Customer Reviews

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, 2006

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you are going to Walt Disney Word and looking for the book to cut through the publicity machine that is Disney, you will want this book. Its tone can be skeptical and brutally honest, and is not always the Disney "cheerleading" guide that some purists insist only be written about Disney properties. There are other books for that, but none will get you in and out of the parks as well as this one.

If you are an "easy going", "take things as they come" type of person, then this book is not going to be your cup of tea. If you are looking to get the most from your dollar by avoiding lines, bad food, and like frank opinions, then this book will do you well.

Please know that there are no pretty pictures of the Disney parks in this book. It is a "battle" guide that does not pull punches. The author(s) are traffic gurus and are looking to get you through the park, not standing in lines. I have met them both, and they are very nice people who are very sincere in wanting to know the opinions of their readers.

If you have kids, this will show you the way to limit stress, and keep everyone happy with planning tips and schedules appropriate to age groups and interests. It is okay to get the Birnbaum book for the kids. Let them see the pictures and read the descriptions of the park, but if you want to be serious about minimizing the stresses of a family vacation, use this book.

I travel every 18 months, and from being single, to married, to now a father, this book has different plans that allow you to deal with what Disney is - a very crowded tourist destination - without stress. I have saved time and money, and always find this book to improve the quality of my trip. My four tips for YOU to make your WDW vacation the best; 1. Stay onsite and use the Disney transportation system; 2. Take an afternoon break from the parks and get off your feet; 3. Use Fast Pass - Make Fast Pass your friend; 4. Buy this book.

Whether you're planning your first trip to Disney World or your tenth, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World should be required reading. This book has it ALL - detailed advice and price guide for Disney Resorts, including suggestions for the best rooms and room plans, descriptions of off property hotels, comparisons of different ticket packages, dining ratings, plans for touring the parks, ride descriptions, visiting with children, and even info on attractions outside Disney.

I bought the 2004 edition for our first Disney World trip and just received the 2006 edition for our next trip in January 2006. It has been extensively updated.

If you're looking for the best all around guide to Walt Disney World, this is the only book you'll need.

I'd like to tell you that this book is terrible, has no use, and is a waste of money... but I'd be doing it for selfish reasons. I'd be doing it because I wanted to keep all the amazing tips and tricks to myself so that everyone else didn't know all the little goodies I know from reading this book.
We went to WDW on vacation during the 4TH OF JULY! Any idea how busy it can be that time of year? But because we followed this book's touring guide and suggestions, we never waited in line longer than 20 minutes. WOW! Now that's a miracle.
We learned lots of great insider info and it had a map that we would still be driving around without.
Go buy this book, read it, and have a great vacation... but keep it to yourself, will ya? We can't let this cat out of the bag. ssshhhhh. wink.

Having visited WDW 5 times before i first read this book, i really didn't think there was much more it could tell me about. BOY WAS I DEAD WRONG! This book is cram packed with the best tips, tricks and downright Disney World Secrets!! What ever you do follow the advice of this book 100% You'll not only have the best WDW vacation ever but the best vacation ever period! Our average wait in line was reduced to about 15 minutes (It was that high only because we screwed up and waited in a line for 30 minutes that we weren't supposed to be in. Summary READ THIS BOOK. I repeat READ THIS BOOK

My family and I just returned from our first trip to Disney World. (It was as blast!) Because it was our first time and we were essentially clueless to the Disney experience, we bought several guides.

The Unofficial Guide is the one book that I kept returning to over and over again. It's full of such detailed information that even the clueless will be prepared to visit Disney World. However, *because* this book provides an incredible amount of information (such as how to increase your chances for getting into the Hot Seat for MGM's Millionaire game), it could be almost overwhelming for first time visitors to Disney World. (I often got headaches trying to absorb everything!)

In this book, you'll find a crowd-Level Calendar, Park Traffic Patterns, Clip-Out Touring Plans, and much, much more. This book is updated yearly, so the 2006 version had information on Mickey's PhilharMagic, Expedition Everest, Lights, Motors, Action! Stunt Show, and so on.

Reader feedback is peppered throughout the book, as is the critical and often snarky comments by the author. He provides fascinating "behind the scenes" facts, too. For example, the Imagineers of Mickey's PhilharMagic thought they were being clever when they released Jasmine's deodorant scent when she flies by on the carpet. However, many people were allergic to the scent (the show was often disrupted by sneezing!) so they pulled it from the show. Another amusing behind the scenes: Disney cast members sometimes mess with the Hall of Presidents to reflect current events (e.g., during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, the Prez had a condom sticking out of his jacket pocket.)

As you can see, the author can be irreverent.

