Unofficaial Guide vs Tour Guide Mike

[fizz13]

I was interested in any opinions as to which of these listed above gives the most efficient touring plans or if there was a difference at all. I have the book and am subscribed to Tour Guide Mike, but when making my park itinerary, they both have valid points. So, to anybody that has used both, is one better than the other or did they work about the same?
Claire

 

[Brian Noble]

I have both (and recommend both to others). My strategy has been to start with the plan that has more of the attractions we want to visit, and work in tips from the other along the way. TGM's "young kids" tours are often our starting points, but not always.

 

[dolphindan1]

What is Tour guide Mike?...Sorry if I am out of the loop

 

[Brian Noble]

www.tourguidemike.com

A subscription-based web "guide book".

 

[m&m's mom]

I have used both.
I liked TGM as I could access while I was at work on the internet where I really could not a book.
I found the UG to be very helpful and got lost in TGM.
Obviously both have a lot of research into.

 

[GrandmaBarb]

I have been going to WDW year after year since the day it opened.
I thought I was an expert, but how wrong I found I was.'
When I signed up for TGM's AVP I thought it would just be interesting reading, however it turned out to be that plus so much more.
The information is updated constantly and is always correct. Books and other web-sites are not that way. Books are outdated upon publication. Other web-site mean well but are inaccurate so much of the time.
In contrast, I can have daily updated information and can plan accordingly knowing that the infro Mike provides is accurate and current.
I cannot suggest loudly enough to try it and see for yourself..
But, don't just skim thru what you find. Read and absorb the information. You will find it pays for itself immediately. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.
Try it and see what a difference it makes in your vacation.
With TGM I have proved to many skeptics that he knows the right way to see and do everything.
Again, I say, keep an open mind, check it out, really check it out, and you will make the best investment you possibly can make to planning a (Wonderfuly perfectly perfect vacation complete with Pixie Dust and Disney Magic) and TGM's advice.
No, I don't work for TGM, sure wish I could.

 

[kirbsam]

The unofficial guide works great for me. Plus, it made a great gift to my parents when they come with us for our October trip. The info may be date at some point(the problem with books), but the tour guides are the best.

 

[Mainebound]

My favorite is the Unofficial Guide. The UG is so comprehensive. It is so easy to find virtually anything you would need to know. There is no other single source that is an helpful, as accurate, as fun and as easy to use as this one, in my opinion. Updates are available at their website when needed.

I love their touring plans. They do not require excessive backtracking -- certainly no more than any competing plans which use fastpass -- and they are tailored for many different groups of guests. We have used all of their plans for touring with young children with great success. In my opinion, no touring plan will be perfect for your particular needs on a particular day, unless maybe you purchase one from touringplans.com which has exactly your wants and needs as input data. And, frankly, the most important toruing advice is quite general and is duplicated over and over ad nauseum across TGM, UG, the DIS and other sites: Arrive early! Use FP when needed! Take an afternoon break! Etc. And even when you get down to details they do not vary too much. A lot of it is commmon sense. But the UG touring plans have worked great for us so far.


FYI: In case other factors besides touring plans interest you... Some info you can find in the UG which you cannot find anywhere else includes a projected daily park crowds for 2005, vast info on off-site accomodations and other non-Disney areas and parks, driving times and communting times (charts) for all points from offsite hotels to WDW and within WDW, hysterically funny descriptions and comments on many rides and shows, including blurbs from Jim Hill Media with interesting background and historical information on WDW, listing of car rental agencies and ratings for them on helpfulness, efficiency, etc., comprehensive list of both on-site and off-site restaurants with phone numbers, hours of operation, decription of food, and evaulations from both readers and trained food critics, ratings for each ride broken down into age groups (preschool to retiree), and I could go on and on -- it is over 800 pages!

I don't think you would regret buying it one bit. I know I am on my third copy, and I can't even bring myself to throw or give away the old ones!

 

[QuickGold]

You cant go wrong with the Unofficial Guide. I've been running off the UG for years now and now with their website, it's very concise source.

 

[Selket]

I bought the UG every time until I found TGM and now if I could only choose one WDW planning resource it would be that website. If you haven't checked it out recently Mike has redone the site to make the touring plans easier to understand. What I like is that he explains the reasons why you should see this or that before you see this or that. (or you can just use the bare bones version of his touring plan and not bother with that info). I found that info helps me decide on the fly what to do and where to go. With 2 young kids (one with extensive medical needs) I can't be marched around the park like the UG would have you do.

I've also found tips there that I've never seen in the UG. Mike is in the parks often with his clients so his info is VERY up to date. I TGM and I think if you join and don't like it you get a refund - check that out.

