Too Late for Tour Guide Mike??? Over planning?

[yesdisneyfool]

I think only WDW, but the DIS site here has some wonderful info on Disneyland but you may also want to try www.MousePlanet.com and www.LaughingPlace.com.

 

[JJS2K3]

The only complaint I have is that it is not finished. "This Article Is Coming Soon" pops up too often. Maybe I should have paid 70% of the price and sent him an email "This money is coming soon"

J/K, don't get wacky.

It is very well done, and offers some good information I haven't seen elsewhere. Maybe 'Soon' will be before I leave

 

[TreeOfLife]

Ya, he has to catch up on a lot of articles.

But our trip is in December and the A.V.P. helped me plan our meals with what he has already. For a ten day trip, it is valuable to take some things definitely out of the "possibles". Now I have a far clearer idea of how much we'll spend going where, when we'll do a dinner package, etc. And he has not even written the articles for Dec 2003 yet!

So you can still get a lot of information if you like to plan every detail...

 

[disneyjunkie]

I've read several threads about TGM. Based on what I've read, I would be paying for the same info I can get for free.

Someone said he has menus with prices, I can find that on Deb's site.

One of his great tips is not to do MK on Christmas Day, isn't that common knowledge? (I plan to spend Christmas Day in MK)

PS info, how to have 2 fast passes at a time, all of that can be found for free.

I want to try the site, but hate to pay for information and tips that I'm getting for free.

 

[Rileygirl]

Hi there Disney Junkie

Hmm, it is almost impossible for me to tell you whether or not you will find stuff you did not know on Michaels site. I mean, how can I possible know what you know? I have listed stuff before on what I have learned and loved, and I guess Tree likes other things...but I will try and give a few more things I have found on his site that I love (without actually giving the information)

First off, I think you are saying that you are going to Disney at Christmas, right? I am going to give you the link that takes you to the listing of Christmas vacation articles he has. Once again, if there is a lock beside the article, you can not read it, if there is none it is free to the public. The public stuff should contain very little that is new to you,a very experienced Disney vetran, but read the trailers about the private articles, it gives you an idea of what they are about.
http://tourguidemike.com/articles/categoryDetails.asp?articlecategory_id=41

The hint about the osbourne lights is amazing...it tells you how to view the lights with basically nobody else on the street. (i have never been to disney at christmas time, so to me, all the info he gives here is completely new to me.) Maybe you dont want to exit the Mk before the MVMCP? he tells you how..... Disney changed the hours of the park AND the parade times on some of the days in december this past year on Dec 4 or 6th or something. The day that they did, Michael posted it on his site, let you know what the changes are, and then told you how to use this to your best advantage.

Do you have children? Every single attraction, he has info about it specifically for children. and it is not just "its dark so they may get scared". He tells you ways to deal with the kids fears of specific things, like little games and strategies....he is always letting you know about bathroom issues, you know, where the closest one is, this one gets really crowded after the show so make sure you visit it before the show or go to this one, .....he talks about how to build up your childs confidence to tackle some of the bigger rides.... All this stuff I love.

He tells you all sorts of stuff on the attractions themselves, not just the ride description. For example, if you are claustrophobic but want to do the haunted mansion, how to handle it. Also where to stand to be the first to load in the doom buggies. He also tells you where to stand to be one of the first to load on the RNR. He always tells you where to get the best seats for all the shows, a lot of them are not "front and middle"and then, HOW to get them. He also suggest best seats for a lot of the rides as well, and how to get them.

If you like to know all the little trivia about the rides and attractions, he has lots on that. for a sample go check out the spectromagic photo tour and read the little trivia blurbs under the pictures. Its free and I have listed that link somewhere on the dis boards....
I like how he tells you about those little known spots, like the one I just read about today at AK, You avp users, go to the Oasis and read about the suspension bridge and waterfall that is behind the cave!

I really believe that whether or not TGM will be right for you depends on how you plan to use it. If you love to read about disney and are planning to really read all he says, I have no doubt that you will find out many things you did not know. It may be more of a mission for you if you are a very experienced Disney Vetran to find out things you did not know, because you already know so much. Make sense?

Hope this helps.
Rileygirl

Boy, I cant spell,...lol...after this post a dozen other things popped into my mind that I wanted to say, but perhaps I will just summerize by saying that if my trip to Disney turns out to be half as fun as it was to plan it using the TGM, I am in for the best trip of my life.
Alison
Ok, very last edit...perhaps there are a few other DISer's that are Disney Vetrans reading this and have purchased the AVP...it would be probably be of most value for Disneyjunkie if you could let him know what you think..

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by Rileygirl
It may be more of a mission for you if you are a very experienced Disney Vetran to find out things you did not know, because you already know so much. Make sense?

Thanks for the reply. I think I'm going to try the site. I don't think I'll find anything new, but it'll be nice to add another source to of Disney info.

 

[TreeOfLife]

I don't think I'll find anything new

You may or you may not...

We've been to WDW 6 times and even *I* found new tips aqnd information I could not find anywhere else.
And the convenience of not jumping from board to board

searching for downloads or updated info is invaluable!

