Birnbaum’s 2019 Walt Disney World: The Official Guide

When Steve Birnbaum launched this guide in 1981, he made it clear what was expected of anyone who worked on it:
The book would be meticulously revised each year, leaving no attraction untested, no snack or meal untasted, no hotel untried. First-hand experiences like these, accumulated over the years, make this book the most authoritative guide to the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.
Our expertise, however, is not achieved by being escorted through back doors of attractions (although we would enjoy that). Instead, we wait in lines with everyone else, always hoping to have a Disney experience like that of any other guest. We also take advantage of Walt Disney World’s ambitious (and free) FastPass+ attraction reservation system whenever we can. We’ll continue to keep a close eye on it and other additions to the Disney vacation-planning universe, homework we’re happy to do for readers like you.
While Disney World and Disneyland have vastly expanded, and so has our knowledge of the most popular vacation destinations on the planet. On some occasions we’ve encountered sweltering weather and swelling crowds, times when even the happiest of travelers can turn into Grumpy for a moment or two. Had we known then what we know now, we could have spared ourselves some trying experiences.
In one case, a staffer waited more than an hour to get on an attraction. Standing in line with a notebook, she was asked by another guest if there was a quiz at the end. When she explained what she was doing, he expressed surprise to learn that she was waiting with the masses. But that’s always been our strategy.
We believe the best way to gather useful advice for a Disney park guest is to be one. Over and over again!
--Jill Safro, Editor