Customer Reviews

Birnbaum's Disneyland Resort 2010

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Birnbaum's 2010 edition still features the a map of Disney's California Adventure as it appeared when the park opened. Yes, seriously. The park map hasn't changed in ten years!

There's simply no excuse for this sort of woefully out of date information (the Disneyland Park map in Birnbaum's book is also ten years old but the changes to that park aren't as noticeable as they are with DCA.). What is the point of being "the official guide" if the maps are so far out of date? And what else is out of date in the book when something as obvious and noticeable as the map is outdated?

Some might defend Birnbaums by reminding us that DCA is currently undergoing a major expansion and renovation where the Entry Plaza will be completely redone and a new Cars Land will be added. Maybe Birnbaums is holding off until that work is finished. Okay. But, that doesn't explain why Birnbaum's didn't update the DCA maps in 2003-2007, prior to the announcement of this expansion.

This is second time I have purchased this guide for the Disneyland parks, and I am very happy that I did. It gave us excellent advice and information about the rides and places to eat. It helped us to make a decision about where to stay, and gave us insider information about lockers for rent and the "will-call" service - 2 things I'd never known about before. And when we returned home from our vacation, I wrote notes next to the rides and restaurants that I liked/disliked. And since then, I have passed the book along to other friends to help make their Disneyland vacations better. The book fit easily into my backpack-style purse, so I used it throughout our stay. Highly recommended - read before you go, and take it with you!

This book was suggested to me by a friend--it was worth every penny! We read over it before our first trip to Disneyland and carried it with us during our trip. We were soooo glad we had it! Our little boys would ask about a ride and we could read all about it before deciding if we wanted to stand in the line for it. Plus it gives great pointers for which rides to be sure not to miss. Very cool!

The book had lots of information, including the surrounding area. That was handy to have with me.
I really appreciated the coupons in the back...they paid for the book several times over!

A worthwhile purchase. We read the book before our trip & it was good for pre-trip planning. Once we were at Disneyland we still used it most days to check on restaurants and rides & other things to do in the local area. The 10% discount coupon in the back of the book was also great and helped bring down our souvenir cost in the park.

We have been to Disneyland several times for the day, but with our upcoming trip, we will be staying overnight at an area hotel, so I figured that an "official" tour book would be helpful in learning all of the in's & out's of the park to make the trip that much better. Boy, was I wrong.

Yes, Birnbaum is the only "official" book of Disneyland, so they are the only book that has the license to use the Disney characters, but who cares? It's not like there is a shortage of Disney characters out there. There is nothing---nothing!---in this book that you cannot find on the internet for free. In fact, with a few clicks of your mouse, you can find *much* better information and tips than the generic, common-sense "tips" found here.

There are several fan sites, like allears and mouseplanet and mousesavers which is filled with tips from Disney-goers and they are REAL tips and reviews. I felt like the money I spent on this book was a complete waste and was nothing more than an advertisement for the park. It should have been free with the packet of information you can get from a Disney resort when planning a trip. It was truly that bland and said nothing negative.

Do yourself (and your pocketbook) a favor and take 20 minutes or so and search the web. Copy and print into a Word document all of the best tips and take that along with you. You won't be sorry you did that extra step, but might be sorry you bought this book.

This book was a used library book. I expected it to be in somewhat poor condition. The price was excellent so I can't complain too much. There was just more damage and "use" than I had hoped.

We purchased this Disneyland book to help us in planning our upcoming trip. We knew it would be a wealth of information because we purchased the Disney World version for our Florida trip two years ago. For anyone who wants to get the most out of their Disneyland trip this book is a must. When spending that kind of money for a Disney vacation you want to be sure you most out of your vacation. This guide helps you plan a vacation catered to your specific preferences. It is very helpful in choosing dining destinations for each meal because there are so many options to choose from and it's a good idea to make reservations at the restaurants of your choice ahead of time. This book gives a run down on all the attractions as well and lodging information to help you make an informed decision. Florida or Califorina, a Birbaum's guide book is a necessity if you want to maximize your vacation experience. The price of the book is well worth it, but theres not much use for the book once your trip is over. Maybe reselling it would be a good idea. New updated versions come out every year so if a Disney trip is planned again in the future, you'd want to buy an updated book anyway.

If you've never been to Disneyland and just want a basic guide, this book is ok. And it's probably the best choice for those who don't use a computer, as there are lots of phone numbers to call in lieu of doing things online (the downside is that I was surprised they didn't reference more websites).

In browsing the Getting Ready to Go chapter, I found two errors:
1) Page 26 Travel Times: shows the distance between Disneyland and Palm Springs as 180 miles, 3-4 hours driving time. It's only 92 miles! I've driven it before and without much traffic it takes about 1 1/2 hours.
2) Page 27 Local Transportation: shows the price of a one-day ART (Anaheim Resort Travel) shuttle pass at $4.00 and a two-day pass at $10.00. Naturally the latter is incorrect. I checked the ART website, and there are no two-day passes; a three-day pass is $10.00.

There were six coupons inside the back cover; but I think all of them can be found for free online, so there's nothing special about getting them with the book (unless, again, for someone who doesn't use a computer).

Great book. You don't need anything else for your trip. Very clear and concise.