The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World [Paperback]

Julie Neal (Author), Mike Neal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2007

"Should leave fans of Mickey smiling from ear to ear." -- Chicago Tribune

"A thorough overview, with inside tips, facts and quizzes. With more than 400 color photos, it also makes a nice souvenir." -- Boston Globe

"May be the most colorful, visually stunning and deeply researched guidebook on the market. A warm, loving portrait of Disney World, for people who want to love Disney World." -- Orlando Sentinel

"Endless tips and trivia." -- Knoxville News-Sentinel

"There are dozens of guides to Disney World, but I like this updated one by a husband-and-wife team who visited Disney World more than 700 times. They're not affiliated with Disney, but received much inside access by the company to provide very detailed descriptions of each ride, show and attraction. Among the gems are fun facts, suggested itineraries and little things to look for." -- Florida Times Union

"Offers an in-depth history of the attractions and the parks themselves… and the most in-depth run-down of the two Disney water parks." -- Budget Travel

"A must read for any Disney World fan. The best of the best hands down." -- explorethemagic.com

"A great book. Extraordinary details. Beautiful photos." -- mouseextra.com

Book Description
Headed to Walt Disney World? If so, you'll be delighted with this new full-color guidebook. Filled with hundreds of photographs, well organized and absolutely packed with fun information, it makes a strong case to be, as its cover proclaims, "The Definitive Disney Handbook."

So numerous they seem to spill off the pages, the gorgeous photos alone put this book at the top of the Disney pack. From fireworks and parades to stock cars and surfers, if it's at Disney you see it here. But what really sets this book apart is its coverage of Disney's theme parks, water parks and other entertainment options. Packed with more pure information than probably any other Disney guide ever published, "The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World" offers a thorough description, story line, back story, specifications, tips, Fun Finds and Fun Facts for every Disney attraction. The authors obviously had great access: many Disney designers and engineers are quoted and some photos were taken backstage.

Extra touches are everywhere. Sprinkled throughout the book are features on Disney architecture, ride technology, monorails, swimming pools and much more. There's an animal guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom and a separate section just on Christmas.

The book is designed so it's easy to track down just what you're looking for. The main chapters are color-coded and divided into clearly marked sections. For the theme parks, each attraction is on its own page -- or often, pages. Shopping sections are organized first by category -- apparel, art, books -- and then by store. There's a full index and, on the back page, a phone directory.

From the Back Cover
Walt Disney World gives you a choice of 168 rides and attractions, 81 live performances, 104 recreational activities, 179 places to eat, 197 shops and 29 resorts -- all spread out over 47 square miles. Overwhelming? Not any more. Filled with the most detailed information ever published about Disney World, this full-color guide combines a thorough description of everything Disney has to offer with a cornucopia of advice, insight and tips to help you enjoy it. In other words, it's a handbook on how to have fun. Also included: over 1,000 fun finds and facts, dozens of secrets, quizzes, Hidden Mickeys and over 400 color photos.

Editorial Reviews

Review

May be the most colorful, visually stunning and deeply researched guidebook on the market. A warm, loving portrait of Disney World, for people who want to love Disney World. --Orlando Sentinel

There are dozens of guides to Disney World, but I like this updated one by a husband-and-wife team who visited Disney World more than 700 times over a five-year period. They're not affiliated with Disney, but received much inside access by the company to provide very detailed descriptions of each ride, show and attraction. Among the gems nestled between nearly 450 colors on 320 pages are fun facts, suggested itineraries and little things to look for. --Florida Times Union

A must read for any Disney World fan. Worth owning even if you think you know it all about Disney World. Many interesting tips and bits of information. Covers everything you can imagine and is literally covered in pictures. The best of the best hands down for anyone planning a Walt Disney World vacation. --explorethemagic.com

About the Author

Julie and Mike Neal, and their daughter Micaela, made over 700 visits to Walt Disney World in the five years it took to create this book. The family has a home in Celebration, the Disney-built town next door. The husband-and-wife team also wrote "Sanibel & Captiva: A Guide to the Islands," a book about their home community in Southwest Florida. The authors and their books have been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune and Miami Herald newspapers and American Heritage magazine. They have also appeared on National Public Radio, the Travel Channel and many Florida television stations.

