Best Disney Guide Book?

[SplashMtn.]

I heard Birnbaum's was best, since they update every year. What is best in your opinion?

In addition to your favorite GUIDE book, what do you think is the best Disney read? as far as attraction information, imagineering, secrets, walt E.D, etc?

 

[DisneyWall-E]

my DW and I get the Birnbaum's every year. We also get The Complete Guide too(it is a red book). But I hear that Passporters is vary good.

 

[Disneybird]

Birnbaums is very good for brief descriptions of everything at the resort. It's very positive. The Unofficial Guide is loaded with details about everything including wait times, rooms to stay in, opinions on where to eat, touring plans, etc.. Nothing is sugar coated in the unofficial guide like it is in Birnbaums guide. But it's also about 4 times thicker too. It just depends on whether you want an informative guide that hits highlights only or one that tells you the good and the bad. Both are excellent for what they are intended to do. I buy both.

 

[kitten2299]

Birnbaum is one of my favorites it is very easy to find what you are looking for quickly this guide is not a book that you have to go to the index to find what you want. Another guide that I like is passporters its more expensive but I like the Our Journey pages where you can write notes to yourself and put ADR confirmations numbers in.

I would go to your local book store and look at all the ones the have and flip through them to see which has the style you like.

 

[krankenstein]

The Unofficial Guide is my personal favorite because it is the most comprehensive guide IMO.

 

[Jasonflz]

^ Same here. The unnoficial guide really gets into every nook and cranny and for being a 700+ page book it's really helpful if you are planning to stay in Orlando for a couple of weeks.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

IMO, Birnbaums is the best.
It has very current info (at print time of course) and with colorful pictures and elaborate descriptions, you can't beat it!
It is basically glued to me the first 3 months I have the new edition.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is by far the most comprehensive, informative and entertaining of guide book of them all. If there is only one book you want/need to buy, this is it. It's well worth your money.

Birnbaum's is a joke that's good if you like pretty pictures, but that's it.

 

[klineski96]

my DW and I get the Birnbaum's every year. We also get The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 (it is a red book). But I hear that Passporters is vary good.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Walt...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242263505&sr=8-1

There are Disney guide books that offer little or no pictures, and there are those that offer a ton of pictures allowing you to see what you're reading about. I tend to reach for the more visual style guide book. Having said that, The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 is hands down the best.

Personally I think this is the best book I've seen yet. It has everything. It's extremely thorough, and gives you the most useful information. It's so easy to use and so easy to find exactly what you're looking for. It's got maps, estimated wait times (which to my surprise seem to be fairly accurate), ride descriptions, dining descriptions, fun facts, tips, sections on special events, the water parks, the mini golf courses, and detailed descriptions of the resorts.

Yes, Birnbaums is good too, but not nearly as full as The Complete WDW 2009 book. But I do like how Birnbaums has one for dining, with kids, without kids, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland etc...

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I've only read Birnbaum's, which I really liked and thought was very helpful. Next year, I may have to look for the unofficial guide based on some of the posts in this thread.

 

[mousebymarriage]

I agree that the Birnbaum Book is the best (my DH thinks it's the Disney Bible), we also love to read the Unofficial Guide. If you have kids I would definately recommend getting the Birnbaum Book for Kids (my DD12 and DS7) love this book and they read it over and over again before every Disney vacation.

 

[donvincenzo]

The pictures in Birnbaum's are nice, but I too, prefer The Unofficial Guide over other guide books. At 850 pages (the '09 edition) it is obviously very thorough, and many times rather humorous. And while not as many as Birnbaum's, there are a few pages in the beginning with some nice pictures...

 

[GenerationX]

Of all of the guides I've read, the Unofficial Guide to WDW is the clear winner. Very comprehensive. Includes all sorts of resort and attraction ratings, scariness factors, travel times, and useful planning tips. Exponentially better than Birnbaum's Official Guide.

 

[Atomicmickey]

One more vote for Unofficial Guide (DING!).

Phenomenal book that has every little detail in it.
It also is not affiliated with Disney Corporate, so is not afraid to be
discerning, or a bit critical when necessary. Always in an upbeat
and enthusiastic way.

The website that goes with it, http://www.touringplans.com, is also phenomenal. These guys go nuts with research trips, algorithms, you
name it to really nail down how the parks tick.

I used all of this stuff on my last vacation and it was indispensable.

Oh, also, the podcast WDWToday. http://www.wdwtoday.com/
Awesome, funny, fun. I listen obsessively.

No, really, I have nothing to do with any of these guys,
but I am an unabashed fan of all of their work.:sohappy:

 

[donvincenzo]

One more vote for Unofficial Guide (DING!).

:lol: Very nice.

 

[sjead]

I love the Unofficial Guide as well. It is very comprehensive. I also LOVE the Passporter. Great info and lots of spaces for planning. If you are a big planner you will love the pockets at the back to write down ressie info, ADR numbers, etc. I purchase those two books before each trip!

 

[DisneyFanLS]

The "Ünofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" is by far my favorite....they are in no way affiliated with the Walt Disney Company, so they can be (sometimes) brutally honest....let's face it.....sometimes you need brutal honesty!!! :shrug: :drevil:

 

[djpoore94]

I have to go with the Unofficial Guide as well. We have a couple of very worn copies from all the use it gets!

 

[stonehill1968]

If you're anything close to a "theme park commando," the Unofficial Guide is the way to go. Endless source of info, but you have to be willing to deal with its length. Before every trip we get the latest Unofficial Guide, but we also get a Birnbaum's as much for tradition as anything else - more of a quick reference. The Complete Walt Disney World - the red book with lots of pictures - is something we discovered before our last trip, and it's GREAT! At first I just thought it was primarily about the pictures, but there's a tremendous amount of information in there, well organized, accessible. If you could only get one book, I'd recommend the Complete Walt Disney World as it's got much more helpful info than Birnbaum's without being as dense as the Unofficial. As we go only every 3 years, we'll be getting all three before any trip.

 

[TakeMeThere81]

I like the Unofficial Guide also...but I'd say Birnbaum's is a quicker, easier read. It has less info and more pics. I like both. Unofficial Guide is downright funny in parts also.

I'll have to try out this The Complete Walt Disney World many of you are talking about too!!