HELP: Which Guide do I buy.......

[my2boys1821]

Hello Again, I am looking at buying one possibly two guide books to Walt Disney World. Our first family trip will be in June and I want a book or books to help me with my planning. Cause the planning is half the fun, right? I went to our public library today and they did not have the books I was looking for. Here are the ones I'm looking at possibly getting, please let me know which you prefer the most and why. Right now I'm geared toward the Passporter because of the organizer, folders, etc. I am an organization freak.

Anyway, the 3 books I've looked at are:

• PassPorter 2006
• Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Guide Book 2006
• Unofficial guide to Walt Disney World

I look forward to hearing your comments. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[JRawkSteady]

Okay, Birnbaum's is the official guide book, HOWEVER, the information is incredibly lacking. No personal opinions or even great explanations. The pictures are nice when they are available, and the pages are all in color.

If you're looking for information and even a sense of humor, check out the Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World 2006. It's a HUGE book with TONS of information. It gives the ups and the downs of every attraction, show, etc. Passporter is great too, and has a lot of great maps...however, does not have as much information as the Unofficial Guide.

edit: you may even want to check out www.tourguidemike.com. He probably has the most in depth information on all the web put together. You can customize the site as well to your personal liking. Plus he has a lot of secret tips for you. His site costs just as much as a regular guide book and can use it up to 60 days after you return from your trip (I believe).

If not you can find a LOT of information on this site, www.allearsnet.com, www.mouseplanet.com, and the many many many others on the net for free.

 

[SnowWhite33]

If organization is your thing, Passporter all the way!!

Birnbaum's is ok, but I think of it as Disney sugarcoated. It's almost as if they are trying to sell you on going, but really, if you're here that's already been accomplished.

The Unofficial Guide is great, it gives you a real look at Disney, warts and all. I like it and the humor it offers, which to me is much funnier after your 1st trip and you can say to yourself "been there, done that".

My first trip was great because of the Passporter and that is what I would reccomend to any 1st timer.

 

[Kimberly815]

I have the Unofficial Guide too, and I love it. I have also heard that the passporter is also great, and has a lot of good places to write your own info in it.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Add me to the Unofficial Guide supporters. If you're a 'need all the info I can get' person, it's definately the one - and the sense of humor is so important when you start to take planning a bit too seriously.

 

[airtime]

I've only used one guide - the Unofficial Guide. I can't imagine how many hours we have saved and how much extra fun we have had because we followed its advice. Just the tour plan parts are worth its price. Everything else is gravy. It is a wealth of knowledge assembled by people who have been there and done that, and they don't have Disney telling them what to say, so you can trust them.

I have only one knock against them: they are hyper-critical about food service. If I had taken their advice on food, I would have never discovered a gem like 'Ohana. Then again, they told me about B&C, a long-time family favorite.

If you are serious about enjoying your park visits and avoiding waits in line, the UG really delivers!

Tim, who has fun just reading the UG! (Am I sick or what?)

 

[jennyl772003]

The UG has terrific info. That is our Disney reference book. Our Passporter is more of a planner. We read it through once, now we just use the pass pockets. It is the place we put all of our confirms and documents.

If we are looking for where we want to make our ADR's, we look in the UG. After we make them, we record it in our PassPorter.

I recommend both of them, for those different reasons.

 

[bytheblood]

I truly think this board is your best guide.

 

[Disneynutbsv]

I just purchased the deluxe 2006 Passporter. This will be fourth or fifth time purchasing from them. I love their books, plus their pockets to hold everything from airplane tickets, car rental info, receipts, maps...plus it has a place to journal as well! Its an all in one guide, I love it! I only wish they did have a pocket sized version too...

 

[Disneynutbsv]

edit: you may even want to check out www.tourguidemike.com. He probably has the most in depth information on all the web put together. You can customize the site as well to your personal liking. Plus he has a lot of secret tips for you. His site costs just as much as a regular guide book and can use it up to 60 days after you return from your trip (I believe).

If not you can find a LOT of information on this site, www.allearsnet.com, www.mouseplanet.com, and the many many many others on the net for free.

I have to second Tour Guide Mike too. I have used him a couple of years now, but his information that he has is wonderful! Allearsnet is also a great site for information. I do want to get the Unofficial Guide, just to read it If it involves disney, I'll read it!