From the Authors
We first came to Walt Disney World as tourists and were instantly infatuated. Now, with a home right next door, we visit Disney nearly every day and have come to know the place like few others can. Putting this book together it seems like we memorized every firework blast, every ride twist and turn, every single snippet of prerecorded speech. (Oh, can we be dull at parties!)

Seriously, we wrote this book to share the best of that information with you, to give you exactly what you need to experience all the joy and wonder a Disney vacation can bring. We understand the time, effort and expense it takes to come here, so we want you to know about every possible way to have a good time once you arrive. In short, we want you to go home saying "I never knew Disney World could be so much fun."

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Coconut Press; 1st edition (April 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970959648
• ISBN-13: 978-0970959645
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A former Walt Disney World concierge supervisor, Julie Neal has spent over 1,500 days at Disney... not counting her time working there. She lives next door in the Disney-designed town of Celebration, and her office overlooks the Disney entrance.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Disney Handbook: Impressive, Practical and Fascinating!, June 15, 2007

By 

Janet Boyer "Author, Blogger, Radio Host" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World (Paperback)

"The world's largest collection of theme parks, water parks and resorts, this family-friendly vacation kingdom is so, well, *inspiring*. A trip here is not just a way to spend time with your kids, not just an escape from day-to-day doldrums. It's a reawakening of that free-spirited, good-natured soul who lives deep inside you..." -- From the book

If you've never been to Disney World, the prospect can be overwhelming when you start to research and plan your trip (we made our first visit in August 2006). Which resort should I stay at? What are the best restaurants? What are the "must see" attractions? What should I pack? How many days do I need to thoroughly see--and enjoy--all the parks?

If you happen to be at this stage of the game, look no further. Julie and Mike Neal's brand new book The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World can provide you with everything you need for a magical vacation! (Mike was the photographer while Julie did the research and writing. Even their 13-old homeschooled daughter, Micaela, contributed to the book.)

But before I go on about what this book has to offer for those who haven't yet visited Walt Disney World, let me just say that this is an equally awesome book for those who have already visited! Every time I read this book or gaze at the HUNDREDS of color photographs, I feel like I'm reliving the experience--and long to go back to WDW! (I didn't realize just how much we actually missed until I began reading this book...)

Did I mention the hundreds of color photos? Unlike other Disney World guides, this 320-page guide has over 400 photos! The authors--a husband-and-wife team--spent five years working on this book...visiting Disney World (get this) OVER 700 times! Their untiring work is evident by the maps, Fun Finds, Fun Facts, historical information, charts, and so much more.

In a minute, I'll get to how this guide differs from the Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2007 and The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2007 (I have them both). But for now, let me share with you some of the fascinating features in The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World:

* A comprehensive overview of Walt and the park--including the resort's "secret" history

*Dozens of bonus articles on topics like fairy tale histories, Disney's Audio Animatronic robots, movie backgrounds (including cast, actors, musical scores, etc.), behind-the-scenes and more. A 3-page article is dedicated to Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba (you HAVE to catch this show!) and there is a FOUR page article just about Main Street U.S.A.!

* Attraction plot lines - Yes, there are actually plots created by Disney Imagineers! If you want to know the "backstory" to, say, Expedition Everest, this is your book!

* Over a thousand Fun Finds - The minutia that they include is EXTRAORDINARY. These Fun Finds highlight everything from animatronic character dialogue to oft-overlooked decor. For example--and I remembered seeing this at WDW!--the two lobby posters inside It's Tough to Be a Bug show "past" theater shows like Beauty and the Bees and Little Shop of Hoppers. Heck, there are 37 Fun Finds JUST for Jim Henson's MuppetVision 3-D!

* Fun Facts - Did you know that WDW is the world's largest consumer of fireworks? Or that the music supervisor for IllumiNations was none other than Hans Zimmer? Or that Tex Ritter provided the voice for Big Al at The Country Bear Jamboree?

* Comprehensive view of the Water Parks

* Information on all the latest additions to WDW, including Finding Nemo: The Musical (Animal Kingdom) and The Laugh Floor Comedy Club featuring Mike Wazowski and friends from Monsters, Inc. (Magic Kingdom).

