Passporter vs Unofficial Guide

[DoomBuggy05]

My WDW "bible" for planning our stay is the Passporter. I've never used the Unofficial Guide or even looked at one. The Passporter is very interactive and you can plan each day and also record memories from each day before bed. To me it's like using my Franklin Planner. How is the Unofficial Guide different? I would love to hear from someone who has used both.

DB05

 

[pinkrose]

I have both and LOVE the Passporter! I'm in the minority. here, but I don't care as much for the Unofficial Guide. My next door neighbor bought a copy of it and said it was so negative, that she decided not to go to WDW. After I told her all about it, showed her websites, and our pics., she decided to go and loved it.

 

[phichi17]

I too have both and and enjoy each on their own merit.


The passporter (thanks Jennifer and Dave) is great because it does let you orgainize and plan to a degree not afforded by the Unoffical Guide. It is more straightforward in its information,with the noteable exception of the authors personnal reviews of attractions and such. And of course with its Passpockets, its a really good place to store reciepts, record PS times and the like.

For a more irreverent view of the World, nothing beats the Unofficial Guide. While some of the authors comments can be disquieting to newcomers, I believe it is tounge in cheek at its best ( the section on how to save money on dining is funny!).

All in all, you can't go wrong with either, and I would reccommend each based on their content and usefullness.

 

[pinkrose]

I too have both and and enjoy each on their own merit.


The passporter (thanks Jennifer and Dave) is great because it does let you orgainize and plan to a degree not afforded by the Unoffical Guide. It is more straightforward in its information,with the noteable exception of the authors personnal reviews of attractions and such. And of course with its Passpockets, its a really good place to store reciepts, record PS times and the like.

For a more irreverent view of the World, nothing beats the Unofficial Guide. While some of the authors comments can be disquieting to newcomers, I believe it is tounge in cheek at its best ( the section on how to save money on dining is funny!).

All in all, you can't go wrong with either, and I would reccommend each based on their content and usefullness.

I agree... the Unofficial Guide is an interesting read. I do enjoy it now but for a newbie, I'd go wilth both books though to get the most information. Passporter is still my fav. though.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Personally I like the Birnbaum guide.

Pam

 

[MickeysMagic]

I also have both....I love both of them. I like the unofficial guide because it gives you none of the candy coating and gives opinions of guests. I must admit some of the opinions are a little harsh. If you keep "I'm on Vacation, I'm on Vacation" in your head, you'll have a much better time (even if you have to wait in a long line). A bad day at Disney (if there is such a thing as a bad day at Disney) is still way better than a really good day at work!

I use the passporter on a daily basis. It's great for keeping your days, and priority seating/advance reservation confirmation numbers straight. I highly recommend the Deluxe Edition because you can remove the passpocket for the park in which your visiting. You can keep your receipts, park guides in the passpocket as you tour.

 

[DoomBuggy05]

I'll try an Unofficial Guide for our '06 trip to WDW. Of course I'll be getting the '06 Passporter too. We are going to UO this October (with a quick side trip to MNSSHP ). I bought the deluxe version Passporter binder and blank pages to plan our trip. I also bought the Unofficial UO book to put in it. I drilled three holes in the UO book margin and like magic we had a compact UO Passporter! A bit over the top? Maybe . That's how much we love the Passporter though. We still pull out our old ones and relive our trips to WDW. All the dates, times, parks visited, reciepts, PS #'s and daily memories are all right there to be enjoyed over and over again.


DB05

 

[tmtee]

I love love love the Passporter- from the beginning stages of planning till we arrive home, it holds all my information in one place. My ADR numbers, plane ticketless confirms, mousekeeping envelopes in each day.

For a guide book read- I get and recommend to friends the Unofficial guide for a totally unbiased look. I like knowing some pitfalls and how to avoid them, I also like knowing from others what their experience has been. It can be harsh, but it is done with purpose.

For example, I like the Contemporary, but I know that all of the rooms are not MK view. The Unofficial Guide addresses this issue and gives advice on what to ask for.

So, good luck planning!

 

[DoomBuggy05]

Personally I like the Birnbaum guide.

