UG vs. TGM

[MinnieVanMom]

I know it has been asked so many times that most want to puke just seeing this post.

However, which is better? And what does UG stand for? We are going in Sept and just wondered if there is anything from the sites that may help with the trip? I have my ADR's, park plans and know how to use FP.

 

[simplyliz]

I feel like an idiot but I was wondering what UG means as well...

 

[Brian_WDW74]

UG = Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

 

[Hmbldr]

I know it has been asked so many times that most want to puke just seeing this post.

However, which is better? And what does UG stand for? We are going in Sept and just wondered if there is anything from the sites that may help with the trip? I have my ADR's, park plans and know how to use FP.

UG stands for something you can't repeat here on Dis G stands for Guide, U stands for something not quite official

TGM is TourGuideMike and you can find the link here on Dis. I haven't used UG, but we just got back from our trip yesterday and used TGM for planning purposes. I hadn't been to WDW in 9 years, but had been many times before and consider myself pretty knowledgeable on things Disney (or at least I thought I did) TGM is absolutely worth the cost. If a single tip saves you from waiting an hour in a line - that is worth more than the $18.95. If it helps you do this several times a day over the length of your trip, it is priceless. There is a ton of info on the TGM site and I know some, including myself at first, can find it overwhelming. But once you start to get the idea behind things and figure out the website navigation, it all starts to make sense. After figuring things out, I made my general plans and fit my ADRs loosely around it. Following my plans based on the ideals from TGM worked great. When I knowingly varied from my plans, I got what I expected.... and verification that Mike was correct. I wouldn't plan a trip without TGM.

 

[fakereadhed]

UG vs TGM?

I think Mike can take Len. My money's on Mike.

 

[mattsdragon]

I'm actually glad to see this topic come up. I've been reading my 2006 UG lately in preperation for our upcoming trip. I have to say, the more I read it, the less enchanted I become with it. Yes, some of the behind the scenes tips are interesting, but overally, it has a very negative tone to it. Most of the quotes they take from guests are whiney, petty, complaints. And when they can't fine a visitor from complaining about something, they do. And they aren't very kind in their restuarant or hotel reviews either. There is a lot of contradictory expertise throughout the book.

In general, I've lost my liking for this book the more I read it.

I prefer the Passporter.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

After using UG, Passporter and TGM, I am now partial to "The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World". Good info - great photos - well organized - and not too BIG to carry along if you want to.

I like UG online and TGM for crowd calendars, and TGM for his PM notifications if you join the "Vacation Club" for the month you're going to WDW. You get updates about park hours, special events, etc. I find his site a bit too disorganized, though, to use for everything. JMHO.

My gripe with UG: a lot of the info in the 2008 guide is already out of date - I get better info here on the DIS. The book is HUGE, in large part because of things like extensive hotel info. I can get most hotel info online, and I certainly don't need to be carrying it around the parks when I presumably have already chosen a hotel.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I know it has been asked so many times that most want to puke just seeing this post.

However, which is better? And what does UG stand for? We are going in Sept and just wondered if there is anything from the sites that may help with the trip? I have my ADR's, park plans and know how to use FP.

UG stands for Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. It's a fairly comprehensive book with ratings, reviews, and the like on attractions, restaurants, hotels, pretty much the whole ball of wax. It also has touring tips and advice, some advice on age appropriateness of attractions, etc. We use a lot of their tips and strategies and don't have to wait more than 15 minutes for anything. Most of the time, it's under 10 minutes. It can be an intimidating read though as it is a huge book.

 

[srwarden1928]

The UG website is only $8 and has about a hundred different touring plans for different people & circumstances. I would NOT do WDW without it.