Why do you love the Unofficial Guide to WDW?

[mr.mike]

I posted this elsewhere and figured i'd post it here to get some opinions.

I bought the Unofficial Guide to walt Disney World because so many people say they loved it.

I'm on page 300 (of 700) and get such negative vibes from it.

I'm not looking for hype, we have Birnbaums for that, I just want information presented straight forward.

There seems to be so many negative comments, most of which I don't agree at all with.

A few observations...

I don't think the 2003 edition of a book should be telling you to visit River Country during your break from the MK.

It definately shouldn't be refering to the Poly longhouses by thier old names (see page 119). Didn't they chnage names in 1999?
(it seems a lot of old text has been repeated, which is fine if the info is still true)

They state the resorts have so many "seasons" that is too confusing. I didnt realize 4 seasons were so confusing. (No wonder i see so many people heading to the beach in winter in New York) okay i'll cut the sarcasm but we all know when holiday season is.. if you ask once you know peak is presidents week thru april/easter. The only surprise maybe is that the deluxes have value season in the summer after July 4th.

There are many letters by readers but they all seem to have the same condescending tone as if heavily edited by the same person.....telling how horrible their experiences were and how they should have listened to the book.

It amazes me that so many people who claim to have kids don't know thier young children need to take naps. But everyone who doesnt have them does know this.

They seem to put down so many restaurants ("...remember it is still just buffet food which isn't as good as freshly cooked") even when a glance at the readers rating give it 90% approval.

The advice to take a break midday is good but there is no one who could convince me that you can stay offsite and still be back at your hotel in 20 minutes from the MK. Counting from when you leave the gates I'd think it would take you at least 15 min to get to your room at the GF using the monorail.

They tell you to join the Disney Club ( through your employer...didn't that stop a few years ago...) even though the program has stopped taking new applications as of dec 2002 and the employer part was even before that.

There were quite a few others that i kept bouncing off my wife as i read it.
(they made it seem typical that your rented stroller will be "stolen" 6 times in one day at one park and 5 times a day at another)

My wife seemed as confused as I was the way they described many aspects. There was even profanity used in a letter from a reader.

I'm not even half way through but I woudn't recommend this book. I enjoyed Passporter a great deal more for its information and intercot for its variety.

Any opinions?

 

[Maddle]

You are right, it does give off some negative vibes....but I think it is the most comprehensive guide book. The touring plans can't be beat, provided you have the stamina. They do not sugar coat any of the recommendations, although sometimes I think they are a little tough on the restaurants. They give both positive and negative feedback on all aspects of the resort depending on the market. (A toddler and a teenager and a grandma are going to see the same attraction differently.) After reading the Unofficial Guide, I think you really know what you are getting into- it's a critique.

 

[mommystieg]

I use both the Birnbaum's and the Unofficial guide to get both ends of the spectrum. Although the Unofficial guide is sort of cynical I still feel like I gained a lot of valuable information from it--it is a like a little slap of reality(albeit sometimes a little too much reality). It is kind of annoying that it is not updated a little more frequently.

 

[ScarletIndigo]

I saw the Unofficial Guide at Border's when I was looking for my own guide book to read, but after a quick glance at the pure SIZE of the thing, not to mention the lack of color and pictures and the way it seemed to read like a textbook, I put it back on the shelf and picked up the Birnbaum's Official Guide. Sure, it may be very pro-Disney, but isn't that a GOOD thing when it comes to planning a vacation at WDW?? At 250 pages with color and pictures, it's proving to be an interesting read that will definitely help whet my Disney appetite. So what if I don't learn anything new? I have the Internet for that! ;-)

 

[Mortlives]

I know what you mean about the Unofficial Guide. I get the same sort of vibe from Frommers. I think the lack of pictures from both may be an inability to get permission to publish pictures. That might also explain the negativity... or vice versa. I like the Birnbaums, and for real information and reviews, I come here

Ciao,
Mort.

 

[jlp651]

the unofficial guide and Birnbaums...both are helpful...but I agree the unofficial one is kind of a downer...

 

[Unofficial627]

I love the unofficial. I admit, it is negative, but sometimes that's better in WDW's case. They tell you what's good and bad, so you don't waste your time on something that's not worth it. I have Birmbaum and Passporter, but the Unofficial is worth it to get it.

 

[MomE@Home]

I used the Unofficial Guide for our April 2002 trip. It is kind of negative in parts and some of the info. is outdated (EE had been discontinued when we were there and a lot of the planning in the book revolved around EE). I did find quite a bit of useful info. though, that's how I found the WDWIG site which led me here to the DIS.

 

[lasmickey]

Ok, I admit that I'm kind of a fanatic on disney planning books. I have the "Unofficial" Guide, Birnbaum's "Official" Guide, and the PassPorter. Hands down the winner has got to be the PassPorter. They give you all the best tips about Disney, get you really excited about your trip, but still manage to give an honest opinions without being so "negative".

 

[MLbooks]

I agree with lasmickey - I have the unofficial guide, the Birnbaum guide and the Passporter - and I find myself going to the Passporter. For example, looking for the height requirement for Mission Space - found it quickly in Passporter. Maps of resorts and parks, and lots of ratings. And definitely not so negative.

Mary