Fodor's Walt Disney World with Kids 2011: with Universal Orlando, SeaWorld & Aquatica (Travel Guide) [Paperback]

Kim Wright Wiley (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 3, 2010 | Series: Travel Guide

Inside this new edition is all the information you need to have the
family vacation of a lifetime at the Orlando theme parks. Up-to-date and written with the help of more than 500 families, this guide is packed with details on all the attractions at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld. It’s user-friendly, fun, and designed for at-a-glance reference. And it will help you and your family plan the vacation each of you wants.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tips from Walt Disney World with Kids
Click on the photos below to download printable guides from the travel experts at Fodor's.

Scheduling Your Visit	Things to Discuss with Your Kids	Don't Leave Home Without

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About the Author

Kim Wright Wiley---mother of two, Lowell Thomas Gold Award recipient, and novelist---wrote the first edition of Walt Disney World with Kids in 1989. More than 20 editions later she's exceeded 50 visits to the parks, a statistic that stuns even her. Her Disney favorites? The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, the character Eeyore, and the California Grill. When she's not at the theme parks, she's at home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; 21 edition (August 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400004454
• ISBN-13: 978-1400004454
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 6.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Travel > United States > Florida > General
  • #51 in Books > Travel > United States > Florida > Orlando
  • #67 in Books > Travel > United States > Florida > Disney World

More About the Author

Kim Wright Wiley has been writing and updating her Walt Disney World guides for twenty-three years. During that time her children have grown from toddlers and "ride-testers" into young adults who help her in the process. She lives in Charlotte, NC.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars We LOVE Disney World November 6, 2010

By Karen Joan VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

My husband, 13 and 5 year old daughters, and I are Disney veterans. We would rather take a Disney vacation, than almost anything else. We love Disney World, we love Disney Cruises, and we have enjoyed Disneyland a number of times. Needless to say, we own a number of Disney travel guides. I have to say, though, FODOR'S WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS 2011 is one of the best that I have seen.

To begin with, FODOR'S WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS 2011 is both well organized and easy to read. A lot of guides have special little hints and tips embedded in their pages, as does FODOR'S WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS 2011. The difference is that with most other guides, the font on the tips and tricks is smaller, cramped, and hard to read. They also make the pages look busy, confused, and jumbled. However, in FODOR'S WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS 2011, these helpful hints are in the same size font as the rest of the text. They flow naturally as you read and are indicated with bold lettering or color. This makes looking things up extremely fast and easy.

The chapters in FODOR'S WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS 2011 are also well done and nicely organized. There is a chapter on hotels, one on each main park, one on each minor park (the water parks, Downtown Disney, etc.), one on dining, and several on NON-Disney attractions like the new Harry Potter park. Each chapter has maps and phone numbers, as well as excellent planning aids. Even with all the times we've visited Disney World, I found places and adventures that were either new or we had missed. This really helped us plan our next trip, when we plan to focus on things we've never seen. Additionally, each chapter provides hints on finding Hidden Mickeys, which is one of my family's favorite pastimes.... And one of the best features of FODOR'S WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS 2011 is that each section includes a list of suitable attractions by age and scare factor. With such a wide age span between my kids, I find these pages to be exceedingly helpful.

As I said before, FODOR'S WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS 2011 is one of the best guides for Walt Disney World that I have seen. It can replace about 5 other guides that we use. And traveling lightly is always a plus. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all Disney lovers. Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Planning vacation 2011! January 19, 2011

By apples2apples VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

We have a wide age range among our kids, and have found the Walt Disney World with Kids Guides indispensible. Now, after not going with children for over 10 years, we needed a guide to plan a quick trip to Universal with our daughter who's graduating from H.S. this year, and our next trip to Disney with our 2 youngest in 2012.

Recently, as a Vine reviewer, I was very fortunate to be able to order the Foder's guide - Walt Disney World with Kids 2011. Although we won't be going until 2012 for our bigger trip, the timing is really good because it will literally take me almost a year to plan for that trip. It takes me a long time to really go through the guide and plan - I always want the trip to be as perfect as possible when someone's going for the first time. In 2012 it'll be the first Disney vacation for our 8 year old! And because of our daughter's interest in Harry Potter, and because it's her graduation gift, I want it to be as memorable as possible!

This Disney Guide is very comprehensive! It has helpful phone numbers and web sites, maps, & what time of year is best to visit. Just an aside .. Disney hosts many groups of people throughout the year, if you are going as a family, and would like to avoid particular events, it's a good idea to call ahead to insure you won't be in a room right next to (insert group here). If you're going as a couple - same thing - you might call to insure you're making reservations in the most appropriate motel - Disney's very good at meeting people's various needs.

At the front of the book, there are icons to look for - Helpful hints, Hidden Mickey, Insider's Secrets, Money Saving Tips, The Scare Factor, and Time-Saving Tips.... It's pretty evident what the icons mean - they're great little tips sprinkled throughout the book, and worthwhile to note.

There are some things that could or should be done before you leave home to save money and save time. Getting tickets is a biggie because you'll most likely get a better deal from home, esp. if you have any special discounts through AAA, employee discounts, or others.

The guide not only covers when it's best to go, it covers how long to stay in order to do the things you'd like to do. Whether or not you need a pkg, and the cost of pkgs. It's so important to know how long you'll need to go the parks you want to go to, and if you have younger kids this may mean going to the park, going back to the room for a nap, going to eat, nap or rest, and then back for fireworks. However you choose to do it, you'll need to know about the Disney transportation that's available, and what form of transportation you take will depend somewhat on where you stay. I think it's a big benefit to stay in the park - esp if this is a once in a lifetime trip, or one of only a couple of trips you'll take to Disney. It's just so much easier than driving and parking.

