Tour Guide Mike

[NiftyJ88]

Yes or No? We're going with a 3 y.o. and are planning on doing a lot of character meals and shows and not so many rides. Is it worthwhile?

 

[FarmDisney]

We didn't use it for our first trip and we had a great time. BUT, following his advice for our second and subsequent trips, we got to experience so much more Disney. For us it was great to know how "to do" Fantasyland. We can ride everything we want to and be out of Fantasyland in 45 minutes and off to Toontown for the rope drop. From our experience, it was well worth the money!

 

[maggiew]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

We have used TGM 3 times and love it. We even used it one year during busy 4th of July and didn't have waits.

We just came back at the end of July and we didn't wait more than 10-15 minutes for ANYTHING and we saw EVERYTHING we wanted. Plus swam in the pool every afternoon and ate table service 2 times per day!

Maggie

 

[gillenkl]

Tourguidemike is worth every penny! I have used it twice and will continue using it on all our future trips!

 

[Kion10]

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! The fee at first is a little bit of a turn off. (Be sure to go through the link on the Disboards and save $3) but the amount of information and how much time it is going to save you is worth way more then the $20 or so you pay for it! We went May 12th to May 19th. We were first timers and worried. By following his tour notes, the longest line we waited in was for the bus! 90% of our lines were under 5 minutes. And we went when the crowd levels were projected at 8 and 9s! It is sooooo worth it! If you have any questions, let me know! His site can be a little hard to navigate.

 

[Darcy03231]

I'll be the naysayer here. I thought his site was difficult to navigate and quite a bit of the information was outdated. I did request a refund and received it promptly. I did better with www.touringplans.com.

 

[khomer504]

I subscribed to Tour Guide Mike last year and I must have been doing it wrong... because I had a heck of a time figuring out how to access any of that "great advice" everyone raves about. Hearing the great reviews has me tempted to try again... is there something obvious I'm missing?

 

[fakereadhed]

I get TGM for the Least Crowded Park charts- those are worth it alone. They don't always correspond with Touringplans.com, and TGM has never done me wrong. If you are headed to the least crowded park on a particular day, it means not only shorter ride lines, but shorter bus waits as well.

 

[skip323]

I really enjoyed using Tourguide Mike. DH was a non believer until we really got into it and it was useful. Now, this is coming from someone who had never been to WDW until 2 years ago. I never went as a child. I had no clue about it. 2 years ago we just did our best to plan based on reviews here etc. The trip we took this summer was vastly better!!! It was super crowded and ridiculously hot for mid-late June but so much better!

I am now an official fan and am paying to remain part of that board even though I don't know when I will be going back.

 

[maggiew]

Yes. The Least crowded days info is the most important thing to get from his site. Also, the suggested itinerary for each park is very valuable. It explains what to hit first and why.

I found the discussion board to not be useful.

But some of the other articles are helpful too. Like the ones about character meals, etc.

Maggie

 

[chrismartinique]

if you are going at a peak time, it is very worth it. We used it when we visited through TG and it was so helpful. the other posters are very kind and willing to help - I never felt like a thread killer

if you are going at a slow time it is helpful but not so necessary because your days will be more relaxed already

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I've used TGM twice and I love it. But I admit that you have to be planning "nut" like me to get full benefit from it. The website will not create a customized touring plan for you so much as it will direct you on how to make your own touring plan.

TGM takes a very different approach to visiting WDW than other planning websites. I would say that it's a more relaxed way of touring. With a 3 yo, you might welcome the slower approach. Since you are guaranteed your money back if you find it's not for you, I think that it's definitely worth trying.

 

[Kaler131]

I subscribed to Tour Guide Mike last year and I must have been doing it wrong... because I had a heck of a time figuring out how to access any of that "great advice" everyone raves about. Hearing the great reviews has me tempted to try again... is there something obvious I'm missing?

I agree...Mike seems like a great guy but I didn't really get anything really useful out of it either. I have found the absolute BEST tips and info here on the Dis from all of the wonderful people here for free!!

 

[diamondpixienc]

Yes, we will defineately use Tour Guide Mike for our first trip to the world Sept 2010 i have heard more good than bad things about his touring plans and as a Disney newbie I will certainly give it a go.

 

[rie'smom]

If you subscribe and need help, here's my shortcut:

1. When you join, there will be a questionnaire, just answer the questions.

2. Sign in if you have to after the questions.

3. On the next page, click on your travel month in the express planner box.

4. When that page opens, look down to about the 4th star or whichever says Least Crowded Parks Per Day of the Week. There is an option to click days 1-15 or 16-31. Choose the one you need. If you dates cross both sets, no problem. Just do 1 set and then the other.

5. After clicking those dates, a new page will open. Scroll down until you see the dates listed. Click on your dates, one at a time. There willl be a chart which shows which park is the least crowded, then the next least crowded and so on.

6. Decide which days you think that would fit in with your plans. If you have an ADR or something else that conflicts with the least crowded days, either change your ADR or follow Mike's sample plans.

7. If you look at the left column on the least crowded days page, you'll see Step 6, My Park Touring. There are sample plans for each park. These really work well.

After you get this together, if you have questions, look at the top of the page and click on the AVP forums for great advice from other Tour Guide Mike members and then take your time going through the rest of the site.

It is worth every penny. We've been going to WDW for over 30 years and finding TGM was the best planning tool ever.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

Yes, Yes and Yes. Definitely get it. We planned our 1st trip to WDW last year with only 5 1/2 months of plannng. Their best days guide worked and even though we went during free dining and the last week in August, lines were not that bad and we had a fabulous time.

If you have any questions, you shoud post on TGM's discussion board. They are an invaluable source of planning. It helped us chose which parks we were going to on which days (didn't have parkhoppers so we had to stay at one park each day). And it helped in setting up ADR locations and times. We had over 18 Table service restaurants and only had 1 restaurant where we waited longer than 5 minutes to be seated. I'd recommend it to anyone planning a WDW trip, especially newbies.

 

[maggiew]

I agree...Mike seems like a great guy but I didn't really get anything really useful out of it either. I have found the absolute BEST tips and info here on the Dis from all of the wonderful people here for free!!

I spend nearly all of my time here on the DIS for tips, tricks and general chat. But I use tour guide mike to make my touring plans - which park on which day and how to tour the park on any given day.

Maggie

 

[tayandjensmom]

Just had to add my 2 cents worth

It was the best money we spent. It was our first trip to Disney, girls were 6and 8. We walked on virtually every ride. Mike knows what he is talking about. DH thought I was crazy, started calling me Tour Guide Lisa. He will be the first to admit, it was great knowing what we were doing and moving through the entire park with no issues. No plans on for the next trip yet, but you can rest assured, we will buy Tour Guide Mike when we set the dates.

Enjoy..... Lisa

 

[NiftyJ88]

Thanks everyone! I decided to go ahead and join. So far, I'm learning some tips, but really haven't had a chance to explore to far in depth. Some of the tips I've read so far totally go against everything we have done in the past and they really make sense.

 

[iheartdisney]

I'll be the naysayer here. I thought his site was difficult to navigate and quite a bit of the information was outdated. I did request a refund and received it promptly. I did better with www.touringplans.com.

I thought this site was the BEST! I love the printable touring plans, customizable by date.