TourGuide Mike ??

[Claud26]

has anyone gotten their money back ?? I was not happy with the website at all for that kind of money

 

[mgpan]

I considered buying it for our December trip but decided against it. What did you not feel it offered for the $, and what were you looking for that you didn't find?

 

[Claud26]

well, I thought that it would be like Touringplans but MORE personalized... at TourGuideMike they give you all the info and you have to put it together ... so I found it to be like a one stop research site that you pay for ... So you still have to do all the work and LOTS of reading.
Certainly not what I was expecting

 

[gbfitzger]

Yes, he is very good about refunding your money. My experience was similar to others mentioned.

 

[DutchsMommy]

That seems to be a common mis-conception. I have read it here on the boards a few times. I enjoy TGM for the info however you are right it is DIY. I find it very helpful, in general, to ask opinions on these boards as you are pretty well guaranteed someone has done whatever it is you are considering - of course you have to realize it is their opinion, but it doesn't hurt to hear it. I did receive a note from TGM just yesterday that his e-mail got a bit backed-up with some things going on, just an FYI it might be a few days if you e-mail him. He is normally great with replying but I think the issue that happened was beyond his control.

 

[Claud26]

I was under the impresion that it would be something where I could key in my dates and what parks i would like to visit what day and it would tell me what rides at what time and where to stop for lunch and dinner and little tips like that ... but it seems to really intense reading is needed and with only 23 days left to go I just don't have that kind of time.

 

[POB14]

I found it helpful but not necessary - only a few things I didn't get from other guidebooks and such. I just thought, with the money we're blowing on this trip, another $20 or so is fine if it helps at all. Which, I guess, it did.

And yes, sorry fans, but it IS hard to navigate, and it IS misleading to call it an "automated vacation planner" and saying you get "park tours . . . custom written for your party's ages and interests." Yes, I know that sentence also says "sample." I'm not saying it's inaccurate, just a bit misleading.

 

[Sorcerer Figment]

Not to discount the opinions of anyone else here, but I would offer that putting your own plan together is far better. Not having the time is completely understandable. However, a set list of attractions to see cannot possibly take into account all the variables of a given day. (Attractions temporarily closed, bad weather, whims of your groupmates.) I find it much better to have a general logic about how to tour the parks, at your own discretion. That said, Mike will gladly refund your money. Good luck planning your trip!

 

[Skroops]

I found it roughly the same cost as buying a WDW guide at the bookstore. It definately has enough information to be a book, and a book would be easier to read! I think it has a lot of helpful information, but it requires a lot of time and energy to tailor it to your vacation. I also thought about requesting a refund, but after digging around the site a little more I found that I like reading the articles.

 

[Okiemom]

I really enjoy reading his website. I heard he is good about refunds, but I felt it was worth the money myself.

 

[Tandyc]

I hope this is not a politically incorrect question, but does anyone know why he is not mentioned on the Mousesavers website anymore? We used him on our last trip only because of thier mentioning him, and we were thrilled! Not one negative thing I can say. He saved us countless hours! I only wish I had printed out more of his helpful comments!

Tandyc

 

[ChairborneRangr]

I hope this is not a politically incorrect question, but does anyone know why he is not mentioned on the Mousesavers website anymore? We used him on our last trip only because of thier mentioning him, and we were thrilled! Not one negative thing I can say. He saved us countless hours! I only wish I had printed out more of his helpful comments!

Tandyc

I believe Mary Waring has business arrangements that precludes that now.

I have been a TGM member for a year and a half. I find his info extremely helpful, especially when Disney drops surprises like last years complete revamping of tickets and EMH in January. All the guidebooks were out of date a couple of months after they were published. That being said, I buy the UG regularly. I find his crowd information very valuable as well as his Best days charts, and touring philosophy.

If you are using TGM and you are in a hurry, stick to your month's express planner. It has all the pertinent info and links. I think even a few hours on TGM can provide valuable info. Plus, if you have specific concerns and unusual requirements, just email him and he will give you tailored info to your requirements.

Like anything, TGM isn't for everyone, but it is very good.

 

[cancilla]

I had the same initial disappointment when I joined TGM. But after reading around on the site, I realized that it is really very valuable. We haven't left for our trip yet, but I feel that I've got a good handle on how traffic flows at the parks and will be able to make plans on the fly if my pre-planned strategy doesn't work out.

