Customer Reviews

The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 (Complete Walt Disney World) (Complete Guide to Walt Disney World)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Looking for a guide to Walt Disney World? I think I can help. My family, along with two other families, recently spent a week at Disney, and we took five different travel books with us. We thought it would be fun to compare how useful the books were as we planned our trip and as we spent our days at the parks.

This review is the result of our efforts, with book rated from 1 star (awful) to 5 stars (great).

Before I start, you should know that our little reviewing group consisted of three couples, all in their early thirties. Between us we have three little girls, one little boy, a teenage girl, and a pair of grandparents that went along too.

We rated the books based on six criteria:

1. Helpfulness as a Trip Planner
Does the book offer tips on saving money or time? Does it help you get through the Orlando airport? Does it recommend hotels and restaurants to reserve and back up its reasons well? Does it have good advice about the Disney dining plan and which restaurants to eat at?

2. Helpfulness While at Disney World.
Is it worthwhile to take the guide with you? Does it help with last minute decisions? Is it fun to read as you wait for a restaurant table, or in a line for a ride or show?

3. Organization.
No matter how good a particular piece information is, if you can't find it, it doesn't do you any good. This is especially true in travel guides, when you often need a particular piece of information RIGHT NOW!

4. Current information.
Though all of these guides have "2009" in their title, are they really up-to-date? To find out, we picked out three things we know are new at Disney World for this year: The American Idol Experience show, the new promotion where guests get in free on their birthday, and the new room decor at the BoardWalk resort, where we stayed, and checked to see which books knew about them.

5. Addresses family needs
Since so many Disney World visitors are families, how does each book reflect that? Are there specific planning tips for families? Is there advice about which rides are too scary for little ones?

So, on to the reviews!

Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2009 2 stars
Once published by travel guru Steve Birnbaum, today Birnbaum's Walt Disney World is an objective travel guide in name only. Now written and published by the Disney company, it offers nothing but cheers for everything Walt Disney World has to offer. Worse, a lazy attitude permeates everything, as if this is something Disney is forced to do but would really just forget about. As you would expect, there's precious little about saving money (except for a recommendation to "save" by buying the extra-cost Disney Disney Plan) and no quality ratings for attractions, restaurants or resorts beyond an occasional "Birnbaum's Best" logo. Chapter titles are confusing: restaurants are under "Good Meals Great Times;" water parks within "Everything Else in the World." The book was 1-for-3 on our accuracy test. It knew the American Idol show existed but had no information about it. Its room description for the Boardwalk Resort was two years out of date. It did not mention the birthday promotion. On the plus side, the book's relative few pages makes it the easiest of the Disney guides to scan through, and there are many illustrations of Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters.

The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 5 stars
Outstanding organization and a wealth of color photos makes it easy to find particular information in The Complete Walt Disney World. Chapters are color coded, and subjects are grouped together well. For example, a Planning Your Trip chapter has a subsection on the Disney Dining Plan that clearly spells out the pluses and minuses of that add-on, and individual articles titled Saving Money (with 30 numbered tips), another called Saving Time. Restaurant reviews include good insight on character meals. Resort descriptions have more details than the other guides, though the authors provide little opinion beyond a star rating. Theme park information is superb. Attraction reviews, which can go on for multiple pages for major headliners like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, include "Fear Factors" as well as "Fun Finds," are practical for families and fun for Disney fans. There's a touring plan for each park that we found helpful. The Complete Guide was 3-for-3 in our accuracy test. The only downer: Except for hotel listings, the Complete Walt Disney World focuses exclusively on Walt Disney World. There's no mention of Universal Studios, Sea World, or even the Orlando airport.

Frommer's Walt Disney World and Orlando 2009 3 stars
Frommers is well written, well organized and in many ways thorough, but the author doesn't seem that familiar with Walt Disney World. The book has no tips on saving time or money, and its hotel and restaurant opinions aren't backed up with a lot of facts. Attraction descriptions are short paragraphs with no specifications and few tips. The book offers little take-along value, and hardly any specific information for families. Vague family information. There are no photos or illustrations. The book scored 0 for 3 on our accuracy test. It didn't know about the American Idol show, our new room decor, or Disney's birthday promotion.

