Tour Guide Mike vs Unofficial Guide

[MamaK]

For those who've used Tour Guide Mike and/or the Unofficial Guide, do they give similar tips for itineraries or are they varied enough to invest in both?

I am a mom of three. My husband and I are bringing our 2 daughters (ages 3 and 4) to WDW in August. Any tips are appreciated. We're staying in the Poly.

- MamaK
adamskr@musc.edu

 

[Ausdaddy]

I've done both. They are quite a bit different. The Unofficial guide gives fairly regimented tours that list, ride-by-ride, where to go. They base this on extensive data they have on which rides are crowded at which times. Tour Guide Mike is a bit more lax and provides general guidelines based on the busiest attractions. TGM does not give you a ride-by-ride tour. It depends on what you prefer. I've found a few small bits of info that were incorrect on TGM, but they didn't affect my timing much.

Comparing the two, the TGM guide makes me feel less pressure, but the Unofficial guide will get more rides in the time you have. If all your interested in is the tours, you can get the Unoffical Guide's tours for your specific dates for a small fee at TouringPlans.com.

 

[gemini]

I agree. TGM allows me to make plans, without having a strict day. It fits our style well and we don't take trips without using his web site.

 

[GenerationX]

I don't follow the Unofficial Guide's touring plans, but I follow their principles. I create my own itineraries tailored specifically to our family (three young boys). The Unofficial Guide has attraction ratings by age group and scariness ratings. It also has excellent descriptions of the attractions without spoilers. If you enjoy researching and planning, you'll love the Unofficial Guide. It answers most of the questions you might have when planning. The rest can be answered here at wdwmagic.

 

[carolina_yankee]

Both resources have plenty of information, but present it differently. I think either one will help you plan for the parks. TGM tends to be me gung-ho "ain't it great we're here!" while UG seems to veer towards the cynical (in my opinion), though they clearly love Disney. They just want to be honest about possible pitfalls.

In the end, I use TGM more because of the interactivity. I like the forums, and I like reading Mike's principles for touring. He also gets to update things when a new attraction opens, though UG makes pretty good educated guesses. TGM works more on principles, and less on a checklist for touring.

He does have lots of pictures and very good discussions of how to negotiate special events like MNSHP and MVMCP. At the end of the day, though, I think I'm just a Disney addict and will read anything someone puts in front of me. If UG came out quarterly before each of my trips, I'd probably buy it each time, too.

Dirk

 

[uglybug2005]

Given a choice, I would say that Len's unofficial guide is the lesser of two evils. Len, to the best of my knowledge, is not dangerously close to being issued a trespassing citation by the Orange County Sherriff's office.

 

[carolina_yankee]

Given a choice, I would say that Len's unofficial guide is the lesser of two evils. Len, to the best of my knowledge, is not dangerously close to being issued a trespassing citation by the Orange County Sherriff's office.

That's an interesting story, do tell!

I see how an outside guide could overstep the bounds of what Disney finds acceptable. However, his website doesn't have any proprietary information that I can tell. And I can't imagine he does much of anything different than Allearsnet or anyone else in gathering information and photos. Surely he's not the only one guiding people through Disney for pay, either. As long as he says "go here, go there, sit here, sit there" that's no different than someone buying a plan in advance and following it. He's just like a live version when he takes people in. Now, if he's trying to give a tour like Jim Hill did in Disneyland, than I understand completely.

I agree about UG - I would never imagine them getting into any trouble with Disney - just bemused looks as researchers ride the bus for 5 hours to gather information (which is why the work is so reliable).

Dirk

 

[frankd1962]

I've used Birnbaum in the past to help me with the parks.

I would get both the complete version of the book and the one For Kids By Kids version. Then sit down with the girls and allow them to pick out what rides they would like to go on. With the books, you can see how scary they would be, the height fo the ride, and anything else you would need to know for it. By letting them pick and choose, they feel they have some input to the family vacation.

A big stop I will suggest is Playhouse Disney at MGM. It will get them out of the sun for a little while, give you a chance to rest, and they get to see their favorite Playhouse friends in person.

Also pick up Passporter. It will allow you and the girls to put down right away what you did on the little folders they have in it.

 

[AEfx]

Given a choice, I would say that Len's unofficial guide is the lesser of two evils. Len, to the best of my knowledge, is not dangerously close to being issued a trespassing citation by the Orange County Sherriff's office.

I would laugh my butt off for months if that happened.

Even more so than when 'ol Hilly got thrown out of Disneyland.

AEfx

 

[Bill Smugs]

I Now, if he's trying to give a tour like Jim Hill did in Disneyland, than I understand completely.

What was this and what exatcly happened.

 

[cheezedoodle20]

Does anyone know about the golden fast pass. Someone told my husband who has a handicapp of standing for long periods of time that there is such a thing, please help he really wants to be included in everything. My son who we haven't seen since 2004 is meeting us with our grandchildren in disney at xmas. He is coming back to the states then from beeing stationed in Okinaw, Japan. They told us it will automatically get the whole family through.