The Complete Walt Disney World: The Definitive Disney Handbook

"The world's largest collection of theme parks, water parks and resorts, this family-friendly vacation kingdom is so, well, *inspiring*. A trip here is not just a way to spend time with your kids, not just an escape from day-to-day doldrums. It's a reawakening of that free-spirited, good-natured soul who lives deep inside you..." -- From the book If you've never been to Disney World, the prospect can be overwhelming when you start to research and plan your trip (we made our first visit in August 2006). Which resort should I stay at? What are the best restaurants? What are the "must see" attractions? What should I pack? How many days do I need to thoroughly see--and enjoy--all the parks? If you happen to be at this stage of the game, look no further. Julie and Mike Neal's brand new book The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World can provide you with everything you need for a magical vacation! (Mike was the photographer while Julie did the research and writing. Even their 13-old homeschooled daughter, Micaela, contributed to the book.) But before I go on about what this book has to offer for those who haven't yet visited Walt Disney World, let me just say that this is an equally awesome book for those who have already visited! Every time I read this book or gaze at the HUNDREDS of color photographs, I feel like I'm reliving the experience--and long to go back to WDW! (I didn't realize just how much we actually missed until I began reading this book...) Did I mention the hundreds of color photos? Unlike other Disney World guides, this 320-page guide has over 400 photos! The authors--a husband-and-wife team--spent five years working on this book...visiting Disney World (get this) OVER 700 times! Their untiring work is evident by the maps, Fun Finds, Fun Facts, historical information, charts, and so much more. In a minute, I'll get to how this guide differs from the Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2007 and The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2007 (I have them both). But for now, let me share with you some of the fascinating features in The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World: * A comprehensive overview of Walt and the park--including the resort's "secret" history *Dozens of bonus articles on topics like fairy tale histories, Disney's Audio Animatronic robots, movie backgrounds (including cast, actors, musical scores, etc.), behind-the-scenes and more. A 3-page article is dedicated to Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba (you HAVE to catch this show!) and there is a FOUR page article just about Main Street U.S.A.! * Attraction plot lines - Yes, there are actually plots created by Disney Imagineers! If you want to know the "backstory" to, say, Expedition Everest, this is your book! * Over a thousand Fun Finds - The minutia that they include is EXTRAORDINARY. These Fun Finds highlight everything from animatronic character dialogue to oft-overlooked decor. For example--and I remembered seeing this at WDW!--the two lobby posters inside It's Tough to Be a

When it comes to guides for Walt Disney World travelers, most people have turned to Bob Sehlinger's "Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". It's a great book - no question. I had it safely packed when I visited Orlando for the first time. It tells you everything you need to know, and includes day planning chapters. The problem is, that book has been growing larger and larger every year (now 1 1/2" thick and 818 pages). The thing is a tome. And the only picture of Walt Disney World is the one found on the cover; the book is filled with cartoons, but no pictures. In fact, the book is so filled with information, it's getting more and more difficult to find the important parts. "The Complete Walt Disney World" has everything that the Unnofficial Guide lacks - amazing full color photos that are better than what you will find on Disney's own site, interesting facts about your favorite rides, a very extensive discussion of the water parks, tons of historical information about the parks, and "fun finds" to look for on your next visit. At 320 pages it's much leaner, but don't let that fool you - it's packed with useful information and the "geeky" bits (historical info and trivia) are printed in smaller text. The day planning section is anemic - one half page for each park, and doesn't include a plan to get on every ride. But most park veterans will tell you that the most important thing is to simply know when a particular ride is least busy. This book has that reasonably covered (for instance, the Pirates of the Caribbean description says the average wait time is 10 minutes early morning, and 60 minutes in the afternoon). Knowing the bottom line for the rides lets you figure out what is realistic. For me, the best part of the book was the pictures and interesting tidbits that I have already decided to look for on my next visit. Truly, the pictures are absolutely amazing, and are worth the price of the book alone. Together, both of these guides make an unbeatable combination. So what if you're on a budget? Simple: buy "The Complete Guide" new, and buy a 2006 or 2005 "Unofficial Guide" used. There are currently five used 2006 editions and over a dozen 2005 editions for UNDER $1. You won't be missing out on anything by getting the older Unofficial Guide. All of their Day Plans are just as relevant (except that for Animal Kingdom, you need to get a FastPass for Expedition Everest first thing upon entering the park). There - I just brought you up to date with the 2007 edition.

