Customer Reviews

Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2003: Expert Advice from the Inside Source

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Planning for a family vacation to Disney World can be as complex as launching an expedition to Anarctica -- and nearly as expensive if you aren't careful! If you've made the decision to take the plunge and head for the most popular family vacation spot in America spend that first few dollars on the most current edition of Birnbaum's book. This book will help you save both time and money.

Birnbaum's guide was a great choice for me -- I'm a "gotta have everything organized in advance" kind of person and the detailed, accurate information in this guide helped me do everything from pick out a hotel and book a ride from the airport to organize a packing list and rough-in plans for daily itineraries. Although the guide was absolutely jammed with information it was in a very readable format with lots of color, charts and sidebars. Birnbaum's also helped walk us through a lot of the decisions -- for example we decided to splurge on a nice on-resort hotel with access to the monorail knowing we would want to spend the middle part of most days relaxing at the pool with the kids. To balance that expense, we took Birnbaum's tip and had lunches at the nicer restaraunts instead of the more expensive (and more crowded) dinners.

My husband also found Birnbaum's guide very helpful and he is more of a "let's just wing-it" sort of vacation planner. On the days he was in charge of activities he carried the Birnbaum's book with him and used it to pick restaraunts, find less crowded rides and choose activities near wherever we happened to be walking. The color-coding on the sides of the pages helped him quickly find the section of the book he wanted just as soon as he pulled it out of the bag.

By far the best feature were the sample schedules -- these helped us avoid the crowds during our vacation (Christmas week one of the most crowded times of the year). In fact, using Birnbaum's advice we got to the parks early and walked onto many rides without waiting at all. Once the parks started getting crowded we used the tips on fast passes to cut our waiting time significantly on the more popular rides.

There's lots and lots of information out there on how to plan and enjoy your Disney Vacation -- I highly recommend checking out the Disney web site (booking online can save more $$$) and buying this guide. Maybe you won't have to spend an entire semester's worth of college savings after all!

Birnbaum's is absolutely the best source of information on Disney World that can be found. We took our first trip in 2000 and had no idea where to begin. With Birnbaum's you can plan your budget, select the appropriate accomodations for your family
and plan your itenerary. We have returned every year since and I buy a new Birnbaum's before each trip because there are always new attractions and events from year to year. This is the only book that you will need for your trip!

This is an official Disney guide, with all that implies for good or ill; the bias is obviously positive, but the information is reliable too. Disney is becoming the ultimate cradle-to-the-grave company, and that big-picture, we-even-brought-the-toenail-clippers efficiency is captured in this compleat guide to all things Disney in the Orlando FL area.

The book begins at the beginning: Getting Ready to Go gives sound advice on when to go, how to get there, various ticket options and even sample schedules for each of the parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom) complete with must-see lists and tips for travelling with young children and maximizing the number of rides you get on. There are lots of color graphics, charts and tip boxes to liven things up and present material understandably. A planning timeline is oddly reminiscent of a wedding planner, with things to do 6 months before the trip, 4 months, 3 months, 1 month, 2 weeks and 1 week before. Yikes! Obviously Mickey is a better planner than me, who is grabbing a book the day before I travel and hoping to read it on the plane.

The chapter on Transportation & Accommodations (including Disney cruises) is equally thorough, and then there is a chapter for each of the parks that includes maps, attraction descriptions (and sometimes pictures), shopping and entertainment information, and a Hot Tips section which did help us out. After reading the book we hit the ground running and made good use of our time.

A hodge-podge chapter gives info about Downtown Disney, BoardWalk, Daredevil Disney, the water parks, spas, cruises and behind-the-scenes tours, and a Sports chapter covers golf, tennis, boating, fishing and swimming opportunities while you're in the area.

Finally, the chapter on restaurants reminds you that even eating within the kingdom requires planning, but all the information you'll need is here. We picked out a few restaurants we thought we'd like, and then when we got hungry we chose based on crowds and our location. I feel we made an informed decision and were happy with our food, the experience and the way our time flowed. Again, graphics and charts lay out a lot of information in a clear way.

