The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2003

by Bob Sehlinger

The Unofficial Guides? are the "Consumer Reports" of travel guides, offering candid evaluations of their destinations' attractions, hotels, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, sports, and more, all rated and ranked by a team of unbiased inspectors so even the most compulsive planners can be sure they're spending their time and money wisely. Each guide addresses the needs of everyone from families to business travelers, with handy charts that demonstrate...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764566040
• ISBN13: 9780764566042
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 768 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.2" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

This comprehensive guide helped me save hundreds of dollars!

For some families a trip to Walt Disney World is an annual ritual, for others it is a one-time rite of passage. For all who go, it is a big-ticket vacation destination with seemingly limitless choices of lodging, attractions, dining, and entertainment. This encyclopedic guide provides you with all the information you need to make the most of your time and money. Their recommendations are based on their own staff's experience as well as surveys of Disney vacationers and Unofficial Guide readers.I wish I could give more than five stars to the vacation planning chapters of the book. Monthly attendance data plus subjective pros and cons of visiting during each season helped us decide when to go; detailed reviews of hotels within and outside the "World" helped us decide where to stay; an outline of all the available ticketing options helped us determine what sort of park admission to buy. All in all we saved hundreds of dollars - and planned a more suitable vacation for our family - as compared to following the advice of friends and co-workers. The chapters pertaining to each park rate four to five stars. Each ride, show, or attraction is described in detail and given a star rating for each of several age groups. Careful attention is paid to factors affecting how long you will wait in line. The author provides touring plans designed to get you to as many of the "best" attractions as possible with the least amount of waiting in line; 1-day and 2-day touring plans for families with and without young children are provided for the Magic Kingdom. Occasionally the reviews are a bit idiosyncratic but on the whole they let you know what not to miss - and what to pass up with no regrets. The guide also includes chapters on Universal Orlando and Sea World.The chapters reviewing Disney dining deserve four stars. Again, the coverage is vast and detailed, with reviews not only of restaurants in and out of the "World" but even of counter-service (i.e., fast food) within the "World." You will either shake your head and roll your eyes at the hints for landing a breakfast reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table, or you will rush to synchronize your clocks with Disney reservation center time and start warming up your dialing fingers. I agree with other reviewers that the restaurant reviews are overly harsh and discount the extent to which a sit-down meal in some Disney restaurants can be an attraction unto itself. There is also no index to table-service restaurants in each park.This guide contains far more information than any one traveler is going to need, and at least some of it will seem like common sense - but one person's common sense is another's startling revelation. As with any guidebook some information will be out of date; some specific issues noted by prior reviewers have been corrected in the 2003 edition. If you are a true believer in Disney magic you might not like the blunt tone of the author's remarks. However, if you are a Disney skept

Absolutely Essential for Your Sanity

I haven't read the latest edition, but I just returned (as of 5 days ago) from Disney World with a well-worn version of the previous edition. Every review from hotel, to age appropriateness, to rides and inside secrets proved its weight in gold. Each ride was described in detail, included any warnings (motion sickness, frightening aspects, etc.), a star rating guide for a variety of age groups (preschool, grade school, teens, adults, seniors), along with an overall review and letters from readers. The rides and attractions ratings were dead-on accurate and when we doubted a warning from the book and went anyway, we soon regretted it. Conversely, all of the recommendations were highlights of our trip. Restaurants were rated by overall value, price, service, and food quality. While they seemed a little on the harsh side (we loved the Cinderella Castle restaurant), they were very accurate in their suggestions. I neglected to listen to all the money-saving advice, and now regret that I didn't follow the instructions to the "t." From the initial planning to the final day, this will be an indispensable tool and a cheap ticket to your sanity. Skip the official line-- this is infinitely better.

Don't leave home without it....

