Which Disney guide is the best?

[AussieAngel]

I'm doing a little happy dance tonight, because today I ordered my very first PassPorter!! You can't buy them in Australia, so I ordered it from Amazon - how exciting!

I can't wait to get stuck into my planning and organising! Not that I haven't done it already, but now I get to do it again, laid out all pretty in my PassPorter!

Because I'm in the Disney love mode, I quite fancy buying another guide book too - one which has lots of good hints and itinerary suggestions for the parks.

Does anybody have a favourite!? Does the Unofficial Guide have some good itinerary ideas? Would Tour Guide Mike be the best?

Or am I silly for wanting to buy another one, when I'll already have the PassPorter?

All ideas are welcomed!! Thanks!!

 

[NurseJamie]

March was my first trip to WDW ever (at 23 years old) and I bought the Unofficial Guide in February or so... and proceeded to read it cover to cover. That was about all my trip preparation, and I think I did pretty darned well for a first timer I LOVE the Unofficial Guide, definitely a good investment!

 

[my2boys1821]

I have the Passporter, Unofficial Guide and I subscribed to TGM. So no, you are not the silly one. The Passporter is super for jotting down your itinerary plans, ADRs and it has cute little pockets that I have already started filling with my tour information, best counter service menus, park maps. But the Passporter doesn't provide you with all the wonderful information given in the UG and TGM.

So my opinion is to get the UG and/or TGM. I am using TGM for the first time in the next few weeks so I can let you know if it works or not. But I have found much much useful information in the UG as well. And this is a book you can have with you while on your vacation to look up certain attractions, recommendations, maps, etc. I think TGM will come in handy for us as far as the touring goes. So I guess it all depends on what kind of planning you like to do. I'm a plan-a-holic So I had to get it all.

 

[willis37862]

Another vote for the unofficial guide. I buy one every year and read it cover to cover. I also got the passporter this year.

 

[AussieAngel]

Yay! Thanks for your suggestions, everybody!

I think I'll just have to buy the Unofficial Guide now. Tehee. And maybe even join with Tour Guide Mike, too.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one with 628 Disney books!! (Well maybe not that many...)

 

[MisunderstoodLilo]

The Passporter is all I'll ever need!

When I was planning my honeymoon in 2003, I bought the Official Birnbaum and wanted more. I found the Unofficial Guide next and found it to be too negative for the first timer. Then I found the Passporter and it's the only book I get annually, trip or no trip.

Enjoy your Pretty Passporter!!!

 

[MomPlanner22]

I bought both the 2006 UG and subscribed to TGM. I have read the UG cover to cover and been on TGM a ton! My suggestion is TGM. The UG for 2006 was written before the changes in EMH and I think that the best parks/best days suggestions are reflective of what the schedules USED to be. In general, it seems outdated. If your trip isn't until later this year, I'd wait until the 2007 edition comes out. The book itself says it will likely be published some time this fall.

However, I have found a great deal of consistency in park touring advice, which is reassuring.

My vote though would be for TGM!

 

[Kick Save]

But, Mom, they update the best days calendar online weekly, if not more often, so it will reflect those EMH changes. (And I know you can get online. )

I've had Birnbaums in the past, and it was OK. The UG seemed much more non-partisan, so in this case honest. I also subscribed to TGM a while back and he has some great info, too. For a guy who likes to have as much info as possible in front of him, the UG and TGM are great. If I had to pick one, I'd probably go with the UG just because it'll fit in my backpack.

 

[tndisneyfan]

Another vote for the Unofficial Guide . We have also used Binbaums, it seems more like something Disney would publish. Disney with Kids (I think this is the title) is not bad but not as good as UG.

 

[ploto]

another vote for the unifficial guide!

 

[Josiah]

I work in a public library, and the UG seems to be the most popular one where I live (West Coast). We don't purchase the Passporter there because the binding won't stand up to use by the public. I personally have one, though. There were too many cute little pockets for me, but my DH really likes it.

