The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 (Complete Walt Disney World) (Complete Guide to Walt Disney World) Review

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(More customer reviews)Looking for a guide to Walt Disney World? I think I can help. My family, along with two other families, recently spent a week at Disney, and we took five different travel books with us. We thought it would be fun to compare how useful the books were as we planned our trip and as we spent our days at the parks.
This review is the result of our efforts, with book rated from 1 star (awful) to 5 stars (great).
Before I start, you should know that our little reviewing group consisted of three couples, all in their early thirties. Between us we have three little girls, one little boy, a teenage girl, and a pair of grandparents that went along too.
We rated the books based on six criteria:
1. Helpfulness as a Trip Planner
Does the book offer tips on saving money or time? Does it help you get through the Orlando airport? Does it recommend hotels and restaurants to reserve and back up its reasons well? Does it have good advice about the Disney dining plan and which restaurants to eat at?
2. Helpfulness While at Disney World.
Is it worthwhile to take the guide with you? Does it help with last minute decisions? Is it fun to read as you wait for a restaurant table, or in a line for a ride or show?
3. Organization.
No matter how good a particular piece information is, if you can't find it, it doesn't do you any good. This is especially true in travel guides, when you often need a particular piece of information RIGHT NOW!
4. Current information.
Though all of these guides have "2009" in their title, are they really up-to-date? To find out, we picked out three things we know are new at Disney World for this year: The American Idol Experience show, the new promotion where guests get in free on their birthday, and the new room decor at the BoardWalk resort, where we stayed, and checked to see which books knew about them.
5. Addresses family needs
Since so many Disney World visitors are families, how does each book reflect that? Are there specific planning tips for families? Is there advice about which rides are too scary for little ones?
So, on to the reviews!
Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2009 2 stars
Once published by travel guru Steve Birnbaum, today Birnbaum's Walt Disney World is an objective travel guide in name only. Now written and published by the Disney company, it offers nothing but cheers for everything Walt Disney World has to offer. Worse, a lazy attitude permeates everything, as if this is something Disney is forced to do but would really just forget about. As you would expect, there's precious little about saving money (except for a recommendation to "save" by buying the extra-cost Disney Disney Plan) and no quality ratings for attractions, restaurants or resorts beyond an occasional "Birnbaum's Best" logo. Chapter titles are confusing: restaurants are under "Good Meals Great Times;" water parks within "Everything Else in the World." The book was 1-for-3 on our accuracy test. It knew the American Idol show existed but had no information about it. Its room description for the Boardwalk Resort was two years out of date. It did not mention the birthday promotion. On the plus side, the book's relative few pages makes it the easiest of the Disney guides to scan through, and there are many illustrations of Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters.
The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 5 stars
Outstanding organization and a wealth of color photos makes it easy to find particular information in The Complete Walt Disney World. Chapters are color coded, and subjects are grouped together well. For example, a Planning Your Trip chapter has a subsection on the Disney Dining Plan that clearly spells out the pluses and minuses of that add-on, and individual articles titled Saving Money (with 30 numbered tips), another called Saving Time. Restaurant reviews include good insight on character meals. Resort descriptions have more details than the other guides, though the authors provide little opinion beyond a star rating. Theme park information is superb. Attraction reviews, which can go on for multiple pages for major headliners like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, include "Fear Factors" as well as "Fun Finds," are practical for families and fun for Disney fans. There's a touring plan for each park that we found helpful. The Complete Guide was 3-for-3 in our accuracy test. The only downer: Except for hotel listings, the Complete Walt Disney World focuses exclusively on Walt Disney World. There's no mention of Universal Studios, Sea World, or even the Orlando airport.
Frommer's Walt Disney World and Orlando 2009 3 stars
Frommers is well written, well organized and in many ways thorough, but the author doesn't seem that familiar with Walt Disney World. The book has no tips on saving time or money, and its hotel and restaurant opinions aren't backed up with a lot of facts. Attraction descriptions are short paragraphs with no specifications and few tips. The book offers little take-along value, and hardly any specific information for families. Vague family information. There are no photos or illustrations. The book scored 0 for 3 on our accuracy test. It didn't know about the American Idol show, our new room decor, or Disney's birthday promotion.
Fodor's Walt Disney World 2009: plus Universal Orlando and SeaWorld 2 star
Like a weaker version of the Frommers guide, the Fodors one is less organized and offers even less planning advice. Its ride and show descriptions seem to be edited versions of those in the Unofficial Guide, which this company also publishes. Like Frommers, the book scored 0 for 3 on our accuracy test.
The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009 4 stars
Is there an editor in the house? Packed with advice and information, the 848-page Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is like your grandmother's attic: there's a lot of good stuff in there but so much junk to shift through! Actually it depends on the subject. If you have hours to dig through it, this massive tome can be a great planning tool. Page after page is devoted to subjects such as saving time or saving money. Incredibly detailed resort information includes which rooms, by number, offer the best views. Attraction summaries have details such as ratings by age group, but the authors comments are often so cynical they have value only if you find them funny. The Unofficial Guide scored 2 out of 3 on our accuracy test. It didn't know about Disney's birthday promotion. The book includes various Touring Plans, which offer step-by-step guidance for a day, or two, at each of the theme parks. These looked useful, but our group had too many individual interests to follow them. In short, this is a good book for those who aren't really fans of the Disney company, but want to take months to plan out a visit to its mecca.
So that's it! We determined that the Unofficial Guide and the Complete Guide are the best two books out there. As for which is the best for you, I think if you like Disney (or want a book that includes photography) you will like the Complete Guide best, but if you are headed there reluctantly (like, say, only to keep your kids happy), or also want information about SeaWorld or Universal, you will find the Unofficial Guide more to your liking. But either is a good choice.

