Rating: 
Summary: A Good Resource, but somewhat flawed.
Review: Now, take this with a grain of salt, as I am a *very* frequent disneyland resort visitor. I use my Annual Pass about weekly at this point. Yes, you heard me, weekly (and believe it or not there are many who make that number seem unimpressive).In sitting down to read this book, I hoped to see what those who had studied Disneyland as "professional" park-goers would say and glean some new insight. Unfortunatley, after reading the book, I came away slightly dissapointed. While certainly more in depth than the "Official" guide (which itself resembles a really long version of the free guidemap to the park), this guide still felt as though it might be hindered by its approach. The authors claim to approach the park as its readers do, as infrequent visitors that want to get their investment's worth out of a vacation. I think they would have been better served rounding up some very frequent visitors who know the parks inside and out and therefore verify complex and difficult to explain topics. For instance, in describing Disney's Fastpass (the free queue reservation system), the book's description and suggestions for its use are not at all consistent with optimal results. This of course is simply one example of the issue I found problematic in recommending this title. My suggestion is that anyone who is putting the effort into organizing a disney vacation check out the many websites on the internet about the parks, where you will find communities of people and message boards willing to provide updated answers to your questions.
Rating: 
Summary: A big help
Review: One of the best guidebooks on the market. This book gave us many good ideas of how to make the most out of our stay.
Rating:
Summary: Worth 10 times what it costs....
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: amazed at the time we saved by following touring guides!!!!
Review: over and over again on our 5 day visit to wdw we were amazed at the accuracy of this book!!! we didn't necessarily follow the touring guides to the letter, but we used alot of the advise from them, e.g. where to sit in certain shows for first exit. the tips were terrific, especially for disney-mgm. my family went for the 3rd week of may and it was great. we stayed at the carribean beach and took avantage of early entry on all of our 5 days. what a great perk that is!!! well worth getting up early. by 12 noon or so we left for a swim and sometimes a nap. then went back to the same or a different park around dinner time. our second day at epcot, someone gave us a pocket computer they are testing for that park. it sends messages a few minutes before certain shows and tell you how to get to them. it sends the name of restaurants at lunch time. it has a map. it can also tell you the approximate wait times for all the attractions around that park!!! it clipped to my husbands belt and was fun to use. they were giving alot of them out to all the people around us but didn't say when or if they'd be available to everyone soon. anyway, we used the mini mickey guide for 2 mos before our trip and carried it with us everyday and we are so glad we did. we think it made a huge difference in the times we waited for attractions, to where we ate our meals to what we really couldn'd miss. we know we didn't see everything there is to see at wdw, but we were very satisfied that we did as much as we possibly could in 5 days without running ourselves, and our 2 kids, ragged. we are convinced we could not have done or seen all we did without this guide.
Rating: 
Summary: Error-prone and targeted to those traveling on the cheap.
Review: The Bad: Several attractions that are either scheduled for extended downtimes (e.g. Monorail) or no longer running (e.g. Keelboats) are listed and rated as available. Additionally, my copy had several typos and incorrectly labled touring maps. This lack of professional editing was sufficient for me to give the book a 2 star rating. The Ugly: Most of the book appears to be written for families traveling with children and on the cheap. The upshot is that the book seems to be advocating first time visitors to see the whole park in 2 very-full days. This strikes me not only as bad but also very strange advice. If you're only going to spend 2 days at the park the best way to NOT enjoy any moment of it is to (as the book advises) run from one attraction to another. Far better, IMHO, to pick a few "star" attractions see a parade or the Fantasmic show and come again some other day. The Good: There are a few bits of very good advice to those traveling with young/small children--just enough, in fact, that for such famililes I'd add a star to my rating (2 becomes 3) and would give a very hedged recommendation. For everyone else looking for a book I'd recommend Birnbaum's Official Guide (though that book has its own problems).
