The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World Review

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The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World Review"The world's largest collection of theme parks, water parks and resorts, this family-friendly vacation kingdom is so, well, *inspiring*. A trip here is not just a way to spend time with your kids, not just an escape from day-to-day doldrums. It's a reawakening of that free-spirited, good-natured soul who lives deep inside you..." -- From the book
If you've never been to Disney World, the prospect can be overwhelming when you start to research and plan your trip (we made our first visit in August 2006). Which resort should I stay at? What are the best restaurants? What are the "must see" attractions? What should I pack? How many days do I need to thoroughly see--and enjoy--all the parks?
If you happen to be at this stage of the game, look no further. Julie and Mike Neal's brand new book The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World can provide you with everything you need for a magical vacation! (Mike was the photographer while Julie did the research and writing. Even their 13-old homeschooled daughter, Micaela, contributed to the book.)
But before I go on about what this book has to offer for those who haven't yet visited Walt Disney World, let me just say that this is an equally awesome book for those who have already visited! Every time I read this book or gaze at the HUNDREDS of color photographs, I feel like I'm reliving the experience--and long to go back to WDW! (I didn't realize just how much we actually missed until I began reading this book...)
Did I mention the hundreds of color photos? Unlike other Disney World guides, this 320-page guide has over 400 photos! The authors--a husband-and-wife team--spent five years working on this book...visiting Disney World (get this) OVER 700 times! Their untiring work is evident by the maps, Fun Finds, Fun Facts, historical information, charts, and so much more.
In a minute, I'll get to how this guide differs from the Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2007 and The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2007 (I have them both). But for now, let me share with you some of the fascinating features in The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World:
* A comprehensive overview of Walt and the park--including the resort's "secret" history
*Dozens of bonus articles on topics like fairy tale histories, Disney's Audio Animatronic robots, movie backgrounds (including cast, actors, musical scores, etc.), behind-the-scenes and more. A 3-page article is dedicated to Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba (you HAVE to catch this show!) and there is a FOUR page article just about Main Street U.S.A.!
* Attraction plot lines - Yes, there are actually plots created by Disney Imagineers! If you want to know the "backstory" to, say, Expedition Everest, this is your book!
* Over a thousand Fun Finds - The minutia that they include is EXTRAORDINARY. These Fun Finds highlight everything from animatronic character dialogue to oft-overlooked decor. For example--and I remembered seeing this at WDW!--the two lobby posters inside It's Tough to Be a Bug show "past" theater shows like Beauty and the Bees and Little Shop of Hoppers. Heck, there are 37 Fun Finds JUST for Jim Henson's MuppetVision 3-D!
* Fun Facts - Did you know that WDW is the world's largest consumer of fireworks? Or that the music supervisor for IllumiNations was none other than Hans Zimmer? Or that Tex Ritter provided the voice for Big Al at The Country Bear Jamboree?
* Comprehensive view of the Water Parks
* Information on all the latest additions to WDW, including Finding Nemo: The Musical (Animal Kingdom) and The Laugh Floor Comedy Club featuring Mike Wazowski and friends from Monsters, Inc. (Magic Kingdom).
* "A Magical Day" sidebars that are simple, direct shortcuts for seeing the best of each park in a 12-hour period. For Animal Kingdom, TWO plans are given!
* A Shopping Guide for each park organized by theme (art, apparel, toys, etc.)
* A Restaurant Guide for every single place in every park (including table restaurants and snack stands!).
* Holidays at WDW, including Halloween and Christmas (I actually believed that the annual Christmas parade starring Reege and Kelly was live...until I read this book. D'oh!)
* Park Resources - An invaluable guide to locations of ATMs, First Aid Centers, Guest Relations, Cameras/Accessories, Package Pick-ups and more--for every park!
* Park Puzzler multiple choice quizzes for testing your knowledge of WDW
* An educational 10-page guide to 65 exotic creatures at Animal Kingdom
* Easy-to-read Park Maps
* Phone Directory
* Six pages of Hidden Mickeys (334 examples!)