Fodor's Walt Disney World 2009: plus Universal Orlando and SeaWorld 2 star
Like a weaker version of the Frommers guide, the Fodors one is less organized and offers even less planning advice. Its ride and show descriptions seem to be edited versions of those in the Unofficial Guide, which this company also publishes. Like Frommers, the book scored 0 for 3 on our accuracy test.

The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009 4 stars
Is there an editor in the house? Packed with advice and information, the 848-page Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is like your grandmother's attic: there's a lot of good stuff in there but so much junk to shift through! Actually it depends on the subject. If you have hours to dig through it, this massive tome can be a great planning tool. Page after page is devoted to subjects such as saving time or saving money. Incredibly detailed resort information includes which rooms, by number, offer the best views. Attraction summaries have details such as ratings by age group, but the authors comments are often so cynical they have value only if you find them funny. The Unofficial Guide scored 2 out of 3 on our accuracy test. It didn't know about Disney's birthday promotion. The book includes various Touring Plans, which offer step-by-step guidance for a day, or two, at each of the theme parks. These looked useful, but our group had too many individual interests to follow them. In short, this is a good book for those who aren't really fans of the Disney company, but want to take months to plan out a visit to its mecca.

So that's it! We determined that the Unofficial Guide and the Complete Guide are the best two books out there. As for which is the best for you, I think if you like Disney (or want a book that includes photography) you will like the Complete Guide best, but if you are headed there reluctantly (like, say, only to keep your kids happy), or also want information about SeaWorld or Universal, you will find the Unofficial Guide more to your liking. But either is a good choice.

I have bought so many Disney World guides I have lost count. But I know one thing: this one is the best. Though it has less words than the brick like Unofficial Guide. I have found the Complete Guide to be better organized, more accurate, and therefore much more helpful.

I can see why they called it "Complete." There are plenty of photos, very helpful ride specifications (more on those in a moment), and a lot of interesting, fun, and helpful information on the theme parks, resorts, restaurants, sports and recreation options, etc.

Fortunately, it is organized and written well, so finding what you need is always pretty easy.

About those ride descriptions. This is an area where the Complete guide really excels. Though the ride descriptions, which sometimes go on for a few pages, can get a little long winded for the non-Disney fan (my husband grew tired of me punching him with all the history tidbits for Its a Small World), each one begins with a little collection of spec, which includes the length of the ride, how old it is and the scariness for children. (Don not underestimate how scary it is! I wish I read the section on Voyage of the Little Mermaid before we took our 3-year-old!) Each ride description also has a little box that shows the average wait time for each hour of the day, so say, it is 1 p.m. you can easily decide what to do.

Another unique thing about this book is that the ride descriptions have lists of "fun finds" and "hidden Mickeys," which I have discovered that reading and making plans to look for as you do wait in line is a great way to keep children excited and happy.

The resort articles are much like the ride descriptions. Each opens with an exhaustive list of specs, including not just regular things like room rates, but also such helpful stuff as how far each resort is from each theme park. Then the regular writing includes such things like swimming pool details. Again, very Complete!

Well you can tell I really like this book. But perhaps the main point I want to make is if you want to have a good time at Disney, you need to buy some book and plan out your trip. The place is gigantic, everything is expensive, and tensions can rise quickly when you "just try to wing it." Both the Complete and Unofficial Guides understand this point and offer lots of helpful advice. Unofficial might have more ways to save money (at least its chapter is thicker), but this one has more ways to save time, including outstanding ways to take advantage of the free Fast Passes. Regardless, neither actually costs you any money, because you will easily make it up by getting the most out of the thousands you have already spent to go there.

So to sum up, whether it is your first time at Disney, or, like me, you have been there many times, the Complete guide is a good buy.

