The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2011 (Unofficial Guides) [Paperback]

Bob Sehlinger (Author), Len Testa (Author)

Book Description

Series: Unofficial Guides | Publication Date: September 7, 2010

Unofficial Guides field tested touring plans can save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day.

• In 2008, combined Walt Disney World Resort theme park attendance reached over 51 million, with the Magic Kingdom alone drawing over 17 million visitors. (Orlando Convention and Visitor Bureau)
• Despite signifcant downturns in the economy Disney theme parks have maintained attendance rates and made gains in attendance at some parks.
• Walt Disney World Resort theme parks are rated best in the world. earning high marks for things outside of the traditional theme park experience. Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival, which takes place for six weeks every fall and showcases food from twenty-five countries, was rated by Forbes Traveler as one of the Best U.S. Food and Wine Festivals.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Test Your Disney Smarts
Amazon-exclusive quiz from author Bob Sehlinger

1. Which restaurant has the best view at Walt Disney World?
A. LakeView Restaurant, B. The California Grill, C. Cindarella’s Royal Table

2. Afternoon milkshakes for two kids will cost you:
A. $5.72, B. $8.38, C. $12.59

3. Disney Kids’ Meals are available for children of what ages?
A. 3-9, B. 3-11, C. Under 18

4. When is the best time to take the kids on Dumbo the Flying Elephant?
A. Before 10 a.m. or after 9 p.m., B. Immediately following lunch, C. At exactly 3:15 p.m.

5. Which Disney theme park is five times the size as the Magic Kingdom?
A. Disney’s Hollywood Studios, B. Epcot Center, C. Animal Kingdom

6. The best time to visit Walt Disney World is:
A. On your child’s birthday, B. The day of your child’s final exam in math class, C. During the period between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

Answers: 1)B, 2)B, 3)A, 4)A, 5)C, 6)A

Five Unofficial Ways to Prepare for Your Trip to Walt Disney World
Amazon-exclusive content from author Bob Sehlinger

1. Select the time of year for your visit: Walt Disney World is busiest Christmas Day through New Year’s Day. Thanksgiving weekend, the week of Washington’s birthday, the first full week of November, spring break for colleges, and the two weeks around Easter are also times when visitation can peak at 92,000 visitors in a single day. The park is far less crowded during the off season, but be advised that the parks often open late and close early during that time. You can find detailed charts and info on the best times to visit in The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.

2. Shape up: Visiting Disney World requires levels of industry and stamina more often associated with running marathons. As you plan your time at Disney World, consider your physical limitations. It’s exhausting to rise at dawn and run around a theme park for 8 to 12 hours day after day. Every Disney World vacation itinerary should include days when you don’t go to a theme park and days when you sleep in and take the morning off. Plan these to follow unusually long and arduous days.

3. Formulate your park plan: First-time visitors should see Epcot first; you’ll be able to enjoy it without having been preconditioned to think of Disney entertainment as solely fantasy or adventure. See Animal Kingdom second. Like Epcot, it’s educational, but its live animals provide a change of pace. Next, see Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which helps transition from the educational Epcot and Animal Kingdom to the fanciful Magic Kingdom. Also, because DHS is smaller, you won’t walk as much or stay as long. Save the Magic Kingdom for last; it’s the park that epitomizes Disney World for most visitors.

4. Create your touring plan: Which rides and attractions appeal most to you? What are you willing to forgo? Planning your day in advance can save you up to four hours of waiting time in line. We have developed a hierarchy of categories that will help you evaluate each ride and plan the best way to enjoy them all. For example, SUPER-HEADLINERS are the best attractions the theme park has to offer – and they usually have the longest lines. MINOR ATTRACTIONS are midway-type rides, small “dark” rides (cars on a track, zigzagging through the dark) and walk-through attractions—which can be a lot of fun, without the long wait. Remember that bigger and more elaborate doesn’t always mean better. See examples of touring plans (and create your own) in The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.

5. Getting hungry?: There are three lessons to learn before you dine in the parks. One: Theme-park restaurants rush their customers in order to make room for the next group of diners. If you want to linger over your expensive meal, don’t order your entire dinner at once. Order drinks. Study the menu while you sip, then order appetizers. Tell the waiter you need more time to decide among entrees. Order your main course only after appetizers have been served. Dawdle over dessert. Two: If you’re dining in a theme park and cost is an issue, make lunch your main meal. Entrees are similar to those on the dinner menu, but prices are significantly lower. Three: Disney adds a surcharge of $4 per adult and $2 per child to certain popular restaurants during weeks of peak attendance, including Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and in 2009 every day from Memorial Day through July 4.

