Tourguide Mike and special needs?

[Taratink]

Has anyone used TGM? My son has Aspergers and I am wondering if it will help or be a waste since his mood dictates how the day will go and what he can do.
Tara

 

[angwill]

TGM would help you organize your day so you know when and where it is less crowded. I think it would help you with an Asperger child because you want to try to avoid the crowds to eleviate the stimulation. He also has specifics on all the rides which could help you know if it is something your child could handle. There is no specific information geared toward special needs there but there is a board like this one where you could post questions for others who have BTDT. If you have a lot of time to research his site you could put together a great plan that includes the breaks you need.

HTH

 

[flynnmnstr]

Our son (PDD-NOS/Asperger) definitely dictates our touring at WDW at times but we used TGM and it definitely helped reduce crowds and maximized touring. It helped with finding good viewing for parades and on days when we could follow his plan we did on other days we did not. WE never went to a park that TGM predicted that we should absolutely not go to.
Lauren

 

[Taratink]

Thanks for the info. guys. I am about three weeks from our vacation. I wish that I consider TGM sooner.
Tara

 

[lostmom]

What is tour guide mike?:

 

[SueM in MN]

What is tour guide mike?:

Tour Guide Mike is a planning website that provides tour plans for WDW. It is more personalized than just going to the books like the Unofficial book. The actual "Mike" is Tourguide Mike was a WDW VIP Tour Guide, so he has a lot of insider tips and really knows the parks.

Tour Guide Mike is the sponsor of the Theme Parks Board. We have never used his service because we had already been coming to WDW for many, many years before I heard of him, but pretty much everything I have read about his service looks positive. It does cost money, but is a similar price to buying a planning guide book and for the price you get access to a lot of things you can't get other places.

 

[jaycns]

Tour Guide Mike has been invaluable in planning for our family. Our son has SID and although he is now much improved three years ago we were really having a tough time with it. Using TGM's least crowded day charts and making good use of some of his viewing spot suggestions and being able to prepare my son with his MANY pictures of everything from parades to resorts to attractions was a HUGE help!

We have renewed for our 4th time with TGM for our upcoming trip. Although you can use his site to plan down to the minute...I think the greatest value is planning where to be at a certain time (by that I mean in which park) and even more importantly, where not to be.

Good luck! Have fun at WDW!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Using TGM's least crowded day charts and making good use of some of his viewing spot suggestions and being able to prepare my son with his MANY pictures of everything from parades to resorts to attractions was a HUGE help!

We have renewed for our 4th time with TGM for our upcoming trip. Although you can use his site to plan down to the minute...I think the greatest value is planning where to be at a certain time (by that I mean in which park) and even more importantly, where not to be.

Good luck! Have fun at WDW!!

Those things are very good points.
Pictures are very important to help prepare some kids for their trip, in order that they can know what to expect.

Also, even using a GAC or Fastpasses, if you know where NOT to be can be VERY helpful. Getting into attractions with a short wait is only part of the solution. If you are at a busy park, it is busy everywhere, which means longer waits for things like eating and using the bathrooms. The more people there are, the more difficult it becomes just to get around and to avoid all the general 'busy-ness' of the parks. That 'busy-ness' can be just as difficult for many people to deal with.