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The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World
In 2008, combined Walt Disney World Resort(c) theme park attendance reached over 51 million, with the Magic Kingdom alone drawing over 17 million visitors. (Orlando Convention and Visitor Bureau)Despite signifcant downturns in the economy Disney theme parks have maintained attendance rates and made gains in attendance at some parks.Walt Disney World Resort theme parks are ...more
Paperback, 850 pages
Published
August 24th 2009
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published 1985)
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The best Disney World travel guide out there. I read it cover to cover (minus the Universal Studios and water park sections) and will use it as reference for our trip this year. Entertaining writing and a great reminder/primer of Disney Magic.
If you are going to Disney World, get this book first! It is filled with excellent information - everything from the tastiest quick bites available to the most over-rated restaurants to avoid. It gives a careful rating of numerous aspects of the many, many lodging facilities available and would prove an invaluable tool for planning your Disney vacation. Sehlinger and his team work constantly to bring the most complete and detailed information to help you spend your money wisely at what can be a ...more
This is the Disney Bible. If you only want to buy one guide book, then this is the one. It might overwhelm first time visitors but it's packed full of essential information that you won't know about. This is the third one of these guides I've read and although alot of the information is the same, I like to keep an eye out for any new updates I might have missed. It's also very useful for planning the holiday. I do skip some of the chapters because they are not relevant to me. Like 'Disney World ...more
This book is unlike any travel book I had ever read before. While it does give you tips and ratings on all the various hotels, attractions, and dining locations you would expect, it is also a layman's introduction to Operations Research. What Sehlinger and his team has done is apply queueing theory to develop touring plans to minimize the time you spend waiting in lines.
He examines how each attraction is designed, whether it is a continuous loader, a stop to load operation, etc. He con...more
He examines how each attraction is designed, whether it is a continuous loader, a stop to load operation, etc. He con...more
(Well, I had the 2009 guide, but I could not find that one listed here.) A friend offered this to me before our trip to Disney last month. It was my first time there in 28 years, and my kids' first. I found the guide incredibly detailed, well-organized, and unbiased. I appreciated the feedback from readers...it really helped to paint a picture of the resorts, the parks, the food and the attractions. I had asked Disney veterans for tips ahead of time, so not a lot of the information was new to me...more
Jeffrey
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone going to Disney World
Shelves:
non-fiction
If you are going to go to Walt Disney World for any length of time you must have a copy of this book or the current book for the year that you go. It is meticulously researched. I went to Disney twice last year with twin 4 year olds and this was without a doubt the best thing packed in my suitcase. Just for the touring plans its worth it.
I read the 2009 guide.....This is an absolute must read prior to going to Disney World! This book (and available online touring plans) insured our SPRING BREAK (crowded beyond belief) vacation was magical. We downloaded the plan for "tweens" and on the days we followed it precisely, we were done by lunch time or shortly thereafter and were able to ride again or add to the plan. We never waited more than 10-20 minutes for any attraction. On the one day we swayed away from the plan, w...more
Rachel
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone traveling to Disney/Universal
Recommended to Rachel by:
bookstore
To get a head start, I've been poking around in the 2011 guide for a while now--especially gleaning information on Universal Studios/Harry Potter World. This guide saved us hours upon hours of wasted time in the parks for our last trip in 2009. I think we will be going in Spring 2012 for 3 days in Orlando and 2 days in Daytona. Excited because we've never been to Universal. Will be our first time to stay outside the parks, which makes me a little anxious, but we are saving a ton of $ that wa...more
This is a big one ladies and gents! It's a very interesting read as it has 'regular joes' opinions on things to do and what they thought about this, that and the other. It even gives differing views on the same subject allowing the reader to decide for themselves. Good for finding hotels...even outside of Disney hotels. Def. recommend for anyone going to DisneyWorld, Florida anytime soon. My personal recommendation....go at Christmas. You will never forget it! Magical!~
This is a very good guidebook for travel to Disney World. My family is not interested in the very detailed touring plans. Although they are extremely well researched and some families may love these plans, they are too regimented and structured for our vacation time. Nevertheless, there is a great deal of useful information in this book, even for repeat visitors like us. I found the suggestions from other readers especially helpful, and at times entertaining (the section about "It's A Small...more
I was fortunate enough to take my daughter on a mommy/daughter trip to Disney World last month and I took this book with me (but I borrowed it from the library). Lots of great suggestions, touring plans in the back for each park. Oddly it pointed me to a website that I had also found on my own and liked a lot as well. The trip was amazing and there were lots of little tips in this book and on the website that were really helpful.
