Best Books on Planning for Epcot

[Dkrelleum]

Hi! I haven't been to WDW in many, many years and used to purchase the Passporter books prior to each trip. I am so excited for my 1 day quick trip to Epcot and was eager to buy the newest Passporter only to find out they are no longer making them. I would love something that is as up-to-date as possible and explains the Genie+ (I can't make rhyme or reason of everything I read online).

 

[kylenne]

The sad reality of the situation is that "up to date" and "print" are mutually exclusive in the pandemic era. The second the ink hits the page it's already outdated information. If websites and blogs are a no go for you, YouTube will be your best tool nowadays.

Ear Scouts is probably the best resource for Genie+ information. All Ears and Disney Food Blog are good for general trip planning information. And Mammoth Club for tips and tricks.

 

[tofubeast]

I'd add the news section here on the DIS as well as Disney Tourist Blog to what is mentioned above.

Things seem to change so much more frequently now than years ago and some books just can not longer keep up. Prices etc are outdated before the even hit the shelves.

 

[_19disnA]

I think printed books about Disney are a waste of money since so many things tend to charge quite often, making them out of date. I would first start with the official Disney website for things like current restaurant menus, etc. This site has a lot of current discussions on various Disney topics. While many topics run on for pages and contain outdated information, you can generally find enough recent posts to answer the most common questions. If you only plan for a one day trip to Epcot, you can easily find a lot of posted information on this site about restaurants, rides and shows. There are also numerous threads about the various paid Genie options.

You can also start your own threads on topics you can't find or need any type of clarification. There are also many blogs on the net, but I find most of those too rambly, unfocused and mostly someone trying to turn their interest in Disney into some kind of business. Even if they are current, some of the information can still be misleading or just inaccurate. Many seem to enjoy them, but you have to see if they are of any value for you.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We have created many threads that we hope will assist people plan their trips. I would recommend starting with, ‘Planning Tips for your Disney Trip - Start Here!’ Thread

I would also recommend reading the posts that are pinned to the top of this board.

 

[Kickstart]

Good suggestions above ^

Also, while I agree printed is always out of date to a greater extent than online "print" - Not everything has changed since the last version of the Unofficial Guide. I still order that book before going to WDW. I got the kindle version last time. https://touringplans.com/unofficial-guide

Also, for epcot / world showcase - I'd suggest checking out the Disney Food Blog (DFB guide) https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/s - I also ordered their DFB guide pdf.

The Touringplans blog has some very helpful (and recent) articles on prioritizing lightening lanes at each park.
For Epcot, see https://touringplans.com/blog/genie-priorities-at-epcot/

 

[Kickstart]

Also, with regards to making sense of genie+, I second @kylenne 's recomendation to watch ear scouts. The have a whole playlist dedicated to Genie+ / Lightening Lane:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiINf3MIMkzxV5nzQSA2AdJgsf54nA9xi

 

[MKay]

Hi! I haven't been to WDW in many, many years and used to purchase the Passporter books prior to each trip. I am so excited for my 1 day quick trip to Epcot and was eager to buy the newest Passporter only to find out they are no longer making them. I would love something that is as up-to-date as possible and explains the Genie+ (I can't make rhyme or reason of everything I read online).

Same here. I liked that my notes were all in one spot. Pre-PassPorter days, I used index cards, one for each day and one for each park so we would be sure to hit the things we had planned. Thinking of going to my index cards as I start to nail things down.