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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't use this to Plan Your Vacation, June 6, 2004
By A Customer
There are a LOT of very good Official and Unofficial Guides to Walt Disney World - this is not one of them. First off the author, Steven Barrett, confesses he is "a rabid WDW aficionado. [He]has yet to find a ride or attraction at WDW that [he] didn't enjoy..." This was my first tip off that the forthcoming information was going to be biased. For this kind of 'guidance' I should have stuck with "The Official Guide" by Birnbaum. Secondly there is nothing 'special' or different about this book when compared to "The Unofficial Guide" In fact, "The Hassle-free Vacation" is seriously lacking in key areas of information:. For example: WHERE to stay is covered in only 5 pages. A brief synopsis of each On Resort property is listed (you can get more complete information off the Walt Disney Web site) and only one paragraph is listed about Off Property hotels. (You're given the names and phone numbers of a few hotels plus the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau phone number. HOW TO GET AROUND the resort is less than one page long with the recommendation that you rent a private car. If you are staying on the Disney property and plan to use their bus services you are told routinely to 'check your Transportation Guide'. What I DID like about this book are the following: A nice breakdown and brief description of each attraction in each park. (Keeping in mind that Steve likes everything. His touring plans, btw, seem to be very similar to the Unoffical Guide - I haven't compared them side by side/line by line, but generally appear to reinforce each other) Also, I liked the listing of full-service restaurants and the maps of each 'world'. Bottom line: This book is good for people who just want to know a little bit about what to expect from the attractions at WDW. It is NOT a tool for planning your vacation. Those people who are nit-picky planners who want to research every aspect of their vacation (like me) will find the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World the best source; The Unofficial Guide is also good for people like me who mentally start their vacation while planning it. (Don't let it's enormous size intimidate you.) This book WILL NOT HELP YOU figure out How Long to Stay, Where To Stay, How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck, How to Save Money when Booking or Planning your Vacation, Which Park Ticket Option to Buy or What Special shows/events/attractions are available but not widely publicized. For me this book was a waste of money - much of the same information could be found in guide maps and brochures available within the hotels and parks.
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by Jennifer Marx
by Susan Veness
by Bill Burke
by Birnbaum Travel Guides