One thing I particularly liked is the ability to list the attractions you are intereseted in and then get a list of which should be done when (first thing, after lunch, any time, etc.) It doesn't give you an exact time, but it is a good guideline.

The thing that really made TGM worth it to me was that when Disney started taking ADRs 180 days out, I got an e-mail from one of the TGM people. I called and got all my reservations, including the castle, with no problem, and the cast member said I was one of only a handful of people who had called under the new policy.

Anyway, once I adjusted my TGM expectations I was very happy with the site. Your milage may vary

--Dominick

 

[MissMichelle]

has anyone gotten their money back ?? I was not happy with the website at all for that kind of money

Wow, I'm surprised...I am going to check out the rest of this thread about what you didn't like but I LOVE TGM! I have gotten a lot of help with planning through him.

 

[figmentfan1]

We leave the day after tomorrow and I know this is going to be a great trip thanks to TGM... all of the best hints only an experienced WDW tourguide would know... after all this is what he does for a living!!!

Love TGM!!

je

 

[MissMichelle]

If you are using TGM and you are in a hurry, stick to your month's express planner. It has all the pertinent info and links. I think even a few hours on TGM can provide valuable info. Plus, if you have specific concerns and unusual requirements, just email him and he will give you tailored info to your requirements.

Like anything, TGM isn't for everyone, but it is very good.

I agree fully...I really like the site--At first I was kind of thinking :This is what I paid for?" then I poked around the site and started to really like it...I like the Express Planner, I like the articles, the forum isn't bad (I like having my own "Month" forum.) Stuff like that. (Forum wise I LOVE the DIS! LOL)

 

[brerrabbit]

If you are a Dis veteran or a veteran of numerous trips to WDW I think you could easily dismiss TGM. I bought a membership and after spending a lot of time reading on the site my reaction was " I already knew that" I think for novices and first time travelers to the world the site would be invaluble as a one stop shop to learn everything you need to know for a good trip. A lot of the information is available here but its more work because you have to search through previous posts or ask a lot of questions. With the amount of money we have spent over the years going to and planning to go to WDW I really did not see the 20 dollars as that big of a deal. I did pick up a few tips that I will use and want to kick myself because they are things I know but just never really expressed as a strategy. If you have been a lot most of the things you learn from Mike will be things you already knew.

 

[mill4023]

I was under the impresion that it would be something where I could key in my dates and what parks i would like to visit what day and it would tell me what rides at what time and where to stop for lunch and dinner and little tips like that ... but it seems to really intense reading is needed and with only 23 days left to go I just don't have that kind of time.

He DOES tell you "what rides at what time". Did you not look at the touring plans? They are very detailed, so you can follow them exactly if you want. But he also explains the logic behind them, which makes it easy to modify them if you want. And he tells you which parks are best for each day.

I think $20 is a bargain. We used TGM for our trip last May and it was great. I gladly renewed my subscription for our trip next spring.

 

[VSL]

I think a lot of us go into TGM thinking that we're going to get a set itinerary.. but I'm kinda glad that it wasn't that!

Now, I know 'why' certain things work, and will be able to adjust as necessary throughout the day if things don't go perfectly according to plan

 

[tinkermell]

He DOES tell you "what rides at what time". Did you not look at the touring plans? They are very detailed, so you can follow them exactly if you want. But he also explains the logic behind them, which makes it easy to modify them if you want. And he tells you which parks are best for each day.

I think $20 is a bargain. We used TGM for our trip last May and it was great. I gladly renewed my subscription for our trip next spring.

I finally got some questions answered from this post about TGM. Let's say I give him the name of the 15 rides I want to do at the MK, plus lunch and the parade for that day. Will he figure out the best times for each ride??? Another thing is, does he tell you what day to go to each park?? What if I have already made all of my ADRs thinking those were the parks I wanted to go to on that day, but he thinks that is a bad ideal??? Hopefully I've done my homework on what parks to visit on what days, but who knows what he would say. I've done RideMax for DL before and it was so simple and worked unbelievebly well!!! I don't know if you know anything about that and what the differences might be???? Do you also know if TGM is customized more just for you than the UG you buy from the internet. I already have the UG book. I hope I'm making sense to you. Trying to get all this down into words is sometimes hard!! Thanks alot for your input as I'm jumping in on this post!!!