Difference between guidebooks...

[CareBearYN]

The Unofficial Guide® to Walt Disney World® 2005 by Bob Sehlinger vs Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2005

What are the main differences between the two books and which do you prefer? I used the Birnbaum one when planning my March trip...but havent seen the Unofficial one, so was wondering how they're different.

 

[LuvN~Travel]

To me the UOG is the best of the lot. It just has so much info! And, some cute cartoons.
The Official Guide is nice, and has nice pictures, and paints a pretty picture as to the parks and such, but the UOG will give the everyday patron the 'scoop' a whole lot better.
I am finding the Passporter to be a great planning guide now that I've gotten to the making ressies/PSs stage. I can write down numbers and ideas, and it is the one I'll take into the parks with me when we go, since it has pockets and color maps. BTW, the maps on the parks with it also have the shops and restaurants listed!
Have fun with whichever one you use.
To give you an example, I love the UOG one, since I am in indepth planner. My DH though is carrying around the Official Guide since it is an easier read (and I think for the 'pretty' pictures)
Kim
OOps had to edit. I meant to put a U in front of that OG when I posted this.

 

[Mainebound]

I agree that Birnbaum's (the Official Guide) has wonderful photos. I buy it every year and sometimes I look through it with my sons. It's great for getting excited about your trip.

But for information and planning, I use to Unofficial Guide. At 798 pages, it is the most comprehensive guidebook, bar none. Hotels, transportation, restaurants, parks, touring plans, you name it, the UG has detailed description and ratings. The new one has even more stuff, such as predicted crowd levels by day, a long section on child psychology (which I have mixed feelings about, personally) at the parks, and "behind the scenes" blurbs on rides from Jim Hill Media.

The Passporter also has a lot of information (more than the OG, less than the UG), but what makes it unique is that it is designed as a planner, with pockets, pages for PSs, etc. A lot of DIS-ers swear by it, but I haven't bought one yet.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

For someone who actually used "cliff notes" in high school, not as a study tool, but as a way to get as much info about the story without reading the book, I am partial to Birnbaum's. I took one look at the size on the Unofficial Guide, and decided Birnbaum's book gave me the info I needed. LOL. I also do not like the UG, because in it, it actually gives advice on how to beat the hieght requirements on rides if your child comes in too short by a hair. WTH? That is so dangerous. I wish people would understand and accept the fact that Disney has height requirements for a very good reason, YOUR SAFETY. To try to get around it, is wrong. Every since I found that little piece of advice in the UG, it has left a sour taste in my mouth. Sorry.

 

[Micca]

The UG is awesome. It is a huge book, but it's fun to read.

 

[storybookmum]

...and thanks to your reminder, just went to check on availability of 2005 in Canada and ordered it!

I couldn't get it last week yet.

Woohoo! My 2004 is a mess from all our changed plans.

Kris

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Since we have at least 2 trips planned next year I'm planning on stocking up on all three guides. I used the Passporter for my last trip which I really like, especially the pockets to keep reciepts. The other two I've flipped through at the library and like them enough to buy the 2005 editions. I think it'll be neat to hang onto them and be able to look back at them years down the road.

 

[CareBearYN]

Thanks for all the great advice! I'm so excited now, I kind of want to run to Barnes and Noble and flip through the UOG (the other two aren't out yet!). I would love to hear any more thoughts!

 

[CareBearYN]

WOW! So I did go to Barnes and Noble to check out the UOG, and also the 2004 version of the Passporter. The UOG is AMAZING! I could not believe how much information is packed in there. I only had a short time to look through it, but definately think I'll go back to buy it. It seems like a really great book to read through and use to plan before your vacation, while Birnbaum's might be better to use (as we did on my last trip) while actually on the trip, since it's smaller and lighter and we could take it around the parks with us each day for quick tips.

I thought the back of the The Passporter, with the pockets to keep souvenirs and places to write down little notes about each day and a budget was a really great idea. I didnt get a chance to look through the actual book part tho, since I was so involved in the UOG!

 

[a Really Bad Egg]

The Mini Mickey version of the UOG is a must for the backpack while at WDW.

 

[Micca]

If you take the clip-out tour plans from UG, there's no need to take Birnbaum. The Birnbaum is cute with the graphics and pictures, but you'll get a bunch of that at no charge when you get your park guides at WDW.

 

[jann1033]

does the ug have hrs of things like restaurants? i would like something that has changable info like that rather than the "basic" that the og has. have been considereing getting a passporter( I have a gc at amazon ). i have seen the ug but not the passporter. i probably will not take it with me to the parks ( rather travel as light as i can) so any recommendations on which of the ug or pp is best for things like hrs.

 

[Mainebound]

Originally posted by jann1033
does the ug have hrs of things like restaurants? i would like something that has changable info like that rather than the "basic" that the og has.

Yes, the UG has the hours of restaurants. It has detailed profiles of all full service restaurants on property and also descriptions of all counter service restaurants with ratings of each from both their own food critics and readers. Then it also has a separate section on character meals including "guest to character ratio."

 

[SnackyStacky]

Each guidebook has its own strengths and its own weaknesses.

