Tour Guide Mike or TouringPlans.com?

[sherry7]

So, tell me please....

Which is better, TourGuideMike.com or TouringPlans.com?

Has anyone used both? What are the differences in the two (besides the price)?

I don't know much about either, but I have heard complaints and compliments about both.

Opinions please? Thanks!

 

[rie'smom]

I've used both. Sometimes the sites disagree on which park is best for a particular day but if you get to any of the parks 30 minutes before rope drop, you're pretty much good.
TGM has a forum but it's not as busy as this one. It also has a monthly group that you can join which keeps you up to date on any WDW schedule changes.
TP has an excellent Free Trip Planner that I use for every trip. It's also more user friendly.
I tend to use RideMax now because the plans are more personalized.

 

[sherry7]

I've used both. Sometimes the sites disagree on which park is best for a particular day but if you get to any of the parks 30 minutes before rope drop, you're pretty much good.
TGM has a forum but it's not as busy as this one. It also has a monthly group that you can join which keeps you up to date on any WDW schedule changes.
TP has an excellent Free Trip Planner that I use for every trip. It's also more user friendly.
I tend to use RideMax now because the plans are more personalized.

Thanks for the info.

I've heard RideMax doesn't figure in for shows? Is that right?

If you were just going to choose ONE of these options, which would you purchase?

 

[rie'smom]

RideMax doesn't figure shows. However, what we do is see the shows after we've toured everything else. I pretty much use RideMAx because now there's a button for tips and hints which takes you to a best park/day page. It has great updates which appear in a little screen before you choose your park.
Also has a screen that tells you if a certain day is EMH and warns that you might want to schedule another park if you're not an onsite guest.

 

[donaldsgal]

We use TourGuideMike. It isn't for everyone, but we made the switch in 2006 from being "all day, commando style" DISers to taking breaks and touring in the mornings and evenings. TGM helps us do that. I've never tried Touring Plans - I do look at their best parks list that is free (only about 2 or 3 months out) as a comparison. One year, I'd like to try all three and compare which one seems to be the best fit for us. I think whichever one you chose, you'll be wise to just HAVE a plan. So many times people come in and wander and are subsequently exhausted. Go, have a plan, and enjoy!

 

[carmiedog]

I think whichever one you chose, you'll be wise to just HAVE a plan. So many times people come in and wander and are subsequently exhausted. Go, have a plan, and enjoy!

The same plans don't fit everyone's style. I subscribe to both UG touringplans and TGM. A lot of people here really like UG. But TGM makes WAY more sense to me. I find myself looking at the UG plans and going "huh? Why would I do that?" But I'm sure there are people that look at TGM and think the same thing.

You just have to figure out which is a better fit for YOU. UG is pretty cheap, and TGM isn't too expensive AND it's refundable if you don't like it.

Great thing is you're going at a "slower" time of the year so while a plan is still important, it's less critical.

eta: The next poster had issues with the TGM forums, but I wanted to note that I have never had any problems like that. I joined in 2006 and the posters there are always friendly and helpful. The other poster may have run across someone who was rude, but I never have. However, I have "met" plenty of rude posters here. Which is not a slap to the DIS...you're just logically going to have more "not so nice" posters when the board is as big as this one.

 

[creativeamanda]

I use TGM, but I don't use the forums there anymore. I found the people in the forums to be quite rude and condescending when it came to advice. Basically, no matter what I came up with, I was told it was all wrong and my vacation was going to be ruined because of it. I won't pay for it the next time I go on a trip.

 

[becfehr]

I have used UG before, and I am using again this year. I also subscribed to TGM's this year, but found it too hard to navigate through the site, just not for me... nothing against TGM. I need short and sweet, and TGM is not. As previous postings, TGM is not for everyone, and it depends on what you are looking for.

***BUT... since I was not satisfied with TGM, they DID refund my money!! So it is worth a try to see if you like it!

 

[carmiedog]

I need short and sweet, and TGM is not!

I agree with that assessment! I think TGM by far has better touring plans/advice, but you have to put more work into it. It's great for super obsessed planners like myself, but UG is probably a better fit for a more casual planner.

