day!) Well, I should get my own website! TGM had every one of my days as a top pick! I bragged to DH about my Disney instincts and he just pointed out that I had wasted $20 He can always find ways to point out when I waste $$$!

Getting there early is no problem for us. If we could get DS 18 mos to sleep past 5:30 it would be a miracle!

 

[umaangel00]

I am not sure I want to do it now. I am hearing a lot of negatives now. I know we should get to the parks early and do the biggies first but it never happens that way. I have no idea what to do!

 

[Amyg]

I really found his website and advice very helpful. I think mousesavers offers a discount code. It's funny because at first I was just overhelmed by his site and thought..this won't help. I thought I knew enought through these boards. But trust me..take the time to really look around and read what he wrote. He really does give great info!!
Hope this helps! Have a great trip!
Kimba

I agree! I just joined a few days ago and felt overwhelmed by all the article he has, but I've learned so much and am confident about going to WDW in July!

 

[LeCras]

I am not sure I want to do it now. I am hearing a lot of negatives now. I know we should get to the parks early and do the biggies first but it never happens that way. I have no idea what to do!

Why not give it a try? Like others have said, there is a money-back guarantee if you decide for whatever reason that you don't like it. You have nothing to lose!

Charlotte

 

[Mellie0119]

I've been a fan of the UG since our first trip, but this trip, I'm giving TGM a try (it's about the same price as picking up the newest edition of the UG). I like the ease of use (once you take a few minutes to get familiar with the site) and the specifics. I'm reserving judgement on the actual wait times (not sure how bad they will be anyway at the end of this month) until I'm in the parks. A lot of his ideas *do* seem like common sense to me, but I'm all for trying new things!

 

[LegoMom3]

Does the time of year that you visit make any difference? I can see where a touring plan would be invaluable during a crowded, busy season, but how about in a quieter season? We're going early November and while I'm tempted to try TGM (I'm a planning freak, but have to keep in mind that I have 3 kids who may pull the "But we want to go see [insert character/ride] NOW!!...) I wonder if it's really needed for a non-holiday/school break/summer period? Any opinions there?

 

[GrandmaBarb]

You will definitely find information well worth the small fee to sign up.
Try it and see for yourself
There is a money back guarantee
Take a little time to absorb the way it is set up. Follow the plan step by step for a fantastically magical vacation.

 

[unixadm]

I tried it for the 1st time in September.

You can read my thread, I am now a Believer - Tour Guide Mike.

We did 12 rides in Magic Kingdom from opening until lunchtime on our first day!

Granted, it was a slow time of year, but when we went back to the same area after lunch, I saw 10-30 minute waits at all the rides that we walked on in the morning. If we had waited until later, we would have spent at least an hour or two in lines and probably would have only gotten on half the rides in the same time frame.

I just signed up for a renewal (only $14) for our upcoming April Trip. I had already written up our itinerary, and changed around our days for parks based off of the info I got from TGM.

Considering we are spending thousands of dollars on a vacation, $20 is a drop in the bucket and if you use his touring plans and follow his advice, it will save you lots of time.

I agree that his writing style is a little hokey, and that his web site navigation isn't that great....but the info is what is important. The thing I really like is that he tells you WHY to do things on certain days, WHY to go to certain rides at certain times, etc. Once you understand the why's, it is much easier to avoid the crowds and easier to deviate from your plans and still avoid the crowds.

 

[umaangel00]

I guess when I get home from work tonight I will give it try!

 

[Cynt]

I joined this week. YES IT IS OVERWHELMING. However, once you understand the gist of it, it's not all that bad navigating through the website. If you're not a internet surfing junkie you might not like how the website is layed out. It is not user friendly and every screen is VERY VERY BUSY.

Does it have great tips and info? YES
Was it worth the $$$? YES
Will I apply what I've learned? YES
Would I recommend it to others? Only my friends and family who are computer savvy and who surf on a regular basis and who like to READ.
Will I renew next year? Probably so.

I struggled w/ the idea of signing up as well. I'm a visual and hands on type person. So I purchased the 2006 Passporter and I use it for the maps/daily itineraries and fill it in w/ my TGM advice. There's no way I won't to print out pages and pages of TGM advice. Talk about killing trees.

I use the Passporter as a study guide along w/ my TGM information. It seems to be working out quite well.

 

[skiingwife]

I used TGM for our first ever trip last month. On the days where we followed TGM's advice, everything went beautifully - low crowds, walked onto rides, no waiting in line, no stress. But on one day, we did not do as Mike suggests - we violated many of his rules, and it turned out to be the worst day of our trip. We all ended up leaving the MK in horrible moods with me on the verge of tears. The next day we got back on Mike's plan and the rest of the trip was great. For us, TGM was well worth the little money he charges, and gave us a great plan that really worked.

 

[kmkja1]

Totally agree!!! We had no waiting in lines--second week of June 2005--and we followed TGM advice. I will definitely sign up again for my next trip!

No offense but that seems pretty hard to believe. Has anyone else had this experience. Week 2 in June is fairly crowded and to say that you had no waiting in lines is a big statement.

