Rating: 
Summary: WOW! EVERY question is answered
Review: Buy this book IMMEDIATELY upon thinking of going to Disney...EVERY question is answered. If anything, this book contains TO MUCH INFO.Give yourself enough time to savor the tips and advice, it will make your life a lot easier.You will not be sorry.
TIP:Buy some page tabs to mark your favorite points of interest. I bought the .99 colored tabs @ WalMart and they worked great :)
Rating: 
Summary: disney bible
Review: I have not been to Disney World in twenty years, so when I started to plan a trip for myself and my five year old daughter, I was clueless. I can't say enough about what's in this book!! I also requested the planning guide from Disney itself. It was a glorified pamphlet and dvd about how fun it is to go to Disney World. There was not much more information than that (besides the maps which were nice) and didn't help at all in deciding how to plan our trip. The Unofficial Guide is so detailed and is written so well that I couldn't put it down! I was reading it like a novel. It has everything you need to know from how to get there from the airport to where to stay and where to go when you get there. It was very detailed about each resort, and included off property hotels. It detailed rides, attractions, restaurants, and shopping. The other thing I really liked was all the advice from people who had been there. The book included positive and negative so the reader can decide for himself/herself. The author/team also included their own ratings of everything after lots of in-park research. I am so ready to go to Disney World!
Rating:
Summary: Best bang for the buck
Review: Bottom line:
After using this guide:
We can't tell you how many times we were on our way from one
ride to the next, passing by huge lines for other rides saying,
"We rode that already" or "we'll be riding that one later."
Our longest wait for any ride: 10 minutes.
Rides skipped for lack of time: None.
Other huge lines passed by: Too many to count. 5 Stars are not enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Disney for pessimists
Review: Wow, I think I'm the only person not to like this book. After three trips to WDW, I decided to get this book along with the Burnbaum guide to see how much time my family could save, allowing us to see more. From my perspective, this unofficial guide had about the same information in it as Burnbaum's; the only reason this one is so much thicker is that after almost EVERY ride, show, and restaurant discription it includes bunches of letters from readers writing in to tell the editors THEIR version of the ride. Things like, "How can you say Splash Mountain is not to be missed?!?! My two year old is scarred for life! How dare you?!?"
If you want my humble opinion, go on all the rides and decide for yourself. Every person will experience all the rides differently; who has time to read what twenty other people thought was wrong with it?
Rating:
Summary: Glad I didn't go without it
Review: This book was very helpful. It gave a lot of information that a "newbie" like me needed before I left with my family of five. (1/4/04 - 1/08/04) It helped to prioritize each day at different parks and know when and what to do if there is a line. I didn't use the schedule for each day because it required a lot of walking back and forth across the park. I also had detailed maps of the parks which helped keep my group going in the right direction. I am not sure if I read it in this book, but I highly recommend a small flashlight or keylight for little ones to attach to their pack or have available because a lot of the rides will take them into the dark. My 5 yr, old is extremely scared of the dark, but she had complete access to her light at all times and even conquered the Haunted Mansion and Space Mountian without a whimper. Great trip and this book helped make it all possible...well, that and a lot of Disney Magic.
Rating:
Summary: Worth ten times the price...