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The definitive Disney handbookThe only photo-driven guidebook to the No. 1 vacation destination, The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 is a must-buy for anyone planning a trip to Walt Disney World. Filled with over 400 photographs and packed with more factual information than any other Disney guide, the colorful book includes in-depth information on attractions, activities, restaurants and resorts that you just cannot find anywhere else. Completely revised and updatedThough it does have all the latest Disney news, The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 is more than just an annual update. The new edition adds a eight-page What's New summary right up front, as well as incisive articles on saving time and saving money. New At a Glance summaries make it easy to find what you need in each theme park chapter, while attraction articles now include hour-by-hour wait times as well as lists of Fun Finds, Fun Facts and Hidden Mickeys. Insider tips appear at the bottom of nearly every page. Winner of four national book awardsIn the past year alone the book has been honored with four national awards. It won the coveted Nonfiction Book of the Year award at the 2008 Writer's Digest ISPBA and was named Travel Guide of the Year at the 2008 NIEA. It won Best Southeast Nonfiction (Silver Medal) at the 2008 IPBA and was named one of three finalists for Best Travel Guide at the USA Book News 2008 NBBA. The Walt Disney World Moms Panel praises the book for its "fabulous behind-the-scenes info about the parks." With photographs on nearly every single page, The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 is printed in full-color on gloss paper.

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The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2007 (Unofficial Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)My family and I just returned from our first trip to Disney World. (It was as blast!) Because it was our first time and we were essentially clueless to the Disney experience, we bought several guides.
The Unofficial Guide by Bob Sehlinger is the one book that I kept returning to over and over again. It's full of such detailed information that even the clueless will be prepared to visit Disney World. However, *because* this book provides an incredible amount of information (such as how to increase your chances for getting into the Hot Seat for MGM's Millionaire game), it could be almost overwhelming for first time visitors to Disney World. (I often got headaches trying to absorb everything!)
In this book, you'll find a Crowd-Level Calendar, Park Traffic Patterns, Clip-Out Touring Plans, and much, much more. This book is updated yearly, so the 2006 version had information on Mickey's PhilharMagic, Expedition Everest, Lights, Motors, Action! Stunt Show, and so on.
Reader feedback is peppered throughout the book, as is the critical and often snarky comments by the author. He provides fascinating "behind the scenes" facts, too. For example, the Imagineers of Mickey's PhilharMagic thought they were being clever when they released Jasmine's deodorant scent when she flies by on the carpet. However, many people were allergic to the scent (the show was often disrupted by sneezing!) so they pulled it from the show. Another amusing behind the scenes: Disney cast members sometimes mess with the Hall of Presidents to reflect current events (e.g., during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, the Prez had a condom sticking out of his jacket pocket.)
As you can see, the author can be irreverent.
Each attraction gets a thorough overview, as do the restaurants and hotels. For example, a phone number to each restaurant is provided, as is an evaluation of friendliness, service, wine slection, description of setting and atmosphere, menu samples/house specialities, hours of operation, and more. Although a few of the evaluations didn't jive with my experience (for example, the author raves about the Muppet 3D pre-show and movie whereas I thought it was suprisingly boring), there's enough information provided to at least get an idea if a restaurant or attraction would likely appeal. In fact, their star-system rating according to age (grade school vs. young adults vs. those over 30 etc.) is invaluable--and mostly correlated with my experience with the attractions.
I found myself returing to the Unofficial Guide over and over again. In fact, it's the only guide I took WITH me to Disney World! Although I sometimes felt overwhelmed at all the information (it's hard for a newbie to take in all that Disney World offers, especially sight-unseen), I felt PREPARED due in large part to this book.
The author is THOROUGH on his updates--including which attractions have been discontinued and the new ones to be introduced--so I know that the 2007 guide will be just as awesome as the 2006 version! (By the way, that's a picture of Expedition Everest on the 2007 cover--the new rollercoaster in Animal Kingdom that debuted in April of 2006. Here's a tip for ya: it's not HALF as scary--or fun--as people have said. I enjoyed Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom much more! The wait in the heat wasn't worth it for the Expedition ride, IMO, but we did get a pretty funny picture of the family when the Yeti makes an appearance!)
Another great book you may want to get--and, unlike the Unofficial Guide, it has hundreds of color photographs--is the The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World which was just published in April of 2007. A second edition of that book will be published at the end of 2007.

