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Product Description

More than 4 million copies sold! This series is the only one that offers evaluations based on reader surveys and critiques, compiled by a team of unbiased inspectors.

• Hotels, attractions, and restaurants in all price categories

• Extensive information on shopping, nightlife, and sports

• Easy-to-use, two-color design

• Detailed, 2-color maps

From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

"A Tourist's Best Friend!"
—Chicago Sun-Times

"Indispensable"
—The New York Times

Five Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide:

1. Exclusively patented, field-tested touring plans that save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day

2. Tips, advice, and opinions from hundreds of Walt Disney World guests in their own words

3. Almost 250 hotels rated and ranked for quality and value, including the top non-Disney hotels for families

4. A complete Dining Guide with ratings and reviews of all Walt Disney World restaurants, plus extensive alternatives for dining deals outside the World

5. Every attraction rated and ranked for each age group; extensive, objective, head-to-head comparisons of the Disney and Universal theme parks

Customer Reviews:

• Can't imagine going to Disney World without this book!
  I think this is a "must read" for someone visiting Disney World, particularly if you are not terribly familiar with Disney World. It includes both the good and bad and a lot of money saving tips. It is a nice (and large) book to have if you want to learn more than what the Disney folks tell you. It also provides a wealth of resources to get even more information. As an added bonus, it is rather fun to read. Definitely worth the money!...more info
• Unofficial Guide to WDW will save you Time & Money
  I've been to Walt Disney World several times (5>10) and have used several guides over the years. However, none has come close to "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". It is by far the best guide I've used. It is complete with maps, touring plans (that can save you hours of standing in line for rides), and tips and tricks that are tried and true. Remember, it is a guide, and the suggestions are just that; but the suggestions are spot on every time. If you only have a couple of days or two weeks to spend at Disney, you'll get 10x your money's worth from this book in the amount of time and headaches it will save you. The book is incredibly thorough and addresses issues such as visiting WDW with children, newlywed/first-time visitors, or if it's your 50th anniversary... there's information specific to just about every age group or touring group size imaginable. Read it before you go. Take it with you into the park (there are pocket-sized pull-out guides in the back of the book), and make your own notes for future visits. There's also a supporting website with last minute changes and updates that keeps up with the Official WDW information. Personnaly, I don't think you can go wrong with this book. Highly recommended, especially for first-time visitors to WDW in Orlando FL....more info
• wonderful for 3 adults!
  Left March 28, for Disney World, stayed at a value resort and followed the tour plans. Worked like a charm and saved us hours! Spent Saturday to Saturday, and saw the 4 parks and Universal (2 days) My husband and I and our 24 year old daughter used the plans in the back of the book for Universal and Disney. The advice on what rides to do, when to get a fast pass, etc. worked like a charm. We went to universal studios on a Sunday morning, and it rained, and we saw all the attractions by about 2 p.m. Then we went to the Magic Kingdom. It was not crowded on Sunday evening. Someone told us it was "condo-swap night".
  We tore the pages out of the book for each day, and tore the pages that described the rides. The Fast passes are a big time saver.
  Saw everything but Peter Pan's Flight, and the Pterandon flyers in Animal kingdom, missed a few shows, but we hardly ever had to wait in line more than 15 minutes. Do plan your trip!, but remember you are on vacation.
  These plans were great, but we were 3 adults, and I am sure the plans for children and older adults must go at a different pace. Enjoy!...more info
• Ok, but not great
  This book is better served for someone to use prior to planning your disneyworld vacation. It has very detailed information for hotel contact/location information as well as dining. However, the information about the different parks was scattered throughout the book and not very thorough. It was too bulky and heavy to carry around the parks and the tour plans in the back should be perforated so you can tear them out, not cut out w/scissors. You'd be much better off picking up a park map for each park once you get there. It was somewhat helpful at best....more info
• This is still the "must have" guide for Disney vacations
  It is important to give respect to those that have identified some errors and ommissions in the "Unofficial Guides." The guide is not perfect, and one might expect perfection from a reference book. That being said, no Disney vacation is perfect either, although we all seek perfection from this expensive theme park trip!
  