 

[jamal]

DS 11 and I spent some time poking around our TGM AVP last night. Yes, Jamal, , you are glad you did it, but it completely messes up the spreadsheet and plan I had made. If we follow TGM, we won't get to MK until our third day of the trip. Now that will be tough from the Poly!!

 

[thelionqueen]

Honestly, TGM is worth every penny you spend. I think the charge is very small for the info. he provides.

Yes, I do get annoyed with the little "wink-wink's" in his wording, but it doesn't bother me too much.

YES the site is hard to navigate and takes quite awhile to figure out what is where

But the biggest YES is that he did offer valuable information and you can get on rides in June with little waits or any time of year.

I have been to WDW & Disneyland pretty much twice per year since I was 3 and feel that I have a lot of Disney knowledge.

I just signed up for my renewal w/TGM and he makes my planning easy and enjoyable. If you don't like it, get a refund, it's an easy way to make a decision. Have fun!!

 

[always quiet]

If you consider the price of TGM...then figure in how much more you WILL get accomplished in the parks, add in the amount of stress you won't be feeling........it really is a no-brainer!! I have already renewed for our trip, which won't be happening until Dec. of 2007 (I renewed last month so you might as well count it to be 23 months). I used his renewal discount so it is costing me well under a dollar a month. How many of us waste that much money on a coffee from McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts in a month's time?? There is a discount code for his site at www.themouseforless.com .

 

[lisamomof3]

I have only been a member of Mike's for about a month. I have learned a lot and I've had a lot of AH Ha moments. The true test will be in June when we go back. In 2004 I used UG and tips from DIS and other sites. We had a great time, saw a lot of things, and really had a fun trip. Now, after reading some of the articles I see where we made mistakes and now I know why. I think the membership fee is peanuts compared to the information you will learn. Give it a try.

 

[Lulu's Mom]

I signed up for TGM about two months ago and I am not all to sure how I feel about it. A lot of the information is common sense and I am really not a person that likes to go on vacation and say lets do this first, then this, then this, we like to go with the flow.

That said there is some information for someone like me, that does not like to stick to a ride plan and there are tons of pictures which is always fun.

I think that I will not rejoin this site after this trip, I guess we are just not ride planning people

 

[geetey]

Does the time of year that you visit make any difference? I can see where a touring plan would be invaluable during a crowded, busy season, but how about in a quieter season? We're going early November and while I'm tempted to try TGM (I'm a planning freak, but have to keep in mind that I have 3 kids who may pull the "But we want to go see [insert character/ride] NOW!!...) I wonder if it's really needed for a non-holiday/school break/summer period? Any opinions there?

LegoMom3 -
I think the time of year makes a BIG difference about when you will need TGM. We used TGM for our trip last year - 1st week of June. We were dealing with crowds from the Flower and Garden show, Star Wars weekends, Gay Day and Gay Days (there are now 2 different groups with different schedules), plus the beginning of the Happiest Celebration. Would I use him again for that time of timing? Probably. Would I use him for early November? Nope. It was difficult for me to find something 'new' on the TGM website. Mike acknowledged that I am not his typical customer though. I think a lot depends on your touring style. If you like to ride rides, go for it! Like others have mentioned, he does have a 100% money back guarentee. Be prepared to spend LOTS of time going through his site though. I found it difficult to navigate, like others have posted.

 

[geetey]

Originally Posted by daemom
Totally agree!!! We had no waiting in lines--second week of June 2005--and we followed TGM advice. I will definitely sign up again for my next trip!

No offense but that seems pretty hard to believe. Has anyone else had this experience. Week 2 in June is fairly crowded and to say that you had no waiting in lines is a big statement.

NO waiting is a very strong statement, but I would agree with very very short lines.

I don't think we ever waited more than 10 minutes for a ride during the first week of June, and we like to ride LOTS of rides!! We were a party of 8 and had minimal waits and typically left the park between 1-2 pm.

I will also admit to feeling like a tour guide drill sargeant trying to move my group of 8 through the parks to get everything we had selected done. Luckily the other family *liked* that. The other dh said it was nice not to have to make any decisions other than what to order off of the menu, since I had everything plotted out.

Just an FYI... each person did give me a list of the rides they wanted to ride. I just had to arrange the when and where.

 

[mjkaferle5]

I wouldn't use it again. I didn't ask for my money back because I did get some useful info, but his style of touring is not for me. And before the TGM cheerleaders scold me yes, I took the time to really understand the site.

Another thing I didn't like (and it's just a matter of personal taste) is his style of writing. I found it annoying to be addressed by my name every other sentence: "But you wouldn't do that, would you, Amapola?" sort of thing. In fact, when I printed out the articles, I pasted them to a Word document because I also wanted to get rid of a lot of info that didn't apply to us, and at the same time deleted every single instance of my name and of those chatty "wink-wink" comments.

Amapola,

That does sound annoying. Would you write like that, Amapola? I wouldn't do that. Would you use "wink wink" comments, Amapola? I would delete them too. Ok, I am just being a smart a** Amapola!!