The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015

by Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015 Paperback BobSehlinger UnofficialGuides

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference

864 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2014

About the author

Bob Sehlinger is the creator of the Unofficial Guide travel series and author or co-author of over 25 travel guides. He makes his home in Birmingham, Alabama, where the catfish are jumping and the cotton is high.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs updating desperately

I enjoyed the readers tips and think this guide has done a wonderful job at reviewing the attractions. Never having been to Universal, we were able to narrow down what not to do so no time will be wasted. I appreciate that. However, many rides in WDW have been closed (Maelstrom, Backlot Tour, Pirates of the Caribbean, the sorcerers hat in DHS, etc) that are so significant they need to urgently put out a revised edition. 2015 is the year of many closings for Disney World and readers who are on their first visit need to be aware of these changes. I loved reading this book as something to pass the time before our trip, but think the pressure to purchase the touring plans made the book sound a bit like a sales pitch. A little research eliminates the need for the touring plans.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book for a holiday that can be daunting to plan. So full of info! But fun to read as well. In fact, so fun that I read the chapter on bringing kids and we have no children... it was just that entertaining! And the subscriptions to touring plans - worth it! The only long line we waited in was at EPCOT, and that's because we deviated from the plans and because of rain. Use the apps, they're amazing!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and detailed, this is my 'go-to' for all things Walt Disney World. However, if you're only planning a 1-time trip and won't be there more than 3-4 days, this book is likely WAAY more than you need. We are Disney Vacation Club members and typically go yearly, so find this book - and all the detail - very helpful.

[Lucía Santoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edición 2017

[Amanda Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015 checked out of the library for about two months. (I had renewed it--I didn't keep it over the due date!) I was reading it off and on in preparation for my next trip to WDW, although I had been many times before and we actually did not book our trip until November (or even know until then exactly when we were going to go). The last time I had been to WDW was in January 2013, and the MagicBand/FastPass+ system did not exist yet, so I was very nervous about that. I also had never really eaten at many of the sit-down restaurants on property and I wanted to do that the next time I went, so I needed to read about the different restaurants and tips for how to score hard-to-get reservations. This guidebook has about 780 pages of text, and I read the majority of it! I skipped the chapters about the Disney Cruise Line, traveling with kids, the spas, etc., but I did read about all the rides (even though I've been on most of them before), shows, restaurants and hotels. It was very comprehensive and I really enjoyed the light, chatty tone of the book. I felt like I was getting people's opinions, instead of just the facts, which was good. I made copies of some of the pages so I could keep them for my own planning. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone planning a trip to Walt Disney World, especially to people who have never been before.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is loaded with helpful information to make preparing for and navigating Disney easier. I had only planned to peruse this book before our Disney trip, but ended up reading it cover to cover, and I am so glad I did. There are so many options to pick from, decisions to make, and possible pitfalls to be avoided with a Disney vacation that without this book, I feel like I would have been going in blind.

Some of the harsher reviews of various aspects of the parks in this book dampened my excitement before our trip. However, after spending ten days on site at Walt Disney World, I would have to say that the book, including the negative portions, is very accurate.

*I also purchase the companion touringplans.com Lines app, but was not nearly as pleased with the app, as I was with this book.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband and I are planning an October trip to Walt Disney World, so I decided to check this book out at the library to see what helpful information might be available.

Well, when it was time to return the book two weeks later, not only was I still reading it, but also I realized that it had so much helpful information that buying my own copy would probably be a worthwhile purchase. (It was that or keep checking it out of the library...buying a copy seemed like the more practical choice.)

Even though I've been to Disney many times in the past, I find this book helpful in understanding the various changes Disney has made recently (such as the new Fast Pass+ system); and it seems like it will be a useful tool in planning which parks to visit and which attractions not to miss.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read the 2014 edition from the library, and then I went and bought this more recent one for my own trip. Couldn't have done it without it. One of the biggest things this series has going for it is that it had the most information for people staying off site. Nearly every other guide just gave the briefest info on non-Disney accommodations and then concluded that you were probably staying on site anyway. This book has tons of maps and driving directions.

[Coleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been 7 years since I've taken the family- and now I'm looking forward to taking my grandson. Love the reader comments interspersed throughout the book. Also love the addition of Universal Studios. But so much has changed- that my mind is swimming - especially with the new Fastpass+. Still loved reading over how to save some money and some time. I'll buy my own copy when I decide to go again.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide for anyone planning a trip to Walt Disney World and/or Universal Studios. Very well researched, well written and easy to navigate. The level of detail in these 800+pages is incredible--down to which hotel has the best pillows! I also really appreciated the comments and advice that they included from readers. Don't let the length put you off--it's easy to skim or skip certain parts based on your circumstances.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all the relevant parts in preparation for my vacation to Orlando at the end of October. Covers more than just Disney, and gave lots of other event ideas in the area. Has some great advice on crowd avoidance.....although we'll see how accurate the advice is in practice. This book is quite thorough, and being an unofficial guide isn't afraid to say what NOT to do. I'd highly recommend to anyone planning a trip to Disney World or Orlando in general!

[Eloise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for planning our Spring Break trip to Disney World. I also recommend their app, WDW Lines, which requires a subscription. I referred to it many times each day while we were in the parks. I found Lines more accurate and less buggy than Disney World's official app, My Disney Experience.

[Jksechler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book full of lots of details about WDW (and other area attractions). For someone who likes to plan their vacation in advance - this is the book for you! It gives ratings for hotels, rides, restaurants, etc. Tips for just about everything. Also, this will get you excited for your upcoming vacation too! Can't wait to visit...

[Jex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great tips on planning your trip to Disneyworld. Definitely gave ideas of things I hadn't even thought of. I'm definitely taking some things with a grain of salt, but definitely an asset in the long run. Especially their app for tour plans :)

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was invaluable for planning our trip to Disney. However, some of their advice might be better suited to people traveling without young children. For instance, they suggest skipping a lot of things that my 3 year old absolutely adored.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great informative book. Extremely detailed. I read it on my iPhone. In that format the internal page citations were unavailable and certain graphics were missing. But the book was exactly what I needed to plan my next trip. I also love the touringplans website sponsored by the authors.

[Misty Farias · Rating 3 out of 5]

The format of this book seems to have changed a lot. There are multiple pages of reader tips inserted in between reviews and trip plans. While I appreciate reader reviews I found this layout really messy and hard to understand.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great review of WDW and surrounding theme parks. Already outdated so try to get the current (or even next year's!) book to use for planning. I still would rather use blogs to know the latest information, but this one was great.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful in planning trip to Disney, and even has sections describing Universal, Sea World and other nearby attractions...

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only been to WDW once, but hope to go again sometime soon. The Unofficial Guides are my favorite for Disney and this one doesn't disappoint!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good tips. The best is it includes Universal parks, which is really nice since there really are not books out there on Universal.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gold standard, along with touringplans.com

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the information was good, but I found it a little overly critical. It kind of put a damper on my excitement for our upcoming trip to read about all the things they didn't like.

[Katie B-K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book we read to prepare to go to Disney World, and it was very helpful. I honestly can't imagine going there without something like this.

[Alicia Terrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the most complete Disney guide. It's big, but it has everything you would ever need to know in it!

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, needs some updating but attractions listed may have closed after publishing date.

[Paul Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unofficial Guides are still the reigning kings of the WDW travel guides. This is a thick one that covers it all - even the Universal parks and other Orlando area attractions.

[Katie Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very in depth guide, especially if you're looking a different resorts. And the touring plans are solid!