Book Description
"A Tourist's Best Friend!"
-Chicago Sun-Times
"Indispensable"
-The New York Times
Companion podcast available on Frommers.com
Five Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide®:
- Exclusively patented, field-tested touring plans that save as much as four hours of standing in line in a single day
- Tips, advice, and opinions from hundreds of Walt Disney World guests in their own words
- Almost 250 hotels rated and ranked for quality and value, including the top non-Disney hotels for families
- A complete Dining Guide with ratings and reviews of all Walt Disney World restaurants, plus extensive alternatives for dining deals outside the World
- Every attraction rated and ranked for each age group; extensive, objective, head-to-head comparisons of the Disney and Universal theme parks
Sample Rating:
Ride Name: Soarin'
Appeal by age : Preschool, Grade school, Teens, Young adults, Over 30, Seniors
What it is: Flight simulation ride.
Scope and scale: Super headliner.
When to go: First 30 minutes the park is open or use FASTPASS.
Special comments: Entrance on the lower level of The Land pavilion. May induce motion sickness; 40" minimum-height requirement; switching off available (see pages 266-268).
Author's rating: Exciting and mellow at the same time; Not to be missed.
Duration of ride: 4 minutes.
Loading speed: Moderate.
This guide is a completely independent evaluation of Walt Disney World and has not been reviewed or approved by Walt Disney World or the Walt Disney Company, Inc.
Customer Reviews:
Great for pre trip planning........2007-09-20
I bought this book after picking up an older version for 1 in a bargain bin of a book shop. It is a brilliant book to have when you are in the planning stages of your holiday. It has incredibly detatiled sections on hotels, transportation, dining and ticket options. I liked this book because it was unofficial and gave an honest opinion rather than the 'Disney line'. The criticisms were fair and measured in my opinion and not 'anti-Disney' like some reviewers have said. I really liked the fact that it rated each attraction with ratings for different age groups, this was very helpful for me as it was just me and my husband (late 20's) we were able to avoid the real 'kiddy rides'. Also I found the ratings for our age group to be pretty spot on.
The amount of detail in this book is also a con as well as a pro. I really would not reccommend this book if you already have everything planned and booked. This book is too heavy to bring to the parks, so I would suggest getting a smaller book to synopsis the rides. I found that I read this alot before I went and barely looked at it while we were there.
When you purchase this book, you also get free subscription to the website which has a lot of additional touring plans and also a great 'Best Days' calender which gives every day of the year a mark from 1-10 for crowds (10 being maximum capacity). It also tells you which are the best and worst parks for crowds on any given day based on historical entrance and also special events such as Extra Magic Hours or special parties. I fould this very helpful in avoiding the worst of the summer crowds.
Great Disney Resource.......2007-09-06
I hadn't been to Disney in 2o years and would have wasted a lot of time if I hadn't read this book. We got tickets to eat breakfast with Cinderella thanks to this book. We got to ride Dumbo before the park had been open 10 minutes because of this book. It helped us have the best vacation ever! I won't go back without ordering the newest edition!
Insights and information.......2007-08-28
I went thru this big book before going to Disneyworld and my husband thought I was mental - until we actually got there.. and indeed we managed to have a lovely day at Disneyworld in mid August, we saw all that we wanted, the kids (5 and 8)loved it and we spared SO much time I cannot measure. We knew where and when to go, we skipped attractions that the kids would not have liked and really enjoyed the day (and I mean, it was almost 100°F, no joke). I had another guidebook but the Unofficial guides gives sound advice and insights.
And it was fun reading it, too!!
I would not go without.
Great unoffical guide of WDW.......2007-08-26
Great reference book to Walt Disney World, I am going their in October and this book has given me a lot to think about and has already guided me as to what to do and not to do. I would recomend this book to anyone planning a trip to WDW!
A very thorough book.......2007-08-26
The book was an excellent guideline for my trip to WDW. I highly recommend it.
There are, however, a few things that I would have liked to see. First, the book should rate rides by 'Couple' as well. Several rides were highly-rated by adults (who probably have kids and so enjoy the rides as well), but I did not like the rides at all and thought that they were too childish for me. So a rating for couples or adults without kids would have been nice. In addition, the ratings for various hotels is not really correct. I stayed at the Dolphin and the hotel did not match the ratings in this book. Which is fine I guess because with rooms it can be a hit or a miss especially with such large hotels.
