Book Review: The Complete Walt Disney World 2009

[scoot241]

I was looking for a new WDW book for our upcoming trip. Even though I have this wonderful online resource, I like to have a book around to flip through.

I actually got the recommendation for this book from Jim Hill of all places. First of all, this book is gorgeous. Most pages in the book have a full-color picture.

The book is only 336 pages, but is packed with information. It lists how to get a big score on Buzz and TSM, and even gives lots of background information on many of the rides. The descriptions include ratings, top picks, costs, "fear factor", and other information at a glance. The book even tells you how many gallons of water Splash Mountain uses (956,000).

I have the 2008 Birnbaum's guide, and I feel it's become a mediocre resource. I also bought The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland for our trip to DL and vowed I would never buy one of those books again. When I'm buying a guide book, I'm not looking for the cynical tone and awful cartoons that pervade those books. This book certainly fits me well, and I had to post about it just because I thought it was that good.

If you are a fan of The Unofficial Guide, however, what you will miss is their touring plans. Each park's section has a brief one day plan at the beginning, but doesn't go into the detail that The Unofficial Guide.

[the other micki]

I also own the 2009 Complete Guide to WDW. I love it! The pictures are awesome, and it does have lots of good info. I didn't really need most of the info. since I'm on intercot all the time, but I love to flip through and just look at the pics. It's very well put together, IMO.

[Babyvett]

I have both it and the Unofficial guide. While the Complete does a great job explaining things about each ride, its weakness in my opinion compared to Unofficial is that it doesn't have much information regarding restaurants. I found that to be a major drawback on it.

[peemagg]

I bought that book but returned it when I read that no less than 4 times in there it said to hurry to rent an ECV if you want one, because they are taken quickly by overweight people.

I found that to be such an insulting and derogatory thing that I refused support a book who's authors put things like that in their book. If that is they way they themselves feel fine, but keep their opinions to themselves.

Those of you with this book take a look at each section of the book under where you can rent strollers and ECV's and see what I am saying is true.

[the other micki]

Yes, I looked up about the EVC's and the overweight people. Probably not the best way to say it, but certainly not enough to make me return this most enjoyable book.

[scoot241]

I bought that book but returned it when I read that no less than 4 times in there it said to hurry to rent an ECV if you want one, because they are taken quickly by overweight people.

I found that to be such an insulting and derogatory thing that I refused support a book who's authors put things like that in their book. If that is they way they themselves feel fine, but keep their opinions to themselves.

Those of you with this book take a look at each section of the book under where you can rent strollers and ECV's and see what I am saying is true.

The same set of text is used for each park's general information section. I don't think they printed it to be mean; I just think it was their observation. Personally, it doesn't bother me, but I could see how it could annoy others.

[scoot241]

I have both it and the Unofficial guide. While the Complete does a great job explaining things about each ride, its weakness in my opinion compared to Unofficial is that it doesn't have much information regarding restaurants. I found that to be a major drawback on it.

I find the dining parts to be inconsistent. Some restaurants have a much longer paragraph than others. I think I would also prefer a dining section instead of the dining being integrated into each park/resort.

[GrumpyFan]

I found a pretty good review of the major guide books on Amazon, and I think I agree.


From Amazon user, Terry Vallee "Mr. Dad" Boston, Mass -
Looking for a guide to Walt Disney World? I think I can help. My family, along with two other families, recently spent a week at Disney, and we took five different travel books with us. We thought it would be fun to compare how useful the books were as we planned our trip and as we spent our days at the parks.

This review is the result of our efforts, with book rated from 1 star (awful) to 5 stars (great).

Before I start, you should know that our little reviewing group consisted of three couples, all in their early thirties. Between us we have three little girls, one little boy, a teenage girl, and a pair of grandparents that went along too.

We rated the books based on six criteria:

1. Helpfulness as a Trip Planner
Does the book offer tips on saving money or time? Does it help you get through the Orlando airport? Does it recommend hotels and restaurants to reserve and back up its reasons well? Does it have good advice about the Disney dining plan and which restaurants to eat at?

2. Helpfulness While at Disney World.
Is it worthwhile to take the guide with you? Does it help with last minute decisions? Is it fun to read as you wait for a restaurant table, or in a line for a ride or show?

3. Organization.
No matter how good a particular piece information is, if you can't find it, it doesn't do you any good. This is especially true in travel guides, when you often need a particular piece of information RIGHT NOW!

4. Current information.
Though all of these guides have "2009" in their title, are they really up-to-date? To find out, we picked out three things we know are new at Disney World for this year: The American Idol Experience show, the new promotion where guests get in free on their birthday, and the new room decor at the BoardWalk resort, where we stayed, and checked to see which books knew about them.

5. Addresses family needs
Since so many Disney World visitors are families, how does each book reflect that? Are there specific planning tips for families? Is there advice about which rides are too scary for little ones?

So, on to the reviews!

Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2009 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1423110463/intercotcom) 2 stars
Once published by travel guru Steve Birnbaum, today Birnbaum's Walt Disney World is an objective travel guide in name only. Now written and published by the Disney company, it offers nothing but cheers for everything Walt Disney World has to offer. Worse, a lazy attitude permeates everything, as if this is something Disney is forced to do but would really just forget about. As you would expect, there's precious little about saving money (except for a recommendation to "save" by buying the extra-cost Disney Disney Plan) and no quality ratings for attractions, restaurants or resorts beyond an occasional "Birnbaum's Best" logo. Chapter titles are confusing: restaurants are under "Good Meals Great Times;" water parks within "Everything Else in the World." The book was 1-for-3 on our accuracy test. It knew the American Idol show existed but had no information about it. Its room description for the Boardwalk Resort was two years out of date. It did not mention the birthday promotion. On the plus side, the book's relative few pages makes it the easiest of the Disney guides to scan through, and there are many illustrations of Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters.

The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Walt-Disney-World-Guide/dp/0970959680/intercotcom) 5 stars
Outstanding organization and a wealth of color photos makes it easy to find particular information in The Complete Walt Disney World. Chapters are color coded, and subjects are grouped together well. For example, a Planning Your Trip chapter has a subsection on the Disney Dining Plan that clearly spells out the pluses and minuses of that add-on, and individual articles titled Saving Money (with 30 numbered tips), another called Saving Time. Restaurant reviews include good insight on character meals. Resort descriptions have more details than the other guides, though the authors provide little opinion beyond a star rating. Theme park information is superb. Attraction reviews, which can go on for multiple pages for major headliners like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, include "Fear Factors" as well as "Fun Finds," are practical for families and fun for Disney fans. There's a touring plan for each park that we found helpful. The Complete Guide was 3-for-3 in our accuracy test. The only downer: Except for hotel listings, the Complete Walt Disney World focuses exclusively on Walt Disney World. There's no mention of Universal Studios, Sea World, or even the Orlando airport.

Frommer's Walt Disney World and Orlando 2009 (http://www.amazon.com/Frommers-Disney-World-Orlando-Complete/dp/0470285656/intercotcom) 3 stars
Frommers is well written, well organized and in many ways thorough, but the author doesn't seem that familiar with Walt Disney World. The book has no tips on saving time or money, and its hotel and restaurant opinions aren't backed up with a lot of facts. Attraction descriptions are short paragraphs with no specifications and few tips. The book offers little take-along value, and hardly any specific information for families. Vague family information. There are no photos or illustrations. The book scored 0 for 3 on our accuracy test. It didn't know about the American Idol show, our new room decor, or Disney's birthday promotion.

Fodor's Walt Disney World 2009: plus Universal Orlando and SeaWorld (http://www.amazon.com/Fodors-Walt-Disney-World-2009/dp/1400019621/intercotcom) 2 star
Like a weaker version of the Frommers guide, the Fodors one is less organized and offers even less planning advice. Its ride and show descriptions seem to be edited versions of those in the Unofficial Guide, which this company also publishes. Like Frommers, the book scored 0 for 3 on our accuracy test.

The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009 (http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guides/dp/0470285702/intercotcom) 4 stars
Is there an editor in the house? Packed with advice and information, the 848-page Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is like your grandmother's attic: there's a lot of good stuff in there but so much junk to shift through! Actually it depends on the subject. If you have hours to dig through it, this massive tome can be a great planning tool. Page after page is devoted to subjects such as saving time or saving money. Incredibly detailed resort information includes which rooms, by number, offer the best views. Attraction summaries have details such as ratings by age group, but the authors comments are often so cynical they have value only if you find them funny. The Unofficial Guide scored 2 out of 3 on our accuracy test. It didn't know about Disney's birthday promotion. The book includes various Touring Plans, which offer step-by-step guidance for a day, or two, at each of the theme parks. These looked useful, but our group had too many individual interests to follow them. In short, this is a good book for those who aren't really fans of the Disney company, but want to take months to plan out a visit to its mecca.

So that's it! We determined that the Unofficial Guide and the Complete Guide are the best two books out there. As for which is the best for you, I think if you like Disney (or want a book that includes photography) you will like the Complete Guide best, but if you are headed there reluctantly (like, say, only to keep your kids happy), or also want information about SeaWorld or Universal, you will find the Unofficial Guide more to your liking. But either is a good choice.

[brownie]

I have the first edition of the Complete Guide. It's well written and well researched. I'd expect the 2009 edition to be just as good.

[tinksmom02]

I agree that the comment about ECV's is crass, to say the least. I checked the 2008 version and it's in there, as well. Would LOVE to find an email address to contact the authors and let them know my feelings.

However, I like that the list the fastpass return times for each park, and in general I think it's a nice little book. There were some other things I really liked, too, but I forget what they are now :blush: The Passporter is (so far) the only planner I buy each year, but I'll be checking out the Complete Guide from the library (again) when my trip gets closer.

[ShanPooh]

I bought that book but returned it when I read that no less than 4 times in there it said to hurry to rent an ECV if you want one, because they are taken quickly by overweight people.

I found that to be such an insulting and derogatory thing that I refused support a book who's authors put things like that in their book. If that is they way they themselves feel fine, but keep their opinions to themselves.

Those of you with this book take a look at each section of the book under where you can rent strollers and ECV's and see what I am saying is true.

Wasn't that also the same book that said that the values were for people who couldn't afford to be there anyway and GF was awash with Lands End? :nono:

Sounds like the authors really don't have the Disney spirit - to put it nicely.

We have a copy at work (library) but I'll pass on checking the latest edition out, let alone buying it.
Agreed that the Passporter is much better!