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"A Tourist's Best Friend!"-Chicago Sun-Times"Indispensable"-The New York TimesCompanion podcast available on Frommers.comFive Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide®:
Exclusively patented, field-tested touring plans that save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day
Tips, advice, and opinions from hundreds of Walt Disney World guests in their own words
Almost 250 hotels rated and ranked for quality and value, including the top non-Disney hotels for families
A complete Dining Guide with ratings and reviews of all Walt Disney World restaurants, plus extensive alternatives for dining deals outside the World
Every attraction rated and ranked for each age group; extensive, objective, head-to-head comparisons of the Disney and Universal theme parks

Sample Rating:Ride Name: Soarin'Appeal by age : Preschool, Grade school, Teens, Young adults, Over 30, SeniorsWhat it is: Flight simulation ride.Scope and scale: Super headliner.When to go: First 30 minutes the park is open or use FASTPASS.Special comments: Entrance on the lower level of The Land pavilion. May induce motion sickness; 40" minimum-height requirement; switching off available (see pages 266-268).Author's rating: Exciting and mellow at the same time; Not to be missed. Duration of ride: 4 minutes.Loading speed: Moderate.This guide is a completely independent evaluation of Walt Disney World and has not been reviewed or approved by Walt Disney World or the Walt Disney Company, Inc.

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PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2009: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this as one of three books to prepare for our Disney trip. I love all things Disney so it was fun to read a travel guide written by a Disney fanatic. Here are the highlights of this guide:
The MAPS: these are the best WDW maps that I have come across for planning your schedule! They are detailed but not convoluted, and seem to be much more drawn to scale than Disney's own maps that you can order customized from the website.
The REVIEWS: she includes reviews of every eatery and attraction including a rating from herself, her husband, and her readers. She also includes comments from her teenager, tween, and toddler about some attractions!
The PICTURES: unlike other travel guides, she includes candid photos of the snapshot variety (from her own trips and probably from readers) and the pics are in full color. The pics really give you a more personal feel than the typical travel guide glossy photos or no photos (as in one of my guidebooks).
The DETAILS: she really seems to leave no stone unturned, like which specific rooms in each resort have the best views!
While I enjoyed all three of my Disney travel guides, this is my favorite. If you can only buy one, THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT!!!

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The size and scope of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is enough to make the most seasoned traveler shiver. This guide covers each of the four major parks - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom - as well as all of the Disney-owned hotels and over 300 dining options. Every map, photo, chart, illustration, and worksheet is in full color, with additional use of color to highlight important points, such as items that are new or have changed since the publication of the previous edition.

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Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2008 Review

