Tour Guide Mike

[doombuggy3]

Hmm...I'm very skeptical of trying TGM since I've been to Disney a bizillion times and if it weren't going to be my DBF's first time in Disney, I probably wouldn't put so much effort into planning since normally when I go I'm laid back and just hit the rides that have a short wait. I know some say just try it because of the money back guarantee, but I'd rather get some opinions first on how the service is during a rather busy time.

BUT, I want him to have a great experience (because lord knows if he doesn't like the place we're soon going to find ourselves enemies! ) and I want to show him a lot of things and we're only going to be in Disney 5 days and at the parks for 4. I'm going the dates in May which the UG has listed as 8's...Is TGM good at planning even the busiest of days? OR should I stick with the unofficial guide?

Any advice wouuld be great!

 

[DisFlan]

What I found was that like a bunch of others, I found TGM's website hard to navigate. When I brought up the issue on the TGM boards everyone came to TGM's rescue (as if I was attacking him personally).

That was the problem I had with TGM's community, too. I didn't say anything on the TGM boards about the time-consuming complexity of site navigation and a couple of other things because I knew what would happen. That's not good for ANY commercial site.

So I left Mike's site and his board fans with their happy navigating and went on my way. We got any info we needed elsewhere.

DisFlan

 

[Marty Moose]

Thanks so much for all of your responses and input!!

I went ahead and subscribed (that's why it's taken me so long to post...I've been reading since yesterday pm!!! )

I totally agree about the site navigation...but I think a lot of that is that there is just sooooooo much info! It's insane!

So far it looks good. I've never been to WDW (grew up in CA, so I've been to DL tons, though!) so I don't know if this will help as far as wait times, etc. (I hope so) but it definitely is helping me to get my own itinerary organized and in place!

Thanks again guys!!

 

[Mamiamjo]

Hmm...I'm very skeptical of trying TGM since I've been to Disney a bizillion times ...I'd rather get some opinions first on how the service is during a rather busy time.

Is TGM good at planning even the busiest of days? OR should I stick with the unofficial guide?

Any advice wouuld be great!

From what I've heard from people that went during Spring Break and Easter, TGM (type) touring worked great.

What dates are you going? (We're going May 27- June 3 so will get to put TGM to the test. I realize that will be too late to give you any feedback for your trip)

 

[kinntj]

We're planning on going Next april/May (still have to decide). I was interested in TGM, but when is the best time to subscribe? I wasn't going to book until DD gets her school schedule this fall.

Does it cost $18 a month or for a quarter? Sorry, I don't want to go to the site until I know it's a set price or an ongoing amount.

Thanks,

 

[BethR]

I was interested in TGM, but when is the best time to subscribe?

You want to subscribe as soon as you are planning a trip! The price is a one time fee PER trip. It is good from the day that you sign up (even years in advance) to 60 days AFTER your trip. It is easy to change the date of your trip on the site, so don't worry that you are "locked into" any particular dates. So my best advise is to sign up for TGM as soon as you are THINKING of a trip to Disney and you can finalize your trip dates later.

 

[Cathy baby RN]

Does TGM still offer a discount if you go through DIS?
I tried to find the coupon link and couldn't. It's $21.95 to sign up on his website. Thanks for any infor

 

[kinntj]

Thanks Beth, I'll sign up now! I'll put in the latest date we would be going and then move it up when we book.

Congrats to your DD on her school. Wow! That is awesome PA at Duke. It doesn't get much better than that.

 

[BethR]

Does TGM still offer a discount if you go through DIS?

Yep! Just click on the banner ad at the top of the The Parks Attractions and Strategies Board HERE .

 

[simonmunro]

Used it for two vacations and love, love, loved it.

 

[MossMan]

I just don't get these discussions on Tour Guide Mike. My family used TGM and we loved it. But I have no idea whether anyone else will like it. I don't know what anyone else is looking for in a service like this, so I can't really comment on whether TGM will meet your needs or not.

I get that some people don't like TGM. But you can say the same thing about any product. It's doesn't matter how popular something is, somebody somewhere is not going to like it. And sometimes that person is you. Oh well.