Unofficial Guide: Completely unbiased information. If the folks at the UG like something, but they get complaints about it, the complaints are posted right next to their praise. And vice versa if the UG folks DON'T like something. It's strength also lie in its touring plans. They work. I also love the road maps in the UG. The UG's weaknesses? I'm not a big fan of the park and resort maps inside. And while they update their information on their website, and I just prefer the layout for Passporter updates. But that's highly individual, and it doesn't detract from the guidebook.

Birnbaum's: AWESOME photographs! I love the way this guide is laid out. Its weakness is that the information is very much one-sided, and not very detailed. They give, you as the UG says, simply the 'Official Line'. Having said all that, there's no bigger treat for me than to buy a copy when the updated version comes out each year.

Passporter: THE PASSPOCKETS! I haven't used them yet, but this is the Passporter's niche. It helps keep everything organized, and the pages in the book itself are wonderful - where you can keep track of all your transportation arrangements, resort reservations, and dining arrangements. I LOVE the park maps in this one. Weaknesses? The information feels (to me) to be very pixie-dusted. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, but I really like to hear what bad things I might expect alongside whatever wonderful things there are. Once again though, that's just my personal preference.

Those are the big three. I've also bought a few more: The couple's guide to Disney World by the Perlmutters, Frommer's guide to Disney World, I'm not at home, but I think the other one I have is called the Economist's Guide to Disney World? It's all about saving money. It's white with Mission Space on the cover. I also have the Unofficial Guide to Universal Studios, Hidden Mickey's, and Universal Orlando: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park. Although it's not a guidebook, I also have the Disney World Trivia Book by Louis Mangello.

Having bought ALL of those, if I still had to choose just one, my money's still on the Unofficial Guide. It has the best information. The rest is just decoration.

 

[firenurse]

Mousesavers had a link to a bookstore that had great discounts on all the disney books and if you spend $25 you get free shipping. I don't know how to post a link, but go to mousesavers.com/disneyboooks and it should come up. I plan on ordering the UG and the OG soon.

 

[ColoradoDis]

I quit buying Birnbaum's Guide a few years ago. I always buy the UG and the Passporter. When I bought the passporter in 2001, I went for the deluxe version that you can update easily. We've used it for three trips so far and have already gotten it ready for our next trip in October. I'm not good at writing detailed trip reports, but filling out the pockets with each day's highlights keeps our memories fresh.

 

[Gabrielle]

I think I've read every guide book there is for WDW.

For me, the big 3 are UOG, Birnbaums and Frommers. I don't like Passporters.

Birnbaums is comprehensive, well organized, and full of interesting insider info. UOG has great additional advice on the best rooms and location at each resort along with pros and cons of each restaurant -- The latest UOG also has some new insider info on historical WDW facts. Finally, Frommers also has some interesting opinions, rather than just a straight recitation of WDW facts.

 

[decker96]

I agree with most other posters. If you want unbiased info, go with the UG. Birnbaum's is fun, I buy it for my kids so they can look at the pictures, but let's face it, it's a little-too sugar coated. Things are not always perfect, even at WDW, and it's good to prepare yourself for that before you go. I really like the specific info they give about each resort and the descriptions of the rides and their capacity. It makes planning a whole lot easier!!

 

[CareBearYN]

Thanks so much for all your thoughts!

Hmm...I didnt know about the Mini Mickey version! What exactly is in that book? Guess I'll have to go back to Barnes and Noble soon to flip through it

Snackystacky: Thanks for writing to in-depthly! What are your thoughts on the other books you listed? Mostly the Couple's Guide and the Economist's Guide...do they have good tips?

 

[SnackyStacky]

Originally posted by CareBearYN
Thanks so much for all your thoughts!

Hmm...I didnt know about the Mini Mickey version! What exactly is in that book? Guess I'll have to go back to Barnes and Noble soon to flip through it

Snackystacky: Thanks for writing to in-depthly! What are your thoughts on the other books you listed? Mostly the Couple's Guide and the Economist's Guide...do they have good tips?

The couple's guide is useless. It really doesn't provide any more information than what the others do. It tells you the "romance factor" of the resorts. Unless they establish some sort of criteria to base those ratings on (which they don't), I really think it comes down to an opinion. Some people may find more romantic allure in the Animal Kingdom Lodge than at the Polynesian. There's no set factors; like fewer kids, more quiet places....it really seems like the authors' opinions. This really is one that I did NOT need on my bookshelf.

The Economist's Guide - Although this is a Disney guide book, the most informative part about it was generic things like how airlines work - and using that knowledge to your advantage to get discounts. The Disney World Information itself was very inferior to the Unofficial Guide. If you have spare cash to pick an extra book up, it makes an interesting, and somewhat informative read. If you're going stictly on Disney World Information, I'd still put my money on the Unofficial Guide.

Of ALL of the guides that I have - if you want the BEST information regarding the Disney Parks, and the Disney way of doing things - you'd be best advised to stick with the Unofficial Guide.

The only time I would say that the Unofficial Guide is inferior is in its Universal Studios coverage. Universal Orlando: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park is the BEST book I've found for Universal. It's information is the most detailed and the most up-to-date. The Unofficial Guide (rightly so) doesn't devote as much time to covering Universal, and even their seperate guide isn't as good as the Ultimate Guide.