Is PassPorter worth buying?

[Miscoehill]

Just wondering if the PassPorter book is worth buying and if they helped you with your Disney vacation??

 

[tinkssister]

I love mine. I don't have the deluxe addition, just the regular addition but I love it. If it's your first time to WDW, I think it's worth it as it really helps you to figure out HOW to plan. After you've been a few times I could see how it wouldn't be as helpful.

I also joined Tour Guide Mike's site and I think the Passporter and his site go very well together.

 

[Yardbird]

I love my Passporter! Last year I bought the regular edition, and liked it so much that this year I bought the deluxe edition. The information in it has been very helpful in deciding where to stay, what to eat, and what attractions are best for kids. The deluxe has pockets in the front where I store park passes and dvc membership cards. The yellow pockets in the back, one for each day, are where I write our daily "tentative" schedules and PS information. Inside the pockets I store flight info, car reservation confirmation, resort confirmation, park maps, directions to the outlets, and park touring plans.

Even though I feel that I am getting more familiar with the parks, I still plan on using my passporter every trip. Since I purchased the deluxe, all I'll need to replace each trip are the yellow pockets in the back.

We are going to WDW again in June, and my Passporter is stocked and ready to go!

 

[btass]

I had the same thought as you did about the Passporter. I went to a bookstore to look at it and decided that it was a good idea. That was two trips to WDW ago and I won't live without my Passporter now! Not only was it great for the planning and actual trip, it is great to go back and read what I wrote everyday on the yellow pockets in the back! It gives me that warm and fuzzy vacation feeling all over again.

 

[Jacksmom99]

I love my Passporter and find the information extremely usefull! In fact, my kids' pediatrician was asking me for Disney planning info and I recommended the Passporter to her. Two weeks later I was back in the office with the other kid and she told me she had bought her Passporter and her 7yo DD wouldn't put it down.

 

[jenr812]

I admit it. I am addicted to my Passporter. I love this thing! I bought the deluxe edition because I plan to make WDW a regular vacation spot I borrowed a friend's PP from last year before making a decision and couldn't put it down. I also like the Unofficial Guide. I have mostly used the passporter (and the DIS!) for my planning but now I am looking at the UOG a bit more as I learn about the attractions and rides. The explanations are a bit more detailed in the UOG IMHO! :

 

[ReggieB]

Another Passporter fan here!

I have read a lot of Disney guidebooks (so very many!), and I was impressed the most with this one. I think the layout of it is just excellent, everything is very easy to find. The reviews/ride descriptions are pretty short, maybe not quite as indepth as The Unofficial Guide can be, but I think that they get the point across. Good investment. It's my main book.

 

[Christy]

I LOVE PassPorter!! I read and reread it throughout the months while planning our trip, then referred to it during our trip!!

 

[ribbot]

I'm odd man (or woman) out. I purchased 3 Disney books when planning my trip---The Unofficial Guide, The Cheapskate's Guide and Birnbaum's Book and then I heard about the passporter. So I bought that too---deluxe one with the nice cover and pen, etc.

When planning the trip, those first 3 books I must have read a couple times each----when I got the passporter I already knew most everything that was in it, but I lugged it to Disney with me anyway. I never used it or even opened it once---it's still sitting on my counter untouched.

I took a notebook with me for notes for my trip report later and I guess I really didn't fall in love with it like everyone else here. I'm actually pondering selling it on Ebay. It's big, heavy and just didn't give me the insight that we needed for our trip.

The other books were great and really helped me out a lot. Maybe I should have just bought it first then I would have been impressed with it??

To each his own---glad it worked out for the rest of you

 

[BrittnTylersMom]

YES, absolutely, 120%!!!

I love my Passporter!!!

Buy it!!...You will NOT be disappointed!!

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

Not only do we love the "Passporter" but we also love our Passporter Pouches!!! This is our greatest WDW accessory find to date.
http://www.passporterstore.com/store/0966899437.aspx
We wouldn't don't to the parks without them!!!

 

[Sally]

Another Passporter fan, I have all my information for our trip already in the pockets and I have highlighted things I really want to make a point to see this trip. I love it.

 

[crisi]

ribbot, don't feel bad. I sometimes think I'm the only person who hates the UG. Which is a shame because I really geek out on the queuing theory. I buy the book from time to time just for the stats geek stuff.

One of the things you need to decide is how you will use your guidebook. We like the organizer feature of the Passporter, for instance. I like making notes in the margin and using the boxes by each attraction to decide if its an A, B or C priority for us. Other people love the touring plans in the UG and the depth of information. Is this a book for dreaming about your next trip and remembering it when its past, or is this a "serious research tool." Will you be carrying it with you (in which case a pocket guide or Birnbaums may be easiest to lug - I find my Passporter to be a "transfer notes and leave it in the room" tool - its too big to carry).

Birnbaums: I like it as a "first guidebook." Its official, so its really not judgemental - don't expect Birnbaums to tell you that Universe of Energy was better before Ellen or Jungle Cruise is hopelessly dated (but still fun). Easy to read, clear maps, pictures. Not overwhemling with information.

Passporter: Part guidebook/part organizer. I really like the new maps (I think they are new). The attraction information isn't as in depth as some of the other books. I like their rating system, which has Jennifer's rating/Dave's rating and a reader rating - you know when something is all nines its as close as it comes to a sure thing, and when it has one eight and a four and a six that maybe you should take your own interests into account before hopping on.

Unofficial Guide: Probably the MOST information in a Disney guidebook, I personally find it overwhelming (especially for first timers) and difficult to use. It has the best and most complete touring plans with the most work done to assure you'll spend the least amount of time in line.

 

[chipmunkfan]

I love my passporter also. I have found that I jot down alot of notes from the boards everywhere....I usually have a whole pile. My passporter keeps everything in order so I don't have yellow stickies laying around everywhere with good information!

 

[pearlieq]

My DH bought me a passporter as a gift and honestly I wasn't that impressed. It's way bigger than anything I'd want to lug around a theme park, only that seems to be it's advertized purpose.

I also found the information to be kind of dated (a problem with any book, printing cycles are long), I didn't like the grainy, small black and white pictures, and I found it a bit vague and cutesy. I usually recommend Birnbaums to first-timers and the internet to veterans.

Lots of people love the Passporter--maybe you could check one out at the bookstore (if there's one by you that carries it) before you commit to buying it.