Other than that, the book is excellent. The touring plans are also dot on - when I followed them, I was done with everything major by noon.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome Book For The Perfect Trip !!!.......2007-09-21
Birnbaum's Walt Disney World is all you'll need to plan the perfect Walt Disney World vacation!
This book tells you everything you need to know from A - Z. After reading it, you'll feel like you just got back from Walt Disney World.
Birnbaum's Walt Disney World is perfect for first time visitors or for returning vacationers. It will help you pick a hotel, decide which rides to ride, where to eat and when to go. This book is a priceless vacation tool.
You will find because Walt Disney World is always changing that some of the information is outdated, just make sure you get the most recent edition. For instance, if you're going in 2008, get the 2008 edition instead of this 2007 edition.
This is a fabulous book!
The Bable for a trip to Disney.......2007-08-31
There is all the information you can possibly need for a successful trip to Walt Disney World under one cover.
This is an especially useful tool for first timers to the the Parks.
It does not provide much information for those who are planning to include other sightseeing or staying outside of Disney.
If you are planning to stay exclusively in Disney you will find everything you need to know in this book.
To the person that even hinted that this guide was not good enough.......2007-08-15
Just a note to the person who said this guide did not have the downsides listed on hotels+restaurants (and the attractions) in the birnbaum guide...Birnbaum is a DESCRIPTION of everything they were able to review...NOT a "You should go here but not there" guide. -After reading about each item, it should totally be up to you where you stay,where you go to eat and what you ride+see....not someone else. -I can describe to you how to tie your shoes but it should be up to you to decide what the up and downsides to doing this is...(aka personal preference.."Oh,let me see....should I tie my shoes slow or fast? -Should I tie them in the AM or PM?" -Get it? -THIS BOOK IS THE MOST INFORMATIVE OF ALL THEY OFFER I'VE EVER SEEN!!!! -It's a GREAT GUIDE (again...NOT AN ITENERARY or to tell you what to do for your day or wether you should avoid an attration or not while at Disney)!!!!!!!!!! -BIRNBAUM ROCKS!!!! (for those of us who understand why and how it was written and who don't need everything spelled out for us so we don't make a mistake while on vacation). -Thank You.
Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2007.......2007-08-11
This book is a wealth of information on Disney World. Provides enough info to help you plan your stay a disneyworld.
Very disappointed.......2007-07-30
Lame! Published by some offshoot of Disney, this is just a thrown together piece of propaganda. I wasn't expecting anything critical, but the information is so weak! There's no depth and the "tips" have no real insight. Plus the dumb-downed design looks so amateur the book made me embarrassed to be seen with it. Try The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 (Unofficial Guides) or The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World instead.
Book Description
PassPorter Walt Disney World 2007 includes descriptions of each Disney-owned hotel complete with color map, photos, and layouts. Also featured are fold-out park maps, handy ToddlerTips, KidTips, TweenTips, and TeenTips, and 14 organizer "PassPockets" to make planning the perfect vacation a breeze.
Customer Reviews:
Great Tool.......2007-10-14
This is a GREAT tool. Easy to read - easy to use.
Love the updates online.
Would certainly buy again.
The best of all the guide books!.......2007-10-10
The Passporter books are the best of all of the guide books that I've read. I find that their books are very accurate and detailed. I know that they personally go to WDW several times a year and are using first hand knowledge in their books!
A "must read" for first time visitors to Walt Disney World.......2007-09-12
I've been to WDW, but this was still a great book to read. It is organized so that finding what you need is easy. Each ride, attraction, resort, and restaurant is rated and described. This book makes planning your trip easier if you are traveling with small children, teens, or just family with different interests or tastes. It definitely takes some of the guess work out of planning your vacation around the parks. Tip: Buy it before you begin to make reservations or buy tickets! If you're even contemplating traveling to Disney World, buy your PassPorter first.
Good for newbies to Disney, but not enough info for me.......2007-08-28
This guidebook is very well organized and has worksheets for you to jot down important information on reservations. It would be a good introduction for folks who have never gone to Disney World before. However, I found the "Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" to have much more useful info for me. The Unofficial Guide has neat tips about each park, whereas the Passporter was more centered on simply rating each ride. Like I said, helpful info for new-comers to Disney parks, but if you've already been there at least once there isn't much in this book you don't already know. I was kind of surprised. I had read the Passporter guide for Disney cruises and found it very informative. The Passporter guide to Disney World did have a nice section on reviewing the Disney resorts.
