TourGuideMiKE - a.k.a. Michael Hewell

TourGuideMiKE is a leading vacation planning expert on the most famous place to visit on the planet: the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Goofy and Cinderella may be fun characters to meet, but they cannot help anyone plan a Disney vacation. TourGuideMiKE is the first independent 'face & voice' to provide this crucial, 'real world' planning and touring advice.

Not only can he answer anything your audience wants to know, he also shares a 'top secret' tip that very few have experienced until now!

It IS possible to visit the #1 vacation destination in America without:

	The infamous lines,
	The infamous crowds,
	The infamous exhaustion that requires a vacation after the vacation,
	No matter how busy the travel or holiday season!

It has become a national right of passage for families to visit Mickey and the Gang in Florida. Even if members of your audience are not currently planning a vacation to Walt Disney World, they are undoubtedly thinking about it and will want to know more!

We invite you to learn more about TourGuideMiKE and his unique areas of expertise. For your convenience, the bookmark links below are to the portions of this page:

Private Tour Guide to the Rich & Famous
Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Expert
The TourGuideMiKE Automated Vacation Planner
Thousands of Grateful Families
Suggested Interview Topics
Contact Information

Private Tour Guide to the Rich & Famous

Michael Hewell is a former Walt Disney World VIP host who personally cared for the day-to-day itinerary and park touring needs of the Resort's visiting executives, world famous celebrities, and even royal family members. He arranged everything -- from the moment they arrived until they departed -- and escorted them through the parks' best attractions and shows.

After five years in this position, he left the company to develop MICHAEL'S VIPS, Central Florida's first Private Guide service for VIPs. His guests have everything planned for them before they arrive, and because of their Private Guide's knowledge, they never have to be concerned about the infamous crowds and lines at the Disney theme parks, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, the Kennedy Space Center -- any enjoyable, family-friendly place to visit in Central Florida.

Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Expert

In 2001 he was inspired by a software developer VIP guest to share his knowledge and experience through an online vacation planner. It would provide the same type of vacation his VIPs were paying thousands of dollars to experience, but priced at an amount that anyone could afford -- about the price of a travel guide book. No, they wouldn't have a Private Guide available, of course, but they would learn everything they needed to know to become their own 'family tour guide.'

The TourGuideMiKE Automated Vacation Planner™

TourGuideMiKE.com debuted in October 2002. Michael was only supposed to be the 'brains' behind the friendly, witty tour guide host, but realized he had made a terrible mistake when guests began writing emails addressed, "Dear TourGuideMiKE" on the first sales day. They assumed -- naturally -- that only a real person could help them plan their vacation. Doh! ;>)

Unlike traditional travel guide books, the TourGuideMiKE Automated Vacation Planner™ (AVP) provides a fully customized web site unique to each user's personal preferences, party ages, vacation dates, dining tastes, hotel location, park interests, and more. Instead of being forced to review every page in a book, and then making their best 'guesses' on where they should or shouldn't visit, they can focus on what's truly the 'best of the best' as recommended by an expert -- for their family. And because it's online instead of in print, its content is constantly updated with the latest schedules, announcements, and advice.

After their purchase, his guests are immediately sent to a 4-page questionnaire that gathers their responses to the same questions TourGuideMiKE would ask in person if he was able to. They next process their AVP in about three minutes, and are presented with their personalized AVP Organizer. They can login and interact with it as many times as they like from their date of purchase until up to two months after they return.

AVP Features

Monthly Express Planners: Shares TourGuideMiKE's 'essentials of the essentials' on everything they need for their specific time of year: park hours, entertainment schedules, seasonal itinerary advice and park touring tips, seasonal 'survival guides,' special event information, weather forecast, expected crowd levels, and step-by-step express guides for each vacation planning topic.

My Parks & Places: Each of their intended theme parks has its own customized "My" page with a linked list of TourGuideMiKE's most recommended attractions that meet their family profile. The user can then review each attraction's extensive information for height requirements, child warnings, best view and seating tips, helpful hints, TGMiKE's review, past guests' reviews, and complete photo tours -- everything a 'family tour guide' needs to know!

Automated 'Least Crowded Times to Visit My Attractions': Each park's "My Attractions" page has a gold clock near the top that can be clicked to review their current attraction itinerary's recommended ride times based on the time of day.

