Which guidebook do you prefer?

[lonegirl]

We are planning a trip for my DH and me, two DS-3 and 5, plus one set of grandparents and possibly my brother, his wife and 3 year old. I love this board and all of its tips, but also want to purchase/check out a hard copy or two of great guidebooks.
Please let me know which are the best for a family trip with great insider tips.
Thanks!

 

[chelle102]

My two favorite guidebooks are the Passporter to WDW and the Unoffical Guide to WDW. Both are great. My daughter is four and she loves Birnbaum's Guide to WDW because it has great pictures.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

I've checked out every book my library has on WDW (I'm a librarian) and the Unofficial Guide is by far the most useful! The author is very objective, detailed, and knowledgable about all things Disney. The book is well-researched, funny, and definitely worth your time.

Sehlinger, Bob. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, 2006.

I think the 2007 copy is out in August.

My second choice would be a tie between Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2006 and PassPorter Walt Disney World Resort 2006

Birnbaum also has a nice dining guide. I used it as a supplement to the Unofficial Guide's dining reviews and the reviews on DisBoards and AllEarsNet

Sorry I can't link to any of the books. I haven't posted enough, I guess. All the books are available at Amazon

Check your library before you decide to buy anything. If they don't have one of the books in circulation, they may be willing to purchase it so you (and other Disney fans) can check it out.

Hope that helps!

 

[jtnsami]

I like the Passporter and Unofficial Guide to WDW. Birnbaum was good, but I don't think it had all the good info the other 2 have.

 

[RN01]

I love the Unofficial Guide. I gives the best tips for saving time and money.

 

[hbehrman]

We are taking our twin DD4 girls at the end of September. I am using

1) Passporter (like the planning stuff and the layout a lot) ;
2) Fodor's Walt Disney World® with Kids 2006; and
3) Unoffical Guide
4) AllEarsNet
5) DIS

If you are taking kids definitely get 2) to supplement 1) or 3). After I got a picture of the parks in 1), I used 2) to fine tune my planning for my family. I trust 2) in it's advice for small children more so than the others due to the reputation of the author and it really is a good read. I felt the others may be a little too liberal as to what smaller children might experience (scariness).

I actually got 3) as an afterthought (and it was only $10 at Sam's Club)because it fleshed out the Dining descriptions better than the others (including counter service) and had very good descriptions everything. It also gave more details about staying offsite which we may use in the future. If you go to amazon you can get all three for about $30.

I am planning only on taking the Passporter with us, full of notes and planning compiled from all 3 books.

Good luck.

 

[EpcotMatt]

The 2 we use are the Unofficial Guide & Birnbaum's. Love 'em both.

 

[kaze1sd]

My wife and I are using the Birnbaum, Unofficial Guide, and the deluxe Passporter to help us plan our Disneymoon (one year delayed because of medical reasons).

Out of the three, I would absolutely recommend the Unofficial Guide. I plan on buying one every other year regardless if we are planning a trip or not.

The Passporter deluxe we bought pretty much to keep us organized. I must say however, that I didn't "take" to the information inside the Passporter as much as I did to the Unofficial Guide.

We also have the Birnbaum guide. Although the pictures are nice, it doesn't have that "straight-shooter" feel to it. All the reviews are glowing. I did enjoy reading though but would recommend to borrow it from your local library as opposed to buying it.

Another thing that I have found helpful is the WDW Today podcasts. They come out every M,W, and F and are very informative. We are also planning to use alot of the touring plans from TouringPlans[dot]com.

Hope this helps!

 

[DLBDS]

The Unofficial Guide, PassPorter AND TGM (TourGuideMike). These are what I'm using for my trip this year. It's nice to have a book you can look at when your computer isn't handy (ie: your kids sports games, traveling in the car, sitting in a waiting room (or on the toilet ) etc. ect.) But, I HIGHLY recommend TGM ( www.tourguidemike.com ) for all the latest and most up-to-date information. He doesn't offer a book as information is constantly changing. You can get a subscription (good for a year) at a DIScount through the DISboards. Go to the Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies forum and click on the banner at the top of the page for $3 off. He provides you with ALL the information you'll need to prepare your own itinerary. (He does NOT do this for you. Many folks misunderstand and subscribe thinking he generates an itinerary specific to their wants/needs. Not true. You plan your own itinerary based on the information he provides.) He has an awesome website. There are forums there also with many Dissers as members....such as myself.
Good luck to you!

 

[GrandmaBarb]

The only source of information that is constantly updated is TourGuideMiKE.
all printed material quickly becomes outdated.
Check it out and see for yourself. Your satisfaction is guaranteed or your money is quickly refunded.
You will find out which days to be where, and how to do what you want to do without lines or hassle. A relaxing vacation not a marathon.

 

[jodistar]

My two favorite's are the Birnbaum guide (for the pictures) and the Passporter guide.

Passporter I love because there are plenty of areas to jot down notes and confirmation notes.....rather than just jotting it down on a piece of paper that may get lost. I also like to write down tips that I've found here on the Dis.

 

[twinkletoesmom]

Look on amazon books. I got passporter and unoffical for as a pack for abt $26 no s/h. I thought it was a good deal I really like both books for different reasons.

 

[disneynutinpa]

My all time favorite guide book for years has been The Passporter. It is filled with great information, tips, ratings, and now is in color. The fold out maps and back pockets pages are great. I use the pockets to keep receipts and things we might need for the specific days. I have the refillable Passporter and infront of the leather binder there are slits to put park passes, credit cards, licenses, etc.

My second favorite is the regular old Birnbaum's. I still find it very useful.

Good luck!

 

[CinderBelle]

My favorite is Passporter. I just discovered it recently and have been using it to plan my next trip. I think it is definately full of great info.! Fodor's Disney With Kids is another great book- lots of great tips! Especially if you have little ones! I also bought my DS7 the Birnbaum's Disney for Kids by Kids and he absolutely loved it! Great pictures and easy to read descriptions about the parks & attractions. He keeps reading it and is so excited about our next trip!

 

[richard_andmel]

I'm a big fan of the deluxe PassPorter.

 

[willis37862]

I like the Passporter and Unofficial Guide to WDW. Birnbaum was good, but I don't think it had all the good info the other 2 have.

I agree with this. Unofficial guide is a must!

 

[fakereadhed]

Passporter for general info and great place to store all of your receipts and stuff. Tour Guide Mike for planning your itinerary and other little helpful tips.

 

[nightowlky]

Well, I'm waiting for my AVP from TGM to be created. Bit the bullet and went that route. Going through the UG, too, though.