The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2008
by Julie Neal, Mike Neal
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Book Summary Information
Author: Julie Neal, Mike NealEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-12-15
ISBN: 0970959699
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Coconut Press
Book Reviews of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2008
Book Review: Tour WDW while at home...
Summary: 5 Stars
Julie and Mike Neal have achieved the impossible; they have summarized Walt Disney World in 336 pages with maps, tables and hundreds of photos. It would take at least a month to do everything at Walt Disney World. There are four major theme parks, a sports complex, two water parks, 27 themed hotels and a shopping and nightclub district spread over 47 square miles. About 100,000 guests are served daily by 54,000 cast members. Walt Disney World is big. BIG.
The Complete Walt Disney World 2008 is a concise, up-to-date reference that allows me to `walk through' tour plans while at home. The phone directory is conveniently located on the back page--this book is designed for use while visiting Walt Disney World. For more complete information I'd need to connect to the internet while using a telephone and have a Walt Disney World library of more than two dozen volumes. In addition to up-to-the-minute information, The Complete Walt Disney World has history and trivia. For example, on page 48 there is a connection between Allied POWs in World War Two and the Cinderella Castle mosaic--the sidebar is titled `War and Pieces.' The history of Walt Disney World from the `Project X' days is a nice touch. How about the Hidden Mickey, the personalized touch or `autograph' Imagineers put on the rides and attractions? See pages 324-330. Thank you, Julie, for the bibliography--for me, that page is an important resource.
Need to know what is at a restaurant or one of the 27 hotels? On Pages 8 and 9 is a simple map--more than enough to keep me from getting lost on Walt Disney World's road network. Each major theme park has a small, simple map showing where the rides and attractions are. A sample tour of each major theme park is a nice touch and meshes in with the Neals' 7-step planning process on pages 24-27. For those not familiar with Florida's climate, the `what to pack' on Page 28 is excellent advice. A word on `what to pack'--in November 1998 I was touring both Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World. The weather in Florida was so cold that my Keys to the Kingdom tour guide had drawn a heavy overcoat and gloves from Costuming. I was fortunate that I and anticipated the bitter cold in Paris--so I was able to stay warm. Speaking of tours, Julie and Mike cover them--how to get them (pages 256 and 257) and how much they cost--more important, how long these tours are. There is an outstanding FastPass guide on page 31--simple, graphic and easy to understand (while telling you how to dodge lines other ways, too). The book is divided up into the four major theme parks, water parks, Downtown Disney (the shopping and nightclub district), Diversions, Accommodations (both on and off Walt Disney World), Restaurants (with the Disney Dining Plan) and Special Events. I'd add some sticky tabs to mark the spots I needed and some sticky-notes inside and keep a separate notebook--this helps me organize my trip.
A word on plans--a plan is a starting place for changes. Planning can help you get the most out of your vacation--you won't worry `what am I missing' because reading The Complete Walt Disney World 2008 will tell you everything that is there. A check on the official Walt Disney World web site (use your local library if you lack a computer) before you set out will update your plans--anything you miss will be because you were doing something more important, more fun. Knowledge puts you in control of your vacation. Julie and Mike Neal are giving you a gift in The Complete Walt Disney World 2008--their combined experience. It is like having your own professional tour guide in your pocket.
I'm not doing The Complete Walt Disney World 2008 justice in this short review. There is a lot of Walt Disney World. The Neals' have managed to put that in a book small enough to have with me in the parks. This book is entertaining, too. I just hope that The Complete Walt Disney World 2008 is available at Walt Disney World just in case I go there and accidentally leave my copy behind!
Well done, gang!
Summary of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2008
Should leave fans of Mickey smiling from ear to ear. -- Chicago TribuneA thorough overview, with inside tips, facts and quizzes. With more than 400 color photos, it also makes a nice souvenir. -- Boston Globe
May be the most colorful, visually stunning and deeply researched guidebook on the market. A warm, loving portrait of Disney World, for people who want to love Disney World. -- Orlando Sentinel
Endless tips and trivia. -- Knoxville News-Sentinel
There are dozens of guides to Disney World, but I like this one by a husband-and-wife team who visited Disney World more than 700 times. They're not affiliated with Disney, but received much inside access by the company to provide very detailed descriptions of each ride, show and attraction. Among the gems are fun facts, suggested itineraries and little things to look for. -- Florida Times Union
Offers an in-depth history of the attractions and the parks themselves... and the most in-depth run-down of the two Disney water parks. -- Budget Travel
Book Description
The best-looking Disney World guidebook, The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 is also the most interesting. Its spectacular photography grabs your eye, then its fantastic wealth of information keeps you glued to its pages. Every aspect of Disney World becomes easy to understand, as color-coded chapters lay out everything one subject at a time, and gorgeous full-color images bring it all to life. Packed with details you just can't find anywhere else, every chapter is so helpful you'll find yourself sticking post-it notes everywhere.
The Planning Your Trip chapter offers a seven-step process to organizing your vacation, then a gold mine of practical information. As for theme parks, each ride or show gets its own article, many of which run several pages. Water parks are covered the same way, which makes the book the only real guide to Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Even diversions such as parasailing, stock-car driving and surfing lessons are fully described and illustrated.
A new restaurant chapter is a collection of 88 reviews. The accounts are descriptive and honest, and include useful details such as which character meals can usually take walk-ins. The accommodations chapter covers each Disney resort with a photo-packed article as well as a comprehensive At a Glance sidebar. The combination gives you a nice overview of each complex, but also makes it easy to scan them all by price, amenities, location, or other criteria.
Supplemental Material
Like the most complete DVD set, the book is packed with bonus features. The best are the background articles on Disney's theme park attractions. For example, three side stories describe the history, science and set design of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Other columns cover the histories of Space Mountain and It's a Small World. An animal guide describes the odd behaviors you can witness at Animal Kingdom, from the forearm-licking of the park's kangaroos to the stick-sharing rituals of its exotic birds. Breezy feature articles cover the wacky histories of the Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella fairy tales.
The result is a hugely entertaining book, but one that doesn't flinch from the frustrating realities of a Disney trip. It acknowledges the long lines, the challenge of getting key restaurant reservations, the cluelessness you have on how to get a front-row seat to the High School Musical street show... and provides the magical solutions. Tip bars run across the bottom of most pages.
Fitting the visual beauty of its subject, The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 is printed on gloss paper in full color. The book is fully updated, with the latest park and resort information and current prices and policies.
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