Rating: 
Summary: This comprehensive guide helped me save hundreds of dollars!
Review: For some families a trip to Walt Disney World is an annual ritual, for others it is a one-time rite of passage. For all who go, it is a big-ticket vacation destination with seemingly limitless choices of lodging, attractions, dining, and entertainment. This encyclopedic guide provides you with all the information you need to make the most of your time and money. Their recommendations are based on their own staff's experience as well as surveys of Disney vacationers and Unofficial Guide readers.I wish I could give more than five stars to the vacation planning chapters of the book. Monthly attendance data plus subjective pros and cons of visiting during each season helped us decide when to go; detailed reviews of hotels within and outside the "World" helped us decide where to stay; an outline of all the available ticketing options helped us determine what sort of park admission to buy. All in all we saved hundreds of dollars - and planned a more suitable vacation for our family - as compared to following the advice of friends and co-workers. The chapters pertaining to each park rate four to five stars. Each ride, show, or attraction is described in detail and given a star rating for each of several age groups. Careful attention is paid to factors affecting how long you will wait in line. The author provides touring plans designed to get you to as many of the "best" attractions as possible with the least amount of waiting in line; 1-day and 2-day touring plans for families with and without young children are provided for the Magic Kingdom. Occasionally the reviews are a bit idiosyncratic but on the whole they let you know what not to miss - and what to pass up with no regrets. The guide also includes chapters on Universal Orlando and Sea World. The chapters reviewing Disney dining deserve four stars. Again, the coverage is vast and detailed, with reviews not only of restaurants in and out of the "World" but even of counter-service (i.e., fast food) within the "World." You will either shake your head and roll your eyes at the hints for landing a breakfast reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table, or you will rush to synchronize your clocks with Disney reservation center time and start warming up your dialing fingers. I agree with other reviewers that the restaurant reviews are overly harsh and discount the extent to which a sit-down meal in some Disney restaurants can be an attraction unto itself. There is also no index to table-service restaurants in each park. This guide contains far more information than any one traveler is going to need, and at least some of it will seem like common sense - but one person's common sense is another's startling revelation. As with any guidebook some information will be out of date; some specific issues noted by prior reviewers have been corrected in the 2003 edition. If you are a true believer in Disney magic you might not like the blunt tone of the author's remarks. However, if you are a Disney skeptic, a novice, or simply a vacationer trying to get the most out of a big-deal vacation, the Unofficial Guide is an excellent resource.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing compared to previous issues
Review: I find it curious that a book that has been a staple for years has decided to lower its standards and now includes profanity in several places and has descriptions like the following for the "Pal Mickey" doll where Mickey allegedly says "get baked on a good joint right about now. Are you holding?" (page 329).
I realize that this is a cheap attempt at humor, but I don't see why a family book about one of the top family destinations in the world would include this, given their audience.
Rating:
Summary: DON'T GO TO DISNEY WORLD WITHOUT IT.
Review: If I was giving advice on going to Disney World I'd strongly suggest buying two or even three such guides and study them as much as you can. There are always things that one guide is going to miss.
I've been to DW three times...in the 70's, 80's and 90's, and each time seems like the first because so much has been added since the previous trip. It is such an overwhelming place that you cannot go without a good guide or two.
Sehlinger's is one of the absolute best. The ratings are based on thousands of interviews with park patrons so you're really getting the man-on-the-street viewpoint.
Each attraction is rated along with tips on beating long lines, how to plan your itinerary, best places to eat and stay. It's also sectioned to include the best things to do depending on if you are a family, honeymooner, or senior citizen.
Also included is reviews for other area attractions ouside of DW. Truly a valuable guide.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended to all who visit
Review: Living in Florida and often having guests I got this book to sit on my Coffee table in the living room. Before friends and family are off to Walt Disney World they are glued to this book!
It will save you time and money and is enjoyable reading.
Rating:
Summary: Saw everything on the busiest week of the year!
Review: My husband and I are theme park devotees, and honeymooned at Disney the week after Christmas. while this is the busiest single week of the year at the parks, we were able to see everything we wanted to see and do several big attractions twice. I credit this book. It helped us map out a game plan before going and allowed us to build enough flexibility into our day that we didn't feel pressured. I highly recommend their advice about booking restaurants several months out. we did and had a nice relaxing and fun sit down meal twice a day to recharge our "batteries".
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: Part of the fun of going to Walt Disney World is the anticipation. This book has a negative feel to it and takes away some of the fun from the anticipation. A book can give you the real scoop without giving a negative feel. Steer clear of this book in favor of the Passporter series which is done both realistically and kept positive.
Rating:
Summary: The mother of all Disney books!!!
Review: This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone planning a trip to Disney World! My husband and I were there 6 years ago, and we are currently planning a trip with our 4 year old in November. I wanted to be much more organized this time around. A 4 year old doesn't like to wait while you figure out what you are doing. I bought this book on a recommendation and it is great. It gives you every piece of information you could possibly need to take a trip to Disney World. I didn't realize how much we missed 6 years ago until I read this book. My favorite aspect is the attention to detail about each attraction and how different age groups of children react to them. We now know ahead of time which attractions we will skip with a preschooler. You won't be disappointed with this guide!! Keep in mind that it is very comprehensive and it takes a while to go through the whole guide. I have been reading it now for about a month, and I am still not finished. By the way, this book puts Birnbaum's Official Guide to shame!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Walt Disney World Guidebook on the Market
Review: This book is invaluable for the Walt Disney World Traveler. Sometimes visiting Walt Disney World can be a chore. Waiting in long lines in the hot sun; walking or waiting more than doing. All my travels, I still enjoy Disney World the best. Bob Sehlinger will show you how to enjoy this place as much as I do in his "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World." Detailed descriptions of all the attractions, ratings based on age groups. Touring plans to allow you to see more, do more, and decrease wait in line times -- especially helpful for busy holiday times. It is fun to read inserted comments from readers placed around the guide. This will also allow you to make smart choices of where to stay, where to eat, and how to plan your entire trip. Follow the advices and you will have fun and you will save money. Also helpful for people who want to include Universal Orlando or Sea World into their plans. The author gives these theme parks full attention, the same way they do to all four of Disney's parks (Magic Kingdiom [original], Epcot, Disney - MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom). Sehlinger, and his scouting crew, are not employed by Disney, so if a ride is not worth the time, or a restaurant serves poor quality food, or a gift item is way over priced, they'll tell you. Also important, Bob Sehlinger is such a fun and amusing read, your'll find going through The Unofficial Guide a fun and enjoyable experience instead of a mundane chore. With this guide you need no other. Now enjoy your Disney vacation.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST HAVE BOOK FOR ALL DISNEY WORLD TRAVELERS!!
Review: This book is the best book for Disney World travelers, both young and old. My family recently used this book on our trip December 2004. This book helps with rooms, restaurants, and most of all exhausting information about each park including Universal and Sea World. My 14 year old son and his 13 year old friend enjoyed asking me about each ride as we waited in line. They wanted to know: how many stars(which is how good a ride is) a particular ride had per age group, how long the ride was, if there were in drops (50ft etc). They enjoyed the book as much as my husband and I. We really enjoyed using the restaurant guides and charts. They helped us choose the best restaurants for the amount of money we wanted to spend. I really loved this book and carried it with us everyday on our trip!!!
Rating:
Summary: Door Opener
Review: This book literally helped me to "open other doors" into my trip planning for our Disney World aventure. The author and his data gathering people presented this in a very easy to understand format. I now feel secure about what I can expect at Disney when our trip comes. This also goes beyond the typical when to go and where to stay format I have been familiar with previously.
| 
