Tour Plans Who Uses them?

[tpettie]

So here's the questions who has done disney with a tour plan?

I have some books with tourguides in them. Wondering if anyone has one of their own to share or where to find some online.

We are first timers traveling Dec 1 - 10th 2008 a group of 13
4 adults
9 children ages 9-15yrs and and 2 1/2 yr old.

Any pointers greatly taken
Tena

 

[maxie]

I joined Tourguide Mike and really liked his tourplans. Also the UG has some that are well done.

 

[yxe dad]

I'm a huge fan of Tour Guide Mike! His touring plans are good and his info on the best days to visit which park, is worth the money alone.

For my upcoming trip in 2 weeks I used his best days and cross referenced it with the UG and came up with a plan for low crowds(hopefully).

IMHO the touring plans for both are good and worth buying.

Shayne

 

[lisalonglash]

We are first-timers too and are also a large group (16 family members so far, 4 of which are boys 9yo and under). We're going mid-October.

I have read and reread my Unofficial Guide to WDW with Kids book so many times that it's dog-eared I have tried to revise the UG plans to make workable touring plans (just for my family of 2 adults/2 children), but am having some trouble planning the MK days and the Epcot days

I'd love to be able to post our plans somewhere on the DIS and have an expert DISer "fix" it

At any rate, with children, I think having some sort of plan for a vacation destination the sheer size and scope of WDW is vital.

 

[lisalonglash]

I'm a huge fan of Tour Guide Mike! His touring plans are good and his info on the best days to visit which park, is worth the money alone.

For my upcoming trip in 2 weeks I used his best days and cross referenced it with the UG and came up with a plan for low crowds(hopefully).

IMHO the touring plans for both are good and worth buying.

Shayne

I just can't bring myself to pay $30 (for TGM) or even $10 (for UG) for professional touring plans. I paid well over $20 for the UG book - which is worth every penny! - but as I'm doing the touring plans just for my own family of 4 (the rest of our group thinks touring plans are dumb and that they'll just magically be able to do and see everything without a plan lol), I just think that I should be able to figure this out

OT to you:
I think I saw somewhere that your next trip is a surprise birthday trip for you? If so, yay for you What a great reason to go

 

[SaskDisNut]

I'm another big TGM fan. I like his site and advice, although it can be a bit overwhelming at first. I echo yxe dad's comments about the best days advice being so worth it. I have signed up again for our second trip. I also like the UG for all the details about WDW and am planning on buying the 2008 edition since it isn't in our public library yet.

I just can't bring myself to pay $30 (for TGM)

lisalonglash, TGM is $18.95USD if you use the link at the top of the Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies forum page. If you renew within a year for another trip it is even a bit cheaper.

No matter what you do or buy, you will be glad you planned. When you've done a whole bunch more than the rest of your party that thought touring plans are dumb, then maybe they will see it wasn't so dumb after all.

 

[yxe dad]

I just can't bring myself to pay $30 (for TGM) OT to you:
I think I saw somewhere that your next trip is a surprise birthday trip for you? If so, yay for you What a great reason to go

The money I spend on TGM is kinda like fun insurance. The longest wait I've have since I started using his info is around 15min. With an average cost of $3000/trip for me, the 1/2% spent on TGM is worth more to me than a Mickey t-shirt.

And yes I'm going in 15 days for a B-Day trip. I'm looking out my window right now and what do I see, it's snowing here in Saskatoon, I can't wait to get away.

Shayne

 

[Diamondintheruff]

I figure following TGM saves me time. I'm talking about the kind of time where you are stuck in a long line and your whole family is hot, tired, overwhelmed and hungry. You know the kind of waiting in line time I'm talking about.

Even if TGM only saved me five minutes it would be worth the $18. Now my family zooms past "those families" refreshed with full tummies and a plan of attack.

(I like UG too and I have a dogeared version to prove it)

 

[farmergirl]

I have read some guide books and while they have some great tips that everyone can use from time to time about dining, transportations, etc. I find that trying to follow one of the day step by step guides that tell you in what order to do the parks in can sometimes be not of much help. If something has a really long line we go skip it and come back to it at a later time instead of wasting time in line. This works for us but please keep in mind we are not ever there durign the peak traveling season.

 

[snickerboo]

I make up my own. What we do is we make sure we see the stuff we have to see/do first thing in the a.m. so that we get it done, then we take our time for the rest. Some things are important to know, like a lot of Epcot opens one hour after the rest of the park. The Dumbo ride takes forever to load at MK so you have to ride it early in the day or wait 45 minutes to ride what is, essenitally, a fair ride with elephants but that all small children insist on riding. Thanks to the UG's "Dumbo or Die" plan for that advice!

I would look at the park maps and figure out the key things your family will really want to do, and figure out how to get to them and which ones have fastpasses. Get those things done or get fastpasses as soon as you can. That way, if you have to miss something it's not one of your most anticpiated things. There are always threads on the park strategies about which rides people love most that will help you decide which are the 'must do's.

For non-internet guides, I liked the Unofficial Guide to Disney. I found the touring plans helpful but they didn't fit my family and that's how I got to make-up my own. (plus, it's fun and exciting to make your own on the computer using lots of Disney clipart!!!)