I love this book!.......2007-08-24
This book paid for itself almost immediately by directing me to discounted Disney tickets. It allowed me to compare restaurant menus and prices. It has invaluable tips on rides, hotels, transportation. I could go on all day! Buy this book if you are going to Disney World, especially if it is your first trip there. Amazon's price for this book is the best I could find anywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Fun for the kids.......2007-07-19
When planning our annual trip to Disney I alway order one of these as there are great kids tips and fun things for the kids to look at and anticipation of the big trip. We are huge fans and go every year our daughter is already planning the next trip out she is only 3. This guide book is her favorite thing to look and and remember wonderful times.
Disney World for Kids.......2007-07-16
My three grandchildren are going to Disney World in October this fall. I wanted to get something that was easy for them to read and understand. I can't wait until I can give them their own book. Their mom and I decided that we will take the suggestion in the book and wait until 10 days before we actually go. Their ages are 15, 10, and 7 and its the first time for them at Disney. This book has a lot of helpful hints and the more organized we are when we go the less time we will be wasting. 7 people altogether and thats a lot of people making decisions. I am writing an agenda so we don't miss a thing. Don't take everything the reviewers say as gospel. It's all a decision for each kid to make but this will help a lot. The cost is so much, we all want to make the most of a 7 day trip.
This is THE BEST Guide for Kids to Disneyworld.......2007-07-16
If you are planning a trip to Disney World and have kids...this is the book to buy! We have had so much fun reading, planning and preparing for our trip to Disney World. My little girl has memorized every page of this book and can't wait to take it to Disney with us for Character Autographs, Hidden Mickey Hints and so much more! This book is great for kids and adults, too. Lots of pictures, tips on Disney, entertainment for all, very helpful for your little one to feel involved in the trip planning. Also see the other Birnbaum Books...they are all terrific and fun for everyone...don't forget to take the book with you when you go!
The Standard.......2007-05-17
This is the standard. It's still the best guide to Disney World. Birnbaum's Disney guides have been a standard in our household for years.
Great Disney Book for Kids.......2007-05-16
We bought this book for our grandson before his first visit to Disney World. It gave him a great introduction to the parks without overwhelming him. The book not only lists hints and ideas of what to do and see, it also includes what kind of food is available and where to get it! All the parks are discussed and there are descriptions of many of the rides. Kids' comments are on almost every page. The format is kid friendly and easy to read, the illustrations are good, and actually it's fun to read as an adult, too. If our grandson's fanny pack had been larger, he would have carted it around all day since there were pages at the back of the book to collect signatures from the characters. By the way, he told us he loved the book and read every page more than once!
Book Description
Patients Beyond Borders is the first comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide to medical tourism, aimed at the 84 million uninsured and under-insured Americans seeking treatment options abroad for increasingly expensive procedures in the US. From Thailand's American-accredited Bumrungrad hospital to Eric Clapton's Crossroads Clinic to Johns Hopkins International hospitals, health travelers now have a full array of the world's safest, best choices in treatment centers and physicians. Whether patients are seeking dental work, heart surgery, orthopedics, cosmetic surgery, neurosurgery, or LASIK eye repair, Patients Beyond Borders is the best way to become an informed health traveler and get patients started on their health travel journey. Part One: "How to Become a Savvy, Informed Medical Traveler" provides all the information and tools patients need to make safe, intelligent and cost-effective decisions about healthcare abroad: how to plan and budget a health journey, finding the highest-quality hospitals and treatment centers, finding the best physicians and surgeons, working with health travel planners, and more. Part Two: "The Most-Traveled Health Destinations" provides never-before-published information on treatment options in 14 countries, including fully-accredited hospitals and clinics, health travel agents, treatment specialties and super-specialties, recovery retreats, accommodations and more. Includes Patients Beyond Borders Treatment and Country Finder and Medical Travel Budget Planner. Patients Beyond Borders is the medical traveler's first complete guide to a world of new healthcare options. About the Author Author Josef Woodman has spent more than three years researching contemporary medical tourism, interviewing patients, practitioners, administrators, government officials and specialists in the field, while conducting an extensive analysis of safety records, accreditations, success rates and consumer trends. With significant resources and contacts from his pioneering background in health technology on the Web, Woodman has compiled a wealth of information for the American public about important healthcare choices.
