Disney World planning books

[artemis908]

Does anyone have any Disney World books they would recommend? I have been to Disney a lot, but not for the past 5 years so would like something to read to get me excited, maybe provide some new tips I didn't know about, and tell me what I missed over the past 5 years.

Also, does anyone feel there would be enough of a difference between 2012 and 2013 to wait until 2013 comes out? Seems like most books come out for 2013 in August or September.

 

[consumermonkey]

Maybe the 2013 guidebooks would have a little more insight into the Fantasyland expansion and the Test Track, but probably no more info on those than is currently publically available now.
When last checked Amazon, the pre order price for the 2013 books is less than the current 2012 bo price.

I like the Unofficial Guides, but at 850 pages is hard going. They now have a colour companion which was only release within the last month and I liked that as a lite version for my less obsessive family members to fammiliarise themselves.

 

[skriegerjr]

For my money, the Passporter is hard to beat. We go quite regularly, so an out of date book doesn't bother me. Check out their $1 sale to see if it's right for you, then order current edition if you like it. They post updates on their website so you don't have to worry about missing updates!


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[anf002]

I have around 15 WDW books, and I don't think that I own one that I wouldn't recommend. I find myself reading them over and over. I would have to say that my favorite is Passporter, and for joyful Disney reading rather than a book that is crammed full of straight facts, I reccommend Mouse Junkies!

 

[GrumpyMom25]

I buy Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for every trip. Some years there isn't much of a change to them from the last, I just love those books. I think they are even nice for the kids to look through. I also pick up a Passporter.

 

[Hootch]

several of the books also.

The Unofficial Guide is the most comprehensive. I wouldn't worry about the length. Depending on what elements you need, you may not need several parts of the guide. For example, we usually drive. The one time we flew, I used their rental car ratings and locations to narrow down my choices. (Orlando is notorious for not having the right car so I do not use offsite agencies). There are parts, like the transit times between parks and resorts, that I reference often.

Passporter is ideal for people that want to plan and carry their plans with them. One of the best features (and I believe they are the only ones that do this) is they provide updates on their site for all books. Many of these go to press in late summer and Disney changes the rules frequently.

Another that I like is The Complete Guide. It has a lot of detail on ride details and things around the park you may want to see but might walk past. Since this is something I have been more interested in lately, this is the book I review more often. They also have great pictures in the book. The UG has a companion book that provides mainly pictures with some information that's included in the main book.

 

[Killertigger]

The Unoffical Guide is a great place to start. Here's a great tip: Get the ebook version of any guides you use. You can take this with you if you carry a smartphone into the park. For instance, I have Kindle Reader on my android phone, and a library of guides on my phone in Kindle format. Very easy to check them while waiting in line or wandering in the park _ and it gives you someting to read in line!

 

[Amerch]

funny you ask just got done looking at my Pass Porters

 

[Hibernians]

I love the Complete Walt Disney World by Julie Neal - it has beautiful photos along with vital information and really interesting facts and details on classic rides. This book is also a nice size; easy to carry around.

 

[usd2bmd]

For my money, the Passporter is hard to beat. We go quite regularly, so an out of date book doesn't bother me. Check out their $1 sale to see if it's right for you, then order current edition if you like it. They post updates on their website so you don't have to worry about missing updates!


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

I buy Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for every trip. Some years there isn't much of a change to them from the last, I just love those books. I think they are even nice for the kids to look through. I also pick up a Passporter.

We buy both of these books for every trip. The passporter has pockets for me to keep momentos to use in my scrapbooks. and areas for me to write meories down.

 

[a1tinkfans]

passporter in the past
now I just research online

 

[Princess Bette]

I just recently bought Passporters for our upcoming first trip and am loving it!

 

[Yellosno]

I read the unofficial guide front to back for my trip in 2011 got me pretty excited about the trip. It is the only book I have read since elementary school probably all the way through.

 

[skriegerjr]

Just saw that Passporter is having their $1 sale on the 2010 editions...worth checking out!


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[ZoZo]

I'm a big fan of the Unoffical Guide. It has tons of information, recommendations, restaurant and hotel reviews, etc. I find it much more useful than books like Birnbaum's "official" WDW guidebook, because the Unofficial Guide has reviews/recommednations.

I would suggest going to your local library and checking out some WDW guide books, to get an idea of what information they contain. That way, you wouldn't even necessarily need to buy a guidebook!