TGM and UG-Do they pick the same days?
- Thread starter Dazer22
- Start date
there is no need to disregard what i've said in order to make a point. yes, i've only been active on here for this month (and my posts per day ratio should invoke cringing)
It would be interesting to see just when Len's postings stopped. Of course that would assume the search feature worked properly here.
I do remember Len saying that he was told by Bob at the UG to stop representing him self here as part of the UG. There are two sides to every story and there could be more to it than that. Remember the sarcastic wit that some people like about the UG is also not liked by others. For example the Pot smoking Micky comment. Also the comments by his sister regarding giving bad advice to people in the parks.
It is possible that there was some friction when TGM became the official sponsor and started being embraced by DIS'ers. Also lest we get too sentimental about the open nature of the Internet and all that remember the UG is a for profit site. You can't get to most of the information without paying in some manner.
Don't get me wron I like the UG but I wouldn't characterize them as some sort of pure noble effort to spread the word about WDW. They are just as much a commercial enterprise as TGM is.
HydroGuy
A Pirate's Life For Me
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2005
- Messages
- 18,415
All four parks.
TourGuideMiKE
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2006
- Messages
- 56
Dear DIS Fans:
I find Len Testas reply to one of your fellow members extremely unfortunate because he knows he made untrue statements in it. His problem has always been between himself and Pete Werner, owner and operator of the DISboards.com web site. These issues started long before I was ever approached by Pete to become a corporate sponsor of one of his forum categories, and he also knows that I never requested that he be banned from the site or that any mention of this book or web site be censored. Anyone who knows Pete Werner knows that you dont even attempt to tell him how to run his company or web site!
I have never published anything derogatory about the Unofficial Guide or Len Testa here, in my own forums and content, or anywhere else. In fact, I have always been complimentary of the Unofficial Guide because I think its an excellent resource. I *personally* dont care for some of its tone and its attitude towards certain topics, but thats simply a personal opinion, and it certainly wouldnt keep me from recommending the book as I do and will continue to do.
Most of us out there feel the need to encourage the us vs. them type of attitude, and I have never subscribed to it. Its just not who I am and I find that kind of attitude a waste of time in most instances. A high school football game is one thing, but that's about the only time I find any use for it -- and then it's just for fun. Its like when I was in the Marines and everyone used to bash the other services. I thought it was completely pointless. If that offends you, dear reader, Im sorry, but Im stating my own opinion of it and my goal is not to criticize anyone.
Len used to openly bash my web site and its content repeatedly in these forums, and at times it seemed at every possible opportunity. I never understood why he felt the need to do this to another Disney World vacation planning resource, and still dont. After one extremely negative posting he made a couple of years ago we spoke to each other over the phone for quite some time and I enjoyed it. As he later posted himself about the conversation, wed never call ourselves friends, but at least (I thought) we respected each other a little more.
A few clarifications:
1) All I do is send a check to Pete Werners office each month and I have never asked for special considerations or that other Disney planning web sites and services be banned from the forum category I sponsor. I do not decide such issues this is not my web site. If you disagree with the policies of this web site, please write them and let them know. Being critical of me on this topic is completely unfounded.
2) To the best of my knowledge I have never been hostile towards a guest of mine posting anything in the private TGM forums. (Why would I?) I always openly welcome criticism and concerns and try my best to address them. I believe I have offered refunds in my posts on two occasions, and one of them was to a user who seemed to like nothing about the web site or my advice. If it were me, Id simply ask for my money back and go my separate ways, so thats what I offered. No offense, but giving back $18.95 to $21.95 is not going to break my bank account.
As of my sites opening in late 2002 I have averaged a refund request rate of .005%. I realize that not all consumers ask for a refund when they dont like something, but Im still proud of the number.
3) My web site is not completely up to date right now, and I do have references to a couple of attractions that are no longer available in the Sample Park Tours. For mostly personal reasons I have been unable to do as much updating as I would like, but most of them have been taken care of and Im back to writing full time. My March and April (Spring Break / Easter) visitors have extremely detailed planning and park touring articles written specifically for their vacation dates, and Ill be applying a lot of my advice there to my Sample Park Tour updates.