Customer Reviews:
Great information that is hard to find .......2007-08-23
I spent a lot of time on the internet trying to research this topic on my own and looking for certain procedures (mainly dental and cosmetic surgery). It is nice to have this book as a resource, there is a lot of helpful info. in this book - I found it very informative and easy to read. I wound up getting dental work done in Mexico at a facility reviewed in this book and am happy with my experience. I recommend this book to anyone even remotely considering foreign medical travel.
Great overview.......2007-08-07
I am considering elective surgery and this was a great compendium of information scattered all over the internet.
Patients beyond borders.......2007-06-01
Book arrived very quickly. Great service again. Thank you so much.
patients Beyond Borders: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Tourism.......2007-04-07
Great book, offers very useful information both on travel needs and medical questions. I would recommend this book to anyone considering traveling for medical needs.
Wow! It's about time..........2007-03-30
With Americans paying punishing prices for healthcare, this easy-to-read guidebook could be a Godsend for many. I hope it lights a path for a new wave of health travelers and gives more people a chance to live longer, healthier lives. Kudos to Mr. Woodman and his research team.
Book Description
Visit the Magic Kingdom with the knowledge of a Disney Imagineer at your fingertips. By Alex Wright The first in a series of pocket-sized paperbacks will answer the question, 'What would it be like to walk through the Disney Theme Parks with an Imagineer by your side?' The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World provides that experience: pointing out details and telling stories, back stories, and Imagineering insights never before heard, condensed into a portable, easily-referenced park guide. You'll never spend time at Walt Disney World the same way again.
Customer Reviews:
Field Guide to Magic Kingdom .......2007-06-13
Interesting, but not as informative as I hoped
The Imagineering Field guide to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.......2007-05-09
I found that the Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom Aat Walt Disney World very Infromative
Concise, entertaining........2007-02-12
Provides vignettes on more popular
attractions. May not be detailed enough for real enthusiasts.
Would be good to have when walking around park.
Filled with Interesting Facts.......2006-11-29
I think this book is very good. It's packed with information on the architecture of the different 'lands' and how they made the transtions flow seemlessly. The Imagineers go in depth to explain why and how some of the popular attraction were created. There are so many things I learned from this book. I have been to Disney World seven times and I found the perspective given by the Imagaineers a must buy for Disney fans.
For some of the naysayers. This is by no means a pamphlet. It has a spine and is over 125 pages. Yes, the size of the book is small. So it would stand to reason the print is smaller also. It is not impossibly small unless you do have very poor vision. I had no issue at all with the size of the type. As others have stated that this is a guide, you would want it to be small in order to carry it with you. I for one have no disire to lug a around 'field guide' the size of War and Peace.
If you like behind the scene information and love Disney I would recommend this book.
A Must HAve for Disney Fans.......2006-10-29
I found this book to be a facinating collection of Disney Facts. It's a great companion to take along when visiting the Magic Kingdom. I hope they do more of these for all of the Disney parks.
Book Description
Now the bestselling guidebook on the subject has been completely updated with all the latest sightings.
Customer Reviews:
Hidden Mickeys.......2007-06-01
I am a long time Walt Disney World fan and love the challenge of finding the Hidden Mickeys. This book was recommended by a friend who thought I would like to see some of the more challenging Hidden Mickeys. I was not disappointed. The author has made this into fun scavenger hunt for the whole family.
Once you start looking, there's no turning back!.......2007-05-23
Some of my most enjoyable moments at Walt Disney World took place after my husband and I purchased Steve Barrett's Hidden Mickey's 2nd Edition! We began searching based on our location or ride line queue then that search continued at our resort and so on. This book gives you hints and tips on locating these Hidden Mickeys that have become pretty famous among visitors and fans, and when you really can't find Mickey, the book will list the exact location! After reading this book, I've become a fanatic and even find Hidden Mickey's in places there really aren't any - like my lawn where three pebbles fit the bill for a HM perfectly. This is a great way to entertain yourself or you children in lines at the parks or in shops and restaurants too!