 

[drakes]

I did the same as snickerboo.
I have the UG 2007 and used it for our 2007 trip. My first trip back since WDW became more than just MK.
The tourplans did not suit our families needs. It did help me plan what we wanted, our do or die list and we got it done. We fell into the exact trap they comment on - character greetings! But those memories are why we went, we are not big thrill ride people, we wanted the magic and experiences that WDW offers over other theme parks.
The only things I can remember us not being able to do but I wish we did do was ToT, Star Tours and the Nemo show, as far as "rides" went. I know for some I missed 2 BIG attractions, BUT what we gained was some of the most memorable experiences we will never have again, having Alladin try to tie my DDs shoelaces, Sleeping Beauty give my DD a pink hibiscus flower, Belle place the a crown on DDs head- all these and more were unplanned meetings with the stars of WDW!

I can ride those rides on my next trip

Moral of the story- tourguides need to be directed at what matters to you ! to us we can drive 30 minutes to ride coasters, but Mickey Mouse isn't there

Happy Planning !

 

[FirstTimeDisneyDad]

Another huge TGM fan here. No wait morew the 10 minutes during Spring Break...he has baseline touring plans that you can use as a starting point and then customize then for your family.

Their message board famly is great for providing customized advice to YOUR trip. Help with a daily itinerary, help with a touring plan for each park.

Best $20 I ever spent...and it's got a Money Back guarantee...you really cannot go wrong with this.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I usually have my own "touring plan" depending on who is in the group. When I went last April with my young grandchildren, for example, we had an entirely different plan than when I went in February with my friend and her 13-year-old son who wanted to hit every roller coaster.

I do think that with little ones it's not so much about the rides, it's about the whole experience. We spent one day at AK where we did the Safari ride, walked the Pagani Forest trail, had lunch, and then spent the entire afternoon at AK in the Boneyard while the kids played and climbed. They had so much fun and still talk about it. I can't imagine that any of the touring plans would suggest that, but we all enjoyed that day.

Teresa

 

[crazyhunter98]

we did our own planning and it was our first time also we got everything we wanted to know off this site and we had a great time the big thing to remember is try not to do everything in one day if you do to much you will not enjoy your trip we went to the parks early in the mornings and did all the rides which we walked on with no waiting some we did twice then in the afternoon we did the shows which was air condition and it does get hot there
then when the heat was to much we went back to the hotel for a rest or swim which is very important to get a break during the day later we would have a shower and have a nice supper or dinner lol then we go to the parks and just take our time and check alot of shops out and watch fireworks and parades. just make sure what ever you do take a rest during the day you will have a better trip kids love a swimming pool and the resorts have alot of them

 

[snickerboo]

then when the heat was to much we went back to the hotel for a rest or swim which is very important to get a break during the day later we would have a shower and have a nice supper or dinner lol then we go to the parks and just take our time and check alot of shops out and watch fireworks and parades. just make sure what ever you do take a rest during the day you will have a better trip kids love a swimming pool and the resorts have alot of them

We always do this and we're all in better moods because of it. Last year we stayed at MK and we were all grouchy and tired by the end. A break of a couple hours by the pool (with a cooler or pina colada for me!), away from the crowds, recharged our batteries and we were all geared up and ready for more Disney fun by 5 or 6pm. Definitely work that in!

And, as the poster above said, there is no stopping character meet and greets. For little ones, they're the biggest magic, I think. My dd has been to WDW twice and both times she said the best part was meeting Aurora (or 'Briar Rose' as she calls her).

 

[maggieb9975]

As someone who has only been to WDW 4 times I have signed up for both UG and TGM...I find the forums at TGM great and his info is amazing. I like the UG because you can print out individual itinerarys based on his suggestions. So with a printout of his recommended order and TGM's I can then customize it by deleting stuff I don't want to see. I can list everything I want to do, restaurants, ADR confirmation numbers etc. Then they are highlighted on a map with details below it and then print it out....cool.....

 

[bluenosemickey]

We used the UG and were able to get some specific date info from the TGM website with the codes provided in the current UG. It was a real help.

We travelled during the spring break and were concerned about the crowds- but all was well and we didn't wait any longer than 10-15 mins max the whole trip. I was amazed, this was our 3rd family trip and it went the smoothest.

That all being said, I think you are going to find it difficult to use a trip guide with the size of your group. In order for the guides to work, you have to have everybody in your group committed to using them. We were familiar with Disney already and didn't have the full blast of pixie dust in our eyes when we used a guide this year. I think for my first trip with the kids, it would take a lot to convince them to "pass on by" some of the rides. Even this time, I had to keep reminding my DH to "keep the faith" and stick to the plan. They were very annoyed with me at first, but after a few hours, they were starting to become believers.

I think that if you could at least read about what days/times to avoid the heavy crowds. Try to avoid the parks with the EMH, go back to your room or go for something to eat for the afternoons and get a fastpass if the line is more than 30mins. Hit the popular rides early and late in the day, catch the fireworks once and then next time, hit the rides during the show.

If you are armed with just these tidbits, you will at least have some basis for decisions that need to be made every 10 mins or so. I found that to be the best part of the guides, after a while my family would just look over at me and say "What does Mike say to do next?" It made things easy and I didn't have to spend my day thinking and wondering where to go. And if things didn't work out great, I could blame Mike!

 

[thejollyfinn]

and ended up using it for the reader's responses for Disney Dining!
We have our favourite places to eat, but have started trying new places to keep things fresh. Our plans envolve when we get our ADRs, and the UG has saved us BIG TIME on making each day a FUN DAY at Disney.