  What the Unofficial Guide does is break down, in a very user friendly way, how to understand a Disney vacation and make the most of it. The authors also make an 800+ page book fun to read and explore and that is no easy feat!
  
  From understanding resort accomodations, meal plans, those attractions that might upset your stomach, travel, moving about the parks, shopping, attendence levels, health and safety, pets, etc etc etc., the Guide makes these complicated topics manageable.
  
  We can look to Wikipedia for hard, real-time data (and the Guide should strive to have all their information fact checked.) But, Disney is expensive, complicated, and does involve lots of planning. The Guide is the best $13 you will ever spend towards your vacation. It's cheaper than your Coke and chicken strips lunch at a counter restaurant, but will save you untold amounts of confusion and frustration about bus routes, check-in policies, how to see characters, and so forth.
  
  It is also important to note, that with the purchase of the book, you receieve access to the Unoffical Guide's crowd calendars (viewable on its website). It's a nice little perk to help with your long-range planning.
  
  We have bought numerous travel books for our trips, but the Unoffical Guide is more than just a travel book, it is a How-to guide to getting the most from your Disney Vacation....more info
• You will either love it or hate it
  I have both the 2008 and 2009 Unofficial Guide, and honestly, my summary is that this is a good, necessary companion to the Birnbaum guide, but it is poorly executed as a stand-alone. I find myself vascillating between loving it and wanting to throw it off a freeway overpass.
  
  First, the good. It is certainly a very indepth guide. It is updated with reasonable amounts of materials between the editions. It treats most subjects much more thoroughly than Birnbaums. The off-property hotels, for example, are excellent compared to Brinbaums. The tour plans are also a neat idea, and I look forward to trying them. The letters from customers are also a nice touch (adding customer insights, tips etc) but are a tad over-done.
  
  Now, the bad. This book screams for a good technical editor. The information is fairly inaccessible, given the number of pages, the poor organization and the hideous indexing. (Honestly, in any book about Disney, should anything be indexed under "Disney's XYZ"? I wanted to kick my dog when I tried to index some attraction and the index said "See Disney's ) I research for a living and have a doctorate, and the amount of work you have to go through to find every last scrap of information in this guide about a given subject is really inexcusable. The information is in there, and thorough, but dear me you really have to flog the thing to get it out. I find myself constantly referring to a Birnbaums guide just to get myself oriented and try and get the full context of what it is I need to extract from the Unofficial Guide's multiple sections.
  
  A final complaint that I have, that some people might consider a benefit rather than a detriment, is that this book has a bunch of non-disney stuff in it. While it is a nice touch to make people aware of what else there is to do and get them "off property," I personally consider it cluttering up the book with unneeded information. The title is U.G. to WALT DISNEY WORLD 2009, not Universal Studios, not Gatorworld etc etc. Honestly, for people who want to know what there is to do off property, let them buy a book about stuff off property a la "Unofficial Guide to Everything But Disney." Don't junk up a guide that is supposed to be about Disney with non-Disney stuff. It is just more stuff to slog through in an already bloated, unorganzied reference work. (Again, I readily concede some will consider this non-Disney information a benefit, but the book isn't "Disney and Stuff.")
  
  I like the book, it has great information, but it is poorly executed and really could benefit from serious editing/reogranization. As it stands now, most people will probably benefit from having the Birnbaums guide as a kind of concise Concordance to the Unofficial Guide's sprawl and bloat.
  
  P.S. I ordered from Amazon online on a Friday with standard shipping and had it on Monday....more info
• awesome book
  This is the best DisneyWorld book that I have read. It had a lot of great tips especially for a first time WDW visitor!! If you are going to Orlando, this is the only book you need!!...more info
• Outstanding Guide Book
  As the writer of Walt Disney World? with Disabilities I wanted to show my support for this fantastic guide book. I have to agree with every last thing Julie Neal, author of The Complete Walt Disney World said in her review. I also wanted to share some of the other things we love about this book.
  
  As Julie pointed out, some may think that our book is in competition with the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. However we confidently recommend it in our book as an excellent adjunct to Walt Disney World with Disabilities. While Walt Disney World with Disabilities focuses on supporting those with minor to major health issues, the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World includes a wealth of information that will support anyone planning a trip to Disney.
  
