The Complete Walt Disney World

The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 is my favorite guide to Disney's Florida theme parks. As a Disney "guest" my most precious asset is time. Time is everything--I trade time and effort for money, so my money is time, too. The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 is 363 pages of facts and tips--and photos. Want to see what Walt Disney World is like? Want to maximize your investment in your Disney Experience? My first Walt Disney World visit was in 1986--one day at Epcot (then E.P.C.O.T. Center). I had no plan, didn't really know what was in the place. When The Complete Walt Disney 2009 arrived in my mailbox I had held several Annual Passports to Walt Disney World and had spent up to two weeks at a time there. Julie and Mike Neal have spent more time in the Walt Disney World theme parks than I--and I didn't have time for the water parks and other activities. I knew a lot about the place and how to have fun--I almost don't need to get the current guide maps. Almost. Things are always changing there. "Disneyland will never be complete..." (Walt Disney) That made me the wrong person to conduct a field test of Julie and Mike Neal's handy little guide. Ben, a sergeant in my National Guard unit, asked me for help planning his Walt Disney World vacation in April 2009--along with three other soldiers and all their families. I gave Ben a copy of The Complete Walt Disney World 2009 - that and Ben's experience in planning and executing military operations were all he had. Okay, if he had a question, I'd answer it--but nearly all of Ben's four-day vacation plans at Orlando's premier theme park came out of the Neal's book. There were comments from the others that Ben ran the vacation like a military operation (except that it was fun), but he and his party managed to do every Walt Disney World attraction in the four major theme parks but four: Space Mountain and the Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom; Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show at the Disney Hollywood Studios: and Expedition Everest at the Disney Animal Kingdom. The first two were closed for maintenance and the last was experiencing technical difficulties when Ben and company showed up with FastPasses in hand. Ben just ran out of time for the automotive adventure. Ben took a much larger group than I ever did--I usually tour solo, except for taking my sister and nephew on one three-day adventure. I think this proves the utility of the Neal's Complete Walt Disney World as a planning resource. Physically the book is laid out well. There is an overall map of the resort (pages 4 and 5), a table of contents (page 3), an introduction (page 7), practical information (page 25) and "What's New" from the 2008 edition (page 13), an appendix with background information, an index (useful for finding things not included in the table of contents), and a phone directory on page 336--conveinently located in the back. I find the bibliography (page 330) very useful for additional background i

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 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 info

Fun! Disney World is fun, right? Isn't that the point? Though the Complete Walt Disney World is certainly a serious book, its authors understand that you are trying to have FUN on your vacation, and fill every page (well just about) with the information, tips and trivia to do just that. After having this book with me for a Valentine's Day getaway (my husband, what a sweetie!) I've become a big fan of this book. First of all, it's a visual book. There are big color photos on practically every page. Why aren't all guide books done this way? It's the 21st century, people! Anyway, when I first got it I spent a hour just flipping thorough it looking at them all. (My favorite is of a woman applying makeup backstage to be in the Lion King Festival show. She looks so intense!) Second, the guide has a number of editorial features that make it better than the other books, even if you just compare "text to text." We took this book with us to Disney World and I kept it in my purse so we could refer to it as we wandered our resort, ate at restaurants and spent three days in the parks. Here is what I noticed as we walked around: THE RESORT CHAPTER. You think all guidebook would be about the same in their hotel coverage. I mean, a little description, a couple of facts about rooms and rates and a mention of the restaurants, what more do you need right? Well, the Complete guide has a LOT more, and is really comes in handy. For example, for each lodging choice it shows you the mileage to each park. Does that matter? Maybe not right now, but it will once you check in! Say you want to eat out at an Epcot restaurant, like we did for dinner. You need to know which resort is right next door! (Its the Beach Club, just so you know.) Another thing that is really good is that everything about each resort is all grouped together in one place. Sounds obvious maybe, but other Disney World books list resort restaurants in one section, resort rates in another, resort activities someplace else. What a pain! RESTAURANTS. Again, this book is great. For example, we knew we wanted to eat at Epcot, but didn't know where. This book's Epcot restaurants are easy to find (they are in the chapter called "Epcot" under a color bar labeled, duh, "Epcot Restaurants"). Each one is rated by the authors, has a price range of entrees, hours, etc., then a nice little review. We were planning to go to the Canadian restaurant, but thanks to this book we learned it has the longest wait. The book advised that the Moroccan one never had a wait and went into great detail explaining what the food was (I was scared!). We had a great romantic meal. THEME PARKS. Trust me, if you could see this book you would know the second you looked at it that it has the best theme park information. Lots of great stuff on every ride and show, both practical stuff (HOUR BY HOUR wait times, THANK YOU!) and fun things. Lots of lots of lists of "Fun Finds" and "Hidden Mickeys" as well as insider-tip bars along the bott

I have bought so many Disney World guides I have lost count. But I know one thing: this one is the best. Though it has less words than the brick like Unofficial Guide. I have found the Complete Guide to be better organized, more accurate, and therefore much more helpful. I can see why they called it "Complete." There are plenty of photos, very helpful ride specifications (more on those in a moment), and a lot of interesting, fun, and helpful information on the theme parks, resorts, restaurants, sports and recreation options, etc. Fortunately, it is organized and written well, so finding what you need is always pretty easy. About those ride descriptions. This is an area where the Complete guide really excels. Though the ride descriptions, which sometimes go on for a few pages, can get a little long winded for the non-Disney fan (my husband grew tired of me punching him with all the history tidbits for Its a Small World), each one begins with a little collection of spec, which includes the length of the ride, how old it is and the scariness for children. (Don not underestimate how scary it is! I wish I read the section on Voyage of the Little Mermaid before we took our 3-year-old!) Each ride description also has a little box that shows the average wait time for each hour of the day, so say, it is 1 p.m. you can easily decide what to do. Another unique thing about this book is that the ride descriptions have lists of "fun finds" and "hidden Mickeys," which I have discovered that reading and making plans to look for as you do wait in line is a great way to keep children excited and happy. The resort articles are much like the ride descriptions. Each opens with an exhaustive list of specs, including not just regular things like room rates, but also such helpful stuff as how far each resort is from each theme park. Then the regular writing includes such things like swimming pool details. Again, very Complete! Well you can tell I really like this book. But perhaps the main point I want to make is if you want to have a good time at Disney, you need to buy some book and plan out your trip. The place is gigantic, everything is expensive, and tensions can rise quickly when you "just try to wing it." Both the Complete and Unofficial Guides understand this point and offer lots of helpful advice. Unofficial might have more ways to save money (at least its chapter is thicker), but this one has more ways to save time, including outstanding ways to take advantage of the free Fast Passes. Regardless, neither actually costs you any money, because you will easily make it up by getting the most out of the thousands you have already spent to go there. So to sum up, whether it is your first time at Disney, or, like me, you have been there many times, the Complete guide is a good buy.

Julie Neal's Disney World books are always the best. Nothing else compares for up-to-date information presented in an organized and reader-friendly fashion. But good as her earlier books were, this 2009 edition blows them away. I loved the book's look, which makes it easier than ever to find what you're looking for. The pages on rides and show have so many details -- such as the HOUR-BY-HOUR wait times -- we used them constantly, almost like a super park map, on our family's trip to Disney last week (it was Christmas, and man if you ever go at that time of year be prepared for CROWDS!). With a mix of big color images and useful (and also entertaining) information, every single page of this book is a delight to browse through as well as read.