"Unofficial Guide to WDW" book makes me not want to go! Help!

[ptrbryant]

I've gotten so much great information from these boards as we plan our 1st ever trip to WDW for my Dh, 5 year old DS and myself for Nov. 2001. I took the "Unofficial Guide to WDW" out from the library and can't believe how negative the whole book is! According to what I've read in it, plan on 45 minutes between parks using WDW transport, count on awful food at inflated prices, know that any child under a "mature" age 7 will leave the place in tears since Disney has to add "fear" to all the shows and attractions, etc. Come on! Are we making a mistake bringing our 5 year old? The rides he most wants to see (based on the WDW planning video) are: Buzz LIghtyear Space Ranger Spin, Big Thunder Mountain (not sure about this one!) and the Star Wars ride (REALLY not sure about this one!). He's a big train and Star Wars fan, but has never gone on any big rides before in his life!
Please help me feel optimistic again! :-D
THanks!
Karla B.

[Gillian]

5 is a great age! He will love Buzz. You will all have a wonderful time :D

I'm not sure about thunder mt, and star tours can be a bit much for anyone! My DS isn't old enough yet so I can't really help there. Sorry!

Don't be put off by the Unofficial Guide. The good thing is that it scares you into planning things out in advance. You don't have to do commando touring to have a good time, but it helps to be prepared (& flexible)! And 45 minutes between parks might be realistic. Disney transportation can be slow sometimes!

The food is more expensive than at home, but if you've read the boards, you know some of it is good. We always bring snacks & bottled water to help keep costs down.

Have fun!

[honeymom]

We're about to bring our 5 and 2 and 1/2 year olds. But, I will tell you that I used to live in Southern California and that my husband and I used to comment that for the happiest place on earth, we'd never seen so many miserable children. The unofficial guide is somewhat realistic - too many people go to Disney with totally unrealistic expectations.

That being said I think your 5 year old can have a great time if you go with the right attitude. I think if you watch your pace, don't try to do it all, try to get in the parks early and out of the parks early it would help. As far as I'm concerned if my kids want to spend tons of time in the playgrounds at the park that's fine with me. I'm going to do this trip at their speed.

As far as the scary rides, you know best what your child's threshold is. Read about the rides beforehand and if you don't think its the right ride for your child steer clear. I'm going to go to the Disney store to look for some tapes with scenery from some of the rides to help condition my kids.

I didn't do WDW until I was 11 and it was great. However, I did get to go to the World's Fair 6 times when I was 3 years old (back in the early 60's). I dragged my family to It's a Small World (yes, they had it there) and it WAS MAGICAL. I'm about to turn 40, but I still have the most wonderful memories.

My sister tried to talk me out of doing this trip and waiting until my kids are older, but actually I think this can be the perfect age if done right.

Good luck and have a great vacation.

[Maleficent2]

You DS will love WDW take this book with a grain of salt!

He will esp.LOVE Buzz Lightyear one of the best Rides at Disney if not the best!

Big ThunderMountain is great and I think he will love that one too.MyDS is too young for this one but when my Nephrew was about your sons age I took him on it and we ended up having to ride it 6-7 times straight.Until I said ok enough!


StarWars is another story Both me and my DH will NEVER do this ride again! Made us both sick to our stomachs.


Mal

[Jenn]

Try the Birnbaum's guide. It has a more positive outlook on things. You will get the idea of what to avoid by reading these boards and I have found they are far more useful than the guidebooks. A few months here and you will know everything you need to know. Also, the info here is current vs. the guidebooks which are often outdated.

[PattiPB]

I love the Unofficial Guide, and think it portrays both sides---positive and negative.

My kids will turn 7, 5 & 3 at WDW in June, and have been to WDW and DL at every conceivable age, including in the womb! I think however your child does at carnivals, circuses, etc., is a good gauge for how they will handle the attractions at WDW.

How YOU react to food (and food prices) at places like sporting events and even weddings - places where you are "captive" and with few choices - will gauge how you eat at WDW.

