Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)My family and I are planning to go to Walt Disney World in a couple of months, so I ordered the 2011 Version of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (WDW). I first went to WDW in the late 90's, and as I wanted to make sure I enjoyed everything there was to enjoy, I bought three or four books on WDW and the surrounding area. I found that the Unofficial Guide had pretty much everything the other books had, and more, so for my next trip in 2004, I only bought the Unofficial Guide.
After receiving the 2011 version and heavily perusing it, I find that, if anything, it's even better than the previous versions. If nothing else, its a LOT larger than the first one I bought in the 90's. It gives ratings and reviews of hotels and dining establishments in the area (both on and off Disney World), covers all of the parks and attractions on Disney in tremendous detail, and the parks and attractions off of Disney in lesser detail (primarily Universal Studios and Seaworld). Additionally, the book provides information on how Disney prices their tickets, how to save money on meals, when to visit Disney, and of course, at the end of the book, their recommended touring plans for each park in order to see as much of the parks as possible in the least amount of time.
The touring plans themselves are almost worth the price of the books. If you've never been to WDW, the parks are HUGE ... and if you just start wandering around and getting on whichever attraction catches your eye, you're going to be spending a lot more time in lines (and less time enjoying the attractions) than you should. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with just going where you want to, when you want to, but you could spend literally hours more waiting in lines than you need to. The guide has several plans for each park ... bascially with and without children, along with a few variations for some parks. As this is my first trip to Disney with small children, I was particularly interested to get these touring plans.
There is also an affiliated Unofficial Guide to WDW website that you have to pay a suscription to get to some of the site's exclusive content for a year. If you've bought the book, you get about one-third off of the price of the subscription (when claiming discount, you have to identify the correct word from a page of the guide). While the web site does have some interesting things and the very latest information, all that you need when visiting WDW is in the book, so don't feel as if you're being cheated if you don't choose to subscribe to the web site.
Disney changes a lot every year. Given that it's been six years since I last visited, I'm glad I bought the book, to read about new things to do. I also learned some things that I wouldn't have discovered without the guide. For example, you can rent a pontoon boat and captain and watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and Illuminations at Epcot from the lakes, rather than being packed on the sidewalks. You will also be dropped off at a water-adjoining resort of your choice afterwards so you can beat the rush out of the park. It's not cheap, but I made a reservation and am looking forward to enjoying the fireworks without 10,000 of my closest friends close at hand. :-)
Overall, I give this book 5 stars. If you're looking to visit additional places in the Orlando area other than Disney (and perhaps Sea World and Universal Studios), you may want to buy a second book, but I'd wait to buy it until after I read this guide, as it may have all that you need.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2011 (Unofficial Guides)
Unofficial Guides field tested touring plans can save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day.
In 2008, combined Walt Disney World Resort theme park attendance reached over 51 million, with the Magic Kingdom alone drawing over 17 million visitors. (Orlando Convention and Visitor Bureau)
Despite signifcant downturns in the economy Disney theme parks have maintained attendance rates and made gains in attendance at some parks.
Walt Disney World Resort theme parks are rated best in the world. earning high marks for things outside of the traditional theme park experience. Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival, which takes place for six weeks every fall and showcases food from twenty-five countries, was rated by Forbes Traveler as one of the Best U.S. Food and Wine Festivals.
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