Regardless, my touring advice is always meant to teach my guests how I tour and how I think when hosting the guests in the parks so that they can make the most educated choices for themselves. For that reason, my embarrassing mention of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire show in an MGM Sample Tour does not keep anyone from having a great day there. No excuses though, and I sincerely apologize to any of my guests who frequent these boards who might find something thats out of date. In my defense, however, we have had very positive Vacation Reports from our first round of returning Spring Breakers, and 95% of what you find in the site is current.
4) I have never told anyone that I am no longer updating the TGM web site because its not turning a profit and that Im more concerned about being on a VIP Tour. Both companies are doing really well right now, and we are, in fact, working on a completely new version of TourGuideMiKE that will finally be what I actually envisioned when I came up with the site concept in late 2000. At that time the level of automation and interactivity was not yet available, but with the newest Web 2.0 design standards, it is. The new site will be called TourGuideMiKEs Vacation Itinerary Planner or TGMs V.I.P. and were hoping to complete it before this summer.
5) There are certain people here in the DIS who seem to have a very strong dislike for me personally. There is one who posts here all the time who I had to take the extra step of blocking all of her or his emails because of the vile, disturbing emails I was being sent on a frequent basis. This is someone who had ripped me, not my web site, apart from one end to the other in her refund request and I will admit that my reply to her or him was most likely not as professional as it should have been. And in my early days, this happened more than once as far as not being as professional as I could be towards openly hostile emails. As the owner of a VIP Private Guide service who interacted with my guests over the phone and in friendly emails, I was, admittedly, not fully prepared for every type of email I would receive as TourGuideMIKE. I know I later apologized to the individual, but it was not accepted. She or he took the attitude that I should have just taken anything she or he chose to send me, no matter what it was, and be fine with it. I wasnt, and I didnt think twenty dollars gave anyone that right to treat another human being that way. I admit these sins from the past, and there it is for all to see. We live, we learn, and we hopefully move on as a better person.
I have not been responding or even reading refund requests for nearly two years now. Thankfully, MOST of them are from nice people who simply have to cancel their vacation, or they found the sites navigation a challenge, or who just didnt find it helpful. You cant please everyone and Im totally fine with that. Heck, I take things back to a store all the time if its not what I was expecting! On the other hand, some people seem to have the goal to rip me apart and attack me as if Im the anti-Christ. Yes, we all know thats their problem and not mine, I get that, but since my childhood I have never, ever agreed with the saying, Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me. They do. Our communications, be them words that are spoken or written, DO have energy and DO affect all who hear or read them. The last thing I need is to be exposed to this kind of negative energy and I do everything I can to avoid it. For example, we just hired two new office personnel for TGM and MICHAELS VIPS, and they were instructed by me to take care of refunds and complaints, but that I wanted summaries of what they might be concerned about. I welcome criticism, always have I listen and improve, but I dont welcome personal, rude attacks. Those are two completely different things. I think most here would agree with that.
6) Im sorry that I dont have time to frequent these boards like Len Testa used to, or anyone else who enjoys helping others. I barely have time to post in my own forums, and in fact, because of my personal issues my own guests have barely seen me around during the last few months. I have been returning however, mostly in the monthly Vacation Clubs, and will be available for them on a more frequent basis. I love interacting with them and consider it an honor. I have also enjoyed these forums when I have the time to review them, and if I can work it out, Ill try to be more helpful. I certainly dont mean to offend anyone here by not posting.
What I will never do, however, is post in a thread that is about TGM, my service, the UG, comparisons to other resources, etc. I don't even want to answer questions about it as I think the best quality responses will come from peole who have paid for and used my service. Of course I'm going to be biased, right? I just feel those should be hands off for professional reasons AND I dont want anyone to feel that they cant post something negative if they like. These are public forums, and everyone has that right as long as theyre not attacking someone else in a personal manner. I made the one exception to post in this thread because I did not appreciate Len's response to this person, and I was being openly criticized for issues that no one ever bothered to ask me about.
