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: Great Planning Tool!
Review: I'm in the middle of planning my WDW vacation and this book has been indispensable! It's given me a feeling of confidence about navigating "the world" and my choices of where to stay etc. If you read the reviews of the individual attractions you'll see that the authors really enjoy WDW! Everything a friend or family member has recommended to us has been included in this book. The in depth look at each ride/attraction, hotel and restaurant in WDW is amazing. The realistic but humorous tone is great, I read the entire book cover to cover even parts that don't apply to me (the sections for people traveling with children for example). If possible I'm even MORE excited about this trip than I was before I read "The Guide" Update: 8/16/01 Now that I've been to Disney and back I can honestly say that this book was indispensable! We used the tour plans (the "one Day" plan for Magic Kingdom, MGM and Epcot) and they worked like a charm! Avoiding parks on early entry days let us ride many "Main" attractions 2+ times! I can't reccomend this book enough! Just remember it IS a guide not a "rulebook' you aren't required to follow every suggestion exactly. I know I would have been lost without this book both literaly and figuratively.
Rating:
Summary: SIMPLY THE BEST BOOK IF YOUR GOING TO WDW
Review: My wife and I have gone to Walt Disney World 7 times since 1994.
Every time we go we buy the latest version of this book. It is easily the best of the travel guides written for WDW. You spend a lot of money to go to Disney - This book saves you money, but it also saves you something more valuable - it saves you a lot of time and hassel. If you are going to WDW, BUY THIS BOOK!
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: Great Book! Should be thought of as a national treasure!
Review: We have used this book a number of times as my wife and I have been to WDW 8 times together, and we found it to be extremely helpful! As a matter of fact, my wife and I just planned our wedding in WDW this past January and we bought the book for every guest that attended and we had many comments about how great the book was. ****By the way, in response to the last review on this book that said the information was out of date:****
1. Disney information changes day to day so any book can be somewhat out of date one day after printing.
2. The author of the book recognized this and had a website (http://www.touringplans.com) set up to give his customers any updates that have come out since the last printing of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Essential for Your Sanity
Review: I haven't read the latest edition, but I just returned (as of 5 days ago) from Disney World with a well-worn version of the previous edition. Every review from hotel, to age appropriateness, to rides and inside secrets proved its weight in gold. Each ride was described in detail, included any warnings (motion sickness, frightening aspects, etc.), a star rating guide for a variety of age groups (preschool, grade school, teens, adults, seniors), along with an overall review and letters from readers. The rides and attractions ratings were dead-on accurate and when we doubted a warning from the book and went anyway, we soon regretted it. Conversely, all of the recommendations were highlights of our trip. Restaurants were rated by overall value, price, service, and food quality. While they seemed a little on the harsh side (we loved the Cinderella Castle restaurant), they were very accurate in their suggestions. I neglected to listen to all the money-saving advice, and now regret that I didn't follow the instructions to the "t." From the initial planning to the final day, this will be an indispensable tool and a cheap ticket to your sanity. Skip the official line-- this is infinitely better.
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Summary: Want the best WDW guide? Stop here - this is it.
Review: I read four books in my preparation to my trip to Walt Disney World in June 2004. I also went to about 7 different websites and subscribed to two different email lists (getting more than 100 emails a day!), all on the subject of what to do and how to save money at WDW. THIS is the best resource for information, bar none. The Unofficial Guide spends pages and pages rating the rides for you, the restaurants, even giving sample itineraries so you don't waste time. It's the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Neurosis Delight!
Review: A thick booked packed with information (along with some additional non disney information just to make the book look thicker). However the tone of the book can be quite negative. Fear the long lines. Fear the lame rides. Fear the long lines again. I think if you followed the advice of the book you would go to the park for one hour in the morning, leave for the rest of the day, and return for an hour just before closing. and oh by the way, if you do not follow the computer generated scientific neurotic tour guides, you will end up wasting at least 3 hours every hour. Look, Disney is the delight of crowds. If you dont like crowds, dont go. There message delivered with no need to pound it into the ground like this book does. I have been to Disney several times over the years. Was it crowded, yip. But one of the wonders of Disney is they do a great job with crowd control and there is almost always something fun to do - if if that ride over there has a line up the wazzu. Relax. Have fun. Go skip through the disney water toys for a while. Disney is a great experience for those who go looking for a great experience. Disney can be a really downer for those who are uptight or dont like crowds. Go with the child with in and be flexible.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but sometimes drops the ball
Review: Currently, I am a cast member that works at the Disney Port Orleans Resort. I have worked at all of the Disney resorts at some point so I know the properties fairly well. When I see a guest coming up with this book I wince. Guests will often try to ask for exact room numbers because they believe them to be the best, but the reality is that these rooms have been asked for by hundreds of other people. You're best bet of getting the room of your dreams is by being courteous to your front desk agent. They have the ability of making that water view room either by the pool or by the water fountain. I'm not saying to be overly nice or fake, but a courteous attitude will get you farther than anything. Now that I'm off my soapbox. I have read the book and a lot of the information is absolutely true. The park information on how to ride the most rides with the least amount of wait time is superb and the descriptions are great. I would make a note though, make sure you pay close attention at check in. Guests are often so in a hurry to get going that they miss important information about ride closings, shuttle schedules, etc. Lastly, if you have a question or problem, don't hesitate to call or ask a cast member. If your kid drops his ice cream, we'd be happy to get you another one; if you want to know if Fantasmic has two shows this evening ask. That's one thing I think the book fails to mention is how helpful the staff can be.
Rating:
Summary: THIS is the only guide you'll need for WDW!
Review: I have been to Walt Disney World twice before, but I'm afraid my last visit was over 10 years ago. What I was looking for in a guide: (1) How to buy tickets cheaply; (2) How to use the ground transportation system; (3) I knew I was renting a car, so I wanted maps that were useable, and tips on how to get in and out; (4) Which full-service restaurants were best, as they were going to be my resting strategy as the younger members of the group run me ragged! The Unofficial Guide is absolutely terrific from start to finish, and answered all 4 of those questions. For example, it told me how to get into the MGM parking lot -- from a choice of two ways -- in a way that would allow me to walk into the park with the least amount of walking. The guide has up-to-date ratings, and *real* comments from real people, on the restaurants, and allowed me to make my choices re: restaurants, especially since I have two really picky eaters with me (a skinny 35-yr-old, and a young teenager). Definitely recommended!
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