I actually use every guide I can get (borrow!). You learn something from each one, as well as forums. For example, in a forum I learned that Disney DOES have an 800 # for ADRs, but they don't promote it. I tried it, and it works.

800-828-0228

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I used to buy every guide book I could find. I think they are just to help me get my Disney fix between trips (I now have the DIS for that).

The only thing I pay for anymore is TGM.

What I like best about TGM is not only does he tell you when and where, but he also explains why. For the compulsive over-planner like me, that is a God-send. Now I am not only doing what I am told, but I understand the reasoning behind it.

If you join TGM, be sure to take a little time. It can seem over-whelming at first, but if you follow it step-by-step, it all makes sense. It also has a forum where you can ask questions and get a lot of specific TGM help.

 

[TiggerXx]

I love the Unofficial Guide. It's my favorite.

 

[mom2isaac&ella]

I've used the UG for each of the 4 trips I've planned & feel that our trips wouldn't have been as fun without the touring plans & tips I found in it. I'm using Passporter this time in addition to UG & it is nice for organizing with the pockets & for a quick guide to look up info on a particular ride or show. I do feel that they are so in love with Disney that they find very few faults with anything. Unofficial guide seems to tell you the good and bad without worrying about saying something bad about Disney. I've found UG to be pretty on target with their reviews. UG also has a website touringplans.com that is worth checking out. They have updates on the current book & even an online planner. I've found it very useful. I think planning is half the fun! I'll probably go through planning withdrawl when we get back!

 

[RockyMtnMaria]

We used TGM during Jersey Week last Nov. and the parks were full but we never waited in line over 10 minutes. His advice really works, and isn't militaristic to follow. We purchased again at the renewall discount for our Sept trip, but this time I added the PassPorter. I love all the pockets and organization. I will carry it with me, and put the TGM tour suggestions in the pocket for each day. I love having a place to write our itinerary and ADR numbers and quickly look at them. I wish we had purchased the Deluxe Passporter, so we could pull out just what we need for each day. I CAN'T rip it, like the book suggests. Writing in a book is hard enough, lol!

I wouldn't mind adding an Unnofficial guide to the mix as well. I might try to get it through the library, because I only want to read it, but not carry it with me.

My inlaws have a Mini Mickey (from the Unnofficial people) and I didn't think that the info is half as good as TGM. Try TGM and see for yourself. He has a satisfaction gaurantee, or your money back. They also had an awful time at Epcot this May.

 

[lovevacations]

Another vote for TGM!! I also liked Passporter for the maps, better and easier to read than the official Disney maps.

 

[debkorb1]

Unofficial Guide! That's the only one I've used but it is brilliant.

 

[AussieAngel]

Yay!!

Thanks everybody, for your thoughts!

I think I'll definitely have to get the Unofficial Guide. One can never do enough Disney reading!! Although... because Disney is in the middle of our 7 week USA adventure, we already have about 10 books to take with us, about different cities we're going to. Our suitcase will be filled with books! Hmmm.

(In other news, did everybody know PassPorter is making a PassPorter for New York? It hasn't been released yet. That would have been good for our trip too!)

I still haven't decided on whether to join with Tour Guide Mike or not... I kinda think, if he's that good, why doesn't he have a book? Maybe I just need to get with the internet age. Teehee. It just seems much less risky to spend $30 on a book than on viewing a web site, you know?!

 

[MisunderstoodLilo]

I work in a public library, and the UG seems to be the most popular one where I live (West Coast). We don't purchase the Passporter there because the binding won't stand up to use by the public.

The Passporter team does may library editions! I've seen them on their website!

 

[Amirah95]

Each year I buy my Deluxe Passporter refills, the UOG, Birnbaum's for Kids (DD loves it) and I subscribe to TGM. I also consult with Disboards as well. <---All of these I can't live w/o.