7) If you dont like my web site, or my tone, or my sense of humor, or my site navigation, or the color of my character version's hair, whatever the problem is, thats okay with me. Seriously! Most of my guests seem to be pretty happy and we all like different flavors of ice cream Again, I do welcome criticism and have always been pretty open about accepting it either in my own forums or via emails. Ill take what you have to say and try to improve the service and/or content as best as I can. In fact, this next version has been shaped by everything I have learned over the last four years, and I thank my guests for most of whats coming!
Look, in the grand scheme of things Im just a guy who told his mom at age eight that he wanted to start a company that would help people. I chose the field of vacation planning because for my family it was one of the few times throughout my childhood that we were all together. I treasure the memories and am personally and spiritually rewarded by knowing that I am helping thousands of other families build their own like them. Walt Disney World is fun no matter how little planning you do, but most of us here know how much MORE fun it can be with the right information. I learn, I research, I expend my life minutes on it, and I share it for a fee so I can keep doing it while having something to pay the bills. Im not the only excellent Disney World vacation planning resource, nor have I ever claimed to be.
The Unofficial Guide is an outstanding resource and I openly endorse it to anyone. I also find the concept of having access to a bunch of touring plans for the extremely low price of $6.95 and unbelievable offer. I wish nothing but success to Len Testa and his team of writers.
Im now returning to my MGM updates for Easter Week, and I apologize in advance for this posts length. I dont plan on posting something like this again, but I did feel the need to clear the air.
Happy planning to all,
Mike Hewell
a.k.a. TourGuideMiKE
www.tourguidemike.com
I find Len Testas reply to one of your fellow members extremely unfortunate because he knows he made untrue statements in it. His problem has always been between himself and Pete Werner, owner and operator of the DISboards.com web site. These issues started long before I was ever approached by Pete to become a corporate sponsor of one of his forum categories, and he also knows that I never requested that he be banned from the site or that any mention of this book or web site be censored. Anyone who knows Pete Werner knows that you dont even attempt to tell him how to run his company or web site!
I have never published anything derogatory about the Unofficial Guide or Len Testa here, in my own forums and content, or anywhere else. In fact, I have always been complimentary of the Unofficial Guide because I think its an excellent resource. I *personally* dont care for some of its tone and its attitude towards certain topics, but thats simply a personal opinion, and it certainly wouldnt keep me from recommending the book as I do and will continue to do.
Most of us out there feel the need to encourage the us vs. them type of attitude, and I have never subscribed to it. Its just not who I am and I find that kind of attitude a waste of time in most instances. A high school football game is one thing, but that's about the only time I find any use for it -- and then it's just for fun. Its like when I was in the Marines and everyone used to bash the other services. I thought it was completely pointless. If that offends you, dear reader, Im sorry, but Im stating my own opinion of it and my goal is not to criticize anyone.
Len used to openly bash my web site and its content repeatedly in these forums, and at times it seemed at every possible opportunity. I never understood why he felt the need to do this to another Disney World vacation planning resource, and still dont. After one extremely negative posting he made a couple of years ago we spoke to each other over the phone for quite some time and I enjoyed it. As he later posted himself about the conversation, wed never call ourselves friends, but at least (I thought) we respected each other a little more.
A few clarifications:
1) All I do is send a check to Pete Werners office each month and I have never asked for special considerations or that other Disney planning web sites and services be banned from the forum category I sponsor. I do not decide such issues this is not my web site. If you disagree with the policies of this web site, please write them and let them know. Being critical of me on this topic is completely unfounded.
2) To the best of my knowledge I have never been hostile towards a guest of mine posting anything in the private TGM forums. (Why would I?) I always openly welcome criticism and concerns and try my best to address them. I believe I have offered refunds in my posts on two occasions, and one of them was to a user who seemed to like nothing about the web site or my advice. If it were me, Id simply ask for my money back and go my separate ways, so thats what I offered. No offense, but giving back $18.95 to $21.95 is not going to break my bank account.
