Tourguide Mike question...

[the4walls]

I have been looking at this website and it sounds very good. I am considering investing in it. Have you used his plan? Did it work for you? We have 2 children 7 & 4 and will be traveling to WDW the week before Christmas. Thank you for you help.

 

[tchrrx]

Yes! Tourguide Mike is incredible! My mom laughed at me every time that I mentioned part of our 'plan.' She didn't understand why I was spending so much time planning things instead of just going to the parks and seeing whatever there was to see. However, there was more than one time during our trip when she made comments like, "Oh my goodness, it's almost like you even knew when it would rain!" TGM is great for many reasons, but the best reason is simply knowing which days/times are the best for doing the different attractions. I just bought into DVC and you can bet that TGM will be my partner in planning each year.

 

[Deesknee]

Hi,

Yes! I purchased it for a June 05 trip, skeptically. I loved it so much I purchased it again (at a discount rate) for our Nov. trip same year.
He new changes for park hours before a CM I spoke with did. IMHO I think it is well worth the money.

I should warn you though, I found it a bit overwhelming at first. You probably shouldn't expect to just sit at the computer and instantly get all your questions answered. Be patient and allow for time to navigate the site. I also emailed him with a couple questions and I was answered very quickly.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

 

[figmentfan1]

This will be our 7th trip, our 3rd with TGM... I would never dream of going without him now!!

JE

 

[tchrrx]

Yes! Tourguide Mike is incredible! My mom laughed at me every time that I mentioned part of our 'plan.' She didn't understand why I was spending so much time planning things instead of just going to the parks and seeing whatever there was to see. However, there was more than one time during our trip when she made comments like, "Oh my goodness, it's almost like you even knew when it would rain!" TGM is great for many reasons, but the best reason is simply knowing which days/times are the best for doing the different attractions. I just bought into DVC and you can bet that TGM will be my partner in planning each year.

 

[Love the Mouse]

I'm sorry for not knowing...but what is Tour Guide Mike? This sounds interesting. We have a DVC and go 2 - 3 times a year, and would like to know what this is.

Could someone tell me or point the way to the sight?

Thanks

Michaela

My little one Spet. 2006 Beach Club Character Breakfast

 

[tanyaandallie]

Michaela, Tour Guide Mike - www.tourguidemike.com. It's a service you pay for and he has tons of info. You put in all of your trip info, etc and all the info on his site helps you plan your trip. I used it for my family trip in 2003 and am using it again this year. I love the sample touring plans and the info on the best days to go. It's really awesome. I will agree that it's very overwhelming until you figure out how to navigate through the site. I've been planning on his site for a month now and I still get a bit confused sometimes. But, the info is awesome!

 

[crisi]

I didn't like it, but then, I don't like the UoG which lots of people do like. And he does have a money back guarentee. I found it really disorganized and patronizing.

 

[marconat]

I bought it for my Jan 07 trip, hope it really works... But he makes a lot of sence, so I can't see why not ha! ha!

 

[wrldpossibility]

I didn't like it, but then, I don't like the UoG which lots of people do like. And he does have a money back guarentee. I found it really disorganized and patronizing.

I will start by saying I like TGM and have found it very helpful, but I agree with the above poster. It IS disorganized (and I'm a very organized person), and he/his writing IS patronizing. That said, the people who frequent the message boards there are SO helpful and friendly. It's our first trip, and I have learned a lot from him. I feel very confident about our plans. If I'd been to DW many times, it's probably not necessary. For under $20, it's worth a try (no more than a guide book).

 

[ajcolorado]

We used Tour Guide Mike for our last group trip, which was the 3rd week of June and we were very pleased. We never waited more than 20 minutes for anything - most waits were shorter. I highly recommend this service.

People run into trouble on the site when they start reading an article and click a link before completing the article. Then they find a link that interests them there. Then they find another. The key is to go all the way through the express planner completely once without clicking links - then go back through and click away. The forums there are very friendly and helpful.

I find the writing style a little like a motivational speaker or an infomercial and prefer my information straight up, without fluff. But I understand the point - most of his subscribers are not already disboard certified Disney Info junkies. They're new to the whole WDW thing and find it a overwelming. His tone is intended to make the trip less stressful, more manageable.

 

[U2_rocks!]

I currently have my second subscription to TGM. Just be aware that his site is all about teaching you to make your own perfect plan for your family using his tips, advice and little bit of inside knowledge; it does not create a step by step touring plan for you. So if that's what you're looking for then it may not be right for you. If you don't have a lot of time to learn from his principles then you may not get as much out of it as you should. Though, some people really swear by his "best days" and say that alone is worth the subscription rice!

Anyway, as was mentioned, he will give you your money back if you are not satisfied, you I don't see how you could lose really.

 

[ajcolorado]

I currently have my second subscription to TGM. Just be aware that his site is all about teaching you to make your own perfect plan for your family using his tips, advice and little bit of inside knowledge; it does not create a step by step touring plan for you. So if that's what you're looking for then it may not be right for you. If you don't have a lot of time to learn from his principles then you may not get as much out of it as you should. Though, some people really swear by his "best days" and say that alone is worth the subscription rice!

