The Best Guide

[Fooboy]

There is a plethora (sp?) of guides out there on the market. Everything ranging from WDW for couples, kids, without kids, the elderly, so on and so forth. Which one is THE ABSOLUTE BEST. My vote is for the Unofficial Guide to WDW by Sehlinger.

foobs

 

[jwsteelman]

Of the ones I've seen, Birnbaum's WDW official guide is the best.

 

[kilee]

I have a Foddor's guide and the Birnbaum's unofficial guide. Personally I don't care for either. I think boards like this give 200% more better info.

 

[Rapunsel]

I just went to my local library and checked out all the old guides and stuff. The ones I liked were Birnbaums.. Lots of pictures and facts.. ANd the idiots guide to WDW.. That one has some really nice maps...

The one's I liked I went to Amazon and bought and then highlited what I wanted to do and then passed the book on to the rest of the family.. As not everyone has internet access. When we are together we can just refernce the book. AS I don't want to lug my com puter with me...

ALso I will admit.. I love these Boards.. The convinced me to go to MNSSHP and other great ideas...



have fun doing what ever you choose...

 

[KathyFP]

I agree about these boards. I have bought a variety of books over the past couple years, but usually depend on the info from the boards. I print everything I need from the computer.

 

[tjkraz]

Here's my take on the three that I own:

Birnbaums: Excellent pictures and descriptions of most aspects of the resort (rides, shops, restaurants, hotels, etc.) However note that this is the "official" Disney-endorsed guide, so you won't get much of the ugly, honest truth that you might need from time-to-time.

Unofficial Guide to WDW: Best bang for your buck in terms of pure volume of information. You'll get a lot of little tips and tricks by reading this one, as well as many of the basics. Rides are rated for many different age groups. You'll get a lot of quotes from readers that offer their viewpoint on individual topics. The only problem here is that you're often presented with conflicting viewpoints, and left to draw your own conclusion.

I don't know what I would have done without the Unofficial Guide on my first trip, but I will warn you that the commentary can come across as being very cynical at times.

Passporter: Not as in-depth as the Unofficial Guide. It can be particularly lacking with regard to its restaurant coverage. But it's excellent in many other respects and also doubles as a trip planning tool.

My conclusion: Although I'm on my first Passporter, I'll probably be getting the new version each year. I could live with getting the Unofficial Guide every 2-3 years (although I think it's great to have if you're a first-timer or have never read the UG). Birnbaums I could live without. Other than the nice color presentation and photos, it's a little thin on actual info.

 

[QuickGold]

I'm a big fan of the Unofficial Guide, just because they give you the real word on how things are, thus no surprises. As a previous poster said, if you want the most bang for your buck, the Unofficial Guide is it.

However, no guide can provide all the info and I think the Internet fills in those gaps very nicely.

 

[Fooboy]

i couldn't agree with you more. i also believe that guides don't have ALL of the info that one seeks. but they do give you a VERY good and visual idea of what to expect and what to do.

foobs

 

[SillyOldBear66]

I just purchased Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2004.
I buy this one for the family because of the pictures, short writeups, and ease of use.
Before our trip I create a 'wish list' sheet for each family member that contains sections for:
Each Park - Rides and Shows
Water Park
Disney Quest
Eats
Other good ideas.

Each family member uses Birnbaum's Guide to help them complete their 'wish list'.

-Tabitha

 

[danny1649]

Gets my vote and Passporter is what I take to Disney with us.I love the organizer pockets it has and journal sections that allows you to keep detailed notes of your trip.

 

[katerkat]

Personally, I like the Passporter and WDW for Couples. But I don't really need any guides, I just read them for a Disney fix.

 

[lulu71]

I love the Unofficial Guide, but Passporter is my absolute favorite.

 

[Fooboy]

which do ya'll think is the most accurate? if there is such thing?

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by Fooboy
which do ya'll think is the most accurate? if there is such thing?

I don't think any of the printed guides will necessarily have information that I would term "inaccurate." However things do change at WDW and thus the books can fall out of sync a bit at any point after printing. Passporter and the Unofficial Guide have web sites and do publish updates on the site when applicable.

Each book has its own focus, and the tough part is picking the one that most suits your needs.

The Unofficial Guide has the most pure information you will find. At 700-800 pages in length, it can be quite daunting to try and absorb.

Passporter is only about 300 pages, and thus is not as comprehensive as the UG. It still has things like touring plans, park maps, restaurant and ride reviews...a lot of the same info as the UG. But you can obviously fit a lot more detail in 800 pages than 300. Passporter also doubles as a trip planner, so that may be a benefit.

I don't mean to sound unkind, but Birnbaums almost falls under the category of "fluff", IMO. I bought it mostly for my 2 YO son before our last trip. It has very nice color photos of the parks, resorts and rides.

You can download preview pages of the Passporter at www.passporter.com. Check it out before you buy. The Unofficial Guide and Birnbaums can be "previewed" at most major bookstores.

 

[timC]

My vote for the best WDW guide are these boards! You get info here, they simply don't publish in books.

Now if we can just get Pete to set up a wireless version!!

 

[DisneyCP2002]

I own the following guides:

The unoffical Guide to WDW: HUGE and contains a LOT of information. Has tips, touring plans, maps, and even info on non-disney parks. Over 700 pgs. though still reading it!

Unoffical guide for single's: Haven't read this but will give a review once I read it.

Birnbaum's: Love this guide. Have probably the last 3 years issues. It's very well laid out and has a ton of information and great pictures

Hidden Mickey's: Yes I know this only tells where these little things are hidden but it's a wonderful book if you are looking to find the Hidden Mickey's that are all over the WDW resort.

 

[Bella2000]

Originally posted by Fooboy
which do ya'll think is the most accurate? if there is such thing?

The Unofficial Guide and Passporter are our personal favorites. Both have websites that have updates to their guides. 2003 & 2004 Unofficial Guide Updates and 2003 Passporter Updates

 

[airhead]

I'm reading this now. Gotta say,it ain't all "magic",but,its good to see ALL sides of the mouse!

airhead(WAYDA GO SOX & PATS!!!!!!!!!)

 

[Nadine and Fred]

This will be my 12th WDW visit. I bought the Passporter 2 years ago and now have all my trip memorabilia including park brochures, reciepts and other small details neatly filed away in this wonderful guide. For those of us who are "plan-a-holics" this guide has blanks pages for your PSs as well as other sheets to neatly record all things WDW. That said, I still rely on these boards for all the latest news and all the details that the guides never seem to have!

 

[ead79]

My favorite is the Unofficial Guide. I even think it's pretty funny, which is rare in a guidebook.