Rating:
Summary: Experience Disneyland the Correct Way
Review: The Disneyland Resort is a very wonderful place. Unfortunately, some people didn't experience the true magic and fun that The Magic Kingdom and Disney's California Adventure has to offer. Why? Long lines, cranky children, and lots of walking. This book, compared to other guides on the subject, will put the joy in your Disneyland vacation. If the only time you can visit the resort is during peak seasons (spring break, Thanksgiving, Christmas week, etc.), this book can, literally, save your vacation. No one enjoys two hours, or more, wait lines. You'll know the right times and wrong times to wait in line for an attraction. You have tour plans that work like a charm - for kids, adults, and even seniors. If you've been to Disneyland and didn't have the fun you expected, try it with this book. If you never been there, read through this book before you go. If you already love the place, see how much more you might enjoy DL by using this wonderful guide. A Disney enthusiast might just enjoy the fun way the author describes the parks, resort hotels, eateries, and the such. He also quotes letters by different attractions that readers write in, which keeps it fun. This book explores Universal Hollywood in great detail as well. You may want to wait for the 2005 version which will be released sometime in August 2004. All and all, a must have for the traveler who wants to experience Disneyland the correct way.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Hotel Section
Review: The hotel ratings included in this guide are the best part of the book, in my opinion. The touring plans are nice, but can get out of date quickly -- especially as FASTPASS attractions are added to the park. I especially like the book's list of the "30 Best Values" in hotels. It really helps you narrow down your hotel choices so you can get the most for your money. By the way, the best touring advice given in the Unofficial Guide is to arrive at the park early! You'll find you can get around the park quickly first thing in the early morning, as soon as the park opens, but by 10:00 or 11:00 you really start feeling the crowds if you're visiting on the weekend or during the busy season!
Rating:
Summary: Good info on Disneyland, none on California
Review: This book has a lot of information on Disneyland, but is lacking severely on information concerning California adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Great but already out-of-date!
Review: This book is a great find because it tells it like it is--it gives you both the good and the bad of Disneyland and its attractions. The problem is, since this book has been released, many more rides have FASTPASS options, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Small World Holiday, and Pirates and Haunted Mansion are almost done. Plus, if you purchase flex passports and take advantage of early admission, you can do five major attractions within two and half hours in the morning. For early admission, Space Mountain and Star Tours have basically no wait. Matterhorn gets a bigger line but still manageable (usually only Fantasyland and some of Tomorrowland is open during early admission). After riding those three rides, and a few other Fantasyland rides, jam up to Splash Mountain when the park officially opens and ride that with no line. Then hustle back to Indiana Jones and grab some Fastpasses. Go ride Pirates and Haunted Mansion with minimal wait, and then use your Fastpass on Indy Jones. You can probably squeeze in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, also. Then, you've got the whole day for whatever else, and you can use Fastpasses later for Autopia or Small World Holiday. This book doesn't work as well with early admission days, that's why I'm telling you all this. Go on an early admission day (sometimes as early as 6:30, but more likely 7:30 or 8:30--check the night before, it often changes) and you will not be sorry. We did all of this the day after Thanksgiving, between 7:00 and 11:00 in the morning. This book is especially valuable in giving reviews of the rides, and touring plans, but as I said, it's now off because of all the new Fastpass options and early admission (or Magic Morning). If you're not sure what Fastpasses are, you simply insert your passport into a machine at the entrance to the attraction and it tells you when to come back (within an hour block) and you can ride with minimal (5-10 minute) wait! Go back to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon and come back in the evening for parade and Fantasmic! and you've had a great day! If you don't have early admission options (one day visit) then good luck. Use the touring plan in this book and keep your fingers crossed. My advice--go for three days using a three day flex-pass which gets you at least one early admission, and make sure one of the days you go is an early admission day--not all days at Disneyland have early admission. Currently, Sundays and Wednesdays don't, but of course that could change. If you get the five-day flex passport, you can go in early admission all of the days it is offered during your visit.
Rating:
Summary: It's Grrrrreat!!
Review: This book was fun to read, and very informative. I am 11, and have never been to Disneyland, but after reading this book, I feel like I have already been there 1,000,000 times. We are going over February break, and staying at the Disneyland Hotel. This book covers everything there possibly is to know about Disneyland, including: Hotels, rated and ranked, how to get there, getting oriented, all the attractions are rated according to age level, with things like name, size, scope and scale, special comments, loading speed, assumes, and how long the wait will be, as well as description, comments, touring tips, and when to go, kid tips, when to go, touring plans, food ideas, transportation, what to look for in a hotel room, and also a special section about Universal Studios Hollywood.
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