Mouse Extra

One of the first things I do when I decide to book a Disney World vacation is to purchase some guidebooks. I don’t need them by any means. I’ve been to Walt Disney World enough times that I devise my own touring plans without the help of professionals. For some reason, I love to read the various guides to get me “psyched” for my trip (not that I need a lot of help in that regard). To me, the best books are the Unofficial Guide and the Passporter. I would like to address the latter here.

One of the more unique features of that guidebook is the authors. It is, in fact, authored by a family, the Marx family. These authors provide their own opinions on the various attractions, resorts and restaurants alongside a reader’s rating compiled by surveys. The book also contains TeenTips, KidTips, and ToddlerTips for your children written by their children. This “family style” concept is both original and helpful. Let’s face it, most groups going to WDW are families, many of whom are Disney fans. Now you have a guidebook written by a family of Disney fans.

The book is also designed differently than its competitors. First of all, its bound like a notebook which I like. There are tabs on the sides of each page indicating the section you are reviewing. The sections include “Planning”, “Getting There”, “Staying in Style”, “Touring”, “Feasting”, “Making Magic”, “Index”, and “Notes & More.” These are all self-explanatory except perhaps the last one, “Notes & More.” This is another unique feature of the Passporter. The back of the book contains numerous organized pockets. Each pocket is designed for a specific day or topic. You have a pocket for “Your Journey” and “Your Room” as well ones for each day of the trip. On each page, you have space to take down notes, specify particular memories, and keep tabs on what you visited, what you ate, and what you bought. It makes a great vacation journal. The pockets are there for you to place keepsakes like ticket stubs and receipts.

There are more unique features to this guide, as well. Various highlighting adorns the book. Green is used to point out any changes Disney has made since the previous edition of the book. This is extremely useful. The maps are also great. These fold out and contain the names of the attractions and restaurants printed directly on them (as opposed to a numbered key). On the other side of the map, there is a quick reference to the attractions and a favored touring plan. Don’t worry, each attraction and restaurant is detailed more completely in subsequent pages.

There are a few minor problems with the Passporter. First of all, its hundreds of pages smaller than the Unofficial Guide so it can’t possibly contain the same amount of information. The book assumes (perhaps fairly so) that the reader wants absolutely nothing to do with anything outside of Walt Disney World. No mention is made of Universal Studios, Sea World or off property hotels and restaurants. Little information is provided on airlines, car rentals, and the like. There are excellent worksheets on budgeting, but money saving tips could be expanded more. In fairness, the Passporter does direct you to high quality websites that can cover this topic in much greater detail and in a much more current fashion than any guidebook could possibly hope to do.

One of my favorite topics to review in a guidebook is eating. I’ve been to all the attractions so many times I hardly need information. However, restaurants come and go or change, especially counter service places and snack stops. Plus, on each trip, you can hit most of the attractions, many of which numerous times. You can only choose a handful of restaurants, so picking them (especially with a large group or one with varied tastes) can be an important decision. The reviews here are well thought out with sample items and average prices. More importantly, counter service places, which usually get short-changed in guides, do not here. They have full entries. Plus, each park has a list of favorite snack stops.

All in all, the Passporter is a must buy for me when gearing up for a Disney vacation. It has excellent information on the resorts with maps of the rooms and the grounds. Each entry provides information on shopping, eating and the various amenities. You can even find pictures of individual rooms from the resorts, so be sure to pick it up prior to taking that important first step. But even if you know the “World” backwards and forwards, the Passporter is fun to look through as you’re counting down the days until you get there.