Other reviews here give you a good understanding of what the guide includes as well as a concern about the near-military precision the touring plans specify. On first reading, I would guess that any Disney fan would be horrified to think that one would try to experience WDW or Disneyland in this ordered fashion. However, upon further reading you will see that the authors address this issue with recommendations on how to tailor the plans to fit your needs and the needs of the rest of your group. You don't have to follow every step in the plan, nor do you have to follow the plans at all to get a great deal of benefit from having this book. With the plans, though, you will know when you are doing something costly (in terms of time or dollars).Most first time visitors to the park make the mistake of trying to do everything in one day and their is a plan for that -- aptly names something like "Dumbo in a Day or Die". It's not recommended, but it is offered.If you are taking children, you will soon realize that this book is worth its weight in gold. Did you know that there are all sorts of provisions made for parents with children? What if you want to go on a ride that your child won't or can't ride? - this book tells you what options you have. What if your child wants to ride two times in a row without getting back in line? -- this book tells you how to do it. What if your child realizes that he doesn't want to go on the scary ride but you still do? -- this book tells you how to handle it without having to get out of line. What if your child wants to meet Mickey face to face? -- this book tells you where and when the best place to do it.I've made trips to Disney World, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. Every time I've managed to have a fun, exciting, and relaxing time while watching hundreds of families wasting time in the wrong lines at the wrong times, children screaming, and adults looking like they're half dead. That's not the way to spend your vacation.Every time I visit a Disney part I purchase the most up to date copy of these guides. Yes, there is a lot of overlap between years, but since the parks change, so must the books. I wouldn't consider buying a guide that was more than a year old.This book is a great value for the wealth of information it offers. It's up to you and your family to decide how to use it. At least you have the information. Even if you don't follow the touring plans, just knowing some of the unofficial secrets can save your family dollars and a great deal of frustration and disappointments.My personal tips for Disney parks:1. If it rains, definitely go to the park. You will have a great time. The lines will be really short and you can purchase inexpensive yellow Mickey ponchos to make it seem like an adventure. My best memories are of rainy day visits.2. Take that recommended break in the afternoon.3. You can't go too early.4. Don't try to do everything in one day. If you really can only afford one day,

Real World Disney Planning

If you are going to Walt Disney Word and looking for the book to cut through the publicity machine that Disney is, you will want this book. Its tone, can be skeptical (some say cynical), and not always the Disney "cheerleading" guide that some purists insist only be written about Disney properties. Please know that there are no pretty pictures of the Disney parks in this book. It is a "battle" guide that does not pull punches. The author(s) are traffic gurus and are looking to get you through the park, not standing in lines.If you are an "easy going", "take things as they come" type of person, then this book is not going to be your cup of tea. If you are looking to get the most from your dollar by avoiding lines, bad food, and brutally honest opinions, then this book will do you well.If you have kids, this will show you the way to limit stress, and keep everyone happy with planning tips and schedules appropriate to age groups and interests. It is okay to get the Birnbaum book for the kids. Let them see the pictures and read the descriptions of the park, but if you want to be serious about minimizing the stresses of a family vacation, use this book. I have used editions of this book for the last 10 years, and I will always by a copy of this book when planning my future vacations. I have saved time and money, and always find this book to improve the quality of my trip. My three tips for YOU to make your WDW vacation the best; 1. Stay onsite and use the Disney transportation system; 2. Take an afternoon break from the parks and get off your feet; 3. Use Fast Pass - Make Fast Pass your friend...

A "Must Read" for lovers and cynics alike!

We took our boys to Disney World in 1996 (they were 6 & 4 yrs). I used this guide to pick the quietest time to go. My husband wanted to stay inside the park, and because of $$ we stayed 3 nights outside at a hotel ($45/2rms/kitchenette/ Nintendo/kids eat free!),and 2 days inside ($114/1rm/no cable or vcr,only Disney Channel/$$greasy food!).The first day at the park, my husband refused to follow the book, and the kids were tired and stressed (as were we!). That night he agreed to finally read the book, and the vacation improved DRAMATICALLY! We skipped many rides, snuck in snacks, shared ice cream, and just RELAXED! We are now planning our 2nd trip for next year. We will NOT waste our money staying inside the park again, and will DEFINATELY stay in a 2rm suite again(a MUST with young kids). We are also planning to end the trip with a couple of nights at the beach to unwind before we head home (as recommended by our cousins,yearly Disney vacationers)! For those with young kids,REMEMBER...Don't try to do it all ...plan for the minimum you want to do/see, all the rest will be a bonus. You don't need to use the book faithfully, or even agree with all that is inside, but do heed the warnings/info and use your best judgement. I'll be buying a new copy, perhaps the kids version. I've lost count of the # of skeptics I've refered this book to who were amazed at the usefull info that is NOT included in other books. Just try it.