Pam

There are many ways to do WDW. The first time we went to WDW as a family it was like throwing a dart, for the first time ever, at a dart board. Boy did I miss not only the bullseye but the entire dart board, so to speak. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had used the experience of a WDW vacation consultant. Most people don't understand that time is money at WDW. Disney vacations are not cheap but they can be one of the most rewarding vacations you ever take as a family. It's just that cool.

Converesly, if you are oblivious to WDW and think that you can go and enjoy yourself like going to a local amusement park, boy do you have another thing coming! An enjoyable, relaxing and rewarding WDW visit is about 50% planning, 45% execution and 5% luck.

Our first trip to WDW we relied on the 5% luck. I figured we could do it all and see it all in five days. One day for each park and another day for travel. Our trip was more like the Bataan Death March! Too much ground to cover and too many things to see in just 5 days, especially the five days prior to Christmas.

I have to travel a long distance to WDW like most of us do. I have been to WDW about 25 full days in the past 4 years and I have still not seen all of WDW. The parts I have seen and anticipation of the parts I have not are what keeps me coming back.

If this is your first trip to WDW or you want to do it right this time, consult a kingdom expert.

DB05

 

[Aurora23]

The Passporter, all the way! It used to be Birnbaums, but it doesn't give enough info and it is pro-Disney everything. I know it is the only official Disney book out there, but I would like someone to write about the good AND the not-so-good. I never did like the Unofficial guide.

 

[frankd1962]

I'm a Birnbaum guide fan but will be buying the Passporter for the collecting the items from my trip to keep it all orginized.

 

[lentesta]

Hi folks,

Thanks very much for the feedback. The only thing I'd add is that the Unofficial Guide has a free online trip organizer that I'm pretty sure is the most comprehensive available. If you Google "unofficial guide trip planner refills" the second link should show you a list of all the free stuff available.

I'm working on updating the resort maps over the next month or so. If anyone's really good at Photoshop and has some free time for which they'd like to do some volunteer work, drop me a line: len@touringplans.com. (Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask.... :lol: )

Thanks!

Len

 

[summergirl32]

I usually buy the new editions of every Disney guidebook I can find. I really like Birnbaum's but I can read it in a couple of days. The Unofficial guide lasts me about a month. (and yes, I know it doesn't change much from year to year, but I read it again just to make sure I don't miss anything) This helps "hold me over" until my next trip. I enjoy the planning almost as much as the trip.

 

[DisneyMissy]

I but the Unofficial Guide and Birnbaums, I like them both. I never tried the passporter. But I guess I will have to check that one out too!

 

[Craig & Lisa]

:wave: For our family it has always been The unofficial Guide, for one reason, nothing against Disney though but it is not supported by Disney, which means honest statements, and true polls, what to expect from the parks at certain times of the year. Not taking away from the other books but we've never had anything go bad from following it, but to each his own. If you've never read the unofficial guide, they may have it in Barnes and Noble, sit and take a read.:animwink:

 

[phichi17]

I but the Unofficial Guide and Birnbaums, I like them both. I never tried the passporter. But I guess I will have to check that one out too!

If you like detailed planning (who doesn't:hammer: ), you'll enjoy the Passporter. The pockets provided are wonderful for recording all the details of your trip and keeping them in one place. Mine is sitting next to me now, 4 days and a wakeup!

 

[Aurora_25]

I have both but I prefer the passporter. I love having the pockets to store all my information (and my tickets until we go) I love that I can write down all my information in one place and it still makes sense to me.
The Unoffical guide is nice, but just doesn't do as much for me in the way of keeping everything strait.

 

[Goofy36]

Both are great for planning your trip. The Unofficial Guide I feel goes into a lot more detail but lacks the organizational aspect of the Passporter. Both have touring guides and the pull out maps are better in the Passporter.

I say get both!

 

[Laura]

I think the greatest 2 planning resources are Allearsnet.com and a blank excel spreadsheet!! Both are free!

But I do buy Disney Guidebooks just to read for the heck of it!

 

[tommyboy12099]

Personally I like the Birnbaum guide.

Pam

I never looked at the Passporter but have recently read some of the Unofficial Guide. I agree with Pam on this. When I think of planning a trip or reading about Disney I want it to be all positive and that's what Birnbaum's is. I must say the unofficial guide goes into detail but to me I just want to know about all the fun I am going to have. I will be checking out the passporter at my next trip to the book store. Hopefully I will be using one or multiple books to plan a trip with Pam soon.