Book Review: *Fodor’s Walt Disney World with Kids 2009*

This guide covers everything you need to know about planning a trip to Walt Disney World and the Orlando area.  The information in the “Before You Leave Home” and “Choosing a Hotel” chapters will guide you through deciding when to visit, how long to stay, the pros and cons of packages, types of transportation, etc. 

I’m a little embarrassed to count how many times our family has vacationed in Disney World.  With four kids, ranging from 4-12, it’s always a crowd pleaser, and we alternate our busy park days with quieter days enjoying the amenities at our hotel.  In other words, I thought I knew it all when it came to visiting Disney; this guide (gently) proved me wrong!

Kim Wiley explains the myriad of hotel choices; in clear concise prose and charts she discusses on-site vs. off-site hotels, the variety of types of accommodations, from budget-conscious simple rooms to more extravagant resorts on the monorail system, and even villa-style accommodations with full kitchen and in-room laundry facilities.

We stayed on-site and, for the first time, based on the clear description and endorsement in Walt Disney World with Kids, we did not rent a car.  We took the free transfers, “Disney’s Magical Express,” offered to visitors staying at an on-site resort and flying into Orlando airport.  Our family of 6 usually rents a mini-van; this tip alone (and my willingness to try something new) saved us $600!  

Wiley offers tips and tricks for exploring the Disney Parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom), as well as other attractions, including Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island, and the Disney Cruise Line.  Even non-Disney parks (Sea World and Universal) are thoroughly explored.

Each Disney Park merits its own chapter, which begins with a map and lists your options for getting to and around the park.   It also tells you what to do when you get there (i.e., the logistics of renting strollers, availability of lockers, etc.), how to navigate the attractions to make sure you see the “must-see” features, offers insight into the best spots for viewing various parades and shows, discusses the various food options, and gives tips for squeezing fun into your last hour in each park.

I love maps in travel guides, and I was initially disappointed to see that the maps were single pages with only subtle coloring.  That brief disappointment soon gave way to nodding in a the-book-designer-is-wiser-than-I manner; as soon as we walked into the Magic Kingdom my kids made a beeline for the fold-out maps and schedule of daily events that are at the entrance to each park.  These maps are full-color and contain alphabetical indices to the attractions and food services; the daily schedule lists parade times and places, special activities, park hours, etc.  The maps in Walt Disney World with Kids are great guides for your initial planning, or for a quick look while at the parks; more detailed maps are available at the parks.  They’re available in many languages, too; in fact, we had to retrace our steps and exchange the Chinese language map LW6 grabbed for an English version.  Yes, four kids; they each wanted their own map!

We used the restaurant guide to plan our “grab and go” lunches and sit-down dinners.  I found the food, atmosphere, and pricing descriptions to be accurate.  Kids’ meals (for those under age 10) often come with a choice of applesauce or carrot sticks instead of the usual French fries; it’s a nice suggestion, and my kids went for it about 50% of the time

Here’s what WDW with Kids has to say about the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, a full-service restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

[The] campy Sci-Fi seats diners in vintage cars while incredibly hokey movie clips run on a giant screen.  Offerings range from drive-in staples like milk shakes and popcorn all the way to seafood and St. Louis-style ribs.  Kids adore the setting and the funny waiters; in fact they often get so absorbed in the old movie clips that they sit quietly while parents relax in the backseat.

I agree, good (not great) food and a unique setting kept everyone entertained.  We hadn’t eaten here before and used Wiley’s suggestion to call for reservations, which can be made up to 90 days in advance.  Our kids have never been to a real drive-in theater, so they thought it was pretty funny that J and I used to go with our families, then fall asleep in the “way back” of the station wagon after the kids’ show was over and it was time for the “grown up” feature! 

The book is not only a guide to WDW with kids, it is a great guide for kids.  the larger font and lots of white space make it easy for kids to read, too.  There are many insets with “extra” info, such as the Hidden Mickey, Scare Factor, and Insider’s Secret shown on these pages.  The icon for Hidden Mickey helped our 6-year-old quickly scan the pages for other Hidden Mickey tips, and the Scare Factor information helped everyone decide how to best approach a “questionable” attraction.  We kept the guide in our backpack and referred to it often throughout our days in the parks; it was a great way to pass time in some of the long lines we faced as well!

I recommend Walt Disney World with Kids as a great planning and on-site resource tool for families.  In fact, it would make a great gift to accompany the announcement the kids all want to hear, “We’re going to Disney World!”

I’ll leave you with a few more photos:

Who doesn’t love the teacups?!  J doesn’t!  He’s cropped out of this photo, trying desparately to keep LM4 and LW6 from spinning! (official name of this ride is the Mad Tea Party)

And, finally, a few of the hidden mickeys we found.  The first two are from rugs at the Polynesian Resort, the third is from a path at Animal Kingdom: