Tour Guide Mike

[disneydentist]

Hello all. Has anyone out there ever purchased and used the Tour Guide Mike program that Mary touts over at Mousesavers? We consider ourselves to be pretty knowledgable but I was wondering if anyone found this planning service valuable for a frequent WDW traveller. Thanks in advance.

 

[dgaston]

I joined TourguideMike for planning for my Christmas trip with brother's family. Since I knew it was going to be such busy time, I wanted as much help as possible.

I definitely think a few of Mike's approaches to the park were different than I had encountered in guidebooks and on the net. We did wait in some lines, but I think we got all our highlights done in each of the parks, even went to BB, and some went to Kennedy, too. I was just tickled to finally be at WDW when Sorcery in the Sky was shown at MGM on NYE.

I have taken advantage of his suggestions for parades, fireworks, etc.

I think it's an ok investment, especially with the discount code from Mary (whose site I adore!!).

I will sign up again, when there's another big family trip.

 

[dgaston]

Forgot to mention, learning to navigate the site takes time--it's not as intuitive as some. Spend the time, there's a lot of info there.

 

[always quiet]

I have it and really enjoy it!! I have printed out different sections and keep it with my Passporter that I use to plan my vacation. I have been to WDW many times and was surprised at how much I DIDN'T know!! He has some great tips and suggestions on how to avoid crowds and lines. We are doing MVMCP again this year....we went in 2002 and couldn't imagine how to get everything done in one night. Just reading over his tips for that, I can spot so many mistakes I made last time!! I would not hesitate purchasing it!!

 

[jtjarvis]

A big thumbs-up for TGM. For only a little more than cost of a book whose info turns dated as it hits the press, you have detailed, very shrewd and un-frantic touring and travel plans, with the bonus of up to the minute information. TGM combined with these boards, and mousesavers for discounts, gave us a near-perfect trip last time. I'm using it again for the upcoming trip-- it's a great value.

 

[dpuck1998]

I used TGM this past summer and was very impressed. I am very web savvy and found lots of free information, but TGM really helped us plan for the very busy summer. I likely won't use it again because I printed everything out and kept hard copies of all the useful information, but if your going during a busy time or for a long trip I would highly recommend it. I agree with the above comment also, the site it not very intuitive so spend time digging, there is a lot of good information buried deep.

 

[HANDYMOM]

Love it! Well worth the money. I got it for a discount through mousesavers

 

[Atotty]

Tourguide Mike's info is so great; it really made our trip last time. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this was for us. We didn't wait in any line longer than 15 mins...and that one time was for Dumbos. He has tons of pictures and tips on where to sit for all the rides/shows/parades, etc. More than last year. He has best AM and PM to go to each park and best rides/shows to see in each park broken down by AM, PM, Afternoon, any time, etc.

I'm using TGM for our trip this year, too, and have noticed that he is keeping everything updated very well...he even dates the pages when the info changes so you can tell if it's up to date. WDW changes so often that by the time a guidebook hits the shelves, some of the info is outdated. Passporter is the most up to date guidebook out there because they wait to put out the 2004 edition in 2004...not late 2003 like the others. But I've already had to download Passporter updates for changes WDW has made since it went to press.

Plus, he just upgraded his site this week so it's easier to navigate.

 

[disney4us2002]

Another big fan of TGM. I hit a fluke in my AVP this week and sent him an email. He responded within hours with detailed instructions how to navigate around the issue then emailed a while later to see if I had figured it out. I'm very pleased!

 

[Selket]

Another big fan of TGM here! We used his site last summer to plan our trip and all of the advice I got was accurate and very helpful. It really minimized my time in lines. Also great if you have small children because it is hard to keep to any kind of strict "touring plan" with them! I felt like if we got off track I knew what my best options were for the next thing to see. I never felt rushed! He was also VERY helpful in responding to a question I had about my son waiting in lines (toddler age but delayed in walking/unable to walk or stand). His advice on that was so helpful that it really made our trip so much nicer than it would have been.

 

[Lollipop Mom]

another thumbs up here! Following his advice we didn't wait longer than 20 minutes for anything over our 12/28 to 1/3 trip either and that was for the safarai ride at AK on NYE. He even had great tips on how to prepare our toddler for certain rides and shows. I agree that it is a bit clunky at first to navigate through but it is WELL worth taking that little bit of time to figure it out. It does seem to be a bit better since he made some changes this past week but I haven't spent a lot of time on there this week.

ABSOLUTELY worth the $15 or so!