What guide book?

[teachermommy78]

We are a budget driven family (like most!) and I want to make wise use of my money! We are traveling to DW in June with our 3 children (3, almost 6, and almost 8), MIL, FIL, and 14 various family member (we will be splitting up a TON! ). I am interested in a great guide book (obviously ). What would you buy? There are so many out there!!!

 

[CandyHead09]

We are a budget driven family (like most!) and I want to make wise use of my money! We are traveling to DW in June with our 3 children (3, almost 6, and almost 8), MIL, FIL, and 14 various family member (we will be splitting up a TON! ). I am interested in a great guide book (obviously ). What would you buy? There are so many out there!!!

Dont waste money on a book use tourguidemike.com!!! This guy used to work at Disney and knows the ins and outs of the parks now he works as a tour guide and can tell you where to go on what day when it will be less crowded and how to never wait in a line again! It's pretty cheap and so worth every penny.

 

[BusyMom2Three]

Dont waste money on a book use tourguidemike.com!!! This guy used to work at Disney and knows the ins and outs of the parks now he works as a tour guide and can tell you where to go on what day when it will be less crowded and how to never wait in a line again! It's pretty cheap and so worth every penny.

Ditto this! Best $20 I ever spent when planning our first trip. Plus there are pics and reviews of every ride/attraction/restaurant with ratings for diff age groups.

 

[gatormom2tots]

Unofficial guide is very good. I liked TGM but it seems much of the stuff is outdated and it can be hard to navigate around the site until you get use to it. Having used both on my last trip, I found that I used TGM more for crowd calendar than anything.

But I am one who is partial to books (which I can read in the car or tub!) as opposed to reading a large quantity on the web.

 

[pam95]

Another vote for the Unofficial Guide here. The book is very thorough and contains just about everything that you need to know!

 

[juliemcalister]

Stacey,
I have both a tourguidemike.com subscription and the Unofficial Guide. I recommend the Unofficial Guide. Once you've purchased the book, you can go to the companion website, touringplans.com, and get the online subscription at a discounted rate by providing the required word from a particular place in the book. The book is an excellent reference and the website provides specific park recommendations by date to help you avoid the most crowded parks. And if you purchase the UG from Amazon.com you'll save almost enough to pay for the website subscription!

I like my TGM subscription but there are so many things that aren't updated that I can't recommend it to a newbie with a clear conscience. We've been several times so I recognize the discrepancies but for a new planner it could cause some significant problems.

Please come back and let us know what you decided. Have a great trip!

 

[foxress]

I love The Complete Walt Disney World. I find this guide book to be the most concise and well organized. It also has great pictures. Good luck. Enjoy the research.

 

[disneygma11]

We are planning our first trip and the only guide I have purchased thus far is the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2011. It does have a lot of extensive great info in it, but I was somewhat dissapointed with the lack of pictures in it, I have read it almost from cover to cover. I am thinking about getting the Birnbaums Guide just for the colorful photos.

 

[Coasterdad]

The Unofficial Guide seems to cover all aspects of the "World" well and provides guest feedback, both positive and negative, all the way through the book on everything from resort room selection to parade strategies. We have used the Unofficial Guide on two previous Disney Trips and have read it cover to cover (three times or more) for our upcoming trip in June.

We have never used the touring plans that are at the back of the book but that is mostly due to our choice to let the vacation just happen as opposed to disguising boot-camp as a vacation. We also spent 9 days in the World on both previous trips so we had the luxury or time and acknowledge the guides could be very valuable to someone short on time wishing to cram as much in as one can in a short time. We did read and make mental note of the guides suggestions for when to visit an attraction, when to use fastpass, and when to through the plans in the trash.

In my opinion, a guide book, regardless of which one, should be used to point you in the direction for finding both answers and questions. The web has an enormous amount of info and that can expand on the brief amount of attention a guide book can give to the World. Of course since you are here this is nothing new to you!

Coasterdad

 

[Disney Crazy Debbie]

I like the Pasporter. It is organized in the back so you cankeep track of your ressies, flight info, money matters and a pocket for receipts, etc.

I'd go the book store or library and look at them and do the best to evaluate them before making a purchase of the one that best seems to fit your needs.

 

[Duplexdis]

I have purchased Passporter, Birnbaum's, WDW with Kids, and the Unofficial Guide in the past. In my opinion, you can't beat the Unofficial Guide. The best, truest info and tips. When you combine it with their website, touringplans.com, you really do have everything you need to make the most of your trip. We are getting ready for our 5th trip in 4 years, and I always refer to the guide for something before we go. Hope that helps!

 

[thepwa]

I never used tourguidemike, but I have purchased Birnbaums, Passporters and Unoffical Guide, and by far, I like UG.

 

[ZoZo]

I'd recommend checking out some guidebooks at your local library. Mine had several different ones, and I was able to decide which one to purchase based on my reading.

For me, the Unofficial Guide is the best. Has tons of information, lots of reviews of resorts/hotels, restaurants, rides, etc. It's by far my favorite. But other people like other guidebooks (like Passporter) better. It totaly depends on you -- but by looking at some of them at the library (or even looking through them at a bookstore before you buy them) can reallly help you decide.

 

[sunshineNJ]

I have a bunch of different guide books. The one I like the best is The Complete Guide. It has great pictures and I like the way the book is set up. It's very easy to look things up.

 

[akayek31]

I have all the guide books. I can't pick a fave. I did subscribe to TGM and was upset to know that the parade calendar was wrong for when I was there. So I would recommend the books.

 

[DisneyBum303]

I've always liked Birnbaum's. I need color pictures

 

[rachdd]

We are planning our first trip and the only guide I have purchased thus far is the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2011. It does have a lot of extensive great info in it, but I was somewhat dissapointed with the lack of pictures in it, I have read it almost from cover to cover. I am thinking about getting the Birnbaums Guide just for the colorful photos.

I have to been to WDW many times and I still buy the Unofficial Guide! There is also an Unofficial Guide Color Companioin that is all pics. Together you get the best of both worlds!!!

 

[Minniemouse07]

If you buy one book...PassPorter, if you buy 2 books add in The Unofficial Guide.

I've found Birnbaums to be no more than a commercial for WDW...not a lot of good content.

Great book for the kids... Guide to the Magic for Kids.

The Complete Guide was okay...but I didn't find it comprehensive enough for planning.

 

[Hootch]

working through all of the guide books. Each one has a different perspective that I find soe value in. For the first time visitor it's either The Unofficial Guide or Passporter. The UG provides great detail on a number of things that may or may not be useful. For example, I used it to pick the rental car agency for one trip. (For some reason Orlando rental car lots don't always have the car you reserved. Stick with one at the airport so you can find a back up.)

Passporter is an in the park planner's dream. Great maps, pages for iteneraries, pockets for receipts or mementos are included in the book. Some of the others are valuable for fleshing out more details. The Complete Guide has some detailed ride stories and details that make it worthwhile.