Review: Other reviews here give you a good understanding of what the guide includes as well as a concern about the near-military precision the touring plans specify. On first reading, I would guess that any Disney fan would be horrified to think that one would try to experience WDW or Disneyland in this ordered fashion. However, upon further reading you will see that the authors address this issue with recommendations on how to tailor the plans to fit your needs and the needs of the rest of your group. You don't have to follow every step in the plan, nor do you have to follow the plans at all to get a great deal of benefit from having this book. With the plans, though, you will know when you are doing something costly (in terms of time or dollars). Most first time visitors to the park make the mistake of trying to do everything in one day and there is a plan for that -- aptly named something like "Dumbo in a Day or Die". It's not recommended, but it is offered. If you are taking children, you will soon realize that this book is worth its weight in gold. Did you know that there are all sorts of provisions made for parents with children? What if you want to go on a ride that your child won't or can't ride? - this book tells you what options you have. What if your child wants to ride two times in a row without getting back in line? -- this book tells you how to do it. What if your child realizes that he doesn't want to go on the scary ride but you still do? -- this book tells you how to handle it without having to get out of line. What if your child wants to meet Mickey face to face? -- this book tells you where and when the best place to do it. I've made trips to Disney World, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. Every time I've managed to have a fun, exciting, and relaxing time while watching hundreds of families wasting time in the wrong lines at the wrong times, children screaming, and adults looking like they're half dead. That's not the way to spend your vacation. Every time I visit a Disney part I purchase the most up to date copy of these guides. Yes, there is a lot of overlap between years, but since the parks change, so must the books. I wouldn't consider buying a guide that was more than a year old. This book is a great value for the wealth of information it offers. It's up to you and your family to decide how to use it. At least you have the information. Even if you don't follow the touring plans, just knowing some of the unofficial secrets can save your family dollars and a great deal of frustration and disappointments. My personal tips for Disney parks: 1. If it rains, definitely go to the park. You will have a great time. The lines will be really short and you can purchase inexpensive yellow Mickey ponchos to make it seem like an adventure. My best memories are of rainy day visits. 2. Take that recommended break in the afternoon. 3. You can't go too early. 4. Don't try to do everything in one day. If you really can only afford one day, then prioritized the things you want to do and tackle them in that order. Focus on having a quality time, not a quantity time. 5. Use the lockers to store snacks, drinks, and other goodies. Carry a belt bag and refill it throughout the day. 6. If you aren't having fun, then stop what you are doing and do something else. 7. If you go every year, purchase an annual pass and go a week earlier every year so that you only have to purchase the pass every other year. The annual pass also gets you discounts at some Disney areas as well as free parking. It's a great deal.
Rating:
Summary: Although I love Birnbaum's, this is the one to take
Review: I love Birnbaum's and the fact it is kept up to date, but this is the better book to help you organize your trip, especially if you are a first time visitor to WDW. It will also help you sort through the myriad of hotel choices and restaurants. If you only buy one book, buy this, though I recommend both of them for coverage.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensable!
Review: Don't even THINK of planning a WDW vacation without this book!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Disney World Guidebook I've Found
Review: We have gone to WDW 4 times in the last 5 years and each year I buy a new guide book. Last year we went between Christmas and New Years (the absolute busiest time at WDW) and I purchased this book to help plan. Suffice it to say that if you read it and use it you can feel like a VIP at WDW during even the busiest times of the year. We took my parents last year and they were completely impressed at how we never seemed to wait in line for anything, had reserved seats to shows and walked right into restaurants that were turning others away. I HIGHLY recommend this book (although I would supplement it with one of the online guides for the most up-to-date information... I like www.wdwig.com). We are going back again for the week after Christmas, and this time going with my wife's parents, and I have already bought the 2004 edition to make sure I'm up to date in planning our itinerary!
Rating:
Summary: UNBELIEVABLE!...
Review: I took my family of 5 to Disneyworld and bought this book to take along. It was the BEST money I spent! Not only did it give us up-to-date details on the parks, it also told us about each ride / show so we knew what we were getting ourselves into on some of the roller coasters! In addition, it suggested step-by-step how to see each park and by following the recommendation we saw EVERYTHING and were able to minimize the waits. There is also a great deal of 'inside' information that is invaluable for a first-timer or even experienced visitor. Also it covers the other parks too (Universal, Seaworld, etc.) and was just as valuable when we visited those parks. We learned that the last thing in the world you want to do is go to a Disney park and 'wander around' to see it. They are overwhelming and this book is full of fantastic information to help you make the most of your vacation visit.
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