As for Buzz Lightyear - it's one of MY favorite rides! Big Thunder is questionable for 5 year olds in our family! Stick with these boards and you'll be fine - these people are AMAZING!

Patti

[DeDixie]

Your son will have a blast !! We first took our DD's when they were in K and 2nd grade. It was the most wonderful vacation !!

I planned the WHOLE trip around what would be good for the girls. My DH and I had no "adult" plan. If the girls were to scared to go in Haunted Mansion, they we wouldn't go, if they were tired at 7:30 p.m., then we went back to the hotel, if they were having a ball swimming , we stayed extra etc, etc. We took naps/rests EVERY day, and enjoyed the pools each day.

We have since been back twice, will 2 more trips planned within the next year. WDW can truly be the happiest place on earth - but you need to "listen" to your kids ( even when they are not talking ) , take afternoon breaks, be well prepared in your planning - know your park maps, have lists of must do and don't do's, relax and go with the flow.

I have been reading trip reports by JoeDisney - start at the beginning of his reports, ready them thru and catch his attitude. Enjoy every minute of this trip, and you will be hooked forever.

Two other books to check out are " WDW for kids, by Kids" and "DIsney with Kids". This last one will probably help a little more - and it great for restaurant and ride reviews.

[ceecee]

Do it now while your son is still young enough o believe in the charactors. My daughter was almost 5 last Sept when we went and this year she will be almost 6. We did not have one meltdown the entire 8 days...she loved it.
We did skip some rides and shows she was scared of, but there is still so much to do.
The food we had was fine. No problem with it at all. The kids meals are actually not that much more expensive than other resturants around our area.
Get some other books!!! Birnbaums is a good one, as well as the 2 mentioned in the above post. My daughter already is planning by her book Disney's for Kids By Kids. I purchased these 3 books at bookcloseouts.com for about a third of the price of book stores. Check it out and GO...it truly is magical!!!!!!::smooth:

[honeymom]

As far as believing in the characters - kids may be a little wiser today but it was still a thrill to meet the characters when I went to WDW for the first time at age 11.

[DisneyFix]

I'm sorry you got scared by the Unofficial Guide...I only ever bought that book once because it was a little negative, and who wants to be brought "down" when they're planning a vacation?! Wiley's book is good, as is Birnbaum's and Aero's. Why don't you get Birnbaum's For Kids By Kids, even if yours are too young to read it. It might make you feel better. Don't even think twice about the Unofficial Guide's pessimistic outlook!

[SueM in MN]

I also don't like the Unofficial Guide becasue it is so negative and I have found information in it that I know is wrong from personal experience, but some people like it very much, so, to each their own.
I wouldn't take a child on Thunder Mountain RR as their first roller coaster. Goofy's Barnstormer is a great one to try. It has enough dips and hills to be interesting, but is very short, so if it's scary, you'll be done soon.

[ptrbryant]

Okay, now I'm feeling better! Thanks for the encouragement! Actually, my DH and I are very cognizent of respecting our DS's tolerance levels in many situations. We're extremely fortunate that our Park Hopper passes are presents (costing us nothing), so that gives us much less pressure to do and see all there is. If DS wants to just ride the WDW steam engine all day, we wouldn't mind. I think on BTM and Star Tours, I'll have DH go on first and see what he thinks!
Thanks again for the great responses!
Karla B.

[honeymom]

If your DS gets carsick, motion sick or dizzy at all - skip Star Tours! It is beautifully done, and not really scary, but boy did it make me want to throw up and I was an adult already. My husband had the same experience. We did it at Disneyland when we lived in LA and went fairly frequently to the park. It was our first ride that day when it was pretty new. We could hardly do anything (only the most sedate rides) for a couple of hour afterwards while the nausea subsided. Even if its crowded, you might want to wait until later in the day to do the ride if you do feel compelled. That way if you feel sick, you can head straight back to your hotel.

