Customer Reviews

Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Without Kids 2008

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Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Without Kids is meant to be a companion to the Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2008 (Birnbaum's Walt Disney World). For a book like this to be useful, it needs to provide extensive information on things that would be of use to adults yet not was deemed unworthy of inclusion in the main guide. After all, if it's in the main guide already why do we need this book? The guide also needs genuine critiques of restaurants and hotels that would be most suitable for romantic (or at least quiet) outings. Detailed reviews of dinner shows would also be a plus. These are just a few examples that single adults and couples might find useful. The key is that readers need good details and honest evaluations for a book of this type to have any value. The only other guide of this type that I have read was The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for Grown-Ups (Unofficial Guides) and it failed to offer enough of value to justify its purchase. Did Birnbaum's fare better?

One undeniable strength is that this book retains the high production values of the Birnbaum's series. It's loaded with very nice photos. The writing is clear and concise making for a quick, easy read. In other words, the form is wonderful. But the substance, that's where we stumble. There are no real critiques or comparisons offered. The coverage is too shallow to allow you to truly discrimiate which places would be best suited to your needs. There is also too little material that isn't available in the standard guidebooks for the area. In the final analysis, there just isn't enough substance here to make it worth buying.

If you're looking for a guide to Orlando primarily composed of photos and basic coverage of the area, then the Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2008 (Birnbaum's Walt Disney World) is by far the better choice. If you want a more substantial book that is packed with detailed information then the The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 (Unofficial Guides) is your best bet. If you really want the full picture, buy both of them. But whatever approach you choose, save your money and skip this one.