TG Mike or UOG??

[tmtg]

My UG WDW book does not have the BestDays table. It's only available on the website now. I noticed the table was in the "Look Inside" version on Amazon's site though.

they have it on the site since it gets updated regularly

 

[dgaston]

Last July, DH and I were due to arrive at WDW about the same time as Hurricane Dennis. TGM emailed us with weather updates and park suggestions. I was very impressed although it was the second time I purchased the plan. I will be buying it again, too.

 

[tmtg]

As per the suggestion of getting the passport (for the good maps), where can I get it and how much is it?

Just bumping that part.

 

[netposer]

they have it on the site since it gets updated regularly

Yes, it's on the site but if you look inside the book at Amazon it's there. I guess later 2006 editions do not have the table printed in them.

 

[maccalovah]

Just bumping that part.

you can get the 'passporter' at most any bookstore, and it costs around $22 ($33 canadian). the maps *are* nice, and the book is set-up in a neat way, with lots of pockets for your various paperwork, and places to write notes, etc. it actually kind of serves as a 'scrapbook' in some ways. i'd already bought the UG (and plan on using their touring plans), but i had to pick up the passporter, too, just because it looked like fun to use. but maybe i'm just weird

sarah

 

[DrTomorrow]

For WDW newbies, I always recommend the UG - nothing is better at getting folks up-to-speed, and the information is presented in a humorous and easy-to-understand fashion.

For myself (DVC owner & AP holder) and other 'been too many times to count' folks, I don't see the value in either UG or TGM; not when I have the DIS (and other on-line resources) to give me up-to-the-minute updates. I don't need the UG touring plans any more - we don't do 'commando' and if a ride is too busy, well, we'll be back again (and again .... ). And I'm pretty much past needing the "philosophy" of touring that TGM offers.

 

[ksoehrlein]

For myself (DVC owner & AP holder) and other 'been too many times to count' folks, I don't see the value in either UG or TGM; not when I have the DIS (and other on-line resources) to give me up-to-the-minute updates. I don't need the UG touring plans any more - we don't do 'commando' and if a ride is too busy, well, we'll be back again (and again .... ). And I'm pretty much past needing the "philosophy" of touring that TGM offers.

DrTommorow, I fall into the same category as you (and I'm a former CM to boot!), but I'm considering getting TGM for our next trip. We've never been over Christmas week before and I really want to see and do ALL the seasonal stuff.

TGM experts, would you suggest a subscription for me? I'm looking for something to help me catch all the Father Christmases in Epcot, as many Christmas shows and "overlays" (eg. the Country Bears' Christmas show) as possible, and all the Christmas parades in the 5 days we'll be there -- as well as know which parks will be slightly less crowded on which days. Does TGM go into these kind of seasonal specifics?

 

[cruislovin]

We used Ridemax in Aug 2005 at DL and it was TOTALLY AWESOME! DL was VERY crowded in both parks due to the Anniversary celebration officially starting in July. We always had a family "rule" - don't go to Disney at peak travel times such as summer, spring break, Christmas, etc. We were VERY skeptical about going to DL in the summer. Ridemax could not have done any better! The first day we followed the plan exactly, even though DS thought this was stupid to do. By the end of the morning, he was a believer too! Ride times were within minutes all day long, morning until night!

One great strength of Ridemax is permitting you to pick what you want to ride, even multiple times. This was key for my family. One weakness of Ridemax is not including the parades and shows. I got around this by listing time spaces in my plans for the parades and shows we wanted to attend. I then put the separate 2-3 plans together for one day in a spreadsheet. This worked perfectly!

When DD and I went to WDW in Oct 2005 we were SO disappointed that Ridemax was not available for WDW. We tried some of the other planning tools and nothing compared to Ridemax. Now Ridemax is available for WDW and we are so excited! Hopefully the WDW version will be as good, or even better than, the DL version. We will try it out when we go in June!