Sorry to be negative, but I've just got to warn people on this one.

[Gillian]

Does anyone know if star tours has stationary seating? I remember almost everyone feeling sick after it. When I was pregnant, we went on a simulator ride at Universal & I was able to sit on a regular bench seat, instead of waiting outside. No motion sickness!!

[tar heel]

Each of my boys visited wdw for the first time when he was about 5 (youngest was 2 weeks away). Big Thunder was the favorite ride at that age for each of the older two. The younger one, however, thought it looked scary and refused to ride it. Our next trip, when he was about to turn 6, Big Thunder was his favorite ride. He also likes Star Tours and rode it the first trip, too. If he had known it was supposed to be a thrill ride, he probably would have refused though. I consider that ride to be pretty tame. Five-year-olds differ on Spalsh Mountain, too. My middle child stood as tall as possible to make the height cut-off, and the younger one passed on it. My best advice is to start off with really benign rides, such as It's a Small World, Pooh or Buzz. Work your way up to Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Once the child gets the feel of disney, he will be much more willing to try things. Many non-thrill rides (Spaceship Earth, for example) are dark, so the child needs to experience small-scale dark rides before attempting them. Also, make sure Muppets is his first 3D. My child still refuses to try Honey I Shrunk the Audience or the Bug Show again.

[SueM in MN]

For Star Tours and Body Wars, ther are no stationary seats. Everyone is seated in rows in the same simulator made to look like a space ship (or inner space ship, in the case of Body Wars). The doors to your simulator shut and the whole simulator moves; screen at the front of it and all. There are no seats that don't move. The only way to have a stationary ride would be to turn off the simulator and just run the movie.
That's different than at Universal. Some of those rides are in big theaters with sections of seats that move. The screen stays still and a few sections of the theater have stationary seats.

[jesse]

I think the best advice the Unofficial guide has is 1. Get to the parks EARLY and 2. Go during off season. Don't let it scare you, you will have a great time. My 5 year old son has been 4 times, and he has always enjoyed it. In fact, I think this last trip with my dd being 8 was harder than when they were toddlers; she now has her own opinions about rides and badgers us to go again and again on her favorites:) I agree with other posters, go on very tame, but still greatly entertaining rides first, then work your way up. Trying Goofy's barnstormer before big thunder is a good idea. My son went on Barnstormer when he was four, he survived it, but is not interested any other "wild" rides yet. Buzz Lightyear is his absolute favorite, followed by Spaceship Earth.

[Synonymous]

:mad: The Unofficial Guide makes me angry. It seems to be written by people who don't like Disney. If you've ever read the Unofficial Guide to WDW for Adults, it's even worse. The tone of that book was that if you're stupid enough to be going to WDW, here are the things you're going to really hate. I think they go way overboard in trying to distinguish themselves from Birnbaum's official guide.

You've probably gotten more valuable advice from this thread than from that entire book. Your son will have a great time. My 3 1/2 year old DD made us ride Thunder Mountain 4 times in a row (luckily it was on E-Night and we didn't have to wait in line.) We rode thru Buzz 3 times without even getting out of the car. She also like Star Tours, even though she's never seen Star Wars.

Go slow, follow your son's lead, and don't feel like you have to "see everything." You'll love it.

Tom

[disneyag]

I hated that book, too! We have been bringing DS since he was 3 and DD since she was 6 months old!! DS did his first Splash Mt at the age of 4 and begged to do it again and again! He did Space Mt at 5 and loved it! He is now almost 8 and will ride anything. The only thing we haven't done yet is ALien Encounter. I think it's all in how you put it to your kids. We explain that it is all "Mickey Mouse" magic. We have also had great meals at WDW (Chef Mickey's, O'Hana's, Artist Point, Crystal Palace, to name a few). If I had only read the Unofficial Guide, I think we NEVER would have gone to Disney and we would have missed out on LOTS of fantastic memories!

