Customer Reviews

The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World Resort, 2nd: How to Get the Most Out of the Best Disney Has to Offer

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Full Disclosure: Cara Goldsbury was my travel agent for one of my (many) Disney trips. My 'regular' agent was unavailable and he recommended Cara as a substitute. My budget was definitely more value than deluxe, but I was impressed with Cara's skill and ability to plan a luxury vacation on a value budget. That isn't the object of this book, the recommendations and tips have a luxury price tag attached, but she does a great job of pointing out certain values when they do exist. If you are only going to buy one guidebook for your Disney trip, this shouldn't be it. Go for the Unofficial Guide or a Passporter (or both!). But if you'd like an excellent supplement to those books, and would like a glimpse into the 5-star opportunities that Walt Disney World has to offer, it is an invaluable guide.

As the writer of the guidebook Walt Disney World® with Disabilities, we've traveled to Disney more times than we can count. As our budget has allowed, we've participated in the upscale offerings at Disney. I would say that The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World Resort is an excellent resource for those who are planning a full-out luxury vacation, as well as for those who are just planning to choose a few indulgences. Cara Goldsbury does an excellent job of sharing everything the reader needs to know to make the right decisions.

The book is written with wonderful depth of detail that will truly help you envision everything being discussed. Cara engages all of the senses in her writing. As I read I could almost taste the foods that were being described in the restaurants.

If you want to get a taste of what's in the book, just visit the official site www.wdwluxuryguide.com. You may wish to take a look at the resort descriptions. I've found them to be extremely helpful. There's a great depth of information including tips on which locations are the best within each resort and which to avoid. For example, in the Polynesian Resort review you'll see a warning about a particular location that has a lot of noise from the evening luau. This kind issue can really damage a good time, and this book helps you avoid these types of pitfalls, and to choose the very best. Also, the various levels of rooms are discussed in detail that you don't see in other guide books.

When you're deciding what to spring for, The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World Resort is enormously helpful. It's got wonderful in-depth information in vivid detail that will help you determine the best options for you. I highly recommend it!

The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World doesn't cover all the attractions, resorts and restuarants at WDW, nor does it intend to. Instead, it focuses on the higher-end (expensive) luxurious resorts, restaurants and entertainment at Walt Disney World. The Luxury Guide does a very good job of doing so, and if you're interested in the best of what Disney has to offer in Orlando, I highly recommend this book.

If you're looking for "value" accomodations or how to have a low-budget vacation at WDW, then this guide is not for you.

Now in an updated second edition, The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World Resort: How to Get the Most Out of the Best Disney Has to Offer lives up to its title and then some. Chapters discuss one's options for luxury accommodations, stylish dining opportunities, attractions beyond the theme parks, how to take advantage of the "FASTPASS" system to bypass lines and other recommendations for avoiding long waits, the Disney cruise line, and much more. Presented in plain terms with an index for quick and easy cross-referencing, The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World Resort is a "must-have" for all potential visitors of this multifaceted vacation destination.

I had read other reviews before buying and guess I should have checked the date of them because this book is woefully out of date. It talks of the Animal Kingdom Villas to be built by 2007! OK - It's 2010 and Bay Lake has been built.

Also most of the information in this book is a re-hash of every other book, website, you name it. The only thing that even talks about "Luxury" is that the writer gives a description of each deluxe hotel. Woo-hoo (not.) There is not one tidbit that can't be found (and with photos for that matter) out there for free on the web.

I was really hoping for some exact room selections (i.e. Suite XXXX is the very best because.... This is how I as a travel agent have secured for others....), specialized tours that only insiders know, etc. As someone that has been to "The World" more times than I can count, I could have written this book. I wanted a resource for how to REALLY do WDW luxuriously.

What a waste of money. Go out on the web - [...] and [...] can give you all the same info but for free.