But what does it matter? TGM offers a no questions asked money back guarantee. So no one has anything to lose. Try it yourself. If you don't like it, get your money back. There is no risk. The only think you have to lose is the time and effort it will take you to evaluate whether you like TGM or not.



You are protected from wasting money, so why take a look for yourself.

 

[kinntj]

I've signed up today and so far I like it. I've only touched the surface if that. It's great information!

 

[MickeyDee]

I was also expecting something more customized. I guess I was looking for, run to Dumbo first, then go do... It wasn't like that. Just lots of general articles.

I totally agree...and also expected to be more personalized. I just signed up a couple of weeks ago for my trip in July and have found some interesting/useful information, but it wasn't all I dreamed it would be. I doubt I'll use it again.

 

[crisi]

I just don't get these discussions on Tour Guide Mike. My family used TGM and we loved it. But I have no idea whether anyone else will like it. I don't know what anyone else is looking for in a service like this, so I can't really comment on whether TGM will meet your needs or not.

I get that some people don't like TGM. But you can say the same thing about any product. It's doesn't matter how popular something is, somebody somewhere is not going to like it. And sometimes that person is you. Oh well.

But what does it matter? TGM offers a no questions asked money back guarantee. So no one has anything to lose. Try it yourself. If you don't like it, get your money back. There is no risk. The only think you have to lose is the time and effort it will take you to evaluate whether you like TGM or not.



You are protected from wasting money, so why take a look for yourself.

Well, for me at least, I got enough out of it that I didn't feel like a full refund was appropriate. It was $5-10 worth of information to me, not $20. And since I did use his site, I can't justify a refund. So I do think there is some risk you will waste some money. More importantly however, is that you WILL spend time in order to figure out if its for you. There are so many sources of Disney information, that if your time is valuable, TGM may not be worthwhile, even if you get all your money back.

 

[rie'smom]

I must respectfully disagree with the previous post. I didn't care for it. There is a LOT of information but it was hard to find. I would read an article and then couldn't find it when I went back to it.

I'm a computer trainer by day and I think the user interface needs to be much more simplified.

I was also expecting something more customized. I guess I was looking for, run to Dumbo first, then go do... It wasn't like that. Just lots of general articles.

But if you try it, TGM is as good as his word with that guarantee. I sent an email and my money was refunded a few days later.

If you are looking for something customized I LOVED Touringplans (dot) com for it's "Enhanced Touring Plans". Once you subscribe, you choose a touring Plan - they have different titles like, "Small Children Two Day Touring Plan" - Pop in the date you are going and you will have a step by step way to avoid the crowds. We used it on our last trip and it was perfect!

Good luck and enjoy your trip.[/QUOTE





TGM absolutely tells you how to tour the parks. He will say in which order the rides,attractions,etc,should be done. The advice will depend on what month you are going to WDW. Mike also has sample tours based on the ages of those in your group,ex. with young kids. We followed his sample tour plans last year during Memorial Day weekend through June 6 and our longest wait
was 5-10 minutes! We're going back @ the same time this year and have resubscribed. I love that MIke is @ the parks almost daily and can give up to the minute advice!

 

[GrandmaBarb]

The "secret" to TGM is to follow his plan, step by step, don't just skip around and get yourself lost in all the information.
He teaches you how to do WDW, when to do what etc.
you forumlate your own touring plan according to your wants and needs.
It works.

 

[DisFlan]

The "secret" to TGM is to follow his plan, step by step, don't just skip around and get yourself lost in all the information.
He teaches you how to do WDW, when to do what etc.
you forumlate your own touring plan according to your wants and needs.
It works.

I think the problem some of us have with the site is that it shouldn't need a "secret". Stuff is just too hard to find in a user-friendly timeframe.

And for $20, I expected some sort of basic personalized printout for the whole trip (ressies, ADRs, park hours, daily activities, tee times, etc.) with all our info in one handy place - not just "sample" daily touring plans. It took me hours of weaving around the site to realize that wasn't gonna happen. If it was there, I never found it.

