I have no idea how many people there are in the world. I do know why there are so many different flavors of ice cream however and that is because we all have different tastes. Those tastes also may differ in Walt Disney World guidebooks.
So let me introduce your taste buds to a series of different Walt Disney World guidebooks and see if they are just what should be on your guidebook menu.
The series I am talking about is the Guide to the Magic series by Tim Foster. Tim has created a series of four books which you may find just to your liking. Each book in the series plays a specific role in Walt Disney World vacation planning and enjoyment and in this session we will take a closer look at each one and see what lies between its covers.
The Goldilocks Book
The first book we will be looking it is the Walt Disney World Guide to the Magic (Guide to the Magic: 2006. ISBN: 978-0-9792758-0-7) by Tim Foster. The first observation you will make about this book is its size. The book is a 5-by-7 inch, 150-page book, which is probably a good size to bring along while park touring.
Foster’s plan when putting this book together was to size it so it could accompany you into the parks.
It’s also quite apparent that Foster subscribes to the KISS philosophy to “Keep it Simple, Stupid”—and simple best describes this guidebook.
Foster has put together sort of a “no nonsense” type of guidebook that offers the Walt Disney World novice a crisp, clean, and efficiently crafted guidebook to serve as a trip companion to Orlando.
There are six basic sections to the book. The first section focuses on specific attractions, where they are, as well as things like places to explore and best-kept secrets. Foster then devotes a section to what he calls the most magical Walt Disney World attractions, and another section on general touring tips. The last four sections of the book are linked to each of the four major theme parks and the attractions housed within each park.
Again, simplicity is the key as each page has a brief description of the attraction, accompanied by a photo, what to expect, and tips such as whether the attraction is a thrill ride or designed for kids. Also included on each page is a magical moments section on how to make the most out of each attraction. That’s it folks, plain and simple.
This book works well for first-time visitors who want a brief description of each attraction and tips on optimizing a day in the park.
There are also fold-out maps of each theme park. The book works very hard to simplify for the novice visitor the overwhelming information regarding the Walt Disney World theme parks.
For a good portion of Walt Disney World guests this book is like the baby bear bed in the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears… just right.
I do need to point out that this book is all about the park attractions; you will not find resort hotel information in the book or restaurant information, or resort hotel information here.
Think of this book as being a quick reference guide to the parks. It serves this purpose and is a handy tool for either the first-timer or infrequent visitor to Walt Disney World.
One more mention. The font used in the book is smaller than your typical font but it allows the author to provide a lot of basic information in a small package.
Your Own Personal Remembrance Tool
The second book in this series is the Guide to the Magic Journal (Guide to the Magic: 2006. ISBN: 978-0-9792758-2-1). This spiralbound book is also 5 by 7 inches and thus small enough to accompany you every day while at WDW.
This journal will serve you as a trip remembrance tool. With enough space between the covers to record up to a 14-day trip to WDW, each day is broken down into specific areas so you can record the events of your trip. This includes:
- Weather for each day.
- Where you went (such as a theme park, water park, or any other location).
- Transportation to each destination.
- Special moments like thrills, funny happenings, magical occurrences and anything else worth mentioning.
- The attractions visited that day and comments you may have.
- Where you ate, what you ate, and comments.
- The parades and fireworks you saw that day, where you were for the parade and any other special memories.
- The souvenirs you purchased, characters you saw, and memories you made.
The journal is a pretty handy way of recording your trip, but it also helps make the time go by faster in any long attraction queues, since you just take out the book and make a few notes while waiting for your turn.
Autographs Please
The third book in this series is the Guide to the Magic Autograph and Sticker Book (Guide to the Magic: 2006. ISBN: 978-0-9792758-3-8). This 143-page book (also 5 by 7 inches but opening horizontally in landscape fashion), is appropriately titled because it is specifically designed to hold autographs and stickers collected during your Walt Disney World vacation.
However, there is more to it than just that, in that this book picks up where the journal leaves off. The book contains a character checklist so you can handily see which characters you have and have not seen, plus a little box to check off when you get that character’s autograph. Author Tim Foster provides tips on how and where to get these valuable autographs. Some, like Figment and Tinker Bell, may be next to impossible to get autographs from, but they are listed nonetheless.
The book lets you to put a character photo on the left-hand page and the associated autograph on the right-hand page. along with notes on where the event took place. There are about 50 pages for autographs and 50 corresponding pages for character photos.
In addition, there are sticker pages to place stickers and notes on how you obtained each sticker, as well as another section to place your World Showcase passport stamp; one page for each of the 11 World Showcase pavilions.
Finally, there are several pages left for autographs from cast members. This could help you remember that special cast member who seemed to go beyond the call of duty. Each line provides an area for the autograph as well as an area to list the hometown and comments.
This book, in tandem with the journal, is a very handy tool to record your Walt Disney World Vacation and perhaps help you plan your next trip.
One more book to discuss; I saved the best for last.
Fun Stuff
My favorite of all the Guide to the Magic series is the Guide to the Magic Lost Journals (Guide to the Magic: 2006. ISBN: 978-0-9792758-1-4) and of all those I have discussed, this particular book may come along with me on my next venture to Orlando.
In this book Foster has assembled some 150 pages of things to do while at Walt Disney World, and it’s not what you think.
There is a section devoted to each theme park and in these sections are scavenger hunts, hidden Mickey information, photo scavenger hunts, and some “secrets” that Foster shares with his readers.
This particular book will appeal to both the Walt Disney World novice and Walt Disney World veteran. There is so much more to Walt Disney World than attractions, parades, fireworks, and water parks, and Foster has taken the time to collect these interesting pieces of information and create a very entertaining book.
Like the other books, this book is also small enough to take into the parks. The book is basically filled with activities and games you can do between attractions.
What’s Your Pleasure?
Each book in this series was created with a specific objective in mind and there is a clear cut functionality defined here. That’s important to keep in mind. Rather than put everything between the covers of a single book, Foster offers to us specific slices of the generic WDW guidebook pie to allow us to choose which slice to appease our particular vacation appetite.
It’s different and it may work very well for some of you out there. Even veteran WDW visitors can use help whenever they want to…
…Remember the Magic.
To learn more about the Guide to the Magic series, visit www.guidetothemagic.com.
Next Time
Speaking of remembering the magic, next time we’ll talk about someone who spent some 40 years of his life creating and letting millions of people learn about the magic of both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Class dismissed.