 

[Rileygirl]

Hi everybody

I am sorry but I made a mistake about those phototours. The public site only has 11 pictures and the private site has 29..on the spectro magic link..I think that all the good bits of trivia are on the private site.
sorry about that
rileygirl

 

[northernmouse]

Tour Guide Mike can be a useful planning resource, though I agree with JJS2k3, it is very frustrating to only receive a portion of what you believe you have paid for ('this payment coming soon -- what a delightful response to the 'I'm working hard on these articles' that runs [and really ran] throughout TGM) I signed on to TGM in its opening days on the endorsement of Mary at Mousesavers -- a trusted source -- and it took almost two months before there was an equal balance of written to unwritten articles. I also had a very unpleasant service experience with 'Michael', so I don't believe I would pay for the service again.

That said, there is some information I have not found elsewhere sprinkled throughout the TGM site. (But you do have to go looking for it.) The site is a useful tool for organizing your planning on-line. But it does *not* give you a truly personalized itinerary -- it uses your responses to assist the software in identifying filters to reduce the options it feeds to you. (Which can make it more difficult to work with the site if you've ruled out something early in your selections -- you have to actively remember to search items out to add it to your trip planning later, or re-input your planning parameters) Whether it is worth $20+ to you, is a decision only you can make.

Certainly, you can find a few consistent and highly active supporters of tour guide mike on the DIS.

 

[TreeOfLife]

Certainly, you can find a few consistent and highly active supporters of tour guide mike on the DIS.

Definitely!
Among the planning tools I have seen online, I prefer this one hands down

 

[tmittleman]

I've read a few of these posts and I have to say, $25 for the amount of info is well worth it. The worst thing about Disney is waiting in the lines.

The man behind the curtain is Mike aka... http://www.michaelsvips.com and they charge like $80/hr for the same info they give you on the tour. I'm sure you get more by having a guide with you... what a cool job... anyway... multiply that times a full day and you could pay over $600.... I'd rather pay the $25 and go in style. Knowing all the insider tips really makes you feel like a VIP when you're in the park.

Can you find the same info around on the web.... well... I if you spent hours upon hours you could find much of it, but if you can find it all in one place, why whould you want to?

TGM gets a big 2 thumbs up from me.

 

[WDWorld2003]

I can honestly say after about 10 days I've really enjoyed the Tour Guide Mike program. I have printed many articles I will use on our trip. I have also asked him a couple of questions that have been promptly answered by e-mail.

I was also disappointed that many articles have not been written yet but, what is written is easy to understand and follow. I think that $22.00 is worth the cost, especially for a first-timer (or like me a 2nd timer who hasn't visited in many years). Much of the info is available on other sites but I always forget where I saw it, etc.

If you love to plan your trip it's a great tool and another perspective on park itineraries. I like the fact that he doesn't expect you to be a commando and so many books have you going from a.m. to p.m.

 

[kristianddwayne]

Originally posted by WDWorld2003
..... I also think the subscription should last for 1 year - it's kind of unfair that my trip is in less than 2 months and will expire 2 weeks after I get back where a person who had a trip up to 3 years later will be able to access the site for many years....

So what's the scoop with TGM's pricing? Also, replies mentioning discount codes are a few days old. Anyone have some current codes to share?

Thanks!

 

[WDWorld2003]

If you go to Mousesavers.com there is a code for $2.00 off. Also, I believe on his site there is a $3.00 code.

My complaint was the price is the same whether you purchase it now and use it (it expires 2 weeks after your trip) or you have a later vacation and price is the same.


Many people do not have their trips for several months (or years) so they can access the site the entire time whereas someone who is leaving in two months will have an earlier expiration date. Not a big deal, but seems somewhat unfair.

He might consider an annual renewal rate that is less than the original rate.....?

Anyway, the site is fun and informative....

 

[pixie dust gal!]

My family and I have had the pleasure of having Michael be our tour guide while he was with Disney. Then, as chance would have it 6 years later I was surfing the web and found a site called "Michael's VIP..." It was the same individual - now on his own. We had him plan our itinerary and I cannot tell you how valuable it was! It told us where to go, when and with little or no wait time during the summer! I was showing my intinerary to people on the monorail and standing on line and they could not get over it and asked if they could copy it down! LOL Personally, Michael is a very dedicated individual and knows so much trivia and "inside" info about the "WORLD". We watched the parade in a place where there was hardly anyone standing there. He knew exactly what show was best for my family's taste and where to sit and what time to show up (didn't waste time) - we would have never known that. I have been visiting Disney for 17 years now and still would use his service because things constantly change! I am planning our vacation again for this July and was reading the post about TGM and thought, once again, could it be him? and sure enough... I have paid alot more money than $24.95 for his services and would have continued to do that again - but now, I have become a member for $24.95 and going to use the AVP instead. People on the DIS help all of us so much with our planning (what would we do without eachother??), this is just another facet that is planned out just for you and includes so much that you don't normally find). IMVHO

Trust me, it is worth every penny! You won't regret it - it is the next best thing to having him with you!

PDG