DisFlan

 

[MossMan]

Well, for me at least, I got enough out of it that I didn't feel like a full refund was appropriate. It was $5-10 worth of information to me, not $20. And since I did use his site, I can't justify a refund. So I do think there is some risk you will waste some money. More importantly however, is that you WILL spend time in order to figure out if its for you. There are so many sources of Disney information, that if your time is valuable, TGM may not be worthwhile, even if you get all your money back.

First off, you should have gotten your money back. Unless you are FULLY satisfied, you can ask for ALL your money back. That you didn't ask for a refund is not a reflection on TGM.

And yes, you will spend some time looking over the site while you evaluate TGM. But so what. Are you really suggesting that that people not give TGM a try because they might waste a few hours coming to the realization that Mike's service isn't for them. Remember, you are presenting this as an arguement to a group of people who spend their free time reading message boards on a Disney fan site.

If your read this site you will quickly come to the realization that most peole who like the DIS also like TGM. However it is also just as apparent that a very vocal minority has some serious problems with TGM. But as long as TGM offers a full refund, why argue the point. Those who haven't tried TGM can spend a few hours reading through these same arguements or they can spend a few hour actully trying out TGM and coming to thier own conclusion. Given that TGM offers a money back guarantee, neither option will neccessarily cost you any money. It seems to me that the try-it-yourself option is going to yeild a far better result.

 

[crisi]

First off, you should have gotten your money back. Unless you are FULLY satisfied, you can ask for ALL your money back. That you didn't ask for a refund is not a reflection on TGM.

And yes, you will spend some time looking over the site while you evaluate TGM. But so what. Are you really suggesting that that people not give TGM a try because they might waste a few hours coming to the realization that Mike's service isn't for them. Remember, you are presenting this as an arguement to a group of people who spend their free time reading message boards on a Disney fan site.

If your read this site you will quickly come to the realization that most peole who like the DIS also like TGM. However it is also just as apparent that a very vocal minority has some serious problems with TGM. But as long as TGM offers a full refund, why argue the point. Those who haven't tried TGM can spend a few hours reading through these same arguements or they can spend a few hour actully trying out TGM and coming to thier own conclusion. Given that TGM offers a money back guarantee, neither option will neccessarily cost you any money. It seems to me that the try-it-yourself option is going to yeild a far better result.

People who like the DIS also overwhelmingly like the UOG, but I do not. I enjoy the DIS, but found TGM to be uneven. You can't say "all people here like this, so you will to" because the first statement is a fallacy. I may however, resubscribe for our next trip - it was uneven, but there was SOME value there.

My values are different than yours, I got enough value out of it not to feel it was ethical to ask for a refund. That isn't a problem with TGM and I'm not saying it is. But there are other people like me, either their ethics are different, or they are too lazy to ask for a refund.

And I'm not saying people shouldn't try it, I'm saying that there are pros and cons to TGM and you should consider them before you invest the time or the money. The investment in time on TGM alone may be enough to discourage people. If I ONLY had $20 to spend on a guide (and a lot of budget boarders don't have a lot to spend on guides), I'd recommend the Passporter before I recommend TGM. And I usually recommend that people spend time at the bookstore or library before they commit money to anything, because I seem to have different taste in guidebooks, and I can't generalize my taste to yours. You can't browse TGM for free, and even if TGM refunds your money, if you are paying 21% interest on the credit card you charge it on, it isn't free.

 

[DisFlan]

First off, you should have gotten your money back. Unless you are FULLY satisfied, you can ask for ALL your money back. That you didn't ask for a refund is not a reflection on TGM.

I chalked it up to a bad decision on my part. It simply turned out to be not what I expected. That's not TGM's fault.

I have nothing against anyone trying out TGM. I hope they do! It's very helpful for lots of folks. A question was asked and I'm responding with my experience. I honestly DO think the TGM site could use a few improvements. I would like to like it more! But when I mention this, the only response I get is - "If you don't like it, get your money back."

DisFlan