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(More customer reviews)Birnbaum's markets itself as the official guide to Walt Disney World and the book is so polished and professional that you could almost believe that the Disney people had a hand in preparing it. They also have the distinction of being one of a very few guides with extensive color photographs of the Disney World parks and hotels. The photos are uniformly excellent and do a great job of offering a window into the look and feel of the parks. Thera are also maps and graphics that are top notch. This certainly brightens up the book and for those who have never been to Disney World, it will help you gain a better sense of what the area looks like. The writing is very light in tone, it's easy to read and comprehend. When it comes to production values, this book is a beauty from cover to cover.
The downside of all the photos is that they leave less room for information such as in-depth coverage of hotels, restaurants, and entertainment outside of the parks. This is doubly true because Birnbaum's starts off with the fewest pages of any major guide to the Orlando area. While the authors have wisely added almost 50 pages to this year's effort, the largest guidebook to the area still has more than three times as many pages, and even the average size guides are nearly double the size. And those books are not filled with photos, they are packed with hard information and useful advice. In effect, Birnbaum's has sacrificed the detailed coverage to give you the beautiful photos and graphics.
In certain respects, this book is less well suited as a tool for in depth planning as it is a means to get excited about your trip. It is useful to the extent that coverage is provided for all the attractions and hotels. But it is of limited use since each entry is carefully phrased to emphasize the positive while doing almost nothing to offer honest comparisons, tell you where the best values are and which places are a bit overpriced, or tell you where you would really be best off spending your time. The authors certainly don't need to resort to snarky negativity, but a basic acknowledgement that some restaurants, hotels, and attractions are lacking in some way would add greatly to their credibility when praising the rest.
The Birnbaum's guide certainly has many fans, but before you buy, you should carefully consider what it is you're looking for. If your primary objective is to get a sneak peak of what Walt Disney World looks like and get a basic description of the area then this is an easy purchase. It will be a quick read and you'll have a decent idea of what to expect when you visit. If you have children, this would also be an excellent book for them to explore.
If you're more of a planner and want a lot of information, if you're curious about anything outside of the Disney Resort area, or if you want more general advice on how to approach a trip to Orlando then this book will not help you nearly as well as almost any other guidebook on the market. The acknowledged king of the detailed guides is The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 (Unofficial Guides). You'll find that Fodor's Walt Disney World® 2007: with Universal Orlando and SeaWorld (Fodor's Gold Guides) and Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando 2008 (Frommer's Complete) are also solid efforts even if they are not as detailed as the Unoffical Guide. Depending on what you're looking for, it may well make sense to buy more than one guide.
A trip to the Orlando area is usually very expensive and, especially if you have children, problems and disappointments can be somewhat traumatic. Don't stint on the advance planning as it can greatly enhance the experience once you arrive. Good luck and have a great time visiting Walt Disney World!
UPDATE: When I first posted this review, I commented that the book is so well produced that you could easily believe that the Disney folks had a hand in producing it. I meant that as a compliment but it turns out that Disney does indeed produce the book. I've since noticed that this is published by Disney Editions, a Disney owned operation. So rather than a third party guide, this is literally written and published by the owners of Disney World. Having said this, it doesn't mean that the information is inaccurate or that the book has no merit. But it does explain the lack of any critical descriptions of any kind and I do think that readers should be aware of the source. Maybe I'm the last one to realize the connection and it will be no surprise to most... I just thought I should add the information to my review and let people judge for themselves.

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Birnbaum's Walt Disney World, the most respected and well-known name in travel guides, takes readers to the world's most popular tourist attraction. Since ours is the only guidebook that's official, this book includes the most accurate information on prices, changes, and new attractions for 2008. Highlights include the scoop on "Magical Beginnings," Walt Disney World's specially tailored, money-saving vacation plan for families with pre-schoolers, and updates on Pleasure Island's new venues, eateries, and shopping opportunities.This new edition also includes info on the Magic Kingdom's Pirate and Princess parties-the park's new special-ticket interactive family adventures, complete with fireworks. We've also got more money-saving tips than ever before! Other updates include all the insider info about stage shows, parades, and nighttime spectaculars, prices and ticket options, customized travel tips for teenagers, international travelers, guests with disabilities, and a comprehensive character meal chart to help guests pick their favorite dining spots.

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The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 (Unofficial Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although I have been a fan of the UG, it appears that the editors are resting on their laurels, and not updating the book every year as they claim. This year's guide includes a disturbing amount of assertions that were not true at the date of publication, and haven't been true for years.
For example:
* The guide claims that all resorts on the monorail have child care centers. The Contemporary Resort does not, and has not since 2004.
* The guide claims that Universe of Energy is an "Exxon pavilion." Exxon has not sponsored the pavilion since 2004.
* The guide claims that guests at the Hard Rock Hotel and Portofino Bay Hotel can obtain early entry to Universal on certain days. Universal discontinued its general early entry program for resort guests years ago.
* The guide claims that there is no bus between the Wilderness Lodge and the Magic Kingdom. Although that was true at one time, it again hasn't been true for years.
* The guide lists Hidden Treasures and Gardens of the World as tours available to the general public at Epcot, even though they were discontinued earlier this year, and the UG website's corrections for the '07 guide in fact notes that the tours have been discontinued.
The index also contains some serious mistakes, such as the claim that Typhoon Lagoon is in Tomorrowland, the hours of operation for "Paradise Island", and a listing for "Lunch with Walt Disney World Animal Programs" which does not actually appear in the body of the guide (having been discontinued).
There's still a lot of good information in the guide, but its becoming less and less trustworthy every year. Wait for the '09 guide and hope that by then the editors get the message that they actually need to do their jobs.