  When planning our trips over the years we've always referred to the restaurant section for help with choosing our dining options. There are so many restaurants at Disney that it can be challenging to pick among them. This guide gives some great information you won't see anywhere else. For each restaurant you'll see service, quality, value and even friendliness rated. We find the Reader-Survey rating number to be particularly helpful. Readers give either a thumbs up or thumbs down rating for each restaurant. The rating gives you a sense of how many diners really enjoyed the experience and how many did not. We've found that these ratings tend to be consistent with our experiences.
  
  I've got to say that I find the author's comments to sometimes be hilarious as well as informative. The reader comments have also been so helpful for us. I love that they show opposing opinions. One thing I've learned while authoring Walt Disney World with Disabilities is that there will be as many opinions as guests. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World does a great job at choosing comments that represent the majority of visitors. This approach is used for the attraction descriptions, and it really enhances the readers understanding of what they're actually getting into when they commit to a ride or show.
  
  Concerning the accuracy of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, as a Disney World guide book writer I've learned several things. First, anything and everything at Disney can change in an instant. Since it's such a dynamic environment we find that even Disney can't keep up. The Disney staff and the Disney World information resources are often sharing outdated information. There are thousands and thousands of facts in The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, and the authors do an outstanding job of keeping as current as possible.
  
  Overall, it's a well organized book, and one of our very favorite resources for planning a great trip to Disney World.
  ...more info
• A Must Have
  This book is a must have for anyone considering a trip to Disney. It gives you the ins and outs of everything from rides, hotels, food, and prices. You will find it easy to read, and very accurate. Bring it with you on your trip and it will help you even more. ...more info
• Disney UNOFFICIAL GUIDE
  All the Books listed helped us in our planning of our upcomming WDW, Disney Vacation. We had an older Birnbaum's Book published in 2008, We rated it at 4 Stars. We wanted the most up to date information so We Purchased Formmers, Walt Disney World & Orlando 2009, by Laura Lea Miller, another 4 Star Book. We also Purchased The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009, by Bob Sehlinger this Book we Gave 5 STARS. All provide many tips and Information. We will take all these Books with us, Especially the UNOFFICIAL GUIDE. The Disney Parks are Huge and without some type of itenerary,& Disney Termonology interperation your everyday person is lost. I would not want to spend as much money as Disney demands for admittance and not have all the possible knowledge of what is really available to guest that these Books Provide. The Books describe rids and shows of WDW, If your staying with Disney, The Books explain the WDW Resorts Perks, DDR's, DAH. and provide a wealth of knowledge about the parks.
  ...more info
• Just bought this book
  As we are planning a return trip to Orlando/Disney in 2009, I discovered this book and decided to buy it.There is so much practical information in it. Only downside as far as I can see is that when you go to the website that they recommend for more information, you seem to have to subscribe to view the information.
  
  All in all I feel that its a great read and handy to have for reference....more info
• A Must-Have!
  For anyone planning a trip to Walt Disney World this book is a must-have! It's loaded with info on when to go, where to stay, where to eat and how much it will all cost. It has ratings for rides for different age groups and it even includes itineraries for seeing things at each park whether you are there for one day or one week! This book is not produced by Disney but by seasoned travelers and families who have compiled their information to make a very useful, unbiased travel tool. ...more info
• Unofficial Review of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
  One can't contemplate an assault on America's favorite theme park without a guide, and this unbelievably comprehensive tome is the way to go. Walt Disney World can be an overwhelming place and the book was our not so secret weapon to bring order to the process. Our mistake was ordering it too close to the trip, as it was impossible to absorb the mountain of good info in less than two weeks, so we used it at the park itself constantly, which was invaluable. It is fairly easy to index and we found it to be quite accurate...though it was always the heaviest item in our backpack outside of the geodes and agates (rocks) the kids just had to buy at EPCOT :-)
  