A lot of fun & great for repeat visitors!!.......2007-04-10
We had so much fun with this! My kids were constantly searching for more. My husband & dad were a little skeptical at first, but were looking for them by the end of the trip. We found so many new things and enjoyed the search. We are Disney veterans and it made our trip much more interesting. Definitely will buy the next edition!!!
Fun for Families on Return Visits - 3.5 Stars.......2007-04-07
This book is a lot of fun. It's a great introduction to the concept of going to the parks and having a multi-layered experience. If you've been before, and you are going back, you obviously like Disney anyway. But it is fun (particularly for kids) to have an additionaly "mystery" to solve while walking the park and standing in line. The idea is that there are all kinds of "hidden mickeys" throughout the parks. A hidden mickey is basically a simple image of mickey's head: a large circle with two smaller circles connected (his ears). So the book explains all this, and has lists for where to find them. As a bonus, it also provides suggested iteneraries to avoid long lines and find certain hidden mickies. It's a lot of fun.
The down side to the book, from my perspective, is that it is difficult to find any one thing. The authors break information up by the purpose they assume a given reader might have, but if your need doesn't match one of those, you find yourself looking in many different places in the book for info. Another problem, and maybe its a "user error," but we couldn't find many of the hidden mickey's based on the descriptions in the book. They just didn't seem specific enough. Finally, many of the hidden mickey's, to me were just circles - a real stretch.
So I don't see this book as a definitive list of hidden mickies. I found this book to be more of a popularizer of a cool idea, with some very good ideas (e.g., the itineraries) added as a bonus. It's worth your dollars, but it won't be the best book on the subject written, I suspect.
OK, but not complete.......2006-10-02
This book is a lot of fun, but I question some of the hidden Mickeys in the book. Some aren't exactly hidden (the Mickey's in MouseGear at EPCOT, for example) but merely decorations. Other are very questionable and really aren't hidden Mickeys at all (by this I mean, just because there are three circles together doesn't mean they are a Mickey. A true Mickey has one large circle with two smaller circle ears). Other Mickeys are just over looked. For a free list of the Mickeys, you can also just checkout SpaceCoast Hidden Mickeys on the web. Overall, it's a fun book, but don't buy it if you are looking for a real list of the Mickeys.
Book Description
Inside this book is all the information you need to have the family vacation of a lifetime at the Orlando theme parks. Up-to-date and written with the help of more than 500 families this guide is packed with details on all the attractions at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld. It's user-friendly, fun, and designed for at-a-glance reference. And it will help you and your family plan the vacation each of you wants.
Inside you'll find:
- Time- and money-saving tips, insider's secrets, and scare factors for every ride and venue
- Clear, easy-to-read maps
- Full restaurant and hotel descriptions, with star ratings
- Quick Guides, Don't Miss Lists, and favorite attractions by age group
- Updates on Disney's FASTPASS system and Universal's EXPRESS system
- Know-how for Disney cruises
About the Author:
Kim Wright Wiley, mother of two, wrote the first edition of Walt Disney World with Kids in 1989, and 17 editions later she's closing in on her 50th visit to the parks, a statistic that stuns even her. Her Disney favorites? "I'm addicted to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, my favorite character is Eeyore, and if I have anything big to celebrate, I do it at the California Grill." When not at the theme parks, she lives in Charlotte, NC.
Customer Reviews:
helpful and organized.......2007-10-10
We went to Disney in a large group, and our family was by far the most well-informed and organized! Based on the books clear recommendations for age-appropriate RIDES and DINING we planned each day and even recommended to our other fellow travelers what they might enjoy with their kids. It was great because we were able to maximize our time on rides instead of just wandering around! How SMART we felt when we followed some of the tips from the books and saved ourselves lots of headaches. We looked like pros to the others in our group, and they thanked us for being so organized. We photocopied a few of the key pages to take to the parks with us so we could refer back to phone # and recommendations for restaurants, etc. This book is easy to read, well planned out, and thorough. I gave my copy to a friend in Mexico and she said she doesn't know how they would have made it through their vacation without it!
Great family times at Disney.......2007-09-06
Must have for families headed to Disney. This book helped us decide what to focus on with the kids and not do too much. We took a five yr old and almost two year old and they did not have any break downs! We just had a great time.
