Guide Books

[JenniJ]

Hello Everyone!
This is my 1st post here, so if it in the wrong place, I applogize and please move it to the correct one. :

My question is about guide books.
My family and I haven't been on a true all DisneyWorld vaca since 2001. Sure we have visited a park here and there but not all Disney. And back in 2001, my sis worked down there so we were able to get good deals and have insider knowledge on where to go and when.

So, for this trip, since I am VERY OCD about my vacation planning, I would like to get a Disney vacation guide to help with planning. I ordered the Disney vacation planning video about a week ago, but have yet to received it.:

This vacation will be a familymoon/birthday after Thanksgiving this year. We just got married this month and my hubby's birthday will be during our trip too! My DD-17 and our DS-2 will be with us on the vacation!

So, with all that info......What guide books do you like and why?
TIA!

 

[elsie7119]

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[lovetoscrap]

My favorite is always the Unofficial Guide. The information is comprehensive, well written, with a good bit of humor and great Touring Plans. And getting access to the website with their crowd calendar ahead of time is a great added bonus.

I also really like the Passporter-- not only does it help you with the information it provides, it is also an actual Planner that you can put all your vacation plans in and carry with you on your trip. They can be found at passporter.com

I would suggest that you check out what is available at your local library and spend a few days looking through them. Even if they are not for the current year you will get a feel for what information they provide and how helpful they actually are, before you actually buy one. Then go and buy the current edition of what you liked best. And since some stuff hasn't changed you can still get a good bit of useful information from an older, but still fairly recent edition.

 

[skiingfast]

I used to like guidebooks a lot. But about 10 years ago i found a better planning tool. The internet. The info is more current. I found a lot of the books are just a reiteration of the WDW website. Outside of the Disney site, there are pages like this, You can see unedited opinions about everything. You can find menu pricing and picture after picture of what you will see when you are there.

A lot of people like the unofficial guides website touringplans.com for their crowd calendar. It's easy to interpolate the same info by looking at the resort rates on Disney's site.

Plus I feel bad for people who are focused on following a plan while in the park. They have created a nessecity to fullfill when they should focus on having fun.

 

[JenniJ]

They have created a nessecity to fullfill when they should focus on having fun.

I like that idea. Just have fun. : I just want to make sure I hit events a attractions that will be useful to everyone in our party, which covers wiiide age range. I also want to know if there is any not widely known events/activites at Disney. i.e. activites and events at the hotels, so I can pick the best hotel for my families likes and tastes.

 

[elsie7119]

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[poegirl30]

I love the PassPorter and Unofficial Guide. The PassPorter is great too for keeping important info like reservation numbers and receipts.

 

[merfsko]

I love the PassPorter and Unofficial Guide. The PassPorter is great too for keeping important info like reservation numbers and receipts.

The PassPorter is my absolute favourite.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Another vote for the Unnofficia Guide!

I think that's best for guests staying off site. They even have directions for avoiding traffic when travelling to the parks from off site, and the best off site restaurants too

I'm in love with travel planning, so I very much enjoyed reading EVERYTHING in the UG.

 

[diamondpixienc]

Soon to be a first timer this fall & I purchased the Unofficial Guide & I love it, Love It, LOVE IT!

 

[lindsey]

I have always been an OCD planner also. I like having a guide book for new places, or trips I have not done in awhile. I usually try Amazon for used books at a cheap price. Then I use the internet to keep me informed.

 

[matusel3]

Based on reviews and information online I too purchased the unofficial guide.