Best WDW books for planning?

[tlovesdis]

Hi!

I'm not sure if this is the right place or not, but I was wondering what you think are the best books for reference in planning a WDW vacation?

Thanks!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

I absolutely LOVE the "Unofficial Guide to WDW!" It has a red and white cover and is paperback. Not only is it informative, but it is a really fun read!

Also, don't forget the WDW Trivia Book by Lou Mongello. I have it (in my bathroom...sorry if that is TMI) and it is very interesting, although not necessarily a planning book.

 

[wdwaholic]

As the official WDW planner in our family I swear by the Passporter guide to WDW. This is the 3rd year in a row that I've bought it.I love the pockets in the back of the book that hold important papers and you can write your info on them. I've also passed ours to family and friends to view and they wound up buying their own!! I also love the fact that they have a website with updates that can be printed out
HTH
Trish

 

[Nolcrest]

For planning I like the Passporter. But I must always buy Birnbaums Guide to WDW too, I guess I like the color pictures.

 

[TXTink]

For pure planning info I like the Unofficial Guide. It can be a bit harsh in places though (like the restaurant reviews, for one), so take it with a grain of salt.

I also get the official Guide, Birnbaums, for the pictures!!

 

[NCombs]

There are several good resources.

I like the Unofficial Guide and the Passporter. The UG has a lot more detail than the Passporter. The Passporter has great pages for actually tracking the planning you have already done. It has great maps and places to record all your information and daily pockets for your trip. I think they work great together.

I also have an online planning guide called Tour Guide Mike. I won't go into a lot of detail as there are tons of posts about this resource. If you want to know more, just do a search for related posts.

Good luck.

 

[Skip to my Lou]

Passporter was awesome, I found myself reading it every orning before the trip out the door, It was the best of the guides that I read, including the one "for kids"

 

[cmrules]

I am a passporter fan.

 

[Atotty]

Our first trip I read literally 15+ guidebooks thanks to interlibrary loan. My favs are in order:

Tourguidemike which is not a guide but an online service

Passporter for reference in the room and great organization tool

UG because it tells it like it is...some people love Disney so much, they will never say anything negative. UG takes the rose-colored glasses off.

 

[joyjoy]

Passporter for me. I've bought one in 2000, 2002, 2003 and now 2005. Not only excellent, up to date, firsthand information, but great for organizing ADRs and day to day planning. It also has sections (passpockets) for keeping info from everyday during your trip, so it's like a scrapbook when you get back.

I do like to read The Unofficial Guide, although I haven't bought one in years.

 

[kizmac]

Another vote for the Passporter! My deluxe just arrived today and it is awesome!

I also use Tour Guide Mike. I have browsed through the UG at the book store but have never bought it. Lots of people love it so maybe I'll have to have a closer look next time I am at the book store. It just didn't seem like a must buy to me.

 

[jtovey56]

I like Passporter for all the pokets for information & the section for writing stuff down. we couldn't afford a trip this year so I pulled out the Passporter and re-lived all the fun from last year. I'm upgradeing to the Deluxe edition for next year.
Jim

 

[imwithgoofy]

Hi!

I'm not sure if this is the right place or not, but I was wondering what you think are the best books for reference in planning a WDW vacation?

Thanks!

Hey, I agree with a lot of folks who recommend the Passporter and I also like the Everything Family Guide to the WDW resort.

Have fun planning.

 

[jrjac]

How about WDW and Orlando For Dummies? Ok, ok-I am a newbie to WDW (first trip in 34 days! ) But seriously, has anyone ever used this guidebook?

 

[poohfan]

I've read a few guides and like the Unofficial Guide a lot. It's really big and full of information. For our latest trip I wanted to buy a new book so what I did was take the kids to the bookstore one afternoon. I grabbed a bunch of guidebooks and then took the kids to the children's section of the store. While they browsed I scanned the books. The Passporter looked really good and had great tips but in the end I bought the Unofficial Guide.

 

[Atotty]

How about WDW and Orlando For Dummies? Ok, ok-I am a newbie to WDW (first trip in 34 days! ) But seriously, has anyone ever used this guidebook?

I read it for our first trip. Didn't impress me at all. Other guidebooks are much more helpful.

Plus, if you do ge the Dummies book don't get the Idiot's guide I read it too and it's the same word for word in several places. DH didn't beleive me til I read from one book while he looked at the other.

 

[disneyccc]

Birnbaum's Official Guide is awesome....It has everyhting you need to know and very very useful especially if you are planning your first trip or have not been in a while. There are even coupons in the back, some of them are for Pleasure Island, Disney Quest, etc. They seem to know WDW inside and out and it is very organized making it easy to look up and refer back to certain sections. Very helpful for making restaurant and resort decisions. They also have colored maps for all the parks, so you can get a head start on your plan for the parks.

 

[jazzmanmgt]

Hi I too am a big passporter fan.
passporter.com
Mike

 

[The Sorrentino's]

I've got the Passporter, the Unofficial Guide and Birnbaum's. I like them all. They are all different in their own way, but if I had to get one it would be the Passporter because the info is there and I can store everything that pertains to my vacation in there (ie. receipts, printouts, sticky notes, confirmation letters, etc.) without anything falling out.

Cadence

 

[sherry66]

I use Passporter and Unofficial Guide .