best Disney guide on the market, bar none!!!

read the book in 1982, last time I went to Disney.......it is even better!!

These folks have been a terrific guide to the world of the mouse. Each edition has updated info, useful hints, and is a great value.

Only bummer is that the coupons are not so great.

Overall, even better than I remembered it and unless you LIVE at the theme parks, a new edition is well worth the price.

***** PAY ATTENTION***
For instance I checked and confirmed what they mentioned: Magic Kingdom's Alien's ride is being repaired - postponing our trip until October, when it will hopefully re-open.

Birnbaum's Saves Time and Money!

Planning for a family vacation to Disney World can be as complex as launching an expedition to Anarctica -- and nearly as expensive if you aren't careful! If you've made the decision to take the plunge and head for the most popular family vacation spot in America spend that first few dollars on the most current edition of Birnbaum's book. This book will help you save both time and money.

Birnbaum's guide was a great choice for me -- I'm a "gotta have everything organized in advance" kind of person and the detailed, accurate information in this guide helped me do everything from pick out a hotel and book a ride from the airport to organize a packing list and rough-in plans for daily itineraries. Although the guide was absolutely jammed with information it was in a very readable format with lots of color, charts and sidebars. Birnbaum's also helped walk us through a lot of the decisions -- for example we decided to splurge on a nice on-resort hotel with access to the monorail knowing we would want to spend the middle part of most days relaxing at the pool with the kids. To balance that expense, we took Birnbaum's tip and had lunches at the nicer restaraunts instead of the more expensive (and more crowded) dinners.

My husband also found Birnbaum's guide very helpful and he is more of a "let's just wing-it" sort of vacation planner. On the days he was in charge of activities he carried the Birnbaum's book with him and used it to pick restaraunts, find less crowded rides and choose activities near wherever we happened to be walking. The color-coding on the sides of the pages helped him quickly find the section of the book he wanted just as soon as he pulled it out of the bag.

By far the best feature were the sample schedules -- these helped us avoid the crowds during our vacation (Christmas week one of the most crowded times of the year). In fact, using Birnbaum's advice we got to the parks early and walked onto many rides without waiting at all. Once the parks started getting crowded we used the tips on fast passes to cut our waiting time significantly on the more popular rides.

There's lots and lots of information out there on how to plan and enjoy your Disney Vacation -- I highly recommend checking out the Disney web site (booking online can save more $$$) and buying this guide. Maybe you won't have to spend an entire semester's worth of college savings after all!

Absolute must for a Disney trip!!!

My boyfriend and I went to Disney for Spring Break this year and are planning another trip for either August or December. I need to replace my edition because it got wet during one of florida's storms. Anyway, this book is so well worth the price, it pays for itself quick. Not only do they give times when the parks are less crowded, it also gives descriptions of every resort, ride, restaurant, and absolutely anything else associated with the Mouse. The dining guides are especially helpful, they give price guides of which restaurants offer cheap options, since I'm a poor college student, lol. Also, they tell you which restaurants have vegeatarian options, a BIG plus for me being a vegetarian for 10 years. i read an earlier review about the Alien ride being closed, it will not be reopened unfortunately, they are making a Lilo and Stitch ride in its place. The tips in the book about the parades and Fantasmic are especially helpful, see the last show when it's offered---it's much less crowded!!! Also, if you don't want to see an earlier parade, go to Toon Town to see the characters or hop on a ride, the lines are far less daunting. Needless to say, I'm very grateful for the Birnbaum guide, i'm hooked for life:)