Passporter or unofficial guide?

[Bghair]

Was at the bookstore today and looked at the Passporter, and the Unofficial Guide to DW. Both of them looked good to me. The Unofficial guide seemed much larger. I am so undecided which one to get. Please give me some opinions on this. Thanks...Disney in June!!!

 

[kilarney]

If you are type A.... go for the Passporter.
If you are type B.... go for the Unofficial Guide.

I find the Passporter to be fairly dry and technical compared to the Unofficial Guide. The Unofficial Guide, however, can be a little too sarcastic for some people.
One advantage to the Unofficial Guide is that it covers areas outside of Disney, such as Universal Studios.
Passporter stresses planning, and provides checklists and worksheets galore. I am a planner, but this is little too much for even me. I do think their resort descriptions are fantastic, so if you are staying on-site you might lean towards the Passporter.
Of course you can do what I did and buy both! You won't do wrong with either guide, though.

 

[Selket]

I have both and have used both for my trips to WDW but my favorite guide has been the Tour Guide Mike website which you have to pay for (http://www.tourguidemike.com). I agree with the previous poster that the Unofficial Guide is for that type A personality - this is commando style touring of WDW. The Passporter didn't quite give me enough info on the other hand. TGM is somewhere in between with lots of great info and the touring plans he has are the best - I never felt marched around the park - hurrying to get here or there. With 2 young kids it is easy to get "off track" and with his plans I could fairly easily figure out what would be easiest to do next. His advice on where to view parades, fireworks, and when is best to do so was right on the money. I've re-upped with him for my next trip which I'm just now starting to plan.

Most of all enjoy your trip!

 

[QuickGold]

I've been using the Unofficial guide since 2000 and you can't go wrong. Just picked up the 2004 edition.

 

[kilarney]

The Unofficial Guide has a lot of commando planning, but this is only one section of the book and can be ignored. (and frankly with Fastpass, commando touring as described in the book is less necessary)
The rest of the book is packed with useful information - without the focus on rigid planning.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have to ask....have any of you that have gotten the 2004 UnOfficial Guide noticed any errors?? I got one yesterday and it still lists BWI as having Harbor Club open, which it isn't. At least PassPorter says it has it, but it closed last year and may re-open this year. Also, the room layout diagrams, while nice, some are wrong. The layout for POR is one I've never seen and I've stayed in both Magnolia and AB. It also still lists the old ps standards. I know that there are always going to be things that couldn't be included or corrected because of dead-lines, but some of these statements are very misleading. Or am I just remembering incorrectly?? Could it be I'm having more and more senior moments??

 

[ncbyrne]

I'm a type A, commando planner! I have bought both of these guides, have bookmarked every Disney website I can find, and even scour our local library for Disney World info! The vacation is always wonderful, but the planning helps ease the winter doldrums! If I could buy only one...it would probably be the unofficial guide. It's pretty easy reading and filled with useful information.

 

[Kaycee]

I just got my fourth Passporter - I get a new one each trip. I use it to plan my trip, I use it while I'm at WDW to keep track of what I planned, and I use it after the trip to look back over what we did each trip when I'm missing WDW.

I tried reading the Unofficial Guide, and I know there are a lot of fans here of that book, but I just found it to be way too negative. If I felt like the writers do about WDW, I wouldn't go back.

I love all the checklists and planning tips in Passporter. I don't use every list in the book, but that's the great thing about Passporter - you can customize it for your own style of planning.

 

[arazamataz]

UGDW gives the most info. but these guides have you rushing all around. Unless you only have one day to see the parks take your time and enjoy all the details of the parks. There is so much more then rushing to the rides and leaving exhausted.

 

[arazamataz]

UGDW gives the most info. but these guides have you rushing all around. Unless you only have one day to see the parks take your time and enjoy all the details of the parks. There is so much more then rushing to the rides and leaving exhausted.

 

[lentesta]

Hi goofy4Tink,

Thanks for the info on the Harbor Club. I'll check with Disney and update the Unofficial Guide website accordingly.

Reagrding the room diagrams in the Unofficial Guide, they came directly from Disney. That doesn't mean they're right -Disney can make mistakes, too - but I'll check on that as well.

Finally, we've had updated PS information on the Guide's website since the new 90-day policy was announced.

As with any travel destination, things change from the time the book is printed. We've found the web to be a great way to communication updates to our readers. And if there's anything we've missed, please let me know.

