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| The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009 (Unofficial Guides) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $11.10
You Save: $8.89 (44%)
New (39) Used (11) from $11.10
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 568
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 864
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.1 x 1.7
ISBN: 0470285702
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.06875924
EAN: 9780470285701
ASIN: 0470285702
Publication Date: September 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW
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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: - Exclusively patented, field-tested touring plans that save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day
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Tips, advice, and opinions from hundreds of Walt Disney World guests in their own words -
Almost 250 hotels rated and ranked for quality and value, including the top non-Disney hotels for families -
A complete Dining Guide with ratings and reviews of all Walt Disney World restaurants, plus extensive alternatives for dining deals outside the World -
Every attraction rated and ranked for each age group; extensive, objective, head-to-head comparisons of the Disney and Universal theme parks
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Generally Helpful and Improved Since Last Year, But... August 17, 2008
33 out of 49 found this review helpful
Last year, I posted a review of the guide in which I noted that the 2008 edition included a surprising number of errors. And not information that had become obsolete due to changes near or after the publication date, but claims that were years out of date or outright wrong (i.e., claiming that Exxon sponsored the energy pavilion at Epcot years after it had parted ways with Disney, or an index entry which bizarrely claimed that Typhoon Lagoon was in Tomorrowland).
The good news is that in the 2009 edition the editors appear to have fixed many of the mistakes - and there are some nice additions, including some gorgeous color photographs (showing crowds at different times of day, food sizes, room photos, etc.). The bad news is that is that there are still errors which a thorough update should have caught. For example:
* On p. 18, the guide claims that the BoardWalk Inn has 378 rooms On p. 161, it says 372. (A minor error overall ... but if one looks at older editions, the numbers have been out of sync since at least the 2003 guide, so it appears that no one has reviewed these entries in at least six years?)
* On p. 109, the guide offers a "unofficial tip" that for purchases at the theme parks by resort guests, "you can have your loot delivered to your room." That hasn't been true for many years (at least for non-concierge guests) - delivery is only to resorts' gift shops. The guide later admits as much on p. 748.
* On p. 501, the guide claims that reservations are not accepted for Tokyo Dining in Epcot. They most certainly are, and Disney in fact recommends them.
I give the 2009 guide one more star than I gave the 2008 edition, and do recommend it to first-time visitors or those who want much more than the official line from Birnbaum. But despite being a fan and user of the guide, I just can't go any higher because of the mistakes. If any particular statement in the guide is critical to your vacation planning, double-check it.
 A great resource August 23, 2008
32 out of 33 found this review helpful
This venerable Walt Disney World guidebook covers all the bases... and then goes further. It has a no-nonsense, cynical tone that is refreshing and sometimes funny. Anyone planning a visit to Disney will benefit from it.
Sound strange coming from a competitor? Well, it shouldn't. Though I am the author of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World, the two books approach Disney from different perspectives. Whereas mine is a standard-size book with lots of color photos and factual detail; this one is a huge tome with tons of fieldwork and opinion.
The 844-page book goes into exhaustive detail, especially about topics outside the theme parks. A full 171 pages are devoted to Accommodations, including layout maps of the different Disney resorts, maps showing where non-Disney hotels are located, how to shop online for lodging, and a list of recommended websites that are good resources for this topic. There is even a list of 33 questions to ask the owner or rental company of a vacation home you may want to rent.
I especially enjoy the reader comments. These italicized quotes are a guilty pleasure for me; I like trying to picture the person behind the words. One mom describes choosing a Cinderella character meal at 1900 Park Fare instead of trying to book Cinderella's Royal Table at Cinderella Castle: "It wasn't easy to get, but I was able to get a reservation only about two months in advance instead of the 180-days-and-atomic-clock routine that the Royal Table requires. Maybe someday we'll do the Royal Table, but this time my daughter was delighted with the dinner at 1900 Park Fare."
Often the comments are blunt: "Lodging a complaint with Disney is like shouting at a brick." I've found in my own work how knowledgeable and passionate many Walt Disney World guests are; the comments in the Unofficial Guide reflect this.
I also look for the boxed sidebars from Disneyphile Jim Hill, called "Disney Dish with Jim Hill." These bits of trivia are always interesting, and sometimes very funny.
New for this edition is a small section with photos. These 16 color pages are right up front, before the table of contents. I especially liked the photo comparing a Disney hamburger with a regular McDonald's hamburger.
As for the book having some factual errors, I know firsthand that that criticism is unwarranted. Disney changes its ticket prices more than once a year, some restaurants change their menus quarterly, and Disney's shops can reinvent themselves almost at the drop of a pin.
Despite what all of us in the Disney community like to think about ourselves, no book, no web site, even no Disney executive is a perfect source of Disney World information. The place is just too big, complex and dynamic. Overall, the authors of the Unofficial Guide do a good job keeping their information updated.
If you go to Walt Disney World without a plan, you can easily waste precious time by not knowing what to do, or by doing the wrong things. Having good information can make the difference between having a fun, memorable vacation and having a tense one. The Unofficial Guide is chock full of reliable information. It's a proven tool.
Here's the chapter list:
Introduction
Part One: Planning Before You Leave Home
Part Two: Making the Most of Your Time and Money
Part Three: Accommodations
Part Four: Serenity Now! A Look at Disney-area Spas
Part Five: The Disney Cruise Line
Part Six: Walt Disney World with Kids
Part Seven: Special Tips for Special People
Part Eight: Arriving and Getting Around
Part Nine: Bare Necessities
Part Ten: Dining in and around Walt Disney World
Part Eleven: The Magic Kingdom
Part Twelve: Epcot
Part Thirteen: Animal Kingdom
Part Fourteen: Behind the Scenes at Walt Disney World
Part Fifteen: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld
Part Sixteen: The Water Parks
Part Seventeen: Beyond the Parks
Part Eighteen: Shopping in and out of Walt Disney World
Part Nineteen: Nightlife in and out of Walt Disney World
Appendix, Indexes, Touring Plans and Reader Surveys
List of Maps
 You will either love it or hate it August 27, 2008
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
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.
Best overall guide to WDW planning August 18, 2008
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
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.
This is still the "must have" guide for Disney vacations August 21, 2008
6 out of 18 found this review helpful
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.
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