Birnbaum's 2019 Walt Disney World: The Official Guide

by Birnbaum Guides

As Walt Disney World continues to grow and evolve, trust Birnbaum as your guide! The 2019 edition delves into detailed descriptions of all attractions, resorts, and eateries; offers money-saving coupons and strategies to maximize your vacation budget; and includes a peek into what's

Planning a trip to the Walt Disney World? Be sure to have all the official guides from Disney

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

Published September 18, 2018

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This colorful and fun guide is not only a great resource, but also an exciting preview of the accommodations, attractions, shopping, and dining options at Disney World. You’ll find your anticipation building with each turn of the page as you take note after note of all that you want to see and do. It’s definitely worth your time and effort to read this official guide as you begin to plan a trip to one of the most popular vacation destinations. The valuable tips throughout will save you time and money, and make for a more enjoyable and less stressful vacation.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't read every word of this, but I wanted to give this a shoutout as the best of the Disney books I checked out. Straightforward, not overwhelming, and told me what I wanted to know.

I am hoping to remember to check it out again before my next Disney trip. (Which isn't planned, but IT'LL HAPPEN.)

[Amanda McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best guide books I have read. Has the most up to date information including all festivals and activities that are taking place in Disney in 2019. Easy to follow and navigate through the 4 parks, 2 waterparks and dozens of restaurants.

If you are planning a trip to Disney, this is the best and only book that you want to read!

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good points of the official guide are that there are a lot of color photographs and there are some coupons in the back of the book. Since it is an official guide, there is not much critical advice. In other words, you won't read any negative comments on any of the attractions or services at Disney World. Because of that, it sometimes feels like you're reading promotional material as you read this guidebook. It does have it's uses though. If your family needs convincing to take a Disney vacation, the color pictures and cheerful descriptions of the attractions can be useful. However, if you have already decided to take a Disney vacation, the unofficial guide gives more practical advice for planning your vacation.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

I have wanted to go to Walt Disney World for many years. The biggest reason I hadn't gone was simply that I was overwhelmed about planning the trip. Reading Birnbaum's Official Guide to Walt Disney World was a great resource for me. It provides practical information about where to stay that meets you and your family's needs, how to get around, how to save money, how to book Fastpass+, and where to dine. The people who write the guide believe their expertise comes from their first-hand experiences by "leaving no attraction untested, no snack or meal untasted, no hotel untried." I liked the Getting Oriented sections for each theme park, the sample itineraries, and the "hot tips" throughout the book. I skimmed through the guide a couple of times and made notes of what I wanted to think about for planning. Then I went back and read the most relevant sections to make the most of my time there. In hindsight, after returning from my trip, I found that the guide was successful in helping me plan a manageable and memorable vacation and believe, overall, this guide would be particularly helpful to someone who hasn't been to Walt Disney World before.—Jacque C.

[Lorilin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed with good info. I'd be lost without this book!!!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this guide for our upcoming Disney world vacation. Even though I was pretty excited about the trip, just the thought of planning it day by day was overwhelming and stressed me out. If you have similar thoughts about your upcoming Disney vacation then READ THIS GUIDE! I now have the whole vacation planned including fast passes and restaurant reservations. I pretty much have read it cover to cover and am planning on taking it along with us on our trip, it made the whole planning process so much easier. It has overviews and tips on packing, the resorts, rides and restaurants, as well as coupons in the back.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've bought a number of these Birnbaums Walt Disney World over the years and they never disappoint, they are very informative and cover everything you could imagine and more, also they are excellent value for money. Highly recommend.

[Linda Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Birnbaum guide remains the best book written on DisneyWorld, with updated versions every year that cover whatever Disney has changed in the past year plus all the old favorites. This includes plenty of tips on how to best navigate the parks, rides and food.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as extensive as the Unofficial guide, but still pretty easy to read with some helpful tips.

[Gabrielle W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read with all the information you need. It's a pretty basic guide that honestly if you just Pinterest or Google some Disney blogs you can get all the information free online. I bought it after already reading tons online and there wasn't to much I didn't already know.
That said it is way easier to read it from this book rather than find it from different sights online.
Pictures were nice and the book makes for a great souvenir...for me, the coupons in the back suck- nothing I'll use (but I didn't buy it for the coupons).

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realize that the WDW universe is huge, but I feel like this book glosses over a lot and just gives highlights. Having a web-based counterpart (besides the official Disney sites referenced) would be a great addition.

The descriptions of many features and activities pertaining to Disney owned-and-operated vs not are not very clear here. A chart of which hotels get which benefits would be helpful. That terminology issue may be more a reflection of Disney’s complicated universe than the book’s limitations.

[Pammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a brief summary of all that’s new and to do in WDW. I sound the comprehensive charts for lodging and character dining very helpful, and appreciates the quick-service dining recs. Maps were out of date, however, and lacking in detail. Don’t feel like I could plan by day based solely on the content in the book—need a Disney map and maybe some restaurant rankings/opinions.

Counting it as a read book this year since it’s actually the first guidebook I’ve read cover to cover!

[Carl W.F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly little on new sections of the park (Pandora)

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful overview of WDW. Will check out from the library again before our trip.

[Gwenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

waiting for the 2020 edition

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great Bible for Disney however there is some information that I found online with regard to fast passes that wasn’t laid out in the book.....it should have been. Either way I am sure I will be referencing the book throughout the trip!