ww52
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2001
- Messages
- 1,067
Curiosity got the best of me and I impulse-bought Tour Guide Mike after seeing it described on Mousesavers. Bottom line clearly meant for people who dont have the time (or dont want to take the time) to read the valuable information on websites such as DIS, Debs guide, WDWMAGIC, etc.
I havent spent much time with the info it provided me after registering and answering questions on my vacation plans, but Ive gathered the following. The site is essentially a compilation of reviews and articles, and an attempt to pull it together in a logical fashion and limit it to avoid it seeming overwhelming. By telling the program what youre interested in, it narrows down the articles and reviews to fit. (Kind of defeats the purpose for someone who knows little about WDW presumably the target audience. How do you narrow it down when you dont know what to select?)
Navigation was far from intuitive. While it has a kind of drill-down approach, it wasnt clear how to go from summary to detail. I later discovered that the index of articles for a section was always on the right usually that is found on the left or maybe even on the top. Im sure that was spelled out in the overview, but who reads those?
Note that the site does not provide an itinerary, nor even suggests one, but walks you through how to put one together and backs this up with his reasoning (like what parks on what days). Its full of reviews on attractions, hotels, restaurants. But again, that information is hardly scarce these days on the internet. I guess the value is having it in one place with some sense of organization, but well done sites like DIS have that as well. Since the result is not a plan, but just an approach towards putting a plan together, the fee amounts to a registration for his site. (Please note that I have only spent less than an hour in the site there may be more to it that Ive completely missed. IF there is though, then thats an indication of poor design, because it isnt clear there is more to it than Im seeing.)
Mike comes highly qualified, having been a CM for some time, and a tour guide, and someone who puts together VIP tours and itineraries for celebrities. He now has his own business doing pretty much that for anyone, though at I think about $100 an hour. This site is an attempt at automating this to some degree. Still, Im not sure who I could recommend this site to. It doesnt eliminate any planning, it does make some suggestions and gives you things to consider when making your plans, but as I said there are many free sites that do that very well also. The cost now on Mousesavers is only $15, but that is supposed to represent a 40% savings. Not sure this is worth $25, but again I have not researched it very long. If any one else has any opinions, Id be very interested in hearing them.
I havent spent much time with the info it provided me after registering and answering questions on my vacation plans, but Ive gathered the following. The site is essentially a compilation of reviews and articles, and an attempt to pull it together in a logical fashion and limit it to avoid it seeming overwhelming. By telling the program what youre interested in, it narrows down the articles and reviews to fit. (Kind of defeats the purpose for someone who knows little about WDW presumably the target audience. How do you narrow it down when you dont know what to select?)
Navigation was far from intuitive. While it has a kind of drill-down approach, it wasnt clear how to go from summary to detail. I later discovered that the index of articles for a section was always on the right usually that is found on the left or maybe even on the top. Im sure that was spelled out in the overview, but who reads those?
Note that the site does not provide an itinerary, nor even suggests one, but walks you through how to put one together and backs this up with his reasoning (like what parks on what days). Its full of reviews on attractions, hotels, restaurants. But again, that information is hardly scarce these days on the internet. I guess the value is having it in one place with some sense of organization, but well done sites like DIS have that as well. Since the result is not a plan, but just an approach towards putting a plan together, the fee amounts to a registration for his site. (Please note that I have only spent less than an hour in the site there may be more to it that Ive completely missed. IF there is though, then thats an indication of poor design, because it isnt clear there is more to it than Im seeing.)
Mike comes highly qualified, having been a CM for some time, and a tour guide, and someone who puts together VIP tours and itineraries for celebrities. He now has his own business doing pretty much that for anyone, though at I think about $100 an hour. This site is an attempt at automating this to some degree. Still, Im not sure who I could recommend this site to. It doesnt eliminate any planning, it does make some suggestions and gives you things to consider when making your plans, but as I said there are many free sites that do that very well also. The cost now on Mousesavers is only $15, but that is supposed to represent a 40% savings. Not sure this is worth $25, but again I have not researched it very long. If any one else has any opinions, Id be very interested in hearing them.
Since he's a former CM and professional tourguide, I have confidence in his touring plans. His tips for dining are excellent as well and make sense. Access formerly expired 14 days after your trip but he's now extended it to 60 days. I believe right now he's also working on special access for those who take multiple trips. I agree that his site needs some work here and there, but he makes it clear that it's a work in progress and I admire his diligence. At $15, I feel it's a good value and would recommend it.
Well, I guess that's my two cents. 
