Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2006 (Paperback)

by Birnbaum (Author) "The key to a fabulous vacation at Walt Disney World is advance planning..." (more)
Key Phrases: Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Downtown Disney (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Disney Editions; Revised edition (October 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786855487
• ISBN-13: 978-0786855483
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #400,768 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Source For Disney World, January 7, 2006

By	K. Fontenot "Prairie Cajun" (The Bayou State) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In 1999, my wife and I decided to go to Walt Disney World for our honeymoon. We were told by our travel agent to pick up a copy of Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 1999. Though it seemed expensive at the time(it cost almost five dollars more than this 2006 edition), it proved to be more than worth its cost. It has tips on everything for everyone planning a trip to Disney World.

I picked up this 2006 edition since we've decided that it's time to inroduce our four-year-old to Disney World. It still has much of the same information as the old copy I have, with just minor changes in prices. However, there are plenty of new additions to the park, especially considering that I haven't been there in seven years. Also, all of the information is up-to-date and absolutely crucial for first-timers to the park. You'll find yourself referencing this book throughout your trip.

It provides tips on cost-cutting, the best times of year to go to the park, what to see and do first, and how to get there easy, whether traveling by plane, train or automobile. There are also coupons in the back that may help you cut costs even more.

Each branch of Disney World is broken down into individual sections. Whether you're with your kids, a senior citizen, or a young couple in love, the guidebook covers everything you need to know to get the best of time and value from your visit to the park. It features pre-made itineraries for folks who want to see the best of everything no matter what your situation.

This is a highly recommended guidebook. Our old 1999 edition has made its way into our honeymoon memory book. We used it that much. Hopefully, with our young daughter in tow, the 2006 edition will become part of her memory book as well.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Basic Details - but Missing in Some Areas, April 11, 2006

By	Lisa Shea "LisaShea.com" - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This book is glossy, bright, and full of colorful images. It really gives the sense of the Disney experience, and is updated yearly. At 263 pages of actual content, it's a good size, and has a nice color map in the back.

Like all guidebooks, the book begins with all the basic info - crowded times, seasonal events, temperature averages, airport ideas - can be found on thousands of websites. I almost wish they didn't bother to include this generic stuff, but I understand why they have to.

I do like their short sections on each special type of visitor - with kids, without kids, with infants, with disabilities, international, weddings, groups, etc. It gives valuable information on how to make that type of trip work.

Birnbaum's offers good details on all of the hotels in the park - both Disney and non-Disney. There are a lot of details, photos and tips. I found this area quite useful, and also appreciated their easy to use grid comparison.

Next there are color-coded sections on each park area. I liked the descriptions and photos of the parks. They were generally useful for planning a day. However, I didn't like how they took restaurant descriptions out and put them into a generic eating section. If you have tickets for a park, you'll want to eat there. You won't buy tickets to go to a park just to eat there! It would have been more sensical to include restaurants that required park admission in that actual park section of the book.

Then, for the food section, descriptions are very short - in some cases terse. I realize that you don't go to a park to eat - but if you're going to "waste" 1-2 hours in a location, you want to know it'll be worth it. Especially if you paid $80+ to get into that area in the first place. I had to go online to find out many of the dining details that I needed to know.

I did enjoy the "best" area near the end where they list the best vegetarian meals, best kid's birthday location, best dinner show and so on. On one hand it makes you worry that these things will be completely packed because they have been pegged as being the best. On the other hand, if you're wise and plan ahead, it's not like these places can get worse than full. If you get your reservation in, it means you will be enjoying the best that matches your personal wishes, while other people have to make do with what they could get in to. That being said, some of the entries were hokey, like "best crab cakes" or "best bloody mary". There were many other categories that I could have found far more useful.

There are a set of coupons in the back. For the 2006 book these are: 15% off lunch/dinner at House of Blues, 20% off Vero Beach Resort, 15% off DiveQuest admission, 15% off Behind the Seeds / Epcot, 15% off behind the scenes / Animal Kingdom, 15% off Dolphin in Depth, 20% off Hilton Head Resort, 10% off All Star Cafe, 10% off Segway Experience, 10% off Mini Golf, $10 off at Lego store, and free $50 gift certificate with Disney's Visa card.

I did find this useful enough for the general day-at-park planning that I'd recommend it for anyone going to Disney. Just be sure to have an internet connection too to fill in the details not provided.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars STILL THE BEST GUIDE OUT THERE!, March 17, 2006

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

My family and I go to Disney world about every three years or so and the very first thing I do when planning our trip is to pick-up the latest Birnbaum's Guide to Disney world. The Birnbaum's guide always seems to be the best informed, and well-researched guide on the market with the most updated information for travelers to the Magic Kingdom. Birnbaum's starts you right at the very beginning as you plan the best time to go. Because of having kids in school I've really been only to take advantage of the less crowded periods only once which was around late January several years ago. The wait times, particularly at night when it was cooler were almost non-existent. The book notes that the park tends to renovate certain attractions during these periods but I personally did not notice that the one time when we went. The Crowd charts are very helpful in determining when to go.

The guide provides other need to know things like average temperatures (think February if you don't like the heat), park hours, and perhaps the most important thing, how to save money in planning your vacation. I'll admit we've never stayed on Disney grounds as we opt for the less expensive hotels in Orland that are a mere 10 - 15 minutes drive but the guide gives the details on all of Disney's numerous hotels and campsites. The book then gives a guided tour of the different theme parks including The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney MGM studios, etc. This is the one are where I tend to downgrade the guide on. There are other guides that go into greater detail about the various attractions and sites to see than Birnbaum's does but having been there four times I don't feel the need to have that info although first-timers may want to. The guide also provides info on everywhere you can eat within the parks and the types of fare. If you really like all the work done for you the guide even has pre-made itineraries but you'll have more fun planning it all yourself. Still the best guide out there!