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From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
"A Tourist's Best Friend!"—Chicago Sun-Times
"Indispensable"—The New York Times
Five Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide:

Exclusively patented, field-tested touring plans that save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day

Tips, advice, and opinions from hundreds of Walt Disney World guests in their own words

Almost 250 hotels rated and ranked for quality and value, including the top non-Disney hotels for families

A complete Dining Guide with ratings and reviews of all Walt Disney World restaurants, plus extensive alternatives for dining deals outside the World

Every attraction rated and ranked for each age group; extensive, objective, head-to-head comparisons of the Disney and Universal theme parks

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Rethinking Disney: Private Control, Public Dimensions Review

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(More customer reviews)As authors Mike Budd and MAX KIRSCH along with contributors Lee Artz, Sean Griffin, Dick Hebdige, Radha Jhappan, Daiva Stasiulis, and Susan Willis show in this collection of eleven interdisciplinary essays, the Walt Disney corporation has grown far beyond its origins in animated films and theme parks to become a BIG multinational corporation with global cultural programming power. Although the authors purport to take an economic approach to corporatism's "Disney-sized" problems, they do little more than show their confusion on corporations and capitalism. Corporations are creations of the state and do not arise spontaneously in a free market, but the authors seem to know little about the origins of these "artificial persons". Here are the topics that they do cover:
INTRODUCTION: "Private Disney, Public Disney" by Mike Budd
PART ONE: ALTERNATIVE HISTORIES
"Dis-Gnosis: Disney and the Re-Tooling of Knowledge, Art, Culture, Life Etcetera" by Dick Hebdige;
"Disney's Bestiary" by Susan Willis;
PART TWO: CAPITALISM, COMMODIFICATION, GLOBALIZATION
"Monarchs, Monsters and Multiculturalism: Disney's Menu for Global Hierarchy" by Lee Artz;
"The Lion King, Mimesis, and Disney's Magical Capitalism" by Maurya Wickstrom;
PART THREE: HIERARCHIES: RACE, CLASS, GENDER, SEXUALITY
"Curiouser and Curiouser: Gay Days at the Disney Theme Parks" by Sean Griffin;
"Anglophilia and the Discreet Charm of the English Voice in Disney's Pocahontas Films" - Radha Jhappan and Daiva Stasiulis;
PART FOUR: REPRESENTATION, SIMULATION, APPROPRIATION
"Everybody Wants a Piece of Pooh: Winnie, from Adaptation to Market Saturation" by Aaron Taylor;
"Truer than Life: Disney's Animal Kingdom" by Scott Hermanson;
PART FIVE: URBAN PLANNING AND THEMED ENVIRONMENTS
'Saying No to Disney: Disney's Demise in Four American Cities" by Stacy Warren;
"Synergy City: How Times Square and Celebration are Integrated into Disney's Marketing Cycle" by Frank Roost;
"Disneyfication, the Stadium, and the Politics of Ambiance" by Greg Siegel.
I thought the difficult economic issues were avoided as well as the analogy of the corporation to a Roman General and his army. Part Three was the best on Class and Heirarchies with all three authors contributing works in the section providing a superb and vitally important introduction to cultural theory and cultural programming.
With Tony Blair ever-whispering into Bush's ear, the British empire now American-powered, and Disney too a victim of Anglophilia, it is difficult to believe that American Yankees ever fought a war against the British, let alone two wars!
In short, a concise socialist critique of a certain corporation.

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In recent years, the Walt Disney Company has grown far beyond its beginnings in animated films and theme parks to become a major multinational corporation with global reach. As the company's activities have grown more complex and its influence more ubiquitous, both its internal practices and its attempts to control its now global public environment have generated conflicts that contradict the classic Disney publicity image. The 11 wide-ranging, interdisciplinary essays in this collection cover topics including Animal Kingdom; Gay Days at the theme parks; Disney's connection to sweatshops; commodification of The Lion King on Broadway; the transformation of Winnie the Pooh; Disney's experience in urban planning in Times Square and Celebration, Florida; and Disney's America. A comprehensive introduction contextualizes the essays and relates them to earlier Disney studies.CONTRIBUTORS include Lee Artz, Sean Griffin, Dick Hebdige, Radha Jhappan, Daiva Stasiulis, and Susan Willis.

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