Anyway, as was mentioned, he will give you your money back if you are not satisfied, you I don't see how you could lose really.

If you are looking for custom touring plans, we used a company called Build A Better Mouse Trip (www.buildabettermousetrip.com) for our 2006 trip. They do custom itineraries and will make your dining reservations for you. We were very pleased with the service.

 

[U2_rocks!]

If you are looking for custom touring plans, we used a company called Build A Better Mouse Trip (www.buildabettermousetrip.com) for our 2006 trip. They do custom itineraries and will make your dining reservations for you. We were very pleased with the service.

How hard will they work to make those dining reservations? i.e. will they call at the 180 day mark for each one? If they don't get it will they keep trying in case there are cancellations?

Just curious - if they were willing to work to get them for me, that alone might be worth the price!

 

[martyshoney]

I had a subscription but I recently asked for my money back which I am still waiting on. We are not going to DW until Jan. but after reading all what he has to say I realized that even though he would save us a bunch of time I don't want to be constricted to a plan, I want my trip to be spontaneous. I don't want to have to tell my DD5 that she can't go take a picture with Minnie Mouse b/c it would set our schedule back, that is not what vacation is all about to me. While I was reading it it seemed like he had you running from here to there and all over, but that could just be me. (I don't like the DDP b/c of having to be somewhere at a certain time so I know I am in the minority here, but that is just MHO.)

 

[U2_rocks!]

I had a subscription but I recently asked for my money back which I am still waiting on. We are not going to DW until Jan. but after reading all what he has to say I realized that even though he would save us a bunch of time I don't want to be constricted to a plan, I want my trip to be spontaneous. I don't want to have to tell my DD5 that she can't go take a picture with Minnie Mouse b/c it would set our schedule back, that is not what vacation is all about to me. While I was reading it it seemed like he had you running from here to there and all over, but that could just be me. (I don't like the DDP b/c of having to be somewhere at a certain time so I know I am in the minority here, but that is just MHO.)

TGM doesn't actually give you a plan, though. He does have a few sample plans, but they aren't really what you're paying for. He gives you the knowledge to create your own plan - and the knowledge to be able to change that plan at will to something just or almost as good.

Having said that, your style and the fact that you are going in January may mean that TGM isn't going to be that useful for you. I would think that TGM is most useful for more peak times, and for people who are willing to stick to some sort of loose plan of action. Though one of the true values of TGM is that you learn why he recommends certain things, and that allows you to make your own plan changes easily where necessary, unlike a touring plan that is just given to you without reasons.

 

[CindyAnn]

I think it's worth a try. We purchased TGM (make sure you go through the link from the DIS to get a discount) for our December/January trip. At this point we have the "best park" info, but won't have had an opportunity to check it out until we get back in January. Since the cost per day of our trip works out to around $2.00, it seemed like we should try it out. If we can can steer clear of the worst of the crowds at a busy time of year, that's worth a lot to us!

I think there are a few caveats, though:

1) Everyone who says the site is somewhat confusing is absolutely right! I did follow all the advice about going straight through the Express Planner, which is helpful. I get bounced out of the "paying" portion of the site on a regular basis, though, and I'm not sent to a screen where I can re-enter my login details. Instead I'm always on a screen which allows me to join up. I have to say that's REALLY getting old.

2) While I can see that the tone could be annoying to some, I think it's an effort to make the info more readable and personal, so I'm okay with the writing style.

3) What bothers me most is that some of the info is out of date. That SHOULD be the advantage of having an on-line "guidebook" vs. a printed guidebook.

Despite some of the negative things, having something that gets you to the right parks on the right days is pretty attractive, right?

 

[Fizban257]

We used TGM for our July 2005 trip and found his advice invaluable.

As others have said, there is a ton of information at his site and it very easy to get overwhelmed. I made my purchase a year in advance and slowely worked my way through his site. That is a big plus for the site IMHO, that you can buy in so early and take your time. I really felt I got my money's worth.

We were there in mid-July and never waited more than 20 minutes for any ride. In fact, we rode every single ride in FantasyLand in 45 minutes -- for real, even Dumbo.

One problem with his site is that it is a bit self apologetic. His advice is often counter-intuative, so a lot of time is spent "convincing" you to believe what he says. We aren't going back until July 2009, but will be buying in to TGM again before the trip.

 

[ajcolorado]

How hard will they work to make those dining reservations? i.e. will they call at the 180 day mark for each one? If they don't get it will they keep trying in case there are cancellations?

Just curious - if they were willing to work to get them for me, that alone might be worth the price!

They got all of our reservations for us - we wanted the Mama Melrose Fantasmic dinner package but we didn't give them enough advance notice and the reservations were full. They made a Hollywood & Vine reservation for us and then kept checking w/ WDW for cancellations. We had to be a little flexible about dining times but we did get our Mama Melrose reservations and it was for a party of 7. They sent a form that included all of our reservation times and numbers - then the information was included again in our final touring plan packet. They mentioned really preferring to have the information before the reservation window opens so that they can be sure their customers can get what they want.

 

[bjcroberts]

Our family is going the first week of November. Is it too late to to go with TGM? Too much info? I am just looking for things to help plan a little better.