which Disney guide book do you bring with you?

[Headlesshorseman]

I love the Unofficial Guide Book....I am a member of their site as well....they offer lots of interesting day plans.....

HH

 

[Mduff]

I love the Passporter - I love to read it on the plane and in the room, but I don't drag it into the parks with me - too heavy.

You guys just gave me a great idea to give the kids the Hidden Mickeys guide and the By Kids For Kids books to the kids for Christmas

 

[high meadows]

For our family trips, we get everybody an Unofficial Guide, take them, and everybody can rip out their favorite pages to take to the parks for the day. A couple of the books get so torn up we toss them, but it's a lightweight system. We also get a kids book for each grandchild for the plane. They love them!

 

[jnsolomon]

We bring UG, but leave it in the room. We bring Passporter into the parks with us.

 

[clowe247]

I use Tour Guide mike. I print out only the info I need and place them in a thin binder.

 

[dreweyj]

Even though the Complete Idiot's Guide to Walt Disney World (published by Penguin and Alpha Books) is authored by a former (or current?) member of the Walt Disney World Mom's Panel, don't buy it! It clearly states that most moderates have two queen beds and lists Port Orleans (Riverside) as one of those choices.

I used the book to make my resort choice back in April when I placed my reservations but I then found out just last week that the book is completely wrong on that. The Riverside resort is all double beds unless you get a king. I am switching resorts, but because I found out so late in the game, I can't get into the moderate equivalent of Coronado Springs (which is the ONLY moderate with queens) which I could have gotten back in April. Instead, I'm having to go up a category and I'm out an additional alomst $1200.00! All because someone couldn't double check facts and I believed they knew what they were talking about. I guess I should have asked Disney reservation center, but who would have thought a book could get something as important as bed size wrong - especially when the author is on the Mom's Panel!?!?!?!

The worst part is that I checked with a supervisor in the reservation center, and the moderates (except for Coronado) have never had queens according to her. Therefore, it's not like the author wrote old information - they were just completely mistaken. You would think these publishers and the author would have someone double check this stuff before they publish so they know what they are talking. Now I'm out the $15.00 for the book and the HUGE difference in resort costs. Boy that Coronado would have been cheaper!

 

[dunbarfamily]

On our early trips I brought Birnbaums, but now I bring Passporter, but not into the parks. I use it for reference, like if I need to come up with a different restaurant for dining because something changed (Kids slept late, ran out of time, something like that). I know most everything about the parks themselves, but not a lot about resort table service locations.

 

[crzyeeyoreangel]

I got with the unofficial guide too! I took mine with last trip and used it a lot. It has all the number to the restaurants and I called them to see how long the wait was and etc. Plus we planned our route each night for the morning.

I also took my passports, it has section in the back to write down memories and pockets to hold little things you want to keep.

 

[mikera329]

I like The Complete Walt Disney World, but my fav is The Passporter! I don't bring it with me to the parks due to it's weight, but, it's great to sit down with the family at the end of the day and write all the great, or not so great, memories for that day and fill the pockets with momentos as well. We still look back at them for the memories and the better ideas we had for furture trips.

 

[WizardLarz]

My 2008 trip I took the PassPoter's WDW guide book. It has a large number of pockets in the back for keeping your trip organized.

 

[Minniemouse07]

PassPorter's maps and that day's PassPocket goes into the parks with me, the rest of my Deluxe binder stays back in the room.

I use the following to plan though...

Unofficial Guide (DING!)
Imagineering Guides (one for each park)
Hidden Mickey Guide

For the kids... we don't bother w/ the Birnbaum book... I find it lacking in detail. Instead, the kids have the Guide to the Magic for Kids.

We go through the book THOROUGHLY at home, and color in all the flags for World Showcase. Then we bring it with us and add info to it (and do the stickers) in the room during downtime...bringing it with us to Epcot for passport stamps.

 

[Ancien Maestro]

Do you get these books at the local Chapters book store or online? What is the cost?

 

[Minniemouse07]

Do you get these books at the local Chapters book store or online? What is the cost?

I get my PassPorters directly from their site. There are tons of discounts available, including 25% off (i think?) if you listen to the end of their Mom's podcast!

They currently have free shipping through midnight on Tuesday 10/12!

I also order the Guide to the Magic directly from the author's website. I prefer to do so if I can, this way I can cut out the middleman!

 

[npstudent2012]

I just bought the PassPorter's book at Costco today for $17.49

 

[ZoZo]

I do lots of pre-trip search using the UG, but don't actually bring it with me to the parks. It's too big!