Top Ten Unofficial Tips for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Amazon-exclusive content from author Bob Sehlinger

1. To avoid the worst of the crowds, either be at the turnstiles 45 minutes before park opening or visit the Wizarding World after 8 p.m. If the park closes at 8 pm or earlier, visit the Wizarding World one hour before the park closes.

2. See Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey first. If you haven’t seen it before, use the regular queue that includes a tour of Hogwarts Castle.

3. If you want to repeat the ride portion of Forbidden Journey, use the singles line – you’ll be able to ride in 20 minutes or less.

4. One of the coolest things in Wizarding World is the Wand Selection demonstration at Ollivander’s Wand Shop in Hogsmeade Village. See it immediately after experiencing Forbidden Journey.

5. On busy days, there are lines for everything including shops, the restaurant, the pub, and even the Butterbeer vendor carts. Try to complete your shopping early in the morning or return to shop in the two hours before park closing.

6. To buy Butterbeer without a long wait go to the rear patio entrance to the Hogs Head Pub.

7. Butterbeeer comes in both a regular and frozen version. Most visitors prefer the frozen version.

8. Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, which also doubles as the exit for the Forbidden Journey attraction is one shop you can visit without waiting in line, though you’ll have to buck the tide of exiting riders.

9. Note that on busy days, if you exit the Wizarding World, you cannot return except by joining the end of the line of those waiting to enter.

10. If Florida schools are back in session, try to visit on a weekday. And be sure to check out Wizarding World in the evening when the lighting gives the park a totally different and magical look.

From the Back Cover

Five Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide:

• Exclusively patented, field-tested touring plans that save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day

• Proven firsthand advice on how to plan and save money on your Walt Disney World vacation

• More than 200 hotels rated and ranked for quality and value, including the top non-Disney hotels for families

• A complete dining guide with ratings and reviews of all Walt Disney World restaurants, plus extensive alternatives for dining deals outside the World

• Attractions rated and ranked for each age group; extensive, objective, head-to-head comparisons of the Disney and Universal theme parks

Product Details

• Paperback: 864 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 6 edition (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047061529X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470615294
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Florida
  • #31 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Tourist Destinations & Museums
  • #36 in Books > Travel > United States > Regions > South

More About the Author

Bob Sehlinger, a Lowell Thomas Award winning journalist, is best known as the creator and producer of the Unofficial Guide Series published by Wiley Publishing Inc. and sold worldwide.

He is credited with being the first to apply research techniques from the fields of operations research and statistics to travel guides. Among other projects, he was able to develop mathematical models that could save theme park patrons more than three hours of standing in queue in a single day.

Sehlinger and his research team (pictured) have had numerous adventures and developed some unusual methodologies. Here's a sampling from research for The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World:

"We've slept in every Disney resort multiple times and more than 80 Orlando-area properties. Only once did we wake up covered in bugs. (It was a non-Disney hotel.)"

"We test hotel room soundproofing using a sophisticated digital sound meter and a copy of The Who's Greatest Hits."

"The first time we did Orlando spa reviews, one of our researchers had an eyebrow burned off during a waxing that went horribly awry."

"We once logged more than 700 miles in one week on buses to test Disney's transportation system, and never left Disney property. The bus drivers got so used to us being on board that one forgot we were there and took us back to the bus garage when his shift ended."

"We test pillow fluffiness using a measurement process we invented. We intended to use a fake human head as part of the test, but worried about getting it through airport security. We settled on a gallon jug of water, which is about the same size and weight as an average adult's noggin."

"When we test counter-service restaurants, we order at least one of everything on the menu, and break up in to small teams to sample each thing. We've tried every counter-service food item in every American Disney theme park."

"Our crowd prediction models take in to account everything from the day of week and time of year, to the vacation schedules of the fifty largest school districts east of the Mississippi, to weather phenomena including temperature, rainfall and humidity."

Bob Sehlinger is founder and co-owner of Keen Communications, a book publishing company that includes Menasha Ridge Press in Birmingham, Alabama; Clerisy Press in Cincinatti, Ohio; and Wilderness Press in Berkeley, California. The author of twenty-seven books, Sehlinger is a past president of the Publishers Association of the South, and has served at the invitation of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Information Service on educational missions for publishers in Hungary, Romania, and Russia.