As of my sites opening in late 2002 I have averaged a refund request rate of .005%. I realize that not all consumers ask for a refund when they dont like something, but Im still proud of the number.
3) My web site is not completely up to date right now, and I do have references to a couple of attractions that are no longer available in the Sample Park Tours. For mostly personal reasons I have been unable to do as much updating as I would like, but most of them have been taken care of and Im back to writing full time. My March and April (Spring Break / Easter) visitors have extremely detailed planning and park touring articles written specifically for their vacation dates, and Ill be applying a lot of my advice there to my Sample Park Tour updates.
Regardless, my touring advice is always meant to teach my guests how I tour and how I think when hosting the guests in the parks so that they can make the most educated choices for themselves. For that reason, my embarrassing mention of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire show in an MGM Sample Tour does not keep anyone from having a great day there. No excuses though, and I sincerely apologize to any of my guests who frequent these boards who might find something thats out of date. In my defense, however, we have had very positive Vacation Reports from our first round of returning Spring Breakers, and 95% of what you find in the site is current.
4) I have never told anyone that I am no longer updating the TGM web site because its not turning a profit and that Im more concerned about being on a VIP Tour. Both companies are doing really well right now, and we are, in fact, working on a completely new version of TourGuideMiKE that will finally be what I actually envisioned when I came up with the site concept in late 2000. At that time the level of automation and interactivity was not yet available, but with the newest Web 2.0 design standards, it is. The new site will be called TourGuideMiKEs Vacation Itinerary Planner or TGMs V.I.P. and were hoping to complete it before this summer.
5) There are certain people here in the DIS who seem to have a very strong dislike for me personally. There is one who posts here all the time who I had to take the extra step of blocking all of her or his emails because of the vile, disturbing emails I was being sent on a frequent basis. This is someone who had ripped me, not my web site, apart from one end to the other in her refund request and I will admit that my reply to her or him was most likely not as professional as it should have been. And in my early days, this happened more than once as far as not being as professional as I could be towards openly hostile emails. As the owner of a VIP Private Guide service who interacted with my guests over the phone and in friendly emails, I was, admittedly, not fully prepared for every type of email I would receive as TourGuideMIKE. I know I later apologized to the individual, but it was not accepted. She or he took the attitude that I should have just taken anything she or he chose to send me, no matter what it was, and be fine with it. I wasnt, and I didnt think twenty dollars gave anyone that right to treat another human being that way. I admit these sins from the past, and there it is for all to see. We live, we learn, and we hopefully move on as a better person.
I have not been responding or even reading refund requests for nearly two years now. Thankfully, MOST of them are from nice people who simply have to cancel their vacation, or they found the sites navigation a challenge, or who just didnt find it helpful. You cant please everyone and Im totally fine with that. Heck, I take things back to a store all the time if its not what I was expecting! On the other hand, some people seem to have the goal to rip me apart and attack me as if Im the anti-Christ. Yes, we all know thats their problem and not mine, I get that, but since my childhood I have never, ever agreed with the saying, Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me. They do. Our communications, be them words that are spoken or written, DO have energy and DO affect all who hear or read them. The last thing I need is to be exposed to this kind of negative energy and I do everything I can to avoid it. For example, we just hired two new office personnel for TGM and MICHAELS VIPS, and they were instructed by me to take care of refunds and complaints, but that I wanted summaries of what they might be concerned about. I welcome criticism, always have I listen and improve, but I dont welcome personal, rude attacks. Those are two completely different things. I think most here would agree with that.
6) Im sorry that I dont have time to frequent these boards like Len Testa used to, or anyone else who enjoys helping others. I barely have time to post in my own forums, and in fact, because of my personal issues my own guests have barely seen me around during the last few months. I have been returning however, mostly in the monthly Vacation Clubs, and will be available for them on a more frequent basis. I love interacting with them and consider it an honor. I have also enjoyed these forums when I have the time to review them, and if I can work it out, Ill try to be more helpful. I certainly dont mean to offend anyone here by not posting.