I know, I know. Why does the world need yet another guide to the most popular vacation destination on earth? With lots of research, color photos, insightful tips and a conversational style, Julie and Mike Neal have found an answer. Simply put, no one has done it better before. I recently took this book along with me to Walt Disney World and found it not only informative but entertaining. In fact, this is something I'd read just to pass the time. Granted I'm a Disney nut, but there are plenty of other Disney World guides that I never want to see again. Not this one though. Practically every page has a beautiful full color picture. I could easily recommend buying the book on the strength of the artful and colorful photos alone. But I don't have to since the text is informative and takes time to point out small details that you may otherwise look over. For example did you know that the James Cagney audioanimatronic in The Great Movie Ride wears one of the star's actual tuxedos? How about the half page discussion on the history of the Yetti in relation to Expedition Everest? This is a book that covers all bases and lives up the word definitive in the title. Due to its size, this guide is best suited for planning rather than reference at the parks. We kept ours in the hotel room and planned the next days events in the evenings. Also each night we'd read through the Fun Facts and Fun Finds for attractions we had visited that day. It helped to give us further appreciation and expand our knowledge. Of course we had a lot of doing it too. Simply put this book is a fantastic resource and great fun for the entire family. I can't imagine needing another Walt Disney World guide until the inevitable second edition comes out. I can hardly wait!

Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, going back for trip number way-to-many-to-count. I've bought numerous WDW books and seen all the shows on the History and Travel channels about the place. And having been called a "walking book of worthless knowledge", I certainly thought I knew all there was to know about WDW.....until now. First off, this book is so well put together. It flows, is super easy to read, and super easy to follow even if it's your 1st time to WDW. The pictures and descriptions are almost like I'm there following along. And rather than just mention the same old humdrum stuff you read in every other WDW book, the information is colorfully descriptive and then "plussed" as Walt himself would have said! The non-stop extra information and expert tips about restaurants, hotels, rides, accommodations, and shops couldn't be any better planned out, in order, or expertly dissected. The provided example time tables of how to plan out your day are just one example of how good the book is at maximizing your time in the parks. And these time tables are certainly real life expectations, not somebody making them up from the comfort of their home just to fill some pages in a book. This kind of 1st person planning and point of view is very prevelant through the book. It certainly gives a more personal feel rather than feeling like I'm reading a sales brochure or Disney propaganda. For any first timer to WDW, this book is a must buy. For any repeat true Disney Dork (like myself), the purchase of this book is a no brainer. Even after dozens of times to WDW, I can't believe how much is still left to see and enjoy and I learned it courtesy of this book. I can't tell you how many times I uttered "I didn't know that!" or "We have to go check this out the next time we go!" to my wife while reading this book. Most of the time, I couldn't find the book because my wife kept picking it up to read it as soon as I put it down. And what might be my favorite thing about this book is that it fits right in my back pocket. I have trip in Sept. 07 and I can't wait to use the book to enhance my trip and maximize my time. Get this book and you will be completely happy with it!

Before I received my copy of "The Complete Walt Disney World," I was worried. I'd looked through many guidebooks and found that they were either short on knowledge or short on photographs. And being as WDW is a very visual experience, I find photographs to be of the utmost importance when discussing the resort. I wasn't let down. This book would stand its ground beside any of DK Publishing's best (a publisher known for their pictorial guides to this, that and everything) and, since it is written by someone who understands and enjoys Walt Disney World, it contains all the juicy little tidbits that so many books leave out. The book, just like the jacket suggests, is heavy on full color, quality photographs of the park, attractions and the cast members and characters who keep the show running. Along with this welcome addition, the book also provides visitors with a wealth of information that is neatly organized within the portable book's covers. Besides a thorough listing of "Hidden Mickeys" in the back of the book, the guide also contains sample itineraries for planning your day (this is a must if you're planning on seeing everything at the resort), attraction descriptions, resort and restaurant guides and, of course, park maps. What's really unique about this guide, however, is what it contains that other guides leave out. For instance, "The Complete Walt Disney World" was the first guide I'd encountered that included an animal guide for Disney's Animal Kingdom. This guide is *packed* with information on all the species that inhabit Animal Kingdom, saving visitors the trouble of having to look for identifying plaques outside the viewing areas and making it a great study guide before embarking on Kilimanjaro Safari. Another great detail about the book are the tidbits that run along the bottom of the pages like an informative tickertape. For instance, under the Soarin' description, one such tidbit reads, "The best Soarin' seats are top-row center. Ask the gate attendant for Row 1, Gate B." This is just one of hundreds of little tips that will help you to better enjoy your time at the parks. Along with the "tickertape" tidbits are "Fun Finds" that accompany each attraction. This is the kinda of stuff I've made written lists of in the past from perusing numerous messageboards and sites. These "fun finds" tell you everything from where the fireworks are set off within the resort to easter eggs found in the MuppetVision 3D film (a favorite of mine). For parents of smaller kids who scream at the drop of a mouse-eared hat, the guide also contains "Fear Factor" information which details parts of the attractions that are sure to set smaller ones into fits of high pitched wails (Hint: At this point, I'm almost certain that Disney will one day release an "It's Tough To Be a Bug" soundtrack that contains the sounds of toddlers screaming at the top of their lungs). And for geeks and worry-warts, the descriptions also include the year the attraction debute