Unofficial Guide vs. Birnbaum's

[PrincessJasmine5]

I'll be going to Disneyland & California Adventure in November! I've never been to either before and was wondering which book I should buy: The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2006 or Birnbaum's Disneyland Resort 2006? Thanks!

 

[DisneyDar]

Depends if you want the official or unofficial view. I personally prefer Birnbaums as it has more of the "story" behind the attractions, as well as more in-depth information regarding the hotels etc. The unoffiical guide has more ratings of attractions, touring plans, and gives you a more unbiased view of the themeparks.

Dar
Themeparks.com Staff

 

[Sonno]

The simple answer is... get both!
Between the two, you'll pretty much have all the info you'll need.

 

[madfordonald]

The simple answer is... get both!
Between the two, you'll pretty much have all the info you'll need.

I agree...if you're like me, you can't get enought Disney info. Especially when you are planning a trip, it makes you that much more info-hungry.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Edit. Whoops. Even though the op said Disneyland, it didn't register. I guess it's because this is the WDW themeparks board. I suggest the Disneyland forum which can be reached from here by clicking the discussion forums link above rather than the trip planning forums link. They can really help you out there with offsite hotels that you can walk across the street to the parks from and a ton of stuff.
The below Statement applies to the WDW versions of the books only. I apologize to the OP for the confusion.
For DLR, I still suggest Birmbaums only, and if you'd like an uber plan, Ridemax.
I apologize if I messed the op up.

Original post kept in its entirety.

You've never been.

So I would suggest you get Birmbaum's first. It has better overall descriptions of what everything is and better pictures and maps. It does not, however, have all that many tips and ratings and such. After you've read that, you'll need a book with some good tips and ratings. The UG is good at that.

Each book is strong where the other is weak and weak where the other is string imo. I really don't see it as official rah rah vs unofficial unbiased guide. I see them as two completely different information sets each filling a role.

 

[Gradar1]

Personally, I infinitely prefer Unofficial Guide, but I would get two, just so you can compare them! I find that Unofficial Guide has the best information about waiting times, which attractions to do when, what happens on them, and lots and lots of different reader comments, whether their opinions match the authors or not!

 

[huskermouse]

Personally, I would get Tour Guide Mike. He offers a money-back guarantee if you don't feel his information was worth the money. However, I would say you need to have at least a month or two before your trip so you can absorb all the information that's on his site.

 

[Sonno]

You've never been.

So I would suggest you get Birmbaum's first. It has better overall descriptions of what everything is and better pictures and maps. It does not, however, have all that many tips and ratings and such. After you've read that, you'll need a book with some good tips and ratings. The UG is good at that.

Each book is strong where the other is weak and weak where the other is string imo. I really don't see it as official rah rah vs unofficial unbiased guide. I see them as two completely different information sets each filling a role.

Exactly!

 

[AuroraBorealis]

I'm a librarian so I checked out every book my library system had on WDW! I liked the Unofficial Guide the best. The UG is very through, well-researched, detailed, objective, and even a bit humorous. The author is very honest, which some people take as being critical of Disney. I did not feel this way; rather, I felt like he was just being realistic. The UG also incorporates reader's opinions so you know you're getting varied viewpoints. I like the suggested touring plans the UG offers. This is a very good book for a person who likes to plan in-depth.

Birnbaum's guide was nice but I found it to lack objectivity and I suspect this is due to it being the "official" Disney sanctioned guide. I did like Birnbaum's for attraction descriptions and it does have pictures. This is a good book for a person who wants a general overview and doesn't need to plan every second of his or her trip.

I agree with the previous poster who said that each book makes up for what the other lacks. However, if I had to purchase just one, it would be the UG. Birnbaum's is a nice supplement to the UG. Birnbaum also has a nice dining guide, but I think it is only for WDW. Dining info is covered very well in the UG. Again, I used the Birnbaum dining guide as a supplement.

My suggestion: go to the library and check out both books before you decide to purchase one (or both). If your library does not have either book in circulation, they would probably be willing to purchase it for their collection.