One more thing: The Unofficial Guide has a variety of two-day touring plans for the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. If you've got more than one day in the parks, those plans are both relaxing and efficient. The one-day touring plans (the plans with the "commando" reputation, I'm guessing) are for folks who only have one day to spend in each park and want to make the most of it. And they're optimal for that.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Len

 

[ead79]

I have been buying the Unofficial Guide since around 1998, and I love it. There are parts that are so funny I have actually laughed out loud. I think that the Unofficial Guide does a very good job describing the resorts and recommending room numbers. I find the restaurant reviews to be a little harsh, but I understand where the author is coming from. I'm just not very into gourmet food, so some of the plainer meals appeal to me more than the gourmet ones. I love the touring plans, and I have even used their custom touring plans that you can purchase online. Those area great for those of us who don't get to the parks right when they open. I also like the attraction reviews and in depth descriptions of attractions.

 

[BrerMama]

If I could only get one, I'd get the Passporter. I love mine because I'm a list-making, detail-oriented person. I'd never buy just one, though. I've got both of these, the official guide and Tour Guide Mike. They each offer something different and fill a hole in my Disney planning.

 

[lentesta]

Hey goofy4Tink,

The Unofficial Guide website has been updated with the info on the Harbor Club. Thanks very much.

Regarding the layout of POR, it seems that the image should have the door and window positions reversed. I've stayed at Magnolia twice in the past year, and both my rooms were exactly like that.

I don't think this is a huge issue, though. We're trying to convey what you can expect to find in the room. I've got a note to verify this with Disney for the next edition of the Guide. Thanks again for the heads up!

Sincerely,

Len

 

[cherylp3]

I lent someone both my unoffical book and my passporter and they liked the passporter better.

 

[Shellh]

I am one of those people that buys and uses both but I really like to have my Passporter for one main reason. I use it and in the end it is like a journal or diary to me and over time I can go back and look at it and remember my trip. I am planning a trip this year with a new Passporter and keep looking at the old one to remind myself how we did things that worked really well. I keep every piece of paper, every ticket, etc. and file it in the Passporter pockets - it is a wonderful way to keep a memory of a WDW trip.

 

[disney4us2002]

I think I have read them all! I like the official for pictures and upbeat Disney info and the Passporter for detailed planning and all the pockets. I have to disagree with those in favor of the Unofficial. I think it's tone is negative and I was really disappointed to read some of the exact same stories in the Unofficial guide to Washington DC. I don't believe the book is updated much. I was tempted to check other city's unofficial books at my library to see if I could find more examples of the same stories, but I didn't.

The Passporter's info seems more current because they go to press much later than the rest. I think I saw the 2004 Official guide on sale in Oct '03. When does that mean it went to press - July??

 

[erikthewise]

Of course the truly compulsive will read both.

There are some things the Passporter does better. It has much better maps for example. If you want to find the location of a restaurant in a theme park, the Passporter is your only hope. And it's easier to carry around.

But the Unofficial Guide has a LOT more raw information than the Passporter, several times more. If you're trying to decide what resort to stay at, or which restaurants to eat at, or how to spend a day at Universal, etc., UG is the better resource. I did notice a number of errors, but that's true of any WDW resource, and I'm completely sympathetic. It's not as if WDW releases a complete list of all changes made that they can refer to! The changes have to filter down through a number of sources.

I don't see the UG as being negative. It's just a balanced presentation. It presents opinions, and it presents a LOT of reader opinions in addition to their own, and makes clear which is which. The negative comments are more than balanced by positive ones. There are many places where UG rates an attraction or restaurant more highly than its readers! They make liberal use of sarcasm and humor which may bother some readers, but to me it just makes it more interesting to read.

 

[goofy4tink]

Hi Len,
Thanks for the updates....check that floor layout for POR and CS...it's the floor layout for the Polynesian!!!! No daybeds at the moderates. Thanks for the hard work you all do to keep these books up to date. I know it's impossible to be completely current. Just thought the floor plans could be misleading. I wouldn't want anyone thinking there are day beds at the moderates...hey.. they didn't put them in when my back was turned, did they!!! Thanks again Len.

 

[lentesta]

Wow, Goofy4Tink, I think you're right! I don't recall a divider between the commode and the tub at CS or POR.

There is a bench in the rooms at POR and CS, which is I think what's supposed to be illustrated by the rectangular box next to the TV. A photo of the bench location can be found here: POR Bench.

I'm forwarding the bathroom issue to Bob. He can ask his Disney contacts for revisions. I'll post those to the website when I get 'em.

Thanks again!

Len