What I will never do, however, is post in a thread that is about TGM, my service, the UG, comparisons to other resources, etc. I don't even want to answer questions about it as I think the best quality responses will come from peole who have paid for and used my service. Of course I'm going to be biased, right? I just feel those should be hands off for professional reasons AND I dont want anyone to feel that they cant post something negative if they like. These are public forums, and everyone has that right as long as theyre not attacking someone else in a personal manner. I made the one exception to post in this thread because I did not appreciate Len's response to this person, and I was being openly criticized for issues that no one ever bothered to ask me about.
7) If you dont like my web site, or my tone, or my sense of humor, or my site navigation, or the color of my character version's hair, whatever the problem is, thats okay with me. Seriously! Most of my guests seem to be pretty happy and we all like different flavors of ice cream Again, I do welcome criticism and have always been pretty open about accepting it either in my own forums or via emails. Ill take what you have to say and try to improve the service and/or content as best as I can. In fact, this next version has been shaped by everything I have learned over the last four years, and I thank my guests for most of whats coming!
Look, in the grand scheme of things Im just a guy who told his mom at age eight that he wanted to start a company that would help people. I chose the field of vacation planning because for my family it was one of the few times throughout my childhood that we were all together. I treasure the memories and am personally and spiritually rewarded by knowing that I am helping thousands of other families build their own like them. Walt Disney World is fun no matter how little planning you do, but most of us here know how much MORE fun it can be with the right information. I learn, I research, I expend my life minutes on it, and I share it for a fee so I can keep doing it while having something to pay the bills. Im not the only excellent Disney World vacation planning resource, nor have I ever claimed to be.
The Unofficial Guide is an outstanding resource and I openly endorse it to anyone. I also find the concept of having access to a bunch of touring plans for the extremely low price of $6.95 and unbelievable offer. I wish nothing but success to Len Testa and his team of writers.
Im now returning to my MGM updates for Easter Week, and I apologize in advance for this posts length. I dont plan on posting something like this again, but I did feel the need to clear the air.
Happy planning to all,
Mike Hewell
a.k.a. TourGuideMiKE
www.tourguidemike.com
HydroGuy
A Pirate's Life For Me
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2005
- Messages
- 18,415
Several user interface experts have criticized the TGM website usability. This is fine by me - that is their professional opinion and should be considered.
I have been full time software developer for the last 14 years and also develop user interfaces for commercial software products, and I picked up the TGM website organization pretty quickly (within a day or two) and did not see any major flaws in its organization.
Rather than trying to present a top down/drill down organization of data access, they have it organized more like a multi-dimentional matrix where the data can be found coming from multiple directions.
Once you find something you want to keep track of, there are easy to access options to bookmark articles. I used these extensively.
As for printing content, they have "printer friendly" formats that can be used that a previous poster might have missed".
While there was some info that was outdated, the vast majority of information was up to date. And the "best days" info was very much up to date and took into account many subtleties missed by the UG's best days. I came to trust TGM best days info far more than UG's.
And not to knock UG - I bought their book and read most of it - and learned a lot from it, but I agree that their information is also not always up to date either - even their online data.
I subscribed to TP (a service offered by the UG people) about the same time as TGM and some of the TP touring plans had obviously incorrect information. Examples were incorrect park hours on days I was touring, and statements about parades or show times (can't remember - it was a year ago) where the parade or show was not even offered the day of the touring plan.
TGM does not offer specific day touring plans like the TP, but RideMax does, and I found RideMax data much more up to date than TP.
I have been full time software developer for the last 14 years and also develop user interfaces for commercial software products, and I picked up the TGM website organization pretty quickly (within a day or two) and did not see any major flaws in its organization.
Rather than trying to present a top down/drill down organization of data access, they have it organized more like a multi-dimentional matrix where the data can be found coming from multiple directions.