Good luck and hope that helps!

 

[bicker]

I feel both books are substantially one-sided, and only together, perhaps, they make one, well-balanced view of the resort. There are other books, like the Passporter, than are more objective than either the Official or Unofficial guide.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I agree. THe UG is not as "objective" as it pretends to be. Getting both is probably the best bet.

 

[Sonno]

I agree. THe UG is not as "objective" as it pretends to be. Getting both is probably the best bet.

That's a bit harsh of an opinion there don't ya think? I think they do a damn good job and actually have the readers' best interests at heart.
But then again, I'm not a big TGM fan either...

 

[bicker]

There are varying perspectives with regard to what is in "the readers' best interests". I believe that what is in the readers' best interest, both in printed guides and here on the DIS, is helping prospective guests understand what they can reliably expect: Not over-promising, because guests have a chance of having some specific, great experience, nor under-selling, in an attempt to have a criticism carry more weight.

Personally, and more specifically, I believe that the Official guide's biggest problem is that it limits itself to outlining only the "reliable good" -- it doesn't outline any of the "reliable bad", and underplays how "unreliable" a lot of the "good" and "bad" is. By contrast, the Unofficial guide's biggest problem is that it doesn't adequately emphasize the "reliable good". I find it also over-emphasizes both the "reliable bad" and the "unreliable bad". I also worry about how, in some cases, it showcases the "unreliable good".

As I mentioned above, IMHO both books are inadequate on their own.

 

[yankeepenny]

I obught the Unofficial Guide after reading the others-boy what a letdown- really put a different perspective on the whole where to stay issue- i was ready to call and change resorts!
Then the restaurant comments- soooo, I put that book down for a few days, joined the diois boards, picked the book up again and now to me it is not sooooo
"critical"

just my two cents worth.......

 

[ainmama2001]

I love the unofficial guide. It's funny, it's BRUTALLY honest and it's informative. It's not biased towards anyone, and if there is a beef to be had (yes, EVEN at DISNEY), they let you know. I love it and I've used it for the past two years. I plan to use it going forward.

 

[Disney's Fab 4]

Well, On our last 2 trips to WDW, I have purchased just about every book that had to do with WDW, the ones I love the best are Unofficial Guide and Birnbaum, I even bought them on the years I didn't go to see if anything was changing..... If I had to choose 1, it would probably be Unofficial Guide..... Have fun!

 

[kabbie]

I have been getting the WDW Unofficial Guide and WDW Birnbaum's books for years...almost every year. I get most of the insider info on DIS or allearsnet. One of my friends went to Disneyland and lent me her Disneyland Birnbaum and Unoffical Guide to view. I was surprised to see many of the same exact WDW stuff in the Disneyland Unofficial even though they are 2 different parks. Especially in the planning chapters. I know they share a lot the same attractions but geez.

 

[MJMcBride]

The Official Guide is a waste of money. The UG is much much much better. I just wouldn't waste my time with Birnbaum's.

 

[merekc]

I just scanned the other people's comments and didn't see these things to consider. Sorry if they are repeats.

1. If you are going to try to get them from the library, get your request in now. Our libraries have a mile long list of people waiting for the Disney books.

2. Do you like to read? The Unofficial guide is huge. The Birnbaum's is probably an easier read for a non-reader type.

3. Birnbaum's has some good coupons in the back, you might want to check them out to see if they will benefit you. They may justify the cost of your purchase.

4. The later it gets in the year, these books will be going on sale if they aren't already.

We are planning a multi-families vacation in October. First trip to WDW for many and first one in a long time for the rest of us. I actually read an outdated Unofficial guide and then purchased the current Unofficial and the current Birnbaum's (yes, I like to read). I enjoyed both of these books because they provided a well-rounded description.

 

[merekc]

I forgot to add to my previous post.

If I was only buying one, my preference is the unofficial guide. I thought it was hilarious, however, be prepared for the brutal honesty. If you want it all to be Disney magical, it might not be the right choice for you.