Essential planning guide for toddlers.......2007-09-05
This is a great book to plan for a disney vacation with little kids. We have used two editions now, and take it with us to leave in the stroller for reference. Even though we are veteran Disney travelers as adults, this really helped plan for our preschoolers.
This was the BEST BOOK to read before our trip to Disney World!.......2007-07-02
This book is a must-read for anyone (with OR WITHOUT KIDS) who is going to visit Disney World. It has information on everything! From tips on drinking water inside the park (a must to know if you have ever been to Disney Land!), to the ins and outs of hotels to choose from (both on and off site), to restaurant details, to what each ride is like along with height and weight requirements for each. You are able to get all kinds of information in order to plan your up coming visit and make informed decisions accordingly! We were able to loosely plan our vacation so that we weren't wasting precious time while in the park, trying to figure out what attractions to see and where to eat. WELL WORTH the money and the time to read this book. I plan on buying an updated copy everytime we get to go back to Disney World so I can keep informed and up-to-date on everything!
Pretty good, on many counts.......2007-06-14
A useful guide for anyone planning a trip to Disney World. Especially helpful are the charts in each chapter that give detailed information on attractions. The information includes a brief rating on the ride or show, the length, and any minimum height requirements. As I got this "2007" guide for Christmas, six months before our trip, I should say that there were some pieces of information that were outdated when I got it in 2006.
However, the publisher has done a respectable job to gather and include information from families who have visited Disney. These insights apply to the parks and surrounding resorts. Its not perfect, but proved to be one of several useful tools in planning our family vacation.
Book Description
Ireland is a spectacular new addition to the series, with warm words and gorgeous photographs that perfectly capture the Emerald Isle's unique spirit.
Customer Reviews:
A Beautiful Country......A Beautiful Book.......2007-06-08
I purchased this book as a gift and was so impressed I had to buy one for myself! Photography which captures the distinct and rare beauty of Ireland and well-written text that describes and explains the many points of interest found in Ireland. If you've never been to Ireland this book will make you plan a holiday. If Ireland is already a favourite place to visit reading this book will make you want to return. High quality binding.
Another great book in the series........2002-08-05
Masterfully photographed, and printed on high quality paper, this book is a must have for any armchair traveller.
The book provides a map of the region on the inside cover, and then follows a brief and informative historical overview, which introduces the region to the reader. From that point onwards the book consists of one splendid photograph after the other, very often on a full page, or even spread over double pages, all with short descriptions to accompany them. The book depicts rural country scenes as well as historical landmarks, grand vistas to great architectural photos and even prominent statues. In short, everything the region has to offer.
I am also the proud owner of New England (Photographic Tour) by the same author and photographer and as such, I can highly recommend any one of the books in this series.
Book Description
Cities represent civilization and human achievement: they are bubbling microcosms of virtues and vices, vanguards of technology and creative pursuits, incubators of traditions and melting-pots of diversity. More than half the world's population now lives in cities, and for travellers they hold an endless fascination.
Customer Reviews:
Not the strongest work in the Lonely Planet series........2007-02-03
Actually, I'd rate this book 3.5 stars, but not 4. Nice photos. Useful information, but just not what I was looking for when I have seen lots of Lonely Planet work.
Waste of Time; Waste of Money.......2007-01-14
This book is a total waste of time! Both the writing and photography is uninspired. You really have to question the abilities and biases of the writers/editors who chose cities such as Maputo (Mozambique) where the negative include "street crime, dodgy police officers, poverty and lawless drivers", and Pyongyang, which is in North Korea. One of the listed weaknesses here is "bugged hotel rooms" and that "you can't leave the hotel without a guide". These two gems made Lonely Planet's list of best cities in the world, yet great places like Santa Fe, Boston, Victoria (Canada), Bergen (Norway), Menton (France), and Lucca (Italy) were left off the list! My suspicion is that the editors at Lonely Planet wanted to give equal time to a lot of places in the third world, even if the truth is that some of the cities listed there are places most travelers/tourists would never want to go to. It may be politically uncorrect to say so, but I think that it's true.
Anyhow, I am so glad that I was able to get this book from the library so that I did not waste any of my hard-earned money on it!
WOW!!!!.......2007-01-10
A must buy. The photographs are fantastic. The topics are neat and so interesting. I especially like the surprises of each city. Great Coffee table book. I can visit each city vicariously.
