Author: Doug Ingersoll

Publisher: Alpha Publishing – 400 pages

Book Review by Paiso Jamakar

Believe it or not, but the author of this book has been visiting Walt Disney World for over 40 years and has made more than 100 trips there.

If you have ever planned a trip to Disney World in (as it is called for short) in Orlando, Florida, it is bewildering. There is so much to see and do and there is just not enough time. It is not just the various combinations of tickets and schedules available. There’s other things to take care of such as your hotel accommodations, restaurants to go to, getting the most from your Disney dining dollars, including character meals, and much, much more.

Which places to go to, and which not to because of lack of time? There’s the main theme park Magic Kingdom, of course. But there’s also Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios as some of your other distinct choices. Then there are water parks. There are various hotels, night clubs, golf courses and water parks in the area. Which ones to go to stay at, enjoy at, play at?

Is this going to be a family vacation, romantic honeymoon or a business convention trip with some fun on the side?

You need to decide ahead what you want to do and what attractions you are going to go to before you get there. Prepare an itinerary based on distances and the amount of driving you will have to do to travel between places.

This guide by long-time Disney World pro Doug Ingersoll puts it all together for you. It has a Contents section (first place to browse) with five major parts giving you a good overview of the area. In each part there are sections that provide you information pertaining to your anticipated questions on what type of attraction it is, cost,  transportation to and from it timings and many, many other details.

After reading the Introduction, you must read “How to Use This Book.” This guide is 400 pages long and you’re not going to simply read this like a novel. You’re going to first read “how to” use this guide and browse through the Contents section to learn what it contains.

Part 1 entitled “Plan Your Walt Disney World Trip” is crucial. I would suggest you read or at least browse through all its five sections in Part 1 that instruct you on how to plan your trip; establish your budget (before you get there, instead of when you get there); how to get there – by airplane or car – and how to move about when you’re there as alternatives to using your car; buying tickets to the various attractions; and your vacation strategies, based on whether this will be a family vacation or a trip for two or more adults.

Part 2 helps you pick your “castle” – book your resort hotel with comparisons as to cost and various facilities available at the property. Are you going to stay at any of the deluxe villa resorts, deluxe resorts, moderate resorts, value resorts or other places such as campgrounds? This section contains charts, maps, ratings and more.

Part 3 is on dining.  There are of course many,many options available. The guide gives you detailed information about dining choices at restaurants the Walt Disney World itself, at resort hotels, at the parks and at other locations.

Part 4 is on all the entertainment that is available that includes the rich experience of visiting the various theme parks – the main reason people go to Walt Disney World. The theme parks include Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom.

There is a general information section for each of these theme parks such as park layout, park hours of operation, “must-do” sights, and details on child care, dining, shopping, transportation and touring.

Animal Kingdom has many locations to see such as Africa, Asia, Camp Minnie-Mickey, DinoLand U.S.A., Discovery Island, the Oasis and Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

Epcot, as most people who have visited it know, has international pavilions and a Future World Pavilion with many attractions such as Spaceship Earth, Innovations East and West, and Honey I Shrunk the Audience, to name just a few.

Hollywood Studios has many attractions as well, including Animal Courtyard, Hollywood Boulevard, Echo Lake, Pixar Place, Streets of America and Sunset Boulevard.

The Magic Kingdom is probably the most-visited of the theme parks at Disney World. Who has not been to Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square and Tomorrowland?

Part 5 covers the rest of Disney World and beyond, including the various Disney water parks, Downtown Disney, the Boardwalk and other activities one can do there besides eating and seeing attractions, such as boating, fishing, horseback riding, jogging, mini golf and tennis.

All in all, this book is indispensable for anyone planning a Disney World vacation. It not only has all the answers and details one may be looking for, but to your delight, detailed information that you were not even thinking of, but are pleasantly surprised to find. Get this guide and get prepared for the adventure of your life. Doug Ingersoll has put a lot of hard work in creating this guide to make your Disney vacation easy on your mind.