Each attraction gets a thorough overview, as do the restaurants and hotels. For example, a phone number to each restaurant is provided, as is an evaluation of friendliness, service, wine slection, description of setting and atmosphere, menu samples/house specialities, hours of operation, and more. Although a few of the evaluations didn't jive with my experience (for example, the author raves about the Muppet 3D pre-show and movie whereas I thought it was suprisingly boring), there's enough information provided to at least get an idea if a restaurant or attraction would likely appeal.

I found myself returing to the Unofficial Guide over and over again. In fact, it's the only guide I took WITH me to Disney World! Although I sometimes felt overwhelmed at all the information (it's hard for a newbie to take in all that Disney World offers, especially sight-unseen), I felt PREPARED due in large part to this book.

I took my first trip to Disney World fairly recently. Never having been before, I didn't know what to expect and picked this book out of several on the shelf at the local bookstore and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. It not only gave me a good overview of all the parks and attractions, but also presented a logical and useful manner in which to approach Disney.

This book allowed me to sit down each night before heading to the park the next day and plan out the best possible route to be able to hit all the attractions I wanted to without the waits (disclaimer: I went during the off-season, October). Regardless, each day I went to one of the parks, I had a well-laid-out plan of what rides I really wanted to go on (based on the books reviews) as well as what order I should tackle them (based on the books suggestions, as well).

There are also a wealth of great tips to make the best out of your day. The best times to hit an attraction and even shortcuts in some of the parks were two of the most helpful.

This book helps you to get the most out of your vacation to Disney.

I strongly advise reading this book well in advance of your trip to Disney World. It has been insdispensible for our family trips to Disney. We were able to maximize and personalize our trips so that they were perfect. I advise buying the latest edition 6 months or more prior to your trip and study it thoroughly. You'll be very glad you did!

I have read each new edition of this excellent book cover to cover every year for as long as I can remember. This book has taught me to be able to maximize my time and enjoyment while visiting the WDW parks. I feel that I now have a PhD in "Avoiding waiting in lines" due to studying this fabulous guide. I have visited WDW with my boyfriend once a year or more for the past twelve years and we follow the touring advice in this book exactly. We have not waited in any line for any attraction for more than a few minutes for years.

My warnings: The touring methods described in this book will really work best for people who are willing to wake up very, very early, in order to be the first ones through the turnstiles every morning. And then you must be able to move very, very quickly. (Yes, you can take a break and eat. The book has pretty good advice on which restaurants to try. Head to the resorts and Boardwalk for some of the best meals on property.) But back to the running. You will need an accurate watch and you will have to check it often, to be able to use as many FastPasses per day as possible. (Hint: Once you retrieve a FastPass, you can obtain another one sooner than you think. Check the bottom of the FastPass for the earliest time to get another.)

Example of what we were able to do after studying this book: We arrived at MGM Studios (we were, as usual, right at the rope when it dropped) and we rode Rock N Roller Coaster twice AND Tower of Terror twice, in 50 minutes. Anyone who is a huge Disney fan and is excited about the prospect of making the most of each visit will have the best time ever on vacation at WDW after reading this book. Get ready, get set...run!!!

This book is the best overall Disney guide available. The last version I bought was 2003 and this one has been updated with tons of new information, a lot of comparison tables and a new way to present the information (different colors, etc).

This book covers everything from planning, hotels, dining, the parks, and all types of activities. The best thing is it covers all of these things both inside and outside Disney. The book uses facts and data gathered from its staff as well as reader input. Although a bit lengthy, the book is an essential planning guide that tells it exactly the way it is - a definite must have!

While this book presents a good comphrensive guide to traveling to Orlando, including travel advice, hotel and restaurant reviews, maps, and the like, the heart of the book is the set of well researched touring plans that will save you from spending hours in line at the Disney/Universal Parks.

The plans require a bit of work, but are flexible enough for most travelers. The primary requirment is getting up early - and arriving at the parks 30-40 minutes before opening. It's well worth the effort - getting up an hour early is a more than fair trade to avoiding 3 extra hours standing in line in the heat. (If you've never been to Disney World at peak season, the lines for major attraction frequently exceed 75 minutes for much of the day).

My wife and I have used this guide twice, once 7 years ago by ourselves and now this last week with a 2 year old in tow. I cannot emphesize enough that the plans really work. There's nothing quite like getting through 3-4 major rides in an hour and coming back later in the day to see that each of the rides has a 1 to 1.5 hour wait (in 95 degree heat!).

The ride/attraction reviews are useful as well, and will give you a pretty good idea of what you'll want to see and what you'll want to skip.

My only warning is to avoid the tempetation to take the most aggresive touring plans possible. Just because it's possible to see every attraction in every park using this guide, take the books advice and take it easy. Leave the park in the afternoon, eat somewhere cheaper, and avoid the daytime heat.

In case it's not clear, this book is well worth the money and is essential if your planning a WDW vacation. Highly recommended.