The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2013 (Unofficial Guides)
Unofficial GuidesHotels, attractions, and restaurants in all price categoriesEvaluations based on reader surveys and critiques—compiled by unbiased inspectorsDetailed, two-color maps
List Price: $ 19.99
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Gitsy
The #1 Go To Book for planning a Disney Vacation (and then some),
For those of us who have never been to Walt Disney World or have only been only once or twice, I cannot recommend a better book on the market. This book, and the accompanying website, touringplans.com, are the best sources of in-depth reviews, ratings and details of every aspect of WDW. From hotels/resorts to dining to rides and venues, this book HAS IT ALL IN ONE PLACE. The most important feature of this book, in my opinion, are the Touring Plans – which give you an idea of how to tour the parks in an efficient manner so that you spend less time in long lines and more time enjoying your vacation. Hit those headliner rides first and utilize the Fast Pass system. You’ll be much happier and less stressed for it.
I have purchased earlier editions of this book, but things change quickly at Walt Disney World and the 2013 edition has up-to-date information on the major changes to Fantasyland and everything else that has changed since our previous visit.
Below is a break-down of the most recent updates, written by co-author Len Testa. He posted this on another review of his book, but I felt it important to share it here.
Hi folks!
Bob and I are really happy with this latest edition. I submitted more than 100 pages of updates and new content for this release. Bob and our other contributors added scores more. Besides updating things such as prices, hours, phone numbers and the like, and besides correcting typos, here’s a quick rundown of what’s new and updated in this edition. (I’m sure I’ve missed some things!):
Part 1 – Planning Before You Leave Home: Updated details on changes to Extra Magic Hours schedules, including AK dropping evening EMH entirely; Disney’s switch to 2-hour evening EMHs at the other parks; the addition of a second morning EMH at the AK most mornings; an expanded “Walt Disney World Calendar” covering more special events each month, and their impacts on crowds.
Part 2 – Making the Most of Your Time and Money: A new overview of Disney’s current discounting strategy; updated ticket prices; updates on Disney’s new FASTPASS enforcement; an updated section on FASTPASS guidelines; a completely new section on the upcoming “FASTPASS Plus” program; a new section on how to use our mobile app, Lines, to update your touring plan while you’re in the parks, in the event something unexpected just happened; a new section on ride break-down rates, useful for contingency planning when in the parks.
Part 3 – Accomodations: Updated reader perspectives on the efficiency of Disney’s transportation system (in the section on benefits of staying in WDW); Updated economics on renting DVC points; New recommendations on the best Disney-specialist travel agents; updates on which Disney resort to choose depending on the kind of hotel you stay at outside of WDW; a new review of Disney’s just-opened Art of Animation Resort, including room diagrams and pool ratings; updates on Disney’s converting from wired Internet to WiFi; tips on where to find the best bars and lounges at the Disney resorts; the 2012 Readers’ Disney Resort Report Card, with ratings on every Disney hotel; new coverage of the Grand Floridian DVC resort; a substantial change in our coverage of the Downtown Disney Resort Area (we think many resorts here are not good choices), and a chart showing the additional charges you’re likely to pay if you book at these resorts; updated reviews for several DDRA hotels; several pages of new or updated reader comments on the Disney Dining Plan; a new section describing the various resort fees and expenses you’re likely to find at the Swan and Dolphin that are not shown at the time you book; the addition of more than 20 new resorts; updated ratings on dozens of others; a section on new websites to find deals on boutique hotels and on how to use “bidding” sites such as tingo.com, guestmob.com and others; and a new section on specific hotels to avoid in Orlando and Kissimmee.
Part 6 – Walt Disney World with Kids: A new section reviewing outside stroller-rental companies in Orlando, including how we tested each stroller and stroller company, and how much you may save by using these.
Part 8 – Arriving and Getting Around: An update to the section detailing where to find the best airport and off-site rental cars; a discussion of the new SixT.com rental company; updates to the Readers’ rental car report card; new advice on how to avoid the traffic at Downtown Disney; an updated chart showing the travel times times between the Disney resorts and theme parks when driving and when using the Disney transportation network.
Part 9 – Bare Necessities: updates to the price comparison chart between two Publix stores, Goodings, Garden Grocer, and Winn-Dixie; updates to the Garden Grocer section.
Part 10 – Dining in and Around Walt Disney World: an updated section which restaurants are most likely to have last-minute…
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|Mom to 2 boys
The Bible of all things Disney World,
As a Disneyfied Florida mother of 2 Disneyfied boys (and wife to a more reluctant but willing Disney husband), I was very impressed with the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2013. We go to the Disney World parks at least once a year and sometimes two to three times a year. We have stayed at value resorts, moderate resorts, and a couple Deluxe resorts as well. We have been during summer, the days leading up to Christmas, spring break, Easter, and slower times like May or November. I subscribe to touringplans.com, read disboards.com, and check up on a couple Disney blogs regularly. Why do I tell you all this? To emphasize that someone that is as Disney-fanatic as me still learned some new things from this book.
Really, this is the only book you need for Disney. It has it *all*. It is not biased towards Disney, so the authors give you a fair representation of Disney, both the positives and the negatives. With nearly 900 pages, here are the highlights:
*A breakdown of all Disney resorts, as well as the best off-site hotels
*Tips on renting Disney’s time-share, DVC or renting a vacation condo or home as an alternative to a hotel
*All Disney restaurants- rated, reviewed, with individual tips for each
*A breakdown of the best off-site restaurants
*Detailed information of each park, including each ride and show, as well as where to find characters
*Detailed touring plans for each park, with variations for those touring with small children, adults only, or those traveling more than one day to a park
*Explanations for why they recommend touring a specific way, why you should arrive early, what times of the year are best to go, etc.
*Charts, charts, charts- from how the hotels vary to the scariness factor of rides for small children
Very well done. I own a few Disney and Central Florida touring books and this is, hands down, the best one for Disney World (although it also includes information on Universal and Islands of Adventure).
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|Disney Nerd
Unofficial Means Unbiased,
My favorite things about the Unofficial Guide that keeps me buying it year after year are it’s ease of use, oodles of information, and unbiased opinions. I really appreciate that if a restaurant or resort isn’t on it’s A-game lately, the book is honest and really tries to save you from wasting your money and time on something that isn’t worth it. While other Disney World guide books might have pretty colored pages, the Unofficial Guide doesn’t feel the need to provide photos for people that can just Google images. The Unofficial Guide clearly is all about providing helpful information and tips to make your vacation more enjoyable. The book leaves no topic uncovered and no restaurant unreviewed. I’ll never use another Disney World guide book.
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