 

[DznyLvr2005]

Unofficial Guide is the BEST! It's not made by Disney so you get to hear it from people that aren't getting paid to say it. It's a great book and there are really hardly anthing bad said about DW. They have people's quotes in there that write in to the book. Really good book. I have the 2005 edition.

 

[ZoZo]

I also like the Unofficial Guide. Has lots of detailed information, plus lots of opinions/ratings of rides, restaurants, hotels, etc. I like the fact that it gives opinions -- you might not agree with every single thing, but it tries to give different viewpoints on things. Also provides verbatims from readers about things (very helpful).

The official guide is okay, but doesn't have the information I'm looking for.

 

[sajetto]

Another vote for the Unofficial Guide here! We love it and it helps us choose exactly where to eat, times to go, resorts to try, crowd levels, weather, and anything else you can think of.

 

[fanofdisney]

Another vote for Unofficial Guide! I have not read the others, though. UG has helped with all the planning we need. And I agree with a previous poster, these boards are great!!!!

 

[keishashadow]

Especially for a novice, Unofficial Guide is the most comprehensive. I recently updated my '03 edition & passed it on to a very happy future DIL. They also put out a bunch of smaller, spin-off books (grown-ups, kids, etc.)

Passporter is also great, more portable w/handy pockets for organization. Still too big for me to lug.

Aronda Parks (purchase on All Ears) is more of a hip, tongue-in-cheek read. She usually throws in a few goodies (DVD, prep pad). The prep pad has pockets like the Passporter but is 1/3 of the size...easily fits into cargo pant pockets or....

Your Fanny Pack
​

Good luck.​

 

[MouseWorshipin]

Birnbaum's (Disney's book) is great for pictures and getting all excited, but the Unofficial Guide is the book for info!

Passporter is OK, although very pro-Disney, doesn't have the cute pictues the Birnbaum does, and isn't close to as informative as the Unofficial Guide. You won't get anything there you don't get in the UG.

You know how the authors of the Passporter put a bunch of pictures of themselves in the book? How come UG doesn't do this? I think Bob Sehlinger & Len Testa oughtta smile for the camera and stick it in the book!

 

[my2boys1821]

Thanks everybody for your input. Looks like I'm gonna purchase the UG. Of course I'll be hanging around the boards all the time. But I wanted an actual book to read, like when I'm waiting in the carpool line to pick up the kids from school.

 

[lentesta]

How come UG doesn't do this? I think Bob Sehlinger & Len Testa oughtta smile for the camera and stick it in the book!

I told Bob once that we should get him in a red smoking jacket, holding a pipe, with him in some sort of "Oh, you caught me contemplating! Good show!" poses. We could put it on the inside cover. As Bob's the faded-jeans-and-a-mountain-bike type, it'd be funny to anyone who's met him. I think Mousefest is about dressed up as any of us get all year.

The main reason why we don't have photos of ourselves is that it'd ruin sales, not to mention your appetite. We'd have to include an insert on the Heimlich Maneuver in the book, and those inserts are expensive. You gotta get them laminated...special machinery for the insert is required...Seriously, the best thing that could happen to us is an industrial accident. (Anyone remember the movie that line comes from?)

Thanks very much for reading the book! If there's anything you folks would like to see (or see done differently) in the '07 edition, drop me a line: len@touringplans.com.

Sincerely,

Len Testa

 

[ajcolorado]

We use tourguidemike.com and the UG together We must go through the parks with some sort of confident aura because strangers stop us and ask for advice...something that absolutely delights my husband.

Birnbaum has the very best information about the Ft. Wilderness Campground activities - barely a footnote anywhere else. Passporter has great maps.

The world's worst guide we've found is the DK guide...it actually recommends spending part of your MK morning in the arcade. Can you imagine? Nice pictures and good for a hearty laugh unless you think of some poor soul actually following their advice. That makes you want to print up warning stickers at your own expense and then sneak in and stick them on the books.

 

[luvthedis]

Before I discovered these boards last year I bought Birnbaum's Guide and also Fodor's Walt Disney World & Universal Orlando with Kids. After I read these boards, I bought the Unofficial Guide. I love the Unofficial Guide, but have also still enjoyed the Fodor's, especially for their quick guides of each attraction/location/length of line/length of ride,etc. Fodor's is also very easy to glance at quickly and get some basic (not detailed) info. I never hear any comments (positive or negative) about it, but thought I would throw my two cents in. If you buy the UG, you don't need Fodor's, but I'm still glad I have mine. Birnbaum's, on the other hand, was a waste of money, IMO.