There's an entire chapter devoted to whether to stay on-site or off-site, along with a map of the park - which, if you've never been, is more like a small city. It also has great information about staying at one of the off-site hotels, and there are plenty! It's broken down by price as well as what the various hotels and resorts have to offer. From around $63 a night to around $223 a night - there's something in all price ranges.

There are tips on saving money, traveling with babies - get the stroller for babies or toddlers! Disney can be so exhausting, it's worth it to rent a stroller for kids anywhere between 0 - 5, or even 7 depending on the child. This is not the place to try to cut back - trust me. We've traveled to Disney with kids just 2 to age 10, and bringing a stroller along is stressful - taking it home is more stressful. The guide will tell you what you need to do to have a character meal, when the best time is to go both time of day, and within your trip. It's been awhile since we went to a character meal, but it seems to me that was one of those things that, depending on what you want, you might go ahead and schedule the meal before you leave home. Of course meals at Cinderella's Castle definitely need to be scheduled in advance.

Meeting the characters is another thing you'll probably want to do, but is it best for your kids. Probably yes, but it does depend on their age, and how they'll react to characters that are literally bigger than life. The guide recommends that if your kids aren't ready to meet the characters in the big costumes - like Chip n Dale, they might be able to handle meeting the "face characters" - like Aladin or Snow White.

Disney has bathrooms EVERYWHERE! And they are very clean! I'm a freak about public bathrooms, and never had an issue with any bathrooms anywhere in Disney! Not to worry - they're all marked on the maps. The guide covers nursing moms as well - places you can go for some privacy, peace and quiet, or want a rocker to rock your baby while you nurse. Disney is family friendly though, and as the guide indicates, nursing in public isn't an issue.
There's also an abundance of First Aid Stations within Disney. The guide covers the things you don't want to think about like lost kids and rainy days.

Rainy days aren't a problem, in Orlando it rarely rains all day, and if it does, there's plenty to do. The guide covers everything to do in all of the parks - complete with maps - the parks are big so the activities are broken down by first hour in the park, last hour in the park, where to rest, the best vantage pt for watching a parade, and then by sections of the parks.

For all the months except the month when the water parks are closed for maintenance, the guide covers the waterparks with maps and how to get around the various parks. Descriptions of the water parks are given with age preferences based on customers who've written in, as well as the activities, and rides.

The rest of Disney is covered - Downtown Disney for the night owls, shoppers, restaurant goers, circus seers, and movie watchers. Dining is covered ad nauseum - just kidding! It's covered in exhausting detail - from making reservations at full service restaurants. Healthy foods - there's plenty of it, and it can be very yummy.
Ratings of the restaurants, quick guides, the restaurants in all of the parks, in the hotels, and everywhere else in Disney.

The Disney Cruise Line is covered, as well Universal Orlando, Islands of Adventure - this is where I'm taking our daughter soon - of course with particular interest in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! She's been waiting to go since before it opened! Sea World and Discovery Cove are also covered.

Like I said it's exhaustive and highly recommended. Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars still the best August 10, 2010

By Andrew F. Rex

Format:Paperback

My family has taken this book to WDW for nearly 20 years, and of all the WDW books it's still the best one to have. Kim pulls no punches when it comes to saying what's best (or not) for kids, whether it's about attractions, food, or hotels. It's good that her advice is age-group-specific, because it makes a big difference whether you are there with a toddler or teens. Every new edition has all the latest information, which we like because WDW has changed over time. The time-saving tips are useful at any time of year, but especially if you go in a busy season (summer or holidays).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want only one Disney guide, this is a great choice October 21, 2010

By Aaron Silverman VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

When it comes to travel guidebooks, there are two basic genres: the Official ("this ride is near the East gate, and you must be 44" tall to ride it") and the Unofficial, based on a writer's personal travels ("this ride is much scarier than you'd expect, and the lines for it tend to be really long in the early evening"). The Official-type books often cover only the basics, leaving out useful information (especially when it's negative), while an Unofficial-type book can be less than useful for those whose travel plans don't closely parallel those of the author. Each style has its benefits, and it's generally best to use a combination of them when planning a trip in order to cover as many bases as possible.

That said, if you're heading to Disney World and want to limit yourself to one book, this is a great choice. It's quite long and very extensive, covering practically every detail of Disney World (which is a huge and complex place). Data tables, sidebars, and a good index make finding specifics easy. It's revised every couple of years based not only on the author's experiences, but also on write-in comments from other travelers (think Zagat Guides), so it provides a range of opinions and tips while not neglecting any of the basics. You can reference it when booking hotel rooms and park tickets, and you can also use its ratings and commentary to map out exactly which rides, events and sights are best for your family.

The one negative about Walt Disney World With Kids is that it's fairly large and heavy for a travel guide, so it's best to take notes on your daily plans and leave the actual book in your hotel room. It includes some information on other Orlando-area attractions, but not enough to be very useful. I hate to suggest that they shave pages, though....

I've been to Disney World many times, and on my last trip (late Spring of 2010) I brought along a half-dozen guidebooks. The 2009 edition of this book was easily the most useful of them. I'm looking forward to putting this new edition through its paces. Read more ›