Great coffee table book.......2007-01-04
Inspires new travel ideas, allows you to reminisce about past travels.
This book is a joke!.......2006-11-06
Normally, Lonely Planet is hands down the best in travel guidebooks and literature. When LP published "The Cities Book" recently they reversed that trend. Once again the liberal writers have found every possible opportunity to take shameless cheap shots at conservatism not just in the US this time but in just about every country in the world. The pro and cons are great for a 60's gay, pot-smoking, big business protesting, secular, Green peace loving, socialist, tree hugging, anti-Christian, vegan hippy. Of course everyone agrees that meat hardy meals are a big con for restaurants but yet vegan friendly. This is coming from the same book which lists cultural traditions as a pro but traditional dishes (heaven forbid they have meat) are a con. Just tell a third world country, "Your thousand year traditions are a pro but as long as they fellow our loony liberalism". The writers should just say patriotism is unacceptable for any country to have. Sarajevo lists "nationalism" as a con. Luxembourg lists a con of "conservative attitudes". These are not true pros or cons at all but more of the personal disagreements of each city's public opinion .
Would it really matter to a the world traveler whether or not we know about Lonely Planet's personal political views? How about listing some pros and cons about it city that are actually relevant towards visiting or living there?
The only surprising aspect of the entire book is that Amsterdam is not rated #1. Who would of thought the worldwide Mecca for liberals didn't receive enough praise following the theme in which this book is written. If you don't believe me look at a pro for Amsterdam; "Liberal attitudes(world's first homosexual marriage and legal euthanasia). Of course! We all agree that is a tremendous pro for a city to have. Thank god I know Amsterdam legalized euthanasia, that is really going to come in handy when I visit. Although Amsterdam does get a gold star for "Liberal attitudes", surprisingly it is not #1 for the Lonely Planet publishers. The authors are quite simply too blinded by their own ideology to produce an honest book about the great cities of the world.
Would this book be a good educational reference for children? Highly doubt it. The pictures are full of nude sunbathers, topless women painted in "body art", transvestites, and people drinking at a bar on every other page. Is that really the best photos you can find that would represent a famous city that has so much more to offer?
From the laughable pros and cons to the complete butchery of some great cities such as Austin. Out of all the pictures of the great city of Austin all LP could come up with is a picture of "where will the chicken poop", someone eating chicken, a dog fashion show, and a women getting a tattoo on her thigh.
By the end of reading "The Cities Book" you can move on to "Das Kapital" next. Read between the lines not so carefully and you will see the anti-capitalism all over the pages. The Havana page shows a man with Hugo Chavez and a shackle and hammer captioned with "A cool commie shows off his true colors". "The Cities Book" is a clear attempt to discredit cities who do not share the same liberal ideological views as the publishers and want us readers to have the impression that that city is "bad" or has many negative aspects because of it.
Point overall else is; this book is very laughable from Pros & Cons to the pictures "representing" each city. Don't waste your time or money unless you choose to see the world through Howard Dean's eyes and not from your own.
Books:
- Tokyo City Atlas: A Bilingual Guide (3rd Ed.)
- Tokyo City Atlas: A Bilingual Guide (3rd Ed.)
- Tough Cookie
- Travelers' Tales Brazil (Travelers' Tales Guides)
- Tun-huang Popular Narratives (Cambridge Studies in Chinese History, Literature and Institutions)
- Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968
- When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do: The Clued-In Guide to German Life, Language, and Culture
- Yes We Can!
- A Year in Provence
- Absolute Friends
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Essential SNMP, Second Edition
- Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
- Accounting for Decision Making and Control
- America's Top 101 Computer and Technical Jobs: Detailed Information on Major Jobs at All Levels of E
- Cisco LAN Switching
- Cien años de soledad: Edición conmemorativa
- CINEMA 4D 10 Workshop
- Introduction to Financial Accounting & E Biz 2002 Pkg.
- America: Who Stole The Dream
- And the Ass Saw the Angel
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2007 (Birnbaum's Walt Disney World)
PassPorter Walt Disney World 2007: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake! (Passporter Walt Disney World)
Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids, by Kids 2007 (Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids By Kids)
Fodor's Walt Disney World® with Kids 2007 (Special-Interest Titles)
Hidden Mickeys, 2nd Edition : A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets
