The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2003
by Bob Sehlinger

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Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2003

Book Review: This comprehensive guide helped me save hundreds of dollars!
Summary: 5 Stars

I wish I could give more than five stars to the vacation planning chapters of the book. Monthly attendance data plus subjective pros and cons of visiting during each season helped us decide when to go; detailed reviews of hotels within and outside the "World" helped us decide where to stay; an outline of all the available ticketing options helped us determine what sort of park admission to buy. All in all we saved hundreds of dollars - and planned a more suitable vacation for our family - as compared to following the advice of friends and co-workers.

The chapters pertaining to each park rate four to five stars. Each ride, show, or attraction is described in detail and given a star rating for each of several age groups. Careful attention is paid to factors affecting how long you will wait in line. The author provides touring plans designed to get you to as many of the "best" attractions as possible with the least amount of waiting in line; 1-day and 2-day touring plans for families with and without young children are provided for the Magic Kingdom. Occasionally the reviews are a bit idiosyncratic but on the whole they let you know what not to miss - and what to pass up with no regrets. The guide also includes chapters on Universal Orlando and Sea World.

The chapters reviewing Disney dining deserve four stars. Again, the coverage is vast and detailed, with reviews not only of restaurants in and out of the "World" but even of counter-service (i.e., fast food) within the "World." You will either shake your head and roll your eyes at the hints for landing a breakfast reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table, or you will rush to synchronize your clocks with Disney reservation center time and start warming up your dialing fingers. I agree with other reviewers that the restaurant reviews are overly harsh and discount the extent to which a sit-down meal in some Disney restaurants can be an attraction unto itself. There is also no index to table-service restaurants in each park.

This guide contains far more information than any one traveler is going to need, and at least some of it will seem like common sense - but one person's common sense is another's startling revelation. As with any guidebook some information will be out of date; some specific issues noted by prior reviewers have been corrected in the 2003 edition. If you are a true believer in Disney magic you might not like the blunt tone of the author's remarks. However, if you are a Disney skeptic, a novice, or simply a vacationer trying to get the most out of a big-deal vacation, the Unofficial Guide is an excellent resource.

Summary of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2003

This annually updated blockbuster is everyone's favorite insider guide to the ins and outs of Orlando, one of the most-visited destinations in the U.S. Our team of anonymous inspectors has checked out every inch of the Disney parks, and they've been completely honest and objective in their evaluations of every ride, show, hotel, and restaurant. With the Unofficial Guide in hand, readers know they're maximizing their time, enjoying all the fun, and getting their money's worth.

The Unofficial Guide? to Walt Disney World? also includes:

• Every attraction rated and ranked for each age group, based on interviews and surveys of more than 18,000 families
• When to go and how to avoid the crowds: The best times of year and the best days of the week
• Field-tested touring itineraries for each park, including Sea World and Universal's Islands of Adventure -- for families, couples, honeymooners, and singles
• All the area hotels rated and ranked for value and quality of rooms, plus reviews of all the Disney restaurants
• How to find and meet the Disney characters

To help you decide what's most important for you and your family to see, this newly updated 1999 edition describes each attraction in detail and ranks them for different age groups based on interviews with more than 9,000 families. The book also covers when to go, the pros and cons of lodging outside "the World," hotel and restaurant ratings, field-tested itineraries, tips and warnings, planning strategies, and how to meet Disney characters. Humorous writing accompanied by cartoonist Tami Knight's satiric insights make this guide fun to read. Parks covered include the Magic Kingdom; Epcot; Disney's Animal Kingdom; The Disney-MGM Studios; Universal Studios Florida; Sea World; area water-theme parks; and a section called "Beyond the Parks," which delves into other various Disney offerings like golf (mini and maxi), a speedway, and Discovery Island. --Kathryn True

General Books

• Subjects > Travel > Reference & Tips
• Specialty Travel > Family Travel
• United States > Regions > South
• States > Florida