What is the best guide book for first-timers?

[tekmom]

The unofficial guide for us. We also had a Passporter, Frommers and Birnbaums, but the unofficial guide offered the best info for us.....besides this board of course.

 

[freakylick]

First don't buy a book as your source...Especially with the ever-changing phenomena known as Disney. Books about Disney are out of date before they even come off the presses, so some of the info is just flat-out wrong. How do you know what is right and what is wrong?! Well, if your a first timer, you don't really know...so how can you trust anything in the book.

Second...All books have a slant. Sometimes good and sometimes bad. As some have said, Birnbaums is too rah-rah. UG is too "park-commando"( sorry, but that is no way to enjoy Disney IMO) and geared towards those that go at busy season. Etc... And no matter how unbiased the author(s) try to be, there is always bias.

The best source of info are websites/message boards. Why?! Most update as daily as possible, so you always have current info. And you can get plenty of opinion and then make the right decision for yourself and your family.

All of that being said...if you must buy a book, I would go with Passporter. It has a comprehensive list of websites and phone numbers. The maps are far and away the best Disney maps in any publication. And it provides a nice organizational tool that is especially good for those that aren't like me (since I am so anal, I need my own binder organized just the way that I like it ).

 

[DonnaDuck]

I love my PassPorters...I get one for each trip we take to Disney World. It is like my little Bible while we are planning and I like that I can keep all my receipts and things in it once we are at Disney.

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

I vote for either the Unofficial Guide or The Passporter. I have used both of these and like them both for different reasons. The Unofficial Guide is very straight forward. They have no link to Disney. When I wan't an honest opinion, I want it from someone whose bread isn't buttered by Disney. Birnbaum is a good guide book, but a previous poster put it best. It might as well be coming from WDW marketing. The Passporter has a lot of useful and very well organized information. I used this on several of our trips and it was nice to have the phone numbers handy as well as the pockets to store stuff like hotel confimations, tickets, etc. And I agree that they have the best maps of all the guidebooks.

I think for a first time visiter, I would go with Passporter because it gives the information without being too overwhelming and it has the features that can assist in staying organized. Although, I read the Unofficial Guide before I started our very first trip, and it wasn't overwhelming at all.

Either way, I wouldn't limit them to just one source. Buy one and include a list of the other resources that they can check them out on their own.

 

[DizBelle]

UG, bar none.

 

[TPCShauna]

DH and I are going to WDW for our first long trip ever. We have both done day trips to MK, Epcot and MGM so we know a little bit about the layout and such. We are also regulars at Disneyland so that helps as well.

Since WDW has so many things to do and see, I knew that I needed to research more. I purchased the "Walt Disney World Guide for Couples", Birnbaum's 2005 basic book, Birnbaum's 2005 "Walt Disney World without Kids" and the Ultimate Guide. The "Guide for Couples" is great for people who are looking for romance whether or not they have children. The information was good and concise but not the most current. Birnbaum's had pretty pictures but no info that you couldn't get from the WDW website. Birnbaum's "Walt Disney World without Kids" is a smaller version of the basic book with slightly less info.

The Ultimate Guide is extremely detailed and covers EVERYTHING. It has a lot of opinions but the author tries to balance his with the opinions of people who have used the guide and sent in comments. The info is well-presented but the layout can be somewhat confusing. I'm reading mine for the third time just because.

If I had to choose, I would say that you should get Birnbaum's basic for the pretty pictures and basic info AND the UG because it gives you actual information that can be very helpful. How nice of you to get them books. Don't forget to send them to the DIS!