When every detail of services and attractions is in the book, the problem becomes one of finding those details relevant to you, and this index is comprehensive but it is not exhaustive. If you want to squeeze every drop of fun from your holiday in Orlando, you will have to page through, marking and noting pertinent information.

The ten coupons, all expiry dates in December 2003, were not helpful to us, featuring food and admission breaks at Disney Quest, Vero Beach and Hilton Head Island resorts, Dive Quest, Pleasure Island and the sports complex, Fantasia Gardens, mini-golf and Dolphins in Depth, but maybe they will be handy for you.

This is a very helpful guide, well written and informative, though it could use a better index. Whether you are a plan-weeks-in-advance traveller or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants traveller, a novice or a seasoned Disney visitor, this official handbook will help you get the most from your trip.

My first trip to soak in the full magic of Disney's Four theme parks came in October 1999. My husband and I planned for months. This was our first "real" vacation after 4 years of marriage and we were very excited! I read everything I could get my hands on but Birnbaums far and above gave the best, most accurate information about exactly what to do and when to do it to make the most of your time at Disney. And thanks to the coupons that were in the back of my book, we got a 1 car class upgrade on our rental car and a free AAA Tote Bag!

I bought the book again when we went back with my Mother in 2001 and didn't get as much out of it since not as much had changed since our last visit. So If you have "been there done that" recently, skip this book, because it won't tell you anything you don't already know, but if it's been awhile since you've been to WDW or this is your 1st time, then pick this book up so you won't miss a thing!

Have Fun! Wish I was going again this year!

If this is your first trip to WDW, or you have not been back in years (Mid 80's for me), this book is a must. It is the only book that provides color photos and the information is invaluable. You'll find out the best time to go and when to avoid the area altogether, as well as get a wonderful overview of each theme park and hotel. As the "offical" guide to WDW, the Birnbaum travel guide is essential for all first time visitors.

Disney does not make something official for no reason. This book will give you more information than you can handle. I have been visiting WDW for 20+ years now and this guide always gives me information I did not know. A must have for ANY visit.

Having been a travel agent for 16 years, I know who gives the best travel information. It's been 10 years since I've been to Disney and I needed a refresher course. I knew Birnbaum used to have a great book...and they still do! This is THE book to tell you everything you wanted to know about Disney World. I love the little hints on when to go where in the parks. The park maps help a lot to give you an edge on where stuff is located. And the pictures are great too.

I found this a very useful book for planning our trip to Disney but it's ties do Disney made it seem a little biased. Being the only "Official" guide, I get the sense that it had to be approved by Disney. It gives some very helpful hints about things to see and descriptions of the attractions. However, it didn't seem to criticize any rides and having been to Disney World four times I know there are things worth avoiding. There have been other guide books that will tell you what to avoid and what is worth seeing. Whenever it comes time to plan a trip to Disney, any book is a fun read and gets you excited about the trip, but this one doesn't top my list of objective travel guides.

So much inside scoop with more information on anything and everything than you ever wanted. In depth analysis, recommendations, price ranges, etc. Great Book! Worth buying for a trip to Disney!

I used to enjoy this guide, but since I read Bob Sehlinger's "Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World," I will never trust Birnbaum again. Sehlinger doesn't play nice, while Birnbaum is required to, given that he has Disney's "official" stamp of approval. Meaning: Every attraction is worthwhile. Disney resorts are the only way to go. And don't even THINK about other offerings in the Orlando area (most famously, the Universal Parks). I don't think so.

It's interesting to note that when Universal Studios Florida was in its infancy (circa 1991), Birnbaum included a page at the very back of the book concerning the park. Circa 1996, there was no mention of it. I guess The Mouse nixed it. (Should you be planning a trip to Orlando, by the way, check out the Universal Parks. They're out of this world.)