Customer Reviews

Walt Disney World with Kids, 2001 (Special-Interest Titles)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I buy Wiley's guide every year and always find her to be right on the money when it comes to rating the rides, recommending hotels, and giving tips on extras like how and where to meet the characters. What separates this book from the other Disney guides is that it's realistic....the unoffical guide lays out a itinerary that would kill anyone with kids and the official guide is all sugary and light, never telling you how to handle the crowds and the heat and all the other things that are just a factor when you're at Disney World. Wiley hits the middle ground - she's positive and obviously knows (and loves) her stuff but she'll also give you the facts.

Since we take so few vacations, I like to make sure they're planned well so everyone gets the most out of them. I bought 3 Disney books (Unofficial Guide by Sehlinger and Birnbaum's 2001 edition too) but this is the one I found most useful for planning a trip with a 4 & 6 year-old. The tips saved us $1000 on room costs alone! The reviews of the Disney and off-site hotels offer useful details not found on websites. The excellent ride reviews feature details to help parents determine if it's too scary for your child (tells you if dark, noisy, surprise elements, etc) - not just a generic "may scare children under age 5" warning. The book is fun & easy to read... and with her realistic advice for visiting Disney with kids, you'll have more fun and be less stressed-out on vacation than if you did it without her book.

I bought the 1999 version and am about to order the newest edition. I had not been to Disney World in 12 years so I had no idea on what to do and where do go. The book was right on about every detail. I especially like the ride advice for little ones and the hotel recommendations. If you are planning a trip, buy this book first!!!!!!!!!!

I have a three year old daughter, and this book was a tremendous help in planning out trip to Disney World. It told us when and where to find the characters (a BIG item for planning the days), what rides to ride first, and most importantly, the information about FastPass. I highly recommend the book to anyone taking kids to DisneyWorld.

We're gearing up toward a Disney World vacation late this August, and have relied on this book thoroughly. It isn't the most comprehensive book, but it offers lots of good advice. Good thing for any travelling family.

As you see from most of the reviews of this book it is an excellent source of information. As the author notes, the level of enjoyment of your trip is directly related to the amount of research you do before your trip.

In addition to being a great source of information before we left, it was a great read on the drive to Orlando. As parents, so much time is spent on the planning that the joyful anticipation of the trip is often left to the kids. The more we read and closer we got, the more excited we got.

One personal caveat that is inferred in the book, but not stated expressly is that the Disney experience can be lost on young kids. Our six-year-old had an absolute blast, our 3 1/2-year-old was a bit tentative about the characters and some of the shows, but our two-year old was scared by the characters (I don't think he understood that they would be life-sized) and the shows created sensory overload. Several parents of young children we talked to said they would not repeat the experience with a child younger than four. We heartily second that.

We used this for many months before our vacation last year. It was almost drenched with highlighter markings long before we left for Florida. When we got there, it was like our Bible as we toured the parks. It has everything you need to know for Disney and beyond. Her sense of humor is most amusing and she does let you know where to eat without losing your mind or cookies with toddler in tow. So buy it and then keep it, because you will write notes in it and after your trip it will become almost a souvenir of sorts with all your little articles and receipts etc, tucked away in side. You will look through it a year or two later and laugh at your comments about whatever you were thinking at the time. We had teenagers and toddler and everything worked out great, she has some real tips that do everyone good, not just the kids. Mom and dad won't lose their mind trying to please everyone. We are heading to Universal as well this year, so we will definitely be buying her Universal book.

I found this book to be very out of date. I can't count how many times I read "coming in 2000" and then no info on the subject. I didn't expect this from a book written for 2001. I have the 2000 official guide and it is much more up to date. The only thing I liked about the book is the coverage of non disney parks. This book was a huge waste of money.

We were looking for a book with information about the Disney Crusie Line with children. We are taking our daughters (9 and 13) on the Disney Wonder in February 2001, and we were looking for some insight that our travel agent couldn't give us. This book explained everything from check in at our Disney Resort to boarding the ship....it also explained all the activities available for our children and the dining schedules. I definately recommend this book to anyone who is looking for the same information that we were looking for!! (or any information on Disney with kids!!!)