The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

[iHEARTflorida]

i have been looking at the guides and this one seems to be the best choice, thou i was wondering whether or not,

it is worth buying it i you have already been to disney many times?
is it worth it?
how thick is it?
how much different is it from the mini mickey verison?

 

[kcrew]

i have been looking at the guides and this one seems to be the best choice, thou i was wondering whether or not,

it is worth buying it i you have already been to disney many times?
is it worth it?
how thick is it?
how much different is it from the mini mickey verison?

I love this book. It is really thick- I would guess well over 500 pages with small print. It is definitely the most comprehensive guide I have seen and I read it over and over. However, I would not buy it right now as the 2007 Guide pub date is mid August. ( They are taking preorders on Amazon ). I have checked the 2006 copy out of my local library 3 times in the past couple of months-that's the way to go!

 

[Karnak]

"The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" is by far the most comperhensive book I've found on the resort. Really fun to read, and loaded with WDW Info. To answer your question, the 2006 paperback edition is about 800 pages, and sells for $18.99. I would not be without it.

The 2007 edition will be out soon.

Enjoy.

 

[pamrob]

I love the Unofficial Guide. I have used it for both our last trip and our upcoming trip. I also bought the Passporter because of the colorful maps making it more attractive to my children. I believe the Unofficial Guide is much more comprehensive and wouldn't do without it!

 

[mousermerf]

I love it, but I'm biased

In actuality, I buy all sorts of WDW related books, even other guidebooks, because there's no such thing as being too prepared or too knowledgeable imho

 

[Cool-Beans]

Yes
yes
about an inch and a half
the Mini Mickey is like the Reader's Digest Condensed Version of the UG.

The UG was a tremendous help to us the first time we went and continues to of assistance now. It answers just about every question you could have and is right about 99% of the time.

If I were going to use only once source for info about WDW, it would be the UG. And I don't work for them.

 

[DasBeast]

I'd stick with the UG, although we just purchased the Passporters Guide, and are finding it useful as well. UG is still tops in information and sheer content, but the additional fold out maps, as well as the envelope journals in the back (with labels!), make the Passporter a great companion once the trip starts.

 

[ainmama2001]

We really like the UG too. Unfortch, not a WHOLE lot changes from year to year. Of course, there will be things in this year's edition like the new Pirates and Everest and all that.

 

[scrapbookworm]

If you love to have a LOT of information and just enjoy reading, definitely get the Unofficial Guide! If not, then I'd get the Birnbaum guide.

 

[lovethattink]

I live close to WDW and buy the UG every 2 years. I have always learned something new each time I read it. It is very comprehensive. There are updates available online as well.

 

[sammons70]

It is a wonderfully thick book containing everything you could ever want to know about DisneyWorld. If you have been to Disney several times already, you really don't need it. It is great for first timers planning their first trip to the World.

 

[mom2isaac&ella]

I have bought one for each of our 4 trips & wouldn't do Disney without it. It is a good idea to highlight ideas you like or you may never remember them or be able to find them again. I also love their website touringplans.com. It has updates to the books, which was great & they have additional touring plans that we will be using for our trip in August. On our first trip my husband & I went with my parents & my little brother (who was 5 at the time). They all made fun of me wanting to use the touring plans, but I talked them into trying them out. They all jumped on board after several times in a row we went on a ride with no wait & then noticed the long waits others were standing in a few moments after we got off. We will use them or a combination of some this next trip too (it gets harder now that we have two young kids & my brother is now 13 - got to make everyone happy)
I also have a Passporter which is good & I go there when I want to look up something quickly - I do think they are completely in love with everything Disney & have very few criticisms, while UG tells you how it is. Passporter is good if you like to organize - it has pockets for every day & places to write in your plans. It also has great maps (UG's are not that great) & easy to find phone numbers. I also got Hassle Free Disney & I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[FOV]

I *love* the Unofficial Guide. I buy it for all my friends when they are planning a WDW vacation.

 

[Devil_Dog99]

Wouldn't go to WDW without it. I usually buy a new one every two years. The 2007 should be out in August sometime. Great information, and unbiased opinions on everything there is to do.

 

[PottersMom]

I bought the UG this year and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! We had the Birnbaums guide for our last trip, (March-2 days)Decided to go back for the Honeymoon and bought the UG. Everything about it is great *except* I think they are a little rough on the restaurant reviews. However, we have not used the touring plans yet. Any word? Do they save as much time as they say? We will go in Oct.- will we need them?
let me know

 

[Max Rebo]

To play devil's advocate a bit ... what can you find in the Unofficial Guide that you can't find on this site, or others like it?

 

[Mo-Yo]

I love the unofficial guide.

You can find a lot of the same info. here and on other sites, but I like to have a book format to take with me or to browse through.

The author has a great sense of humor, and a realistic approach to touring Disney. It is enjoyable to read, and it is guaranteed to make your trip enjoyable, too.

 

[mousermerf]

To play devil's advocate a bit ... what can you find in the Unofficial Guide that you can't find on this site, or others like it?

The scientific approach.

The touring plans are based on tons of research and mathmatical model to predict park guest trends, and moreso the predictions are constantly tested for accuracy, and the model tweaked.

I'd say if anything it's like weather forecasting versus an almanac. You can look up what "usually happens" on most websites, but the guide tries to predict what will happen on any given day as accurately as possible.

 

[zuzu310]

I love this guide! What I do to save money is rent it out from our local library (they always have the newest edition) and photocopy the touring plans out of the back of it for a a couple of bucks. It saves me money and I get advantage of the new touring plans each year.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

I just ordered my 2007 on Amazon, and it was discounted. $12.34 + shipping They do well for resale on eBay, so after our trip, I may sell it on eBay! Someone please explain a little more about the touring plan. It tells you what order to do rides in?