Who puts out the best Disney travel guide?

[mackeeg]

Who has the best information in there book?
Thanks

 

[tweck]

Gotta tell you that when we went in '99 we bought "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" by Bob Sehlinger. Cost then was $15.95. Around 700 pages in paperback. Very easy to carry. That book has been passed around to no less than a dozen of our friends who have read it to the point the pages are all curled. The absolute best info for scheduling trips with kids, without kids, don't miss items, whats new, where to go, what to see, 1 day, 2 day 3 day planners, tear out guides to take each day. Can you tell we LOVE the book? We still used it as late as last Feb. You will love it.

 

[fostrmom2mny]

I have read many Guide books for WDW. Might I suggest something that many people may not think of? Go to your local library and see if they have any. I've done this in a way to choose which Guides to purchase. I currently have a copy of Walt Disney World & Orlando For Dummies. It has a lot of info for WDW and other Orlando attractions and such. I've yet to find the Passporter in at the library. I've read others who absolutely LOVE the Passported. It even includes coupons for some things.

 

[zulaya]

I have the Walt Disney World for Kids, which was very good, if you have kids and you yourself haven't been before. But I really love my Passporter which I think gives you more detail that you really want to know about. It's also set up as a planner and is fairly compact so you aren't lugging around a huge amount of weight if you wanted to take it to the park. Plus, the authors will update fequently and tell you how to get the updated pages for free. Love it!

 

[dbltrbl]

I used my "DIS" notes more than any of the notes I took from the guidebooks I bought or borrowed from the library!

 

[kristim]

I got some good park strategies from the Unofficial Guide by Sehlinger, i.e. Entering Animal Kingdom at turnstile on the other side of Rainforest Cafe. DH was majorly impressed as we looked back and saw huge crowd coming from main entrance.

I also got some great tips for traveling w/ kids (like scare factor of each ride) from Walt Disney World with Kids 2001 by Kim Wright Wiley. (BTW, I was reading this by the pool at AS Sports and a CM walked by, read the title and laughed! He was young and clueless to what lies ahead for him!

Both were good books, but honestly I seem to pick up Wiley's book more. Unofficial Guide did seem pretty negative at times.

But I have to agree w/ dbltrbl that my best tips (packing, budgeting) came from DIS. Neither books addressed these topics as thoroughly as these boards. These are real people who thankfully can respond when you still have questions. Thanks to all for that!!!!!!!!!!

Kristi

 

[pentex]

I think the suggestion about the library was the best, since this is a Budget Board. A few years back, I reintroduced myself to the library when my daughter was 4 (and I was buying her every book we liked instead of going to library). I remembered quickly how wonderful the library is. In the last few years, we've been to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Los Angeles and of course, WDW and I've gotten all guidebooks from library. It's cool because you usually can get a variety, and if your local library doesn't have available copies, they'll usually get them for you from member libraries.

In any case, I too like the Unofficial Guide because of its clever tips. However, I think it is way too harsh on criticiquing the restaurants.

 

[adamak]

Definitely the Unofficial Guide. Sure, it's not as updated as this board, but it is filled with good info. I bought it every year (can't help it). And I read it cover to cover.

 

[Mmketeer]

One word..."Birnbaum"

It's the only offical guide and their for the only one with "offical" information.

 

[pentex]

I like Birnbaum's guide too but its downfall is that it is put together in conjunction with Disney so they never say anything negative about Disney; therefore, it is not really productive in planning a vacation. They sugar coat everything.

It does have great photos and drawings and cute histories of the stories of attractions, though, so it's fun to read to build up excitement for a WDW trip!!

 

[papapaulie]

As a librarian, I agree you should go to the library and check out as many books on WDW as they have. They may or may not be the 2001 issues, but you can look through them all and glean all the "good" information. I bought a PassPorter for our 2000 trip, as it also a memento. It's really makes your trip personal and memorable. I photocopied pages from the library books that were really helpful and stuck them in my PassPorter. This way, I couldn't lose a library book in Florida!!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I ordered a Passporter today!