 

[Mama2jasminANDcaitie]

I have never used TGM.. however i LOVE my UG. I am waiting for payday so I can buy my 2005 issue! YAHOO WE completed all the do or die tours last trip and had a BLAST!!!!

 

[shruley]

I've used the Unoffical Guide touring plans before and I think TGM are better. Fewer lines with TGM and just a better "experience". I felt more like I was avoiding the crowds with TGM instead of racing right along with them and just planning to try and "beat" them. Plus, it's easier to use the "rationale" of why you do things the TGM way and customize it exactly for my family. UG tells me to go somewhere but I have no idea *why*. JMHO of course.

 

[JohnNJ]

I am a Disney nut and I buy all books related to Disney. I have purchased all of the Disney World guide books and use all of the online websites/forums etc. including TourGuideMike.com. While I do purchase many of the guidebooks each year, I have only purchased the Unofficial Guide once. I thumb through every new annual version but I've seen anything in there to warrant another purchase. I have renewed my TGMike membership because the site is updated frequently and the author, Mike, is available daily to answer questions and provide help. There's also plenty of helpful Disney World veterans on the TGM forums to give advice.

The stuff I've learned on TGM has been helpful for other trips outside of WDW. Try it. You've got nothing to lose.

John-NJ

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I also always bought the UG every time we went to Disney.

This time, I decided to try TGM since so many people had such good luck with his touring plans.

I felt that Mike's plans were much more user friendly, in that he didn't have you back tracking through the parks all day.

We used his MK 2 day touring plan with small children. On day 1, we had done 10 rides/shows and lunch by 1:30 (arrived at 9:00 a.m. [non EMH day]during week before Christmas). We were then ready to find a place to sit for the 2:00 parade.

We never once waited more than 5-10 minutes for any ride the entire week.

We used his plan for 3 of the 4 parks and as soon as my dates for November are firmed up, I will be resubscribing.

 

[Hieatt]

I have 3 straight annual issues of the UG, but this year tried TGM before our trip between Christmas and New Years. I made some last minute changes to our itinerary based on his advice and it really paid off. He knows what he is talking about, although I wouldn't say his website offers all that much more than the UG. I'll probably always use both - but I must admit, TGM is very impressive.

 

[JohnNJ]

I forgot to mention that if you really want a guide BOOK, Passporter would be a better choice than UOG. It really bothers me that much of the UOG is exactly the same from year to year. Big waste of money, IMHO. TourGuideMike.com is still my first choice for Disney World info and tips.

John-NJ

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Tourguide Mike all the way !!!!!!!!

 

[ajcolorado]

We subscribe to TGM and we buy a new UG every year - even if we have no plans of going to WDW. I suspect TGM might be the better choice this year with WDW rolling out those changes in the Extra Magic Hour. We're going to WDW in June and we're relieved that TGM will have the chance to see the affects on traffic and crowd flow through the high crowd times of Spring and Easter breaks. For the first time, we don't actually know which parks we'll be in on which days a year in advance...how weird is that!?

 

[dcmbshafe]

I've been to WDW a lot of times and I'm a planning nut. I've stayed off-site and on-site, visited as an adult and as a child, been without kids and with kids...all-in-all, I believe I've been to WDW nearly 20 times. I've read most of the guide books and am familiar with a lot of the specialized Disney websites out there. This year I became a TGM subscriber and I couldn't be happier about it. Given the way we like to vacation, TGM is a perfect match for us. He backs up his advice with personal philosophies formed through years of working as a tour guide at WDW. Since we subscribe to his philosophy completely, this advice really works well for us.

The UG is a great book and I would recommend you at least have a look at it. Last year, we checked it out of our local library and I read it cover to cover. There really is a lot of good advice in there. I prefer TGM because his advice is consistent across all matters with his basic philosophy.

 

[jeankeri]

LOVE LOVE LOVE TGM!! I think why I am more impressed with his touring plans is he gives reasons for what to skip/see based on feedback he has seen from tons of kids/families, not just responses sent in from readers. The UG lacks in pictures and up to date information. TGM will also sort out restaurants/rides/entertainment based on ages in your group and start a list of attractions for you that you can edit as you see fit. The site has been improved from my last trip (Dec 2003) and the changes make the site easier to navigate. He also has e-mail notifications based on the month you are traveling so you get info about special events or changes you should make in the standard touring plans. I make printable copies from TGM and organize them in my Passporter. I like the Passporter for the park maps and the "times" printed there (distance walking, length of attraction, etc.). Have fun planning!