Once you find something you want to keep track of, there are easy to access options to bookmark articles. I used these extensively.
As for printing content, they have "printer friendly" formats that can be used that a previous poster might have missed".
While there was some info that was outdated, the vast majority of information was up to date. And the "best days" info was very much up to date and took into account many subtleties missed by the UG's best days. I came to trust TGM best days info far more than UG's.
And not to knock UG - I bought their book and read most of it - and learned a lot from it, but I agree that their information is also not always up to date either - even their online data.
I subscribed to TP (a service offered by the UG people) about the same time as TGM and some of the TP touring plans had obviously incorrect information. Examples were incorrect park hours on days I was touring, and statements about parades or show times (can't remember - it was a year ago) where the parade or show was not even offered the day of the touring plan.
TGM does not offer specific day touring plans like the TP, but RideMax does, and I found RideMax data much more up to date than TP.
bluwater
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
- Messages
- 447
Just curious...since this keeps coming up...
What is stopping Len from coming on here and offering free advice now? Has HE been banned...or have references and links to his site been banned? That's two different things.
Doesn't it make sense that TheDis made a decison to ask people to pay for advertising, rather than coming into the forum and getting free advertising time?
Of course TGM isn't coming here to give free advice. He has his own forum, on his own site....for which he gets paid by his membership. If HE was HERE offering free advice, how would those of us who PAY to be on his forums feel?
I suspect TheDis realized that UG was getting plenty of business by being able to post here and reference their brand. So, TheDis decided to limit links and free references of a business that would flourish from the publicity.
TGM agreed to pay for legit ad space, obviously. Perhaps UG did not. If that is the case, I don't see why TGM is being flamed....nor do I see why TheDis is being flamed. This is Standard Operating Procedure for forums.
I have a travel business and a related website. I also participate on forums (boards) of other sites. I give free advice everyday....but I NEVER reference my site or my business...no mention, no links, nada. If I did, I would expect to be asked to leave that forum. It just isn't right.....these sites are here for advertising dollars...not community service. Dis is no exception.
And I would never, ever flame a competitor on a public forum on which that competitor pays to advertise and I don't. It IS unprofessional.
Someone mentioned that The Dis cares more about selling Ads than they do about helping people with information. Well.....yeah.
What is stopping Len from coming on here and offering free advice now? Has HE been banned...or have references and links to his site been banned? That's two different things.
Doesn't it make sense that TheDis made a decison to ask people to pay for advertising, rather than coming into the forum and getting free advertising time?
Of course TGM isn't coming here to give free advice. He has his own forum, on his own site....for which he gets paid by his membership. If HE was HERE offering free advice, how would those of us who PAY to be on his forums feel?
I suspect TheDis realized that UG was getting plenty of business by being able to post here and reference their brand. So, TheDis decided to limit links and free references of a business that would flourish from the publicity.
TGM agreed to pay for legit ad space, obviously. Perhaps UG did not. If that is the case, I don't see why TGM is being flamed....nor do I see why TheDis is being flamed. This is Standard Operating Procedure for forums.
I have a travel business and a related website. I also participate on forums (boards) of other sites. I give free advice everyday....but I NEVER reference my site or my business...no mention, no links, nada. If I did, I would expect to be asked to leave that forum. It just isn't right.....these sites are here for advertising dollars...not community service. Dis is no exception.
And I would never, ever flame a competitor on a public forum on which that competitor pays to advertise and I don't. It IS unprofessional.
Someone mentioned that The Dis cares more about selling Ads than they do about helping people with information. Well.....yeah.
DebIreland
ಠvಠ
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2005
- Messages
- 3,601
Hi
You know I forgot that you need the full version of Acrobat to create PDFs. I installed it so many years ago I forget it's here on my ancient Powerbook (although I regularly use Distiller). My newer Mac lets you create PDF files without having acrobat at all but I'm pretty sure that's just a Mac OS 10 thing.Anyway, I'm getting bogged down in detail and straying from the point. Fact is, I won't be needing TGM or UG for a long, long time unless I come into some Disney money real soon!