[ptrbryant]

Thanks again for all the great advice and for sharing your experiences...I think I'm actually starting to get excited about my WDW trip planning all over again!
Karla B.

[The Hunt]

I like the Unofficial Guide, because I hate waiting in line. It has good advice for avoiding the worst crowds and making the most of your time. Read Birnbaum's guide to build your excitement and the Unofficial Guide for practical advice on how to manage your time.

[padams]

his favorite rides are Buzz and BTMRR. I agree with the posters above that you should start on the Fantasyland rides, and Goofy's Barnstormer and work your way to the "bigger kid" stuff. DS hasn't done Star Wars yet because he is prone to motion sickness, and our touring philosophy has been not to push anything because we'll be back some day to experience the attractions that we "missed". I loved reading all of the guidebooks until I found this web site, and now I don't need to read the books...much better advice here (even when we don't all agree). Have a great trip! Pamela

[rpbear]

My DD was 5 the last time we went to WDW. Her 2 favorite rides were Big Thunder and ToT. I do not consider her to be a dare devil. We did ride the Goofy rollercoaster first to prepare her for Big Thunder. We let her watch the ride and make the roller coaster decision her self. She absolutely loved Big Thunder. In fact in DL this past November (at age 6) we rode the ride 6 times in a row. She also rode Star Tours at age 5. It was not her favorite ride, but we are going to WDW in 9 days and she is ready to try Star Tours again. Children seem to be a good judge of what they are ready for especially on rides they can watch before they ride. I also have bought the Unofficial Guide and I find most of the stories in there to be fun to read but have experienced very little of the negative things they talk about. I went to a Texas Rangers game a few weeks ago and the food and drinks were more there then at WDW. For instance a 20 oz. bottle drink for $3.50, the last time I was at WDW they were $2.50. Go, relax and have a good time. Take your time enjoy the parks and ride the rides your DS is ready for. Then you can always plan another trip when he is older.:D

[Amy]

I think the Unofficial Guide is good because it presents the "other" side of Disney. Birnbaum's, because it's the Official Guide, tends to look at WDW thru rose-colored glasses. If you read both books, you'll get the whole picture. Yes, lines are long, sometimes transportation takes forever, food is expensive. But WDW is a magical place and if you prepare for the bad stuff, your experience will be that much better. Like others have said, listen to your kids---if they're scared of a ride, don't do it, or let an adult go on first and see what it's like. When they're tired, go back to your hotel to rest, or do a calm, indoor attraction (like Hall of Presidents or something). Plan for the expensive meals---we take Pop Tarts for breakfast, use the refillable mugs to get coffee. Grab lunch at carts in the parks and have a decent dinner. Don't expect to be able to do it all in one trip---we stayed onsite for 9 days last time we went and didn't see everything. Have each person pick 3 or 4 rides/attractions in each park that they MUST do, and make sure you do those. Anything more than that will just be icing on the cake. You'll be fine!

[BevS97]

we have just come back from a 2 week vacation that wa fantastic in every way. My dd (3.5) was very timid at the start, and we had to be very careful about what she rode, but she had a super time. After some negative experiences at IOA, we started with small world, and Pooh, and then saw Belle tell a story and watched the parade, I think that was all we did our first day. (Oh, and Crystal Palace), after that she was much calmer.

Another useful tip- buy one of those lights they sell at Specromagic - we got one with a pooh head and shiny fiber-optics. We took it onto every dark ride, and she was fine (except she didn;t like the Norway ride). She took Spaceship Earth in her stride with Pooh to keep her safe, and it was very very dark.

Have a good trip

Bev

[mainey-mouse]

I checked out that book but settled on "Disney for Dummies". It has the same message - but its funny.
Most of the advice we read turned out to be pertinent. For example we took a 7 and a 4 1/2 year old. The 7 year definitely got more out of the vacation. She just "got it" more. Her little brother had a good time, but he really didn't have the same appreciation for where he was and what he was doing. He did all the same rides, but whereas she loved Space Mountain and Dinosaur, he found them scary. Actually, she found Dino scary too - so she did it again. At 7, she is into "being scared for fun". The 4 year old wasn't quite there yet.