  One of the most valuable parts were the opinions of previous visitors on everything from "which park was our favorite" all the way down to individual reviews of every ride, restaurant, activity, tour plans, etc. It is very balanced in that regard. You can still maintain some sense of spontaneity and not treat each day as an amphibious landing on a hostile beachhead, but the short cuts and hints the book suggest can make life much easier. Once we were reminded of that age old military adage that "no plan survives first contact with the enemy" we used the book constantly to update and change our focus based on time, weather, etc. We had a fantastic time, and the book helped ensure that would happen. ...more info
• Great Book and website
  Great book, and web site that comes with book purchase is great too. Helps plan out a great trip to disney...more info
• Lots of information
  This is a great book on Disney. We had one for 2007 when we went also and it listed everything we needed to know. There's actually so much info you need to skip over certain areas or you'd never get through the whole book. We also bought Birnbaums book which has less info but was easier to read and look at. This year they added some pictures which made the book nicer. I would recommend it if planning a trip to Disney....more info
• Recommended by this travel consultant
  As a travel consultant specializing in Disney vacations, I think this is a great resource book for someone visiting Walt Disney World, particularly if you are a first time visitor or not real familiar with Walt Disney World. For my first time Walt Disney World vacationers, I give them this book as a little token of appreciation. I highly recommend it and also have it as one of the recommended books to purchase through my website.
  
  Mary
  Making Memories Travel of WNY...more info
• The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009
  This is a highly recommended resource for anyone going to Disney! Has tons of valuable information to help with trip planning. I got the 2006 version for our last trip (which help immensely too) then saw how much more was added to this years version and had to get a new copy. The book is more than double the size of our 06 book!...more info
• Touring Plans are a must!
  I just returned from Disney World after using this book. It has a lot of great tips, but the best part are the Touring Plans and when you buy the book you can get access to their online touring plans. We followed the Magic Kingdom plan to the tee on a busy Sunday and were able to see everything that we wanted! Definately worth it!...more info
• Best overall guide to WDW planning
  This is the guide that I recommend to all newbies and even veteran WDW visitors and I find myself purchasing yearly. Why - it has the most thorough descriptions and experiences of WDW. I typically purchase the Official Guide every year as well for its colored photos primarily however the Unofficial Guide for substance and research. Everyone I have recommended it to was more prepared after reading the Unofficial Guide than any other guide. I also like the Passporter guide and I use them in conjunction with each other (I carry the passpockets). However, If I only could chose or recommend one guide this would be the one.
  
  As is the case with most guides that reflect 2009 - they are typically published in 2008. I was pleased to see the the Unofficial Guide did note some changes in the 2009 guide that occurred at press. I also use and appreciate their associated website touringplans.com and have found it helpful when things have changed since the book went to press as well as other items like renovations, construction status (think Contemporary), ride closures etc that are not always known throughout the year. This has saved me in the past from family disappointment as some changes occur without a lot of notice (press events) and would have caused major angst. I do not find the WDW official website to provide an easy navigation experience so the fact that they have this feature in this high speed internet world is an additional tool. I think this is another differentiator compared to other WDW guides. Most do not have associated websites and if they do they may not be updated frequently. I also enjoyed the new pictures and they are a fantastic addition. Another noted feature in the book and website welcomes comments or even corrections to the guide. The previous reviewer has some very specific updates that I encourage him to write to the authors. I don't know that I would have noticed those specific ones the previous review noted but I understand the point being made. A couple of years ago I noted changes that happened mid year that were in the book but I found a bit different when I arrived on property and I figured what the heck I'll send a note to the author via the website and figured I would never hear anything. Not only did I receive a reply but the update was noted on the website. I've never filled out the complete Reader Survey myself but I appreciate the comments from other readers that have done so and I have chuckled at the descriptions or opinions given. I may not always agree with an opinion but have been able to understand what the writer meant by their observation which was in itself helpful.
  
  The fact that the book makes references to other websites, books and forum sites is another bonus. I also prefer the use of experts in their research. You don't see this noted extensively in many of the other books I've purchased or perused. Every year I'll pick up a new or try an updated version of a different WDW guide book and am typically not wowed. The free touring plans and very helpful. I admit being initially skeptical about them, however having utilized them, I now highly recommend reviewing them to get a sense of various viewing options. The book has also grown substantially over the years. I typically use it planning before a trip and I do not carry it to go to the park but will review it when I get back to the hotel. I don't carry the book due to its heft however I have cut out the plans and other items in the back of the book which is great that they keep this up.
  
