Planning Books???

[3kingeryboys]

What planning book or books do you all suggest I purchase to help plan my trip? I have not been since 2004 and we are now 6 instead of 4 so I know that poses some problems for us from the get go. Please give me all the feedback you have.

Thanks a Bunch

[Strmchsr]

Birnbaum's, The Unofficial Guide, and Passporter are all good for various reasons. Each has strengths and weaknesses. However, I honestly think all three are a waste for "planning." You can get all the info you need here on Intercot for free. They make nice keepsakes, though.

[julie0282]

i used Birnbaum's for my first trip and it helped alot now this time around used the same book and gave my daughter the kids version. i also use alot of web sites like intercot.

[Tigger&Stitch]

We only use the Passporter, and each year we have a souvenir with all of our memories inside (there's a brief trip report for each day of the trip).

[MIKESMOM]

I think you get your best up to date planning info right here on Intercot. The Unofficial Guide is a lot of fun to read. The Complete Walt Disney World has good information & great pictures. I have also used Passporter. I like using the pockets in the back to track our trip.
Happy planning! I find the planning to be almost as much fun as the trip.

[playdead88]

we always use passporter

[brownie]

I get Birnbuam's for the pictures, but most of the information I need comes from Intercot.

[bibbidiboo3]

Check your local library - we did and were able to take out several different guides.
Happy planning!

[bostomco]

I enjoy the unofficial guide. Although you could find all of the same information right here on intercot, it's nice to have that same information in a non-digital form. Although I would argue that the unofficial guide is a little harsh on Disney. Sometimes I feel like they don't have anything good to say about it. The factual information is very helpful! Passporter is also great for other reasons, i.e. the planning pockets.

[JRocker]

I like the Unofficial Guide for its honest evaluations. Not that I always agree with them, but they aren't biased.
Birnbaums I get for the pictures and basic information. That's the one I always handed off to the kids, so that they could feel like they were a part of the planning. It also makes for some entertainment when comparing the new version to one of the older books.

[wire0monkey]

I enjoy the unofficial guide. Although you could find all of the same information right here on intercot, it's nice to have that same information in a non-digital form. Although I would argue that the unofficial guide is a little harsh on Disney.

I like the UG because: 1) it's an unvarnished review: 2) they try to stay balanced, even when they're being brutally honest: 3) I like having a book I can read when I take the kids to the pool; and 4) crowd calendars.

The crowd calendars are the most important part for us. We work very hard to get the best time of the year that we can, and the crowd calendars from UG really, really help us with that.

[Soph and Han's Mom]

Passporter for sure

[egospotter]

I love Passporter. It's got the basic info for the whole World, the pockets for every day of your trip and the worksheets inside to help make and keep track of plans. I like having everything together while planning and when we get there. We also separate stuff we need for each day in the pockets, like mousekeeper tip money and little business card sized cheat sheets I make for myself so I don't forget our ADRs.

Each pocket also has a space on the back where you write about what you did that day and what was fun, bad, funny, different, etc.

I like the deluxe edition in the leather organizer with pockets and a pen holder, each year we refill with the new guide and because it is a ring binder we can add stuff to.

The unofficial guide has the best touring plans though - but we subscribed to touringplans.com this year for access to those.

[GrumpyFan]

I like the Unofficial Guide, but it's very hard to find stuff in there sometimes. That thing is huge!

On the contrary, I like Birnbaum's too because it's not as big, but has a lot of good information and has a lot of pictures.

DW really likes Passporter because of it's planning features and reviews.

[poeticeclipse]

Unofficial Guide for sure!!!

I've bought the UG the last 4 years and I love it. What I love about it the most is that it's not biased to all things Disney. It's not saying "Everything at Disney is great and has no faults." I think knowing the negatives and positives of WDW is what make a great vacationer. The UG really has some amazing tips when it comes to crowd control and touring plans. It is amazingly accurate. Sure, it's large in size but that's because it's packed with so much information.

[tinksmom02]

I buy a new Passporter every year. I do take it on my trips (not in the parks, though), to hold receipts and stuff. Kind of a busy-mom's scrapbook.

I broke down and recently purchased a new Unofficial Guide last week (my prior edition is from 2007).

I have previous copies of Complete Guide, Birnbaum's for kids, Queens' Guide to WDW and WDW Without Kids (both gifts, will probably be a looooongg time before I can use the Without kids one!). I just like reading everyone's different interpretations of the different parts of WDW. I do most of my planning from right here at Intercot.

May I make a suggestion? If you're interested in any of these books, or others, try checking them out from your local library first. Passporter might not be there, but I've seen the ones above and several others come through my branch. At least you can skim through it and decide if it's worth the $$$.

[3kingeryboys]

Thanks so much to everyone for posting I am glad I asked. I just love I-Cot. I will try and check out all of the above at the library to see which ones I might purchase.

I cannot wait to start planning our trip!!