The thing is, there is an art to "doing Disney".

Disney is alot of work. Crowds feel crowded, heat feels hot, expensive looks expensive and scary looks scary there - just like anywhere. It has to be planned to a certain extent, and that is work too. Depending on when you go and who you take, you actually have to pre-plan how you will handle the weather, the crowds, the money and the attractions - all according to the tastes and preferneces of your party. Its not a wall to wall kids paradise, or adults paradise either. Not a place to "just show up" to.

These boards will help you out alot. People know alot about Disney. But you also have to be careful here. Alot of people are real Disney experts with strong opinions on many things Disney. Some people take multiple Disney vacations a year (I didn't know such people existed until I found these boards!) Remember to keep your own budget, personalities and preferences in mind when planning your vacation or you'll find yourself needlessly stressing.

To quote my 7 year old "The Disney commercials in Canada aren't really true - they just show it all full of colours and stuff". Her first lesson in reality, I guess. She had a good time, and already asked if we can take her to see Disneyland in California next (not unless she comes into alot of money!). But its not a Fantasyland.

Good luck!

[dkfogt]

We went last March for 11 days with our daughters, 8 yrs and 21 mo. at the time. My 21 month old had such a blast. We rode Buzz and Pooh 20 times, I swear - same with most of the fantasyland attractions. She was a little timid towards the characters, but warmed up more and more during our stay. It was so much fun, we went back 6 weeks after she turned 2 and she was so into the characters!! She hugged them all and talked to them incessantly. Very amusing video footage....

Ever since we have been home, she watches her Disneyland Fun Sing-a-long and says she wants to go back there and see her friends (the characters). I don't feel that she was too young to get anything out of it. Our photo albums are within her reach, so our girls sit on the couch at least once a month and giggle at themselves in the Disney pictures. Even my 8 year old went on Big Thunder at 4 and she was a very timid child. I believe it only goes 25 mph (though it does feel faster than that). She was so proud of herself. Our little one is now about to turn 3. She is 38-1/2 inches tall without shoes on and I CAN'T take her until she is 40 inches in shoes because she is dead-set on riding Splash Mountain and Big Thunder next time!!!

You will have a blast. Good luck getting him off of Buzz...... ;)

[DisneyKidds]

The Unofficial Guide does a good job of portraying both the positive and negative of WDW. We found it more useful than Birnbaums just for this reason. Knowing some of the potential negatives helps you prepare ahead of time.

That being said... take it with a grain of salt. Everyone's experience is going to be different.

We found the Unofficial guide long before the DIS. I believe the Unofficial Guide is invaluable for planning touring strategies. Believe what it says about lines, traffic patterns, bottlenecks, etc. - and heed the advice given. We always arrive at parks early, hit popular rides first, and have a plan on how to tour the parks. Your approach doesn't have to be commando - but it does have to be organized - and the Unoffiacial guide will help you with this.

As for some of your concerns - the buses can be convenient but may take some time, kids can be frightened by some things - but there is a ton they will love, food can be expensive but is on par with theme park or resort prices anywhere.

Now that we have discovered the DIS I can honestly saw - pay attention to what the books have to say - and then see what people on the DIS have to say about concerns or questions you may have.

You should not worry at all about bringing your child. Our DD has been 4 times since the age of 7 mos and loves WDW. Set your expectations appropriately, take your time, take frequent breaks, go back to your hotel for swims or naps if your child takes them. Plan ahead, with the help of things like the Unofficial Guide, be smart, and you will have a great time.

[angelina]

We're about to go on our second trip with our children, ages 9,7,and 2. The two oldest were 6 and 4 1/4 when we first went, and the youngest was afraid of "characters." She didn't think twice about being afraid when we were at WDW. I also highly recommend WDW with kids by Kim Wright Wiley--I wouldn't go without first reading her book. You will have a wonderful time.

