Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide (Paperback)

~ (Author), Amber Morris (Author), Bobel Sehlinger (Author), Menasha Ridge Press (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This guide is for folks who have been there, done that when it comes to Walt Disney World. There are lots of veterans who have experienced the Disney parks and are ready to explore the host of other attractions found in the Orlando area, from Sea World to some nationally ranked golf courses. Chief among the highlights is Universal Studios, which welcomes millions of visitors each year, and has just unveiled the new Islands of Adventure, the first part of a major expansion.

From the Back Cover

From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide® to Walt Disney World®

"A Tourist’s Best Friend!"
-Chicago Sun-Times

"Indispensable"
–The New York Times

Seven Great Ways That Beyond Disney Can Help You Have the Perfect Trip:

1. Practical tips on when to go and how to beat the crowds at 11 of Central Florida’s best theme parks
2. Firsthand information on what’s worthwhile and what’s not at major attractions
3. The inside scoop on where to go for the best roller coaster action
4. Complete coverage of Universal Florida, including Islands of Adventure®, CityWalk®, and detailed restaurant reviews
5. Comprehensive chapters on SeaWorld and Discovery Cove®, Busch Gardens®, Kennedy Space Center, Gatorland®, and the Holy Land Experience®
6. Comparisons of all area water parks
7. The straight story on Orlando-area dinner theaters and nightlife

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company; 1 edition (September 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028633512
• ISBN-13: 978-0028633510
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,599,338 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great, October 24, 2000

By A Customer

This is a companion book to the "Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World," for those who decide to venture beyond Disney's realm in central Florida. The authors do a fine job rating attractions (rides, films, displays, etc.). They use star-ratings coupled with their assessments and readers' comments, along with a healthy dose of humor--all of which will be familiar to readers of the "Walt Disney World" book. It's all-too familiar in the case of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. In fact, it's simply a verbatim extract of the "Walt Disney World" text. Worse yet, it omits one of the best features of the Disney book: the touring plans.

If you're planning a trip to Universal Studios, and/or Islands of Adventure, stick with Sehlinger's Disney book: it contains more and better coverage. Sea World receives better coverage here. And this is the only "Unofficial Guide" coverage of the other parks.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Busch Gardens & Sea World Guide, April 3, 2007

By	Joseph Boone (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to Universal, SeaWorld, and the Best of Central Florida (Unofficial Guides) (Paperback)

Beyond Disney is meant to be used as a second guide when planning a trip to Orlando. They assume that you have purchased a guide for Walt Disney World and are using this one for the other theme parks in the area. This is a good idea but there are some problems with it. First, the Universal Parks are already covered in the The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 (Unofficial Guides) and that material is simply dropped in here with no additions. So if you have the WDW book, then you don't need to see that again here.

The main value in this book lies in the coverage of Sea World and Busch Gardens. Both are major theme parks and get full coverage here. This is the only book in the Unofficial Guide series where you'll find that material and many of the other publishers ignore those parks completely. If you are interested in attending either park, then I highly recommend Beyond Disney. If you plan to stick to WDW and/or the Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure area then you can safely skip this.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Our vacation's best investment, June 18, 2005

By	Stacy H. Ballard (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to Universal, SeaWorld and the Best of Central Florida (Paperback)

We just got back from our Orlando vacation. I had read and re-read this book before going, even made notes. It was the best preparation I did. We were ready for everything and I we did everything we wanted to do by taking the author's advice. I recommend buying it before visiting the Orlando area.