Just for your information -- they are out of stock on the 2001 Passporter Deluxe Edition (the notebook style) at the Passporter website. If you order now they will send you the 2000 Spiral bound edition and then they will send you the 2001 Deluxe Edition once they are available again (end of Sept). I could not find the 2001 Deluxe edition of the Passporter in any of our local bookstores.

I ended up ordering the 2001 Deluxe Edition from the Barnes and Noble website. They are running a free shipping offer - so the price was **almost** as good as that on the official Passporter website. http://www.passporter.com

I also have Rita Aero's Disney World book and it is very good. I like the way the book gives the opinion of several different disney experts (including the Passporter authors). It also rates everything by different age groups. I also have Walt Disney World with Kids and it also is very good. However -- I found it to be much more helpful for very young kids.....say around ages 3 to 5. I feel like my kids have outgrown much of her advice now.

About the library versions. Most of these books are updated from year to year but the basic text remains the same. Almost all of them now have websites with updates to the books. So if all you can find in the library is the 1999 edition -- go ahead and get it and then visit the website to see what has changed.

 

[ducklite]

Another vote for Passporter.

I really don't care for the Unofficial Guide. I have found some terribly inaccurate info, the touring plans have never worked for us, and it seems very, very negative. We've seldom agreed on the dining reviews.

The Birnbaums book is good for first timers as it has a lot of photos to look at and get reference points from, but it doesn't have many tips and tricks (it tries, but they aren't very good). It is a great tool for overall info, but not for saving time and money. The Birnbaums Kids book is great for kids.

I used to love the Perlmutters books, but since the Passporter came out they've lost their luster for me.

Rita Aero's book is OK, but there are much better.

Fodors, Frommers, Dummies, Econoguide, etc. IMHO are all pretty worthless.

Anne

 

[LoDivaLoca]

WOOHOO PASSPORTER!!!!

Yea, I agree with Ducklite - Rita Aero's is just ok.

After all Passporter told me about the DIS!!!!!!

 

[KaraJade]

rita aero's book is the best as far as having all the information i need to plan my trip right there, its easily accessible and very easy to read. i liked it a LOT better then the unofficial guide book and the birnbaum book because it has ratings on everything and incorporates everything you need. that said, i absolutely love my brand new passporter

 

[tink2dw]

This is my All Time Favorite Guide Book!!!!!

The Cheapskate's Guide to Walt Disney World : Time-Saving Techniques and the Best Values in Lodging, Food, and Shopping
by Michael Lewis, Debbi Lacey

Along with the Passporter!

But what I really needed was a Guide to IOA and Universal Studios,man the mistakes I made there were sooooooo bad!! They cost us time and enjoyment!!!

 

[CLynnJones]

Another vote for the Passporter! I got the deluxe version before our most recent June/July trip and am so happy I did. This is the first time I was able to keep track of costs. I love the pockets it comes with to put receipts, brochures, ect. It really helped me to document our trip also to keep memories that will last forever. I highly, highly recommend it! I am looking forward to using it again on our upcoming trips in Dec/Jan and June of 02'!

 

[pdzabe]

Before our trip, I spent an enjoyable couple of hours at our local Borders bookstore browsing all the books, maps, etc. on Disneyworld. Settled on the "Unofficial Guide to WDW 2001." I also liked Passporter, but since Borders didn't have the deluxe version, I ordered from the Passporter official website which was less money. I thought each book complemented the other. I did use the touring plans found at the back of the Unofficial Guide and thought they were quite helpful, even though I didn't follow them exactly. You can get discounts if money is tight because all of last year's books are still offered. The problem with the library was I had to wait for certain books to be turned in, and then had to bring them back too quickly! Have fun on your trip!

 

[2boys'mom]

were Passporter and Unofficial Guide. Birnbaum was about useless after the others. I have learned more info from the DIS and from wdwig.com by far than any books. I really didn't find the touring plans helpful at all because I have small kids who take an afternoon nap. It took 4 days to do the MK, but we enjoyed it. I hope Disney realizes what great advertisements these websites are. The enthusiasm is infectious and better than any commercial.

 

[Tiger Fan]

Another Passporter fan here. I also like Birnbaum's too though.

Lisa