I am a Disney World nerd.  Thanks to 7 years of obsessive Disney trip planning, I've come across just about every WDW-related book out there, so I thought I'd pass along my reviews here!

Passporter Walt Disney World:  By Jennifer & Dave Marx

If you only buy one book to plan your Disney trip with, go for the Passporter.  This book is awesome!  It has a great layout, maps of the parks, the ratings of the authors, and my favorite part: the Passpockets!  They're little folders in the book where you can record info about your day, and stick reciepts and other papers into the pockets.  SO handy!  This link is to the regular version, but I highly recommend the deluxe- it's a 3-ring binder, so you can just purchase the refill packs instead of buying a whole new book when updates come out.  Sometimes Jennifer & Dave sell past editions on the website (Passporter.com) for just the cost of shipping- a great way to check the book out!  Their site also has a great message board community, and tons of info!  I can't give enough thumbs-up for this one!

Birnbaum's is the official guide to WDW.  It's a beautiful book with full-color photos, and it's a sentimental favorite of mine.  When I was a kid, my best friend's family went to WDW every few years, and she would bring this book over to my house.  I spent a ton of time looking through it, dreaming of this magical place I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to go, picking out which rides sounded the best.  Apparently, some things never change!

This set of books is written by the Imagineers- the awesome people at Disney who design new parks, attractions, rides- you name it!  These are a great resource, because you get to hear about the inspiration and history behind your park favorites!

Did you know there are about a zillion hidden Mickeys at WDW?  I suck at finding them on my own, so lucky for me, there's a book to help me out!  FUN!  But be warned- you may get addicted to trying to find them!

If just searching for hidden mickeys isn't enough for you, it's time to upgrade to the Treasure Hunt book!  This book is from the awesome folks at Passporter, and it has a slew of questions for you to search out the answers to at WDW.  How many people are in the painting on the wall of the Library at the Adventurers Club?  It's a great book if you've been to the World several times, and want to try slowing down and checking out the details that in my opinion MAKE the parks. 

Which opened first: Splash Mountain or Space Mountain?  How tall would you have to be to wear the giant Sorcerer Mickey hat at MGM?  These books are full of great trivia, and are a great way to get your Disney fix at home in between trips!

Although this is called "101 things you didn't know about Walt Disney World", I have to admit that it only contains about 3 things that I didn't already know.  However, it would be a great book for a first or second trip, or for someone who doesn't already spend a ton of time online learning about WDW!

Okay, this one isn't WDW, but Disney Cruise Line is just as important!  The one on the left is the Deluxe edition (highly recommended!), and the one on the right is the regular edition. 

Other Passporter Books:

I haven't yet read these books, but I feel safe recommending them, if they fit your needs, due to Passporter's previous excellence.

Books I'm Curious About:

I haven't read these yet, but they're on my wishlist to buy soon!  They look interesting- hopefully I'll learn something new!

Copyright 2000-2007.  Photos used in page design are my own unless otherwise noted