Camping Griswalds
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2000
- Messages
- 2,890
I wonder if the reason people find that his site is so hard to negotiate, is that it is as full of detail, and as well written and informative as his post just was. ( I didn't use the whole quote, just to save space.)
I, for one, am impressed, and will subscribe shortly.
I for one appreciate the reply Mike.
I am a subscriber to TGM, I have the UG, the passporter, The TP site subscription and am planning to try ride max as my trip gets closer. They all have there good and bad points, but as the consumer we have the choice to purchase them or not. Just my 2 cents.
I am a subscriber to TGM, I have the UG, the passporter, The TP site subscription and am planning to try ride max as my trip gets closer. They all have there good and bad points, but as the consumer we have the choice to purchase them or not. Just my 2 cents.
ransom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2006
- Messages
- 4,026
Wow, Mike. Thank you for taking the time to write that extensive reply.
I subscribe to TGM & Touring Plans, and I read the Unofficial Guide, Passporter, and (of course) the DIS. I like all of them. My only confusion was why I could never link to UG's site on the DIS. As a former sysop of a large, expensive BBS myself, it seemed unnecessarily counter to customer service for the DIS to block a link to any inoffensive site. I worried it was because of the advertising relationship with TGM.
But now that I've read your post, I feel better about the whole thing. I don't know why Pete and Len have issues, but I don't really care. Just knowing it has nothing to do with your sponsorship makes me feel much better about the whole thing. If it's just between those two, then I'm not going to worry about it.
Thanks again for the informative post!
I subscribe to TGM & Touring Plans, and I read the Unofficial Guide, Passporter, and (of course) the DIS. I like all of them. My only confusion was why I could never link to UG's site on the DIS. As a former sysop of a large, expensive BBS myself, it seemed unnecessarily counter to customer service for the DIS to block a link to any inoffensive site. I worried it was because of the advertising relationship with TGM.
But now that I've read your post, I feel better about the whole thing. I don't know why Pete and Len have issues, but I don't really care. Just knowing it has nothing to do with your sponsorship makes me feel much better about the whole thing. If it's just between those two, then I'm not going to worry about it.
Thanks again for the informative post!
Hidden_Mickey
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2006
- Messages
- 1,263
Mike,
Nice to hear from you. I just thought you might like to say hello once in a while, and interact with us a bit. Hello!
Nice to hear from you. I just thought you might like to say hello once in a while, and interact with us a bit. Hello!
Disneyhappy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2000
- Messages
- 2,146
Very classy and professional, Mike! Thank you for sharing!
Not if you want to make meal reservations ahead of time.
Brian Noble
Gratefully in Recovery
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2004
- Messages
- 18,577
Well, "brief" is not the first word that comes to mind when I think of Mike.
In the spirit of drum circles and kumbaya: I visit WDW once per year. I buy a copy of UG every year, and re-up with TGM annually as well. Both are invaluable resources. Each is a little bit different, and has strengths in different areas, but they are more alike than different, and agree more often than they disagree. I've also had the pleasure of interacting with both Len and Mike via phone and email, and both are just super guys who love nothing more than to help people enjoy their visits to WDW, and both hope to make a few dollars along the way.
Camping Griswalds
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2000
- Messages
- 2,890
Well, "brief" is not the first word that comes to mind when I think of Mike.
In the spirit of drum circles and kumbaya: I visit WDW once per year. I buy a copy of UG every year, and re-up with TGM annually as well. Both are invaluable resources. Each is a little bit different, and has strengths in different areas, but they are more alike than different, and agree more often than they disagree. I've also had the pleasure of interacting with both Len and Mike via phone and email, and both are just super guys who love nothing more than to help people enjoy their visits to WDW, and both hope to make a few dollars along the way.
DEFINATELY a KUMBAYA statement if there ever was one
....but you don't see them too often on this discussion forum.-
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