Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2002: Expert Advice From the Inside Source

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Summary: Guide your way through the Magic!
Review: I have been used these books everytime I have gone to Disney World and trust me that is a lot. I always use it to find out about what time the parks are opening, the inside scoop on hotels, when is the best time to eat, ect. My brother who is a disney addict, will not use any other guide to Walt Disney World! The kids and adults guides are also really great to use. The Kids guide is written for kids by kids. You get a unique perspective of the world from them! My all time companion through the magic of Disney!

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Summary: Don't leave home without it!!!!
Review: If you are planning a trip to Disney World you have to have this guide. It gives you tips for every area in the WDW resorts and parks. We have been several times however this guide helped expand our experience. We never has such a smooth visit. It helped with planning dining and tips to get on rides faster. Well worth the price. Also this makes great bedside reading for those times you want to think of happier times or places. Walt would be happy to know this type of book existed. Very happy with mine and plan to buy one every year we go. ------ Betty

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Summary: A BIG help
Review: MY Family and I were very thankfull for this incrediable guidebook. It made our disney vacation very fun and sucsessfull. With out it we would have been totally lost. The tips were very hellpfull and we appreciated them a lot. I recamend it.

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Summary: Great Book For Your Disney Vacation
Review: I found this book very helpful on planning my vacation. It has great tips and information on all the parks and resorts. Anyone planning a Walt Disney World vacation definetly should purchase this book.

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Summary: Good but found lacking
Review: This newest version of Birnbaum's guide is good and very helpful. For a source of information it is top notch. I was dissapointed to find that it lacks solid recommendations in the lodging department. The info is there, but they do not tell you what they think is the best. So I am back where I started, trying to figure out where I should stay on my visit.

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Summary: Biased isn't necessarily bad...
Review: After completing two Disney trips and reading numerous travel guides, I have discovered that Birnbaum's Official Guide, although biased, is definitely "the book" to read when preparing for a Disney vacation. Besides proving in-depth descriptions of rides and attractions, the book dedicates a considerable amount of space to telling you things you need to know before you embark on your Disney excursion, such as info on the weather, average attendance, what to pack, airlines that fly to Disney, and even special events that are going on at Disney this year. These are all things that first-time travelers should find extremely helpful! For those vacationers that want to stay "on property," the guide also records tons of data about the Disney hotels, restaurants, shopping complexes, recreation areas, and water parks. Sample itineraries are provided as models for what you might want to do and when you might want to do it; the book does have some invaluable advice about how to fight crowds that I would have never expected from the Disney folks! The whole point of the book, of course, is to assist you in making your time spent at Disney as efficient as possible, and it accomplishes that purpose well. You will certainly find that if you read this book before your vacation, you will have an easier and more enjoyable time navigating your way through the happiest place on Earth!

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Summary: "Expert Advice" from someone on Disney's payroll!!
Review: Steve Birnbaum's book serves a purpose...for those who have never been to Disney, and want an overview of Disney, then this book is fine. But beware! Everything that you read makes it sound as though you can never eat a bad meal, you can never stay in a bad room...that everything about Disney is PERFECT!! This is not the case!!! If you want to know what things are REALLY like at Disney, then go for another book, like the Passporter (which is a great guidebook to help you organize your trip!) or The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.There you will read reviews of others who have stayed at the hotel you might be considering, they've eaten at the restaurant you are contemplating (and they will tell you whether it's worth it or not!) If you want to get a real feel of what Disney is like, then don't buy this one!

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Summary: Official? or Unofficial?
Review: well, I have found that in the Official books, they don't say a bad thing about Disney. In the Unofficial, the tell their opinions, and others. If your looking for a guide book go to the library and get this out, and also, get a unofficial book too, just to get a better idea.

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Summary: Reads Like a (Too Long) Ad
Review: I'm sorry I purchased this particular guide; dense with information, much of it "puffy," the author never met a Disney experience he didn't like. Even his menus for time-pressed visitors list too many rides and events. There's three paragraphs on everything you want two sentences on. I also found myself going back and forth between sections, it's not organized clearly and concisely. Overall, though, the big drawback is it's not a critical look at the park.

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Summary: Very useful!
Review: This book came in very handy on my latest trip. I've been to WDW 30+ times and I figured that I could write this book. Still, there was more information in it than I knew existed. The reviewers that say that this book only has what Disney wants it to say is probably true. However, I mainly used this as a guide to dining and Disney policy (check in times, costs, etc). It's true that if you wanted to find out reviews of rides and restaurants, you might want to check another guide. However, if you are looking for a GUIDE, this is probably your most accurate source.