Product Description

• Full-color guide • Make your visits to Disney World, Universal, and SeaWorld unforgettable with illustrated features, 36 maps, and 300+ color photos.
Customize your trip with simple planning tools • Top experiences and attractions • Lodging comparison charts
• Easy-to-read color maps
Explore Orlando and beyond • Discerning Fodor’s Choice picks for hotels, restaurants, sights, and more • “Word of Mouth” tips from fellow Fodor’s travelers • Illustrated features on Orlando spas, character meals, Disney and his mouse, Kennedy Space Center, spring training • Best theme-park tips and ride strategies
 • Opinions from destination experts • Fodor’s central Florida-based writers reveal their favorite local haunts • Revised annually to provide the latest information

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20372 in Books
• Published on: 2010-11-16
• Released on: 2010-11-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781400004614
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Amazon.com Review

Tips from Fodor's Walt Disney World 2011
Click on the photos below to download printable guides from the travel experts at Fodor's.

Disney Park News	Universal Park News	Top Attractions

Review
"In terms of comprehensiveness of coverage, the very accessible format, and the enthusiastic tone, this series remains one of the best on the market." –Booklist
 
"Fodor's super-informative guidebooks are known for accuracy and attention to detail…" –The Sacramento Bee
 
"The Fodor's guides are notable for their ratings of sights, restaurants, shops, accommodations and attractions." –Chicago Tribune
 
"The great detail, infectious spirit, and attractive format are distinguishing traits of these guides, which are entries in one of the top series in the business." –Booklist
 
"Fodor's can help you plan the perfect adventure" –The Arizona Republic
 
"Always thoughtfully written and easily readable, Fodor's travel guides have become a must-have when traveling to unfamiliar destinations" –Mid South Magazine
 
"Widely recognized as the gold standard of mainstream travel" –Honolulu Advertiser

About the Author
Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by resident experts.

Customer Reviews

GREAT travel guide for new AND seasoned Disney visitors!
I'm planning a trip to Disney World in February, so for the last few months I've been scouring lots websites for all the info I can find. Even though I've been to Disney many times in the past (and even worked there in college), it has been nearly 20 years since my last visit and things change all the time down there. That's how they keep you coming back! So because I'd already been doing lots of my own research, including reading a few trivia books and Mousejunkies, I figured this would just be a pleasant rehashing of old news that would help get me all fired up for my trip. Boy was I wrong, in a good way!

I am so impressed at the wealth of information in this little volume. After all my online research, trivia books, and even a few videos on the Disney parks, I still learned a little something new on almost every page! They give general descriptions of the best rides without giving away too many of the magical surprises you'll encounter, without wasting a lot of time on the less interesting attractions. They also review a wide cross-section of the restaurants and resorts. Even though I already have my reservations, it had me second-guessing myself a little bit on the resort and definitely gave me some new ideas about where to eat.

The most valuable part of this book does not really lie in the descriptions of everything there is to see and do, but in the rock-solid advice on how to best approach your vacation. While giving you all the tools to create a detailed plan, they also advise when to take it easy, smell the roses, soak up the details, even go back to your hotel for a nap. The key to getting the most out of a Disney vacation is planning plus flexibility. Too little planning and you'll be overwhelmed, maybe missing some of the best parts. Too much and you'll find yourself one of those people screaming at your kids because Mickey's autographs are taking too long and you're going to get a bad seat for the fireworks. The book also provides great advice on how to know whether your kids are truly ready for a particular attraction or not, even if they meet the height requirements, or what to do with grumpy teenagers so they can have a fun vacation too. And if you don't have kids in tow, they offer some great ideas on how to select the best resorts & attractions for adults!

Despite the book's title, there is also plenty of information on enjoyable hotels/parks/activities in the greater Orlando area, including Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure, Sea World, Discovery Island, and the actual city of Orlando. Many visitors to central Florida like to see more than just Disney during their trip, and there is plenty of great information for all of that too.

The photography is mostly the publicity shots that the parks use in their advertising; this ain't National Geographic, folks. The maps aren't super useful for anything other than getting your bearings in general, especially since free resort transportation and taxis are so prevalent in this heavily touristy destination. It's an excellent tool for planning your vacation, but you can probably leave it home when you go.

My favorite part about it is that in learning details about certain attractions and park areas I didn't know about before, I actually discovered some very fun things that my husband will enjoy on our upcoming trip. He hasn't been easy to convince that the place is great for grown-ups too, but I think he's coming around!

3.5 STARS.....HELPFUL, BUT NOT THE BEST DISNEY REFERENCE BOOK......!!
I found this WDW reference book to be a completely acceptable tool.....especially for repeat Disney visitors with older children--teens or "tweeners." The book addresses each of the Disney parks in adequate detail...in addition to Universal Studios, Sea World, and waterparks unrelated to Disney. The color photos that the book contains were beautifully done and certainly appreciated. And while this book will certainly serve as my guide and research tool for what I hope will be a visit to the Disney area in the spring, for a first-time visitor (especially one with young children), I would highly recommend The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (2011 version of course). When I first visited Disney with my young children, this book served as a "bible" of sorts. The Unofficial Guide details each and every ride in each and every Disney park (rather than just the highlights, as is the case in Fodor's reference book), and evaluates it based age-range appeal, scare factor, and more. I carried this book with me the entire week and did not make a move without consulting it first.

Again, completely adequate tool to repeat WDW visitors, but somewhat lacking for those neophyte visitors who require as much information as possible.



-DYB

Almost Perfect
Fodor's guide to Disney World and the other Central Florida attractions is both impressive in its breadth of information and difficult to read because of it. I've been to Disney World a number of times and a book like this is an absolute necessity for the first visit. After that it is helpful for information about new attractions and any changes that may have occurred since the previous visit. Plus, anticipation of a vacation is part of the joy. Picking up a book about the destination is an essential step in that process.

But, without a doubt, the truly important time for a book like this is before that first visit. That's because even if the vacation plan appears to include plenty of time to see everything, that concept simply doesn't exist in Disney World. Time can be lost in an endless variety of unexpected ways and suddenly the vacation is over and only a fraction of what was hoped for was accomplished. That is an expensive mistake and an unnecessary one. A modicum of planning can mitigate a wasted vacation.

This in no way suggests that anyone should organize a frantic paced schedule with the family returning more stressed than when they left home. Planning is the key. Planning is essential. With planning comes peace. Even if you abhor planning, this is the one time to do it. You aren't wandering the streets of Paris leisurely taking in the sights and soaking up the atmosphere while people watching at a street side cafe. There is much to do and if a framework of basic decisions aren't made about what is or isn't important, the trip may be disappointing. What do the participants want to see and do above all else? What experiences are essential and which ones have a lower priority? Where should money be saved and where should it be spent more freely?

What is good about the current guide is the wealth of information it contains. This data is invaluable in making the decisions mentioned above. Its minor fault is in the tiny print which seems to contribute to the frantic feel planning a vacation where there is so much to see and do. The font size is ridiculous - eight or nine point is used throughout. In an effort to make the book somewhat portable it is now unreadable for most human beings. So now we are squinting, searching for reading glasses, or a magnifying glass bent over to get closer to the page and in the process, becoming annoyed. There is no way to turn to a page and take a quick glance - focused effort is required.

Granted, it isn't a necessity to bring the guide along on the trip but the temptation is almost overwhelming. To me the solution is to separate out the theme parks - perhaps one for Disney World and one for the remainder of Orlando area attractions, and increase the font size so the book is more user friendly. The book's merits easily outweigh its flaws, and whether I'm squinting or not, I highly recommend it.