These guides (regardless of the year) have always been my favorite for touring WDW. There are literally hundreds of tips and Sehlinger has a great sense of humor. I always recommend this book to friends. Try to get the most current one (it will have the newest rides) but for the most part these are very similar year by year so you can almost always use the last year's one as well.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
The second of these that I have read (I read the 2007 version back went we went last time.), and it was even a little better than the first, as now it even has a color photo section. This guide is realy amazing, and a must if you are ever even thinking of going to Disney World. I actually read it in a day, i am so excited to start planning our next trip!
I used this book before taking the grandkids to Disney World in October 2009. It was so full of information that it was hard to take in. I tore pages out of the book to take for the day. We still couldn't follow all the information/maps. The info on places to stay was a little subjective I think. In retrospect I don't think the book was that helpful.
Fantastic! This guide really speaks to the 'obsessive vacation planner', which I am. The information is very detailed, and backed by statistics and solid data. I'm looking forward to using the touring plans to have a smooth trip to the World (as smooth as it can be with a 6 and 3 year old).
We actually have the 2012 version, but I can't seem to find it listed on Goodreads yet.
I haven't yet finished it, but what I've gone through so far is easy to follow and chock-full of tips. (We'll have to see how useful said tips are once we're actually at Disney in another week.)
I haven't yet finished it, but what I've gone through so far is easy to follow and chock-full of tips. (We'll have to see how useful said tips are once we're actually at Disney in another week.)
It was very thorough (over 800 pages long) with all kinds of tips for making the most of your time and money. If I have as much success as this book promises the rating will stay at a five, but this much I'm sure about - it definitely was a great prep tool for my vacation there!
I read the 2009 version. I didn't read it cover to cover, but I read a good deal of it. It was so helpful on our vacation. I referred to it many times and it saved us a lot of time. Highly recommended for anyone traveling to Disney World.
This guide is huge, but don't let the size intimidate you. I only read the parts that pertained to my vacation, about half the book. The best thing about this book are the Tour Plans in the back: tour itineraries for each park designed to minimize line wait time. The plans are generated by a computer algorithm based on queueing theory. Through strategic use of the Fast Pass and arriving at the park early, you can stay one step ahead of the crowds and the unwashed masses sweating in line. If you ...more
We read over 5 different guides and even subscribed to a tour guide site in prep for our Disney Vacation and this one was the best(2009 version). It is a thick book but it is full of useful information and the touring plans really work.
I used the latest version (2011 I believe) and it was very informative. Great for insider tips, dining and hotel recommendations, and off the beaten trail type of things as well. A definite recommend for planning a Disney trip!
We're supposed to be going to WDW next suumer with Scouts so I got this book to help plan the trip and get some advice. I like the touring plans which tells you how to plan your day (which ride to see at what time).
I thought we could just show up at the park and wing it, but it sounds like we will have much better luck seeing and doing things with a plan. I'm willing to give it a try - the authors are very convincing.
I read this one in preparation for our trip to WDW next year (2010). It was overwhelming--you knew you'd have to do so much planning for a successful trip! Things sure have changed since our last trip there. This is chock-full of information: just about everything you could possibly want to know. At least I have a year to plan!
A must read if you are planning a trip to Disney. We used its advice, and never stood in line and had the most relaxing experience possible at a wild and crazy Disney park. Awesome!!
The only research-based travel guide on the market - Len Testa is a statistics god! The book may look intimidating,, but it's definitely worth a read if you're planning on going to WDW!
This was the first edition of this book that I read cover-to-cover. It was so helpful that I have always turned to its updates for help in planning subsequent Disney trips.
I used the 2009 guide I think but I loved this book. Very useful in maximizing fun! I'd recommend it to all Disney-goers.
Anyone who goes to Walt Disney World, whether first-timer or seasoned pro should have this guide to take along! Essential!
The Unofficial Guides are always incredibly informative and well worth browsing through for tips and information.
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