The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2010 (Unofficial Guides) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased this along with Fodor's Las Vegas 2010 and Frommer's Las Vegas 2010. This book has the most pages. They break down everything in terms of a rating, price, etc. for shows they tell you the slowest time of the week for the show, the length of the show, as well as a description. It breaks down the top restaurants and buffets.
This book has information regarding shows, hotels, restaurants, nightlife. There are little tips here and there but none i found that i didn't already really know.
What I don't like is that there are no pictures--and there are very few visual breaks for me so sometimes the pages can be a bit overwhelming. I loved the Fodor's book the best for layout and pictures as well as side trip information.
The difficulty in rating is that there are some things I like about Fodor's better and it gives better information and some things I like about this one better--this one has more information about buffets--which kind of excite me. I'm wondering if the only thing i will be doing is eating!
After looking at Fodors and this book over and over, it really has become more of a tie for me between the two. Frommers on the other hand is clearly not on par with either of these books and provides the least amount of information on everything.
If you are only looking to be in Las Vegas, then this is probably the best book. If however, you are like me and also wanting to do day trips or side trips, I would also purchase Fodor's Guide to Las Vegas 2010 as it has a lot more information about those. (63 pages on side trips--as opposed to 6 pages in this book).
I hope this help you make a decision on which book is best.
I learned from this book about the "M" casino that has an excellent buffet for fairly inexpensive. it is a little south of the strip so a lot of people don't know about. so far, it is our favorite buffet. although we will be going to Wynn soon because they are suppose to have an excellent buffet also.
I highly recommend buying and reading at least 1 of these guides--this or fodor's as there is so much information that you may not find out if you just come.

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In 2008, Las Vegas hosted 37.5 million visitors according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Global Travel Industry News and Forbes Traveler rank Las Vegas as the #2 most popular U.S. destination to visit calling it "America's favorite playground".
The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas ranks over 100 hotels and casinos- the most offered by any other guidebook for the destination, providing complete detailed descriptions of each casino hotel.

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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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David Busch's Sony Alpha DSLR-A390/A290 Guide to Digital Photography Review

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(More customer reviews)I decided to upgrade from my old point-and-shoot to a digital SLR camera. I love the camera but the manual is nearly useless for a beginner like me. Mr. Busch's book is easy to read and extremely helpful. It not only explains each part of the camera in detail, but also offers practical tips on taking better photos. I feel much more comfortable with my new camera because of this book. It will be a permanent part of my camera bag.

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DAVID BUSCH'S SONY ALPHA DSLR-A390/290 GUIDE TO DIGITAL SLR PHOTOGRAPHY shows you how, when, and why to use all the cool features, controls, and functions of Sony's newest advanced digital SLR cameras to take great photographs of anything. Though smaller in size than their predecessors, the A390 and A290 boast a robust feature set including 14.2 megapixels of resolution and blazing fast automatic focus, and the A390 offers cool new features like the real-time preview system called Live View, as well as amazing new features including support for SD cards, HDTV connections, and improved image quality. You'll learn how, when, and, most importantly, why to use all the cool features and functions of your camera to take eye-popping photographs. Introductory chapters will help you get comfortable with the basics of your camera, and beautiful, full-color images illustrate where the essential buttons and dials are, and tips and techniques that can be applied to any type of photography will help you take better pictures with your new camera. This book will show discriminating digital photographers how to maximize your camera's capabilities so you'll quickly learn how to use your new Sony Alpha, and use it well.

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700 Places to Volunteer Before You Die: A Traveler's Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)Volunteering is a key way to many great experiences in life. "700 Places to Volunteer Before You Die: A Traveler's Guide" is a volunteer's tour guide about great places around the world where you can volunteer and get a truly unique experience from the world. With tips from volunteers, countless places to go, what you can do, and making the world a better place by seeing it. "700 Places to Volunteer Before You Die" is a fine and solidly recommended pick for any voluntary traveler.


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Offering the most diverse listing of global volunteer projects available, this definitive guidebook on "voluntourism" includes tips from industry leaders, advice from renowned travel writers and serial volunteers, and coverage of issues facing volunteer travelers. Along with detailed project descriptions of more than 750 global philanthropic travel opportunities, this guide also provides an extensive index of projects comparable at a glance by skill, region, and type of travel. A unique introduction to awe-inspiring possibilities, it presents options and inspirations for every style of traveler: budget, families, teens, humanitarian, wildlife, education, conservation, builders, and business.

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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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