Before becoming involved in writing and publishing, Sehlinger was CEO of SAGE, inc., a wilderness arts teaching and expeditional company that produced courses in kayaking, rock climbing, survival, and backpacking (among others) for high schools and universities in a 7-state area. During this period Sehlinger served as president of the Eastern Professional River Outfitters Association. Sehlinger makes his home in Birmingham, Alabama where he continues to be an avid river runner and mountain biker.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Third version I've purchased ... Don't go to WDW without it, November 4, 2010

By 

WryGuy2 (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2011 (Unofficial Guides) (Paperback)

My family and I are planning to go to Walt Disney World in a couple of months, so I ordered the 2011 Version of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (WDW). I first went to WDW in the late 90's, and as I wanted to make sure I enjoyed everything there was to enjoy, I bought three or four books on WDW and the surrounding area. I found that the Unofficial Guide had pretty much everything the other books had, and more, so for my next trip in 2004, I only bought the Unofficial Guide.

After receiving the 2011 version and heavily perusing it, I find that, if anything, it's even better than the previous versions. If nothing else, its a LOT larger than the first one I bought in the 90's. It gives ratings and reviews of hotels and dining establishments in the area (both on and off Disney World), covers all of the parks and attractions on Disney in tremendous detail, and the parks and attractions off of Disney in lesser detail (primarily Universal Studios and Seaworld). Additionally, the book provides information on how Disney prices their tickets, how to save money on meals, when to visit Disney, and of course, at the end of the book, their recommended touring plans for each park in order to see as much of the parks as possible in the least amount of time.

The touring plans themselves are almost worth the price of the books. If you've never been to WDW, the parks are HUGE ... and if you just start wandering around and getting on whichever attraction catches your eye, you're going to be spending a lot more time in lines (and less time enjoying the attractions) than you should. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with just going where you want to, when you want to, but you could spend literally hours more waiting in lines than you need to. The guide has several plans for each park ... bascially with and without children, along with a few variations for some parks. As this is my first trip to Disney with small children, I was particularly interested to get these touring plans.

There is also an affiliated Unofficial Guide to WDW website that you have to pay a suscription to get to some of the site's exclusive content for a year. If you've bought the book, you get about one-third off of the price of the subscription (when claiming discount, you have to identify the correct word from a page of the guide). While the web site does have some interesting things and the very latest information, all that you need when visiting WDW is in the book, so don't feel as if you're being cheated if you don't choose to subscribe to the web site.

Disney changes a lot every year. Given that it's been six years since I last visited, I'm glad I bought the book, to read about new things to do. I also learned some things that I wouldn't have discovered without the guide. For example, you can rent a pontoon boat and captain and watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and Illuminations at Epcot from the lakes, rather than being packed on the sidewalks. You will also be dropped off at a water-adjoining resort of your choice afterwards so you can beat the rush out of the park. It's not cheap, but I made a reservation and am looking forward to enjoying the fireworks without 10,000 of my closest friends close at hand. :-)

Overall, I give this book 5 stars. If you're looking to visit additional places in the Orlando area other than Disney (and perhaps Sea World and Universal Studios), you may want to buy a second book, but I'd wait to buy it until after I read this guide, as it may have all that you need.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Guide to WDW, September 5, 2010

By 

jbsand - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2011 (Unofficial Guides) (Paperback)

This is the best guide book to Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL that I have found.
This is the second edition I purchased.
Has the most information in one book I can find.
Tells the good and the bad.
Can be complex. They give you schedules and plans to see the most, which may seem like a military drill, but you can read these guides and use the pieces you like.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars You don't need if you have an older edition, January 13, 2011

By 

Karen Wilger "Karen" (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2011 (Unofficial Guides) (Paperback)

I have a 2005 Unofficial Guide and loved it. It contained a lot more information than this newer guide. You now have to go on-line and become a member (for a discounted price of $8) to get the really important information, such as what days to visit certain parks! The old guides had charts in them and I knew how many people typically visit each park, each day. This guide is now a hotel guide with a lot of "he said, she said" for every hotel/restaurant. For every opinion, there is another opinion telling you the opposite. I actually enjoy the touring plans, but there are only a few in this book. I could have gotten all the updated information online by becoming a member and not purchasing this book. If every page did not tell you to go to touringplans.com then it was every other page! I wish I had saved the $18+ and just subscribed. I thought this would contain new and exciting information. The only new and exciting information was about Universal Studios/IOA...and it made me wish for 4 more days to explore that obviously technologically superior park. (I'll wait until my youngest can ride all the rides; it appears a 7 year old may be waiting around a lot for their older siblings to ride really exciting rides...even Harry Potter has a height requirement we couldn't meet.)

If you have never been to WDW or need lodging information, then by all means, get this book. It is perfect for that and has every bit of information about every possible hotel/campsite, etc., on and on. If you are like me and know where you're staying and have read a previous issue of this book, then just join the unnofficial website, touringplans.com. to get updated information.