The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 is my favorite guide to Disney's Florida theme parks. As a Disney "guest" my most precious asset is time. Time is everything--I trade time and effort for money, so my money is time, too. The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 is 363 pages of facts and tips--and photos. Want to see what Walt Disney World is like? Want to maximize your investment in your Disney Experience?

My first Walt Disney World visit was in 1986--one day at Epcot (then E.P.C.O.T. Center). I had no plan, didn't really know what was in the place. When The Complete Walt Disney 2009 arrived in my mailbox I had held several Annual Passports to Walt Disney World and had spent up to two weeks at a time there. Julie and Mike Neal have spent more time in the Walt Disney World theme parks than I--and I didn't have time for the water parks and other activities. I knew a lot about the place and how to have fun--I almost don't need to get the current guide maps. Almost. Things are always changing there. "Disneyland will never be complete..." (Walt Disney)

That made me the wrong person to conduct a field test of Julie and Mike Neal's handy little guide. Ben, a sergeant in my National Guard unit, asked me for help planning his Walt Disney World vacation in April 2009--along with three other soldiers and all their families. I gave Ben a copy of The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 - that and Ben's experience in planning and executing military operations were all he had. Okay, if he had a question, I'd answer it--but nearly all of Ben's four-day vacation plans at Orlando's premier theme park came out of the Neal's book. There were comments from the others that Ben ran the vacation like a military operation (except that it was fun), but he and his party managed to do every Walt Disney World attraction in the four major theme parks but four: Space Mountain and the Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom; Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show at the Disney Hollywood Studios: and Expedition Everest at the Disney Animal Kingdom. The first two were closed for maintenance and the last was experiencing technical difficulties when Ben and company showed up with FastPasses in hand. Ben just ran out of time for the automotive adventure. Ben took a much larger group than I ever did--I usually tour solo, except for taking my sister and nephew on one three-day adventure. I think this proves the utility of the Neal's Complete Walt Disney World as a planning resource.
Physically the book is laid out well. There is an overall map of the resort (pages 4 and 5), a table of contents (page 3), an introduction (page 7), practical information (page 25) and "What's New" from the 2008 edition (page 13), an appendix with background information, an index (useful for finding things not included in the table of contents), and a phone directory on page 336--conveinently located in the back. I find the bibliography (page 330) very useful for additional background information--and to confirm the many back stories (background) floating around Disney theme parks.
A suggestion--one page of web site addresses following the Practical Information section: all the web addresses in one place. http://disney.go.com/home/html/index.html?flash=false is the official Disney website and a good start. There might not be a lot of web sites, but putting them all in one location will help the planning process.

The Neal's FastPass guide starting on Page 36 is the best in the guidebook industry. There are also tips on when to pick up FastPasses in each theme park chapter--a schedule that permits maximizing your Walt Disney World fun. I have better things to do than wait in line--and when Mickey saves my place, its great! There are other line-beating techniques: Single Riders, Extra Magic Hours, Child Swap, guided tours.

The organization of The Complete Walt Disney World includes color-coded page edges for quick location of the sections on each park:
Red--Magic Kingdom (40--FastPass 42--map 46)
Orange--Epcot (114 - FastPass 116--map 118)
Yellow--Disney Hollywood Studios (158--FastPass 160--map 164)
Light green - Disney's Animal Kingdom (204 - FastPass 206 - map 212)
Aqua (fitting) - Water parks (254)
Violet--Sports and Recreation (274)
Purple--Accommodations (282) (Shades of Green, the military MWR facility on Walt Disney World is on page 305)
Dark green--Special events scheduled for 2009 (314)
Black--Practical Information (25)
Gray--appendix (324), bibliography (330) and index (332)
Not only is the book a great planning resource, there are sidebars giving background information and interesting back stories on attractions in each park. Ben took his book into the park so that he could make changes when necessary. In the Army a plan is a starting point for making changes (FRAGO) because no plan survives reality! The Hidden Mickeys, the back stories and the interesting facts are a nice way to pass time--almost as good as having your own personal tour guide! The planning guide works. Julie and Mike Neal know their stuff. The photos show what Walt Disney World is like and help tell the story.
The most precious asset is time. The Complete Walt Disney Guide 2009 is a great way to get the most Disney Experience fun out of your investment in time.

