Be prepared.
It`s the one bit of advice that every guidebook to Walt Disney World advises. They are the two wisest words you`ll ever obey when visiting the 43- square-mile resort.
A passel of publications all claim to be the best way to prepare for a trip to the most popular tourist attraction in the world. But couldn`t the $10 you`ll spend on a guidebook be better spent at Disney World itself? Maybe, but if you go to the parks guideless-even if you`ve gone before-you could be taking unnecessary risks.
”When you have a guidebook, you learn the tips on how to maneuver through the parks, where the lines may be longer during the day-that kind of stuff is really helpful,” says Disney representative Jennie Hess. Here are some of the most widely available books.
– ”The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and Epcot” (Prentice-Hall, $9.95).
Travel writer Bob Sehlinger and a staff of seven compiled this exhaustive and useful book that wasn`t sanctioned by Disney. (That`s why there are no pictures.) But that has given the authors a chance to tell which rides aren`t worth it and which ones shouldn`t be missed.
The book is mostly laudatory; almost every attraction rates at least three of five stars. Sehlinger assesses each ride`s appeal for everyone from preschoolers to senior citizens. Nifty graphics prove why early December is the best time to visit, and there are reviews for every attraction and park, including those at Universal Studios.
What makes the guide stand out, though, is its ease of use. Each attraction listing is followed by its capacity, expected waiting time, a rating, a description and tips to make seeing it easier.
Read the ”Unofficial Guide” and you`ll know everything you need to get around Disney World.
– ”Birnbaum`s Walt Disney World: The Official Guide” (Avon Books, $10.95).
In his introduction, the late Steve Birnbaum says Disney had no control over the book`s content. But Disney can`t have much to object to because Birnbaum gushes over the parks, to the point that you begin to wonder whether he`s telling the truth. (Really now, can every restaurant be delicious?)
The guide spends too much space describing the rides and not enough time telling how to beat the crowds and avoid long waits. Then again, all of that detail makes for interesting reading, and Disney World fans will enjoy it. So will children, who will love the Disney characters and bright colors used throughout.
”The Official Guide” gives you what you need to survive, but not always in the most helpful or the most honest way.
– ”Walt Disney World with Kids” (Prima Press, $9.95).
Don`t think you have to have kids to buy this one by Kim Wright Wiley:
It`s remarkably informative and entertaining, and takes much of the information in Sehlinger`s ”Unofficial Guide” and makes it easier to comprehend.
Although much of it is geared to parents with small children, many sections are valuable to the childless as well: which areas of the park are good for afternoon rests; how to spend your critical first and last hours in the parks; which rides have slow lines.
Some of the tips aren`t so hot. For example, Wiley suggests visiting the Animation Tour at MGM in the late evening, when all of the animators have gone home and little is left to see. And some suggestions are downright strange, such as using the Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom to breast-feed babies. The updated guide includes Universal Studios.
– Disney World guides: Epcot Center, Magic Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios;
and ”The Disney Insider Guide.”
The best thing about these glossy brochures is that they are free. They also provide much of the information in many of the $10 books. With maps, photos and thumbnail sketches of the rides and attractions, the guides pinpoint locations of shops, restaurants and restrooms in individual theme parks. But they`re wholly uncritical. They don`t exist to tell you about long lines or expensive food. Everything is ”incredible,” ”breathtaking” or
”delicious.”
(These guides are free and available throughout Disney World.)
”The Disney Insider Guide” gives up-to-date prices, phone numbers and such ”expert tips” as ”Find out what`s going on and don`t miss a thing!”
But it also provides such pertinent details as how to order a kosher meal and where to find babysitters or banks.
(”The Disney Insider Guide” is free, provided by Disney World with on-site resort reservations.
– ”Disney World and Beyond, The Ultimate Family Guidebook/Family Fun Cards” (Ulysses Press, $7.95).
Skip the cards, an idea that doesn`t work. The concept is that you can shuffle the fun cards and take them as a guide that`s less bulky than a book. But they don`t provide much information.
The book is good but has much extraneous detail, such as lame games to play while waiting in lines with kids. It does have tips that can`t be found anywhere else-for example, guided tours of the Morocco pavilion at Epcot are available on request-but much of the information seems lifted directly from Sehlinger`s ”Unofficial Guide.”
– ”Orlando and Disney World, A TravelVenture Guide” (TeakWood Press, $9.95).
This detailed, fact-filled guide offers much information but not much criticism. It`s good to know about the rides and attractions, but author Bob Martin rarely tells whether a ride is worth taking.
The book tells about a lot more than Disney World: Virtually every Orlando attraction, from Epcot to the Alban Polasek Galleries in Winter Park, is included, along with a brief history of Orlando and Disney World.
The cover promises ”information found in no other single guidebook,”
and it`s true, mostly because it tries to cram too much into its 255 pages.
– ”The Road to Walt Disney World, A Mobil TravelGuide” (Simon and Schuster, $10.95).
The section dealing with Disney World is complete but not detailed, although the guide offers a comprehensive rating of the hotels. (The Grand Floridian is the only on-site resort to get four stars.) For Uncle Earl and Aunt Fannie who are driving in from Evanston, the guide might make a nice gift. For residents, though, it won`t be worthwhile.
– ”Disney World for Kids of All Ages” (TravelKeys $9.95).
This low-budget guide from a small Sacramento publisher tries hard to compete with the big guys. But hand-drawn maps and sketchy information doom it to obscurity.
Gamely attempting to be a guide to central Florida, the book has sections on Sea World, Universal Studios, Cypress Gardens and Church Street Station in Orlando. ”The Scoop on Walt Disney World” chapter is little more than a compilation of the free Disney guides.