  I frankly have found this book has made the difference between people arriving on site being completely overwhelmed and lost vs. being prepared. Being prepared doesn't take the mystique out of WDW - its an incredible place, but its easy to be swept away not like floating down the Lazy river in a tube but tumbling feet over head landing in a 90 minute line with no fast pass, exhausted, crumpled map in hand wondering why this is fun?! You do not need to be a "commando" tourer to appreciate this book. While this was my style in years past I found as a casual tourer reviewing some of the suggestions and guidelines makes a huge difference in alleviating stress. WDW is huge and vast and exciting and magical. We try to visit at least twice a year and even then I am always amazed at how many things change year after year....more info
• great reference
  We are planning our first trip to Disney, family of 5, I thought I needed a travel agent but it turns out you just need this book! They give you great tips and tons of information. Thanks to this book our trip is now going to be a lot less money! ...more info
• Excellent resource
  This book is a must have for planning down in Florida. The only downside is that by the time the trip comes, half the book has been used. It is a relatively large book but the key stuff to carry with you is in rip out sheets at the end....more info
• Wouldn't make a trip to Disney World without the Unoffical Guide!
  We have made other trips to Disney World, but this is the first time we've used the "Unoffical Guide". Using the guide has made our planning so much easier and we totally expect to get more from this trip than we have in the past. So many wonderful tips and the "tried and proven" tour plans will enable us to make the most of our time at each of the parks. This little book took the work out of planning our vacation and that is important since there are 10 of us going to Disney World in June!
  Linda - Dallas...more info
• Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009
  The detail in the Unoffical Guides is always great. It's important to get the most recent Guide before your trip so that you aren't getting outdated information. The helpful hints are invaluable. If you haven't done Disney World before and/or haven't read one of the these Unofficial Guides before, the amount of information and detail can be overwhelming, but plow through it bit by bit because it's worth it....more info
• Good...but
  The guide was good; very informative. This will be our 2nd trip to the "world." I did a ton of independant research on my own for our 1st trip, and learned of a guy named Jim Hill. Imagine my surprise to find his fanatical ideas and opinions splashed throughout the guide. He really has no business being in there, really. Most of his predictions are baseless, and never see the light of day. Also, the first few pages go on and on about using the touringplans.com, ect. You know what? We all get it! That's why we bought the book! No need for the commercial....more info
• "....And STILL CHAMPION!!!......"
  We've gone to "The World" for 3 years now in a row, this year will be #4, our 5th total. I've purchased this book for 6. In fact, I've purchased just about every 'help' book on WDW there is out there! Sehlinger & Testa put out the best, hands down....period. They're un-biased, independent, honest, and fair. As a single parent of two boys, I just don't have the time to spend the absolute hours/days it would take to gather the info and do the research these folks do for me with teams of 'professionals' gathered by the authors! If you've never been to "The World" or never tried to plan to go there before, we who have can tell ya just how much and often 'Disney' changes just about anything you can think of. The 'Guide' even gives us a web-page where we can check for up-dates and changes 'Disney' makes. They provide the research to help you plan your day(s) in each park, in-depth info for each attraction, dining, lodging (on and off property), when to go...., just about anything you may need to plan your visit to see "The Mouse". You can't do any better nor find anything to help plan your vacation more thoroughly than using this book to get you started......'The Best Out There' and "....Still Champion!!!"...PERIOD! ...more info
• book review
  We used this book to find information before going to Disney World. Very helpful...more info
• Disney enthusiast dream come true!!
  I had heard alot about this book but never dreamed it was so full of information in regards to Disney. It has a ton of helpful tips and alot of suggestions I would have never thought of. These guys definitely do a thorough job of covering just about everything at Disney and do all the research and leg work for you so you don't have to. I highly recommend this book for the Disney veteran as well as the first time traveler....more info