* "A Magical Day" sidebars that are simple, direct shortcuts for seeing the best of each park in a 12-hour period. For Animal Kingdom, TWO plans are given!

* A Shopping Guide for each park organized by theme (art, apparel, toys, etc.)

* A Restaurant Guide for every single place in every park (including table restaurants and snack stands!).

* Holidays at WDW, including Halloween and Christmas (I actually believed that the annual Christmas parade starring Reege and Kelly was live...until I read this book. D'oh!)

* Park Resources - An invaluable guide to locations of ATMs, First Aid Centers, Guest Relations, Cameras/Accessories, Package Pick-ups and more--for every park!

* Park Puzzler multiple choice quizzes for testing your knowledge of WDW

* An educational 10-page guide to 65 exotic creatures at Animal Kingdom

* Easy-to-read Park Maps

* Phone Directory

* Six pages of Hidden Mickeys (334 examples!)

* A chapter on "Diversions", including golf, miniature golf, stock car driving, surfing lessons and 15 other recreational activities

* A "Where to Stay" Chapter that includes "A Kid's Guide to Disney Pools" (includes hotels not on Disney property, as well as Downtown Disney hotels which are ON Disney property...but not OWNED by them--like The Grosvenor, where we stayed on *our* visit).

Whew! And this isn't even ALL that's in The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World, if you can believe it! This book is super-easy to navigate, too, because the tops of the pages are color-coded (Red=Magic Kingdom, Orange=Disney-MGM, Dark Orange=Epcot, Green=Animal Kingdom, Blue=Waterparks, Dark Purple=Downtown Disney and Violet=Diversions). So if you want to find out something about a particular park, you don't even have to consult the Table of Contents--just use colors visible from the top of the book.

Now, I didn't have the benefit of this guide when my family and I visited the parks last year since the book was just published a few months ago. My only reservation about this book--and it's ONLY a theory--is that it *may* overwhelm those who have never been to the park before because of the sheer amount of information provided. But you know, this can be said of the Unofficial Guide, too.

What makes this book different from the Unofficial Guide and the Birnbaum Guide is:

* This book has hundreds of color photos on glossy pages. While the Official Birnbaum guide has color photos, they are staged--and minimal compared to this book. There are NO color photos in the Unofficial Guide.

* The hurried, sometimes jaded tone of the Unofficial Guide reads like a "geurilla warfare" manual to save time and cram as much as you can in a day. However, one thing I really like about the Unofficial Guide is that it's filled with dozens of mini-reviews from everyday folks--and also includes a star system according to age group (e.g. grade school kids vs. young adults vs. those over 30 yrs. old).

Birnbaum, because it's an official WDW guide, is super-optimistic about EVERYTHING. But the Complete Guide to WDW is a nice medium that presents the best--and most fascinating (if, at times, obscure) elements of WDW--without being super-sugary. (My husband felt the book pandered a bit to WDW because of all the positivity--and I see his point.)

* The Unofficial Guide includes park traffic charts for the hyper-vigilant, as well as temperature averages. This book doesn't include those kind of specifics...BUT it has other specifics that the others don't (for example, an actual PICTURE of a Fast Pass--explaining how they work).

Because this book is so thorough, it is *possible*, I think, that it could "spoil" some surprises for those who haven't yet been to WDW. However, you could always skip over the detailed descriptions, I suppose, if you want it ALL to be a surprise.

One other very minor drawback is that few of the pictures are unnecessary, I feel. Kids licking lollipops don't really add to our knowledge of WDW; it may as well be a kid at any *other* park. I'd rather the non-essential pictures replaced by MORE photos of entertainers, cast members, attractions, characters from the movies and so on--rather than Joe Schmoes at WDW.

However--and anyone who's ever visited WDW will tell you this--it's good to have *some* type of plan, even if it's a general plan as to what day to go to what park (Julie wisely advises to stay away from parks that have Extra Magic Hours if you're not staying at one of the WDW resorts).

And, she recommends not wearing flip-flops at the parks--oh so true! I bought Nike Women's Shox sneakers--as did my husband and son. We would have been in WORSE shape without them...