I just bought The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World and I am incredibly surprised by it! I thought it was going to be just a regular guide book, you know. Basic info that I might even be able to get off the web, but I decided to buy it because I figured it would be easier having it in book form and handy to take to the parks. But I was not prepared for ALL the GREAT info in it! I cant think of anything they left out. The pictures are beautiful, the descriptions of each park, ride and show so detailed, plus all the tips, resources, and just plain FUN tidbits. I started reading it from the first page, expecting to skip through a few pages here and there, but its written in such an entertaining way, I'm taking my time to enjoy it! I feel like I'm right there at Disney! I really recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a great Disney guide. It will make the planning almost as much fun as actually being there!

Loved the book with the neat details for the theme parks. I think what it lacked was more detail to Disney Quest and its attractions inside it. I enjoyed reading the more detailed section of the Main Street Transportation. Some restaurants lack detail of menu items and prices but it is an improvement. The hotel descriptions were better in improvement terms since the 2008 edition.I also enjoyed the detailed character greeting lines which were not included in the 2008 edition. The book also leaves out detail about the Boardwalk and its nightlife activities. The guide also has good detail about the waiting times for its attractions but also some errors. I think this is a great improvement since the 2008 edition!

I purchased this guide to give to my in-laws for a surprise Disney vacation (their first) -- and got a copy for myself! It presents a great overview of all Disney has to offer, plus time-saving tips and fun factoids (some of which I didn't know, even after 15+ visits to Disney). Great value and good carry size to take it with you.

As far as guide books go, I think this one is excellent. I always worry that when a book claims to be full of colour photos, it will be lacking in information. This is not the case. Somehow The Complete Walt Disney has managed to include 100's of beautiful photos while still finding room to fit in full-page descriptions about every ride, attraction and hotel etc in Disney. Overall, I think that everything a person really needs to know about a holiday at Walt Disney World is in this book. Everything else would just be surplus to requirements.

Although, if I was really picky and had to find faults in this book, they would probably be the following:
1. I'd like to see maps of the resorts as well as the parks
2. It would be quite helpful if the book suggested a minimum age for each of the thrill rides. It does give you a general fear factor rating, but this is perhaps not as helpful as a person with a young child would like.
3. Travel times (as well as the included distances) to each of the parks from the hotels would be helpful.
3. Lastly, I couldn't help but feel a wee bit disappointed that there was absolutely no reference to any of the theme parks outside of Disney (e.g Universal). But in all fairness, the book is called The Complete WALT DISNEY WORLD. Not Complete Universal and Seaworld.

My wife and I used the Unofficial Guide in 2003 when it was just the two of us. In May 2009, we used the Complete Walt Disney World 2009 when we took our 2 1/2 year old daughter. Both are comprehensive...the Unofficial Guide is just MUCH MORE comprehensive. If you have lots and lots of time to do a lot of detailed preparation, I recommend the Unoffial Guide. If you're just looking for the basics, Complete is great and has the addition of beautiful full color photos that helped get our daughter excited for her first Disney trip.

We took the grandchildren to Disney World last week. THis book was a real life-saver. The sections on saving money and saving time are direct and right to point. Also the hotel material is good. We stayed at the Disney campground and the book told me everything we needed to know so the kids had fun every night. There is a lot of stuff in here, so if you are going to read it all get it early!

We have visited Disney World many times, but I still found things in this book I didn't know were there. It was especially handy for shows, like all the performers on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. Knowing what's going on BEFORE you get to Disney makes it so much easier to have a good time. This book also does a great job to help you avoid standing in line, even at the top attractions. When we went at Christmas I also used its touring plans, what it calls Magical Days. It was easy to customize them for our group so everyone got to see something they wanted. There is also good information on such things as Single Rider Lines and Child Swap. Disney is huge. Be ready for it.