[Olaf]

The thing to remember about the simulator rides is that you're really not moving all that much. If you're feeling quesy, just shut your eyes. I have resorted to this tactic on many occasions and it makes a huge difference.

I agree with the other posters, the "Unofficial" guide is pretty much a waste of time. My all-time fav is Passporters. My son is 6 and we were at WDW in Mar for his fourth visit. During each visit, different rides and areas appealed to him. It's fun to experience it through his eyes. He's always been a bit of a thrill seaker so the rides haven't been a problem. We had to drag him off Goofy's barnstorm after the sixth time at 2 3/4.

Go and enjoy. You know what your kids can handle.

[Planogirl]

The Unofficial Guide is VERY useful in warning you of worst case scenarios IMO. It CAN take a long time to get somewhere for example. It can also take only a short time but I feel better if I prepare for a worst case scenario, that way I'm never late. I think that if you look at the author's rating of rides that he does like WDW, he just isn't thrilled with many of the restaurants (while some he praises TOO highly IMO).

I believe the the Unofficial Guide has saved us tons of time particularly when we first started going to WDW. But that is just my opinion.

As for rides for your child, it helps to prepare them ahead of time as to what to expect. My DS was caught unprepared for Honey I Shrunk the Audience and I regret that. However, we discussed in great detail the dark parts of Spaceship Earth and he watched for them and then just loved the ride!

Star Tours has never bothered any of us but I had some trouble with Body Wars. I stared at a spot on the wall and that helped me. I think that I found that hint in the Unofficial Guide in fact. ;)

Have fun and don't worry! :D

[susy]

ptrbryant,

We are also taking our son for the first time this nov. He will be almost four. We are going Nov 11-14 and doing two days at MK (mon EE and Tues). We decided to do this because we didn't want to feel rushed. Kids can get cranky and tired and the Unofficial book paints a very realistic picture of what to expect. Just go and enjoy yourselves. We will be doing Fantasyland attractions on our first morning EE and taking it easy from there. the next morning we will do toonetown first. Our son has plenty of years ahead of him to enjoy the other parks. Just have fun!!!! We heard that the first week is Jersey week-the teachers have a convention and since the kids have half-day and two days off, a lot of parents pull them out of school. It's supposed to be more crowded. Second week should be fine.Have fun!!! Where are you all staying???We are staying at WL.

[DKNMP]

Don't forget to visit the water parks and do some of the other activities outside the theme parks. My kids loved River Country and Typhoon Lagoon and one of the highlights of our trip was renting bikes at WL and riding to Fort Wilderness. At Fort Wilderness the kids loved the pony ride and the petting zoo.

Also we rented a boat at the Marketplace and went fishing at Dixie Landings.

It was these "minor" activities that have produced the most lasting memories and were most enjpyed by our young kids (6 and 3).

:jester:

[ptrbryant]

Hi, Susy,
Hmmm, don't know if I'm thrilled about the Jersey week news. We'll be there 11/06/01 - 11/11/01, so pretty much in the thick of it. We're staying at the Courtyard Marriott in DD...let everyone know how WL is!
Thanks,
Karla B.

[susy]

Hi Karla,
I'm actually from NJ. We moved to Florida when I was ten. We were supposed to go from 11/4-11/7 and we changed it to 11/11-11/14. The hotels at DD are very nice. I stayed at the Best Western there last year and it was great. It was me, my mom, my son, and my mom's husband. When we walked into the room and saw a king size bed, we freaked. It actually worked out great, though. The pull out couch was large and quite comfortable. My son and I slept there. In the day, there was so much room for him to play. Anyway, since we are just driving up from south Florida, it's no big deal for us to change our plans. Good luck!

[Disnydad]

I did not read the "Unofficial Guide" until after my third trip to WDW. Good thing. If I had read it first, I would not have gone to WDW.