Detailed Sample Park Tours: TourGuideMiKE's personal VIP Tour guests expect to only experience each park's 'best of the best' while simultaneously minimizing their wait times. Exact duplicates of these VIP Tours are available in the AVP for a variety of age groups. And by explaining 'why' he goes 'where' and 'when,' each user is able to easily modify them to personal tastes.

'Least Crowded Parks' Charts: Each theme park has both optimal and too-busy mornings and evenings of the week. TourGuideMiKE provides date-specific charts that rank his recommendations for each day of the year (as soon as the information he needs is publicly released by Disney) "Our first vacation day is Wednesday, April 19, 2007. Where does TourGuideMiKE want us to go?"

Private AVP Forums: There is a thriving, helpful community of fellow vacationers available to interact with, and because the Forums are only available to active AVP guests, they can discuss whatever they like without giving away TourGuideMiKE's best tips. His AVP guests are also encouraged to join their month's Vacation Club in the Forums which enables him to proactively keep them informed of anything that might affect their specific vacation dates: revised schedules, discount opportunities, special advice, and more.

Note: The information above explains his expertise and qualifications. He does not need to actively promote the AVP product when serving as a guest.

Thousands of Grateful Families

TourGuideMiKE has received thousands of emails and letters from grateful guests who have applied his advice while on vacation at Walt Disney World. They have visited during the Resort's busiest travel seasons of the year: summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter / Spring Break, and no one has reported a wait longer than 15 minutes for any ride while using his park touring techniques. In fact, their wait times are often far less -- just like his VIPs.

Because the AVP is written in the first-person with a friendly sense of familiarity, they often feel like TourGuideMiKE is a 'friend of the family,' and is actually in the parks with them via the articles and charts they take with them. They rely on him not only for his park touring and itinerary planning advice, but also what he advises for each attraction, show, parade, restaurant, and activity.

A few 'short versions' of these fan letters are available in the left column of this page, and you can click here for more samples. Note: Many of TourGuideMiKE's families have invited him to share their contact information with media sources for interviews or quotes. If interested, please let us know.

Suggested Interview Topics

TourGuideMiKE is available for both printed, audio, and televised interviews, and he invites media members to request his input or advice on any Walt Disney World vacation planning topics they believe would be the most helpful to their intended audience.

The User Agreement for the TourGuideMiKE AVP states that his guests using it cannot share any planning advice or tips in the TourGuideMiKE AVP with the nonpaying public via posting boards, message boards, the Internet, news articles, printed material or copies, etc. Out of fairness to them, he believes this 'contract' works both ways, and is, therefore, unable to share certain specific details that provide them with an advantage over the non-AVP crowds.

However ... there are MANY helpful topics he can discuss that your audience is sure to find both interesting and enlightening, and he will share as much advice about them as he can while still honoring his User Agreement. He also thrives on personal one-on-one interaction with potential Central Florida visitors and will gladly answer questions submitted by your readers, listeners, or show audience.

In addition to the expected general questions about visiting Walt Disney World (or the other Central Florida theme parks), TourGuideMiKE can provide advice about:

The difference between how wealthy VIP's experience Walt Disney World vs. 'everyone else.' (The shocking answer is that it's outstanding and wonderful, as expected, but ... any family can experience the same type of vacation regardless of their budget.)

A Walt Disney World vacation should be a 'Resort Experience,' not a death-march through a bunch of amusement parks.

The importance of his "Experience the Best of the Best and Forget the Rest" concept of vacation itinerary planning and park touring.

No one should accept that they have to wait in long lines when visiting Walt Disney World's many parks, regardless of the travel season.

It is possible to go during the busiest weeks of the year and wait no longer than 15 minutes for any ride as long as you know what 'they' [crowds] are going to do. The more you zag when 'they' zig, the more fun you have!

How planning your vacation itinerary first can easily save you hundreds of dollars, as well as how to maximize the savings opportunities with Disney's new Magic Your Way tickets.

Why the worst thing a parent can do is ask a child what he or she wants to do next (95% of the time)! After a child pays for their own vacation they can take charge of the plans.

Why TourGuideMiKE plans vacations as if everyone in the party is 3-years-old.

"A person who spends 10 times more time planning a vacation than another does not have one that is 10 times better." It is amazing how researching just a few basic things can make a major difference between fun and regret.

'Spontaneity' is for relationships, not Walt Disney World vacations -- most of the time. ;>)

Contact Information

To learn more about TourGuideMiKE or to schedule an interview, please contact Anika Johnson, Media Relations, at media_relations@tourguidemike.com or phone her at 321-206-3933 for the most immediate response. Thank you!