tour guide mike About This Page:

[fanofpan]

Hello:

First I want to say that I LOVE my passporter. But since I have been given the duty of planning a 9 day trip to WDW for 8 people, I was wondering if anybody here has benefited from the added investment of tourguidemike? I am trying to plan a leisurely trip for my parents (they can't walk much) along with a wonderful/almost commando trip for my kids (10/6/4). They are very active and will want to be busy and going most of the time.

Also, my sister has never been to WDW before.

Any thoughts on positive/negative associated with the added cost of mike's services will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Belle*]

I purchased Tour Guide Mike's services for our next trip but did not find them to be particularly helpful. There was almost too much information and it really did not seem particularly personalized. Plus, I like to be involved in the planning and his service plans out every second of your day. I guess it's good for someone who has never been to WDW before and has no idea what they're doing but wants everything planned out but it wasn't a good investment for me.

[DreaminDizney1002]

Hi there! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

I purchased Tour Guide Mike about a month and a half ago.....and I can't say enough good things about his service and website! I had a hard time deciding on whether or not to purchase his services, since I have been to WDW many, many times and I feel like I know the place like the back of my hand...but I am sooooo glad I did. The articles are too numerous to count and you can customize everything to your likes/dislikes. He's really good about giving the pros and cons on every decision (hotels, which park passes to buy, etc.) He even has great facts about each of the rides and I've learned many things I never knew before! You can print all of the articles out using his printer friendly versions for each article - and save it for future planning trips. He also recommends which parks are less crowded on which days. Well, that's my two cents worth! I have a Passporter as well and I use it all the time! I love it - but Tour Guide Mike is definitely a nice supplement. Please let me know if you have any further questions!

[WDWOctober]

I have been using TourGuideMike for my current trip -just used it today as a matter of fact. I have found it very helpful also. I haven't been to WDW in 10 years so any knowledge I did have would have been useless. I am a detailed planner - I have a cheatsheet from his website that I cut/paste to so I have an idea how I want to go about each day.

I am using mostly the touring the parks area because I already had figured out the ins and outs of what passes to buy, resort to stay at, etc. I have been more than happy with what I have gotten for the price just from using this section.

While I can't give you specifics on what he has available - I respect his right to make some money! I can answer general questions for you. Feel free to leave me a personal message or respond here. Hope that helps! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[cheesehead]

I "purchased" TourGuideMike a few months back when he offered a promotional discount through Mousesavers. I am so very glad I decided to do it! At first I found the site to be very difficult to get around and to find the info I was looking for. However, as I continued to use it I became much more comfortable with it and he continusly made changes to improve the site. I have found many interesting "secret hints" and tips from TGM that I am anxious to try when we arrive (in 6 days!!). I have 5 Disney planning books but still found some new and valuable infromation from TGM. I also love his approach on the site; he is giving hints to help you relax and still see and do all the stuff you are interested in. He does not give you a "commando style" touring plan to follow. In fact, he doesn't really offer a step by step plan; just general ideas of being in the right place at the right time of day. Some great suggestions are made on where to view parades, illuminations, etc. Suggestions are made on what days are best at what parks and then follows up with second and third choices.

You could spend months on TGM reading all he has experienced first hand to give you the opportunity to create the best plan for your touring style and your family interests. He also has a reminder system set up so you can plug in the dates you want to make PS and he will send you an email to remind you on the day you need to call. It is a fun site to work on and I have really enjoyed it. I know I sound like a commercial, but I was very impressed with what I discovered on the site. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I think when I have read negative responses about TGM in the past, they are from users who expected a personalized, day by day plan for the exact time and date they will be at WDW...and you will not get that; but he certainly gives you enough info to figure it out on your own. It is also the type of site that you can't just sit down for 30 minutes and expect to "be done" with it. It does take some time to obtain all the great info posted.

Happy Planning!

[GATechGal]

I'm with Cheesehead. I've been using TourguideMike ever since I've starte planning for this Oct. trip. Previously I was a staunch "Unofficial Guide to WDW" user and had followed thier plan several times to great success. But this year we are doing the whold world instead of just MK, so I felt a little less confident. The thing I really like about TGM is that he reports all the little Up to the Minute changes in stuff like FastPass, park hours, entertainment schedules, attraction openings and closings and they are all in one place. You just aren't going to get that from a book. And the price can be as low as one of those books. Check out MouseSavers and see if there is a deal going.

[goofysdtr]

I have to say that I agree with what has been said above. I have a Passporter & TGM, & both have been invaluable! (I must say here that we haven't been to the World yet, but we're going in less than a month [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] .) I also was the one pegged to plan the trip (for 6); my DH & 2 boys have never been, my parents and I haven't been since the early 80's. We all went to Six Flags together last year without much preparation & it was fun but extremely frustrating --we didn't know where anything was or what to do. I definitely didn't want a repeat of that, but with Passporter & TGM I'm feeling VERY confident about our upcoming trip! I think it would definitely be worth the investment.

Heidi

[Wendyismyname]

I think Tour Guide Mike is a great tool and as soon as you know you're going, the better to buy into it since you only have it until 2 weeks after you get back. I used it for our April trip, even though I had 3 Passporters, the Official guide, and several unofficial guide books, plus countless websites.

I also think it's really great for some one who has never been or who hasn't been in the last 5 years or so.

would I use it again? No, I feel the $24 or whatever it was, is better spent on mickey bars or dole whips! But I am glad I did use him and would recommend it to any one.

Wendy

[Carrousel Lover]

I too have TourguideMike. I thought I'd try it for our Dec trip. I love technology and I liked the concept. I agree that it is particularly great for people who have not been to WDW at all or for some time. We go annually (sometimes more) so a lot of it isn't new to us however I do think the site and it's concept has a lot of potential. He has been very responsive to questions - I had a lot before I plopped down my money [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] which is extremely important in a new product (and existing one if you ask me). I believe he changed his pricing (decreased)for repeat trip users (annual users for example)but I probably will continue with the various websites, pscalculator and of course Passporter and the Unofficial Guide because I really enjoy using them. I'd definitely try it again in the future once he expands product.