If you've already BEEN to WDW--or just love all-things-Disney--I think you'll be thrilled with this informative, engaging book. I get excited every time I read it--and learn somethine new every time, too! If you get only ONE book about WDW before your trip, get this one. If you want to get two, get the The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2007 as well. (You won't need Birnbaum if you have the Neals' book, in my opinion.)

It's obvious that the Neal family put a LOT of time, energy and love into this book. It's an excellent contribution to the WDW guides and a wonderful tribute to the magical world that Walt & company have built for all of us to enjoy. Kudos, Neal family!

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Best, June 5, 2007

By 

Bruce Aguilar (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World (Paperback)

I know, I know. Why does the world need yet another guide to the most popular vacation destination on earth? With lots of research, color photos, insightful tips and a conversational style, Julie and Mike Neal have found an answer. Simply put, no one has done it better before.

I recently took this book along with me to Walt Disney World and found it not only informative but entertaining. In fact, this is something I'd read just to pass the time. Granted I'm a Disney nut, but there are plenty of other Disney World guides that I never want to see again. Not this one though. Practically every page has a beautiful full color picture. I could easily recommend buying the book on the strength of the artful and colorful photos alone. But I don't have to since the text is informative and takes time to point out small details that you may otherwise look over. For example did you know that the James Cagney audioanimatronic in The Great Movie Ride wears one of the star's actual tuxedos? How about the half page discussion on the history of the Yetti in relation to Expedition Everest? This is a book that covers all bases and lives up the word definitive in the title.

Due to its size, this guide is best suited for planning rather than reference at the parks. We kept ours in the hotel room and planned the next days events in the evenings. Also each night we'd read through the Fun Facts and Fun Finds for attractions we had visited that day. It helped to give us further appreciation and expand our knowledge. Of course we had a lot of doing it too.

Simply put this book is a fantastic resource and great fun for the entire family. I can't imagine needing another Walt Disney World guide until the inevitable second edition comes out. I can hardly wait!

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The OTHER great guide for beginners as well as Disney geeks, June 11, 2007

By 

Brian Fuchs (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World (Paperback)

When it comes to guides for Walt Disney World travelers, most people have turned to Bob Sehlinger's "Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". It's a great book - no question. I had it safely packed when I visited Orlando for the first time. It tells you everything you need to know, and includes day planning chapters. The problem is, that book has been growing larger and larger every year (now 1 1/2" thick and 818 pages). The thing is a tome. And the only picture of Walt Disney World is the one found on the cover; the book is filled with cartoons, but no pictures. In fact, the book is so filled with information, it's getting more and more difficult to find the important parts.

"The Complete Walt Disney World" has everything that the Unnofficial Guide lacks - amazing full color photos that are better than what you will find on Disney's own site, interesting facts about your favorite rides, a very extensive discussion of the water parks, tons of historical information about the parks, and "fun finds" to look for on your next visit. At 320 pages it's much leaner, but don't let that fool you - it's packed with useful information and the "geeky" bits (historical info and trivia) are printed in smaller text. The day planning section is anemic - one half page for each park, and doesn't include a plan to get on every ride. But most park veterans will tell you that the most important thing is to simply know when a particular ride is least busy. This book has that reasonably covered (for instance, the Pirates of the Caribbean description says the average wait time is 10 minutes early morning, and 60 minutes in the afternoon). Knowing the bottom line for the rides lets you figure out what is realistic. For me, the best part of the book was the pictures and interesting tidbits that I have already decided to look for on my next visit. Truly, the pictures are absolutely amazing, and are worth the price of the book alone.

Together, both of these guides make an unbeatable combination. So what if you're on a budget? Simple: buy "The Complete Guide" new, and buy a 2006 or 2005 "Unofficial Guide" used. There are currently five used 2006 editions and over a dozen 2005 editions for UNDER $1. You won't be missing out on anything by getting the older Unofficial Guide. All of their Day Plans are just as relevant (except that for Animal Kingdom, you need to get a FastPass for Expedition Everest first thing upon entering the park). There - I just brought you up to date with the 2007 edition.