 

[dddisrunner]

We have used both for the past 2 years and both during busy spring break times! Personally, I think they are a wonderful compliment to one another and face it, when you are spending TONS of money on your trip what is another $30 (for both combined) to ensure minimal waits! OK here are the specifics. I LOVE that TGM gives you advice for days AND evenings and he lists why his advice is what it is. Touring Plans just lists best park and parks to avoid for each day. That being said, Touring Plans actual "park touring plans" are head and shoulders above TGM'S IMO. TP gives you multiple scenarios to chose from and you can plug in your EXACT dates and it will give you a detailed plan! The forums on TGM are nowhere near as informative as here on the DIS. Have a great trip!

 

[Brian Noble]

I use and like both. Following either would give you a great trip. But, they do have slightly different philisophical approaches. As both offer some form of money back guarantee, my advice is to buy both, and see which one resonates with you most. Then, keep that one.

 

[rebecca06261]

Deleted: See post #26

 

[donaldsgal]

I used Tourguide Mike for my trip this past week and it was waaayyy off! I will not be using tgm again.

In the future, I will be using touring plans.

Just curious, what was way off about it?

 

[captinhookedondisney]

DOn't pay do it your self no one knows you better than you so you can do what you want and it gives you a seance of accomplishment if you did it right

 

[monty]

I have used UG before, and I am using again this year. I also subscribed to TGM's this year, but found it too hard to navigate through the site, just not for me... nothing against TGM. I need short and sweet, and TGM is not. As previous postings, TGM is not for everyone, and it depends on what you are looking for.

***BUT... since I was not satisfied with TGM, they DID refund my money!! So it is worth a try to see if you like it!

I use TGM, but I don't use the forums there anymore. I found the people in the forums to be quite rude and condescending when it came to advice. Basically, no matter what I came up with, I was told it was all wrong and my vacation was going to be ruined because of it. I won't pay for it the next time I go on a trip.

I agree with both these posts.

 

[rebecca06261]

Just curious, what was way off about it?

deleted. see post # 26

 

[2ndstartotheright]

TGM suggested the following:

Sunday: Epcot
Monday: AK
Tues: MK
Thurs: DHS

Actually not all those parks were recommended at all as you have posted- that is-- if you are talking about 9/14-9/18?

If you choose to go to a non-recommended park it becomes even more important to follow TGM park touring advice- if you did- you would not be waiting in any of those lines. If you only took the info on which park on which day- then went elsewhere as is evident by your post- then you must not have used any other TGM advice to tour effectively.

So in essence it's not really fair to say TGM did not work- it didn't work for you- because maybe you did not follow his complete advice?
TGM is more than just best days- it is a touring style/philosophy that when applied works- we never wait in lines so it doesn't matter to me if Soarin' was 70 min at some point in the day- which by the way is common- we rode it long before that line formed.

 

[Puget Peach]

I use the new cheat sheets available now on TouringPlans.com - great way to be flexible! It's a spreadsheet broken down into times of day and attractions to do standy-by, avoid, or fast pass at those times. It includes EMH and has different sheets for different crowd estimate days, ie Magic Kingdom cheat sheet for moderate crowds is different than the one for crowded days.

 

[rebecca06261]

Actually not all those parks were recommended at all as you have posted- that is-- if you are talking about 9/14-9/18?

If you choose to go to a non-recommended park it becomes even more important to follow TGM park touring advice- if you did- you would not be waiting in any of those lines. If you only took the info on which park on which day- then went elsewhere as is evident by your post- then you must not have used any other TGM advice to tour effectively.

So in essence it's not really fair to say TGM did not work- it didn't work for you- because maybe you did not follow his complete advice?
TGM is more than just best days- it is a touring style/philosophy that when applied works- we never wait in lines so it doesn't matter to me if Soarin' was 70 min at some point in the day- which by the way is common- we rode it long before that line formed.

But I did I even changed my ADRs based on the recommended days.

 

[sherry7]

Thanks for the opinions everyone.

I think I'm going to try TouringPlans.com. Based on what everyone said, I think this is more of what I'm looking for. Plus, I just saw that if you have a 2009 Unofficial Guide, the website content is actually free. I was wanting to order the book anyway, so now I definitely am.

RideMax sounds really nice, except for it doesn't account for Sundays. (It says to use Saturday's info...that's lame IMO.) Our trip includes 2 Sundays, so that's a deal breaker.