* A chapter on "Diversions", including golf, miniature golf, stock car driving, surfing lessons and 15 other recreational activities
* A "Where to Stay" Chapter that includes "A Kid's Guide to Disney Pools" (includes hotels not on Disney property, as well as Downtown Disney hotels which are ON Disney property...but not OWNED by them--like The Grosvenor, where we stayed on *our* visit).
Whew! And this isn't even ALL that's in The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World, if you can believe it! This book is super-easy to navigate, too, because the tops of the pages are color-coded (Red=Magic Kingdom, Orange=Disney-MGM, Dark Orange=Epcot, Green=Animal Kingdom, Blue=Waterparks, Dark Purple=Downtown Disney and Violet=Diversions). So if you want to find out something about a particular park, you don't even have to consult the Table of Contents--just use colors visible from the top of the book.
Now, I didn't have the benefit of this guide when my family and I visited the parks last year since the book was just published a few months ago. My only reservation about this book--and it's ONLY a theory--is that it *may* overwhelm those who have never been to the park before because of the sheer amount of information provided. But you know, this can be said of the Unofficial Guide, too.
What makes this book different from the Unofficial Guide and the Birnbaum Guide is:
* This book has hundreds of color photos on glossy pages. While the Official Birnbaum guide has color photos, they are staged--and minimal compared to this book. There are NO color photos in the Unofficial Guide.
* The hurried, sometimes jaded tone of the Unofficial Guide reads like a "geurilla warfare" manual to save time and cram as much as you can in a day. However, one thing I really like about the Unofficial Guide is that it's filled with dozens of mini-reviews from everyday folks--and also includes a star system according to age group (e.g. grade school kids vs. young adults vs. those over 30 yrs. old).
Birnbaum, because it's an official WDW guide, is super-optimistic about EVERYTHING. But the Complete Guide to WDW is a nice medium that presents the best--and most fascinating (if, at times, obscure) elements of WDW--without being super-sugary. (My husband felt the book pandered a bit to WDW because of all the positivity--and I see his point.)
* The Unofficial Guide includes park traffic charts for the hyper-vigilant, as well as temperature averages. This book doesn't include those kind of specifics...BUT it has other specifics that the others don't (for example, an actual PICTURE of a Fast Pass--explaining how they work).
Because this book is so thorough, it is *possible*, I think, that it could "spoil" some surprises for those who haven't yet been to WDW. However, you could always skip over the detailed descriptions, I suppose, if you want it ALL to be a surprise.
One other very minor drawback is that few of the pictures are unnecessary, I feel. Kids licking lollipops don't really add to our knowledge of WDW; it may as well be a kid at any *other* park. I'd rather the non-essential pictures replaced by MORE photos of entertainers, cast members, attractions, characters from the movies and so on--rather than Joe Schmoes at WDW.
However--and anyone who's ever visited WDW will tell you this--it's good to have *some* type of plan, even if it's a general plan as to what day to go to what park (Julie wisely advises to stay away from parks that have Extra Magic Hours if you're not staying at one of the WDW resorts).
And, she recommends not wearing flip-flops at the parks--oh so true! I bought Nike Women's Shox sneakers--as did my husband and son. We would have been in WORSE shape without them...
If you've already BEEN to WDW--or just love all-things-Disney--I think you'll be thrilled with this informative, engaging book. I get excited every time I read it--and learn somethine new every time, too! If you get only ONE book about WDW before your trip, get this one. If you want to get two, get the The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2007 as well. (You won't need Birnbaum if you have the Neals' book, in my opinion.)
It's obvious that the Neal family put a LOT of time, energy and love into this book. It's an excellent contribution to the WDW guides and a wonderful tribute to the magical world that Walt & company have built for all of us to enjoy. Kudos, Neal family!
Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World Overview

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