OTHER UNOFFICIAL GUIDES
Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to Universal, SeaWorld, and the Best of Central Florida
The Unofficial Guide Color Companion to Walt Disney World
The Unofficial Guide to Britains Best Days Out: Theme Parks and Attractions
The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland
The Unofficial Guide to Dubai
The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids
For Beverly Brown Halphen (19362013)R. H.
Please note that prices fluctuate in the course of time and that travel information changes under the impact of many factors that influence the travel industry. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information throughout this book, and the contents of this publication are believed to be correct at the time of printing. Nevertheless, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, for changes in details given in this guide, or for the consequences of any reliance on the information provided by the same. Assessments of attractions and so forth are based upon the authors own experiences; therefore, descriptions given in this guide necessarily contain an element of subjective opinion, which may not reflect the publishers opinion or dictate a readers own experience on another occasion. Readers are invited to write the publisher with ideas, comments, and suggestions for future editions.
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Copyright 2014 by Robert W. Sehlinger. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923; 978-750 -8400; fax 978-646 -8600; or on the web at copyright.com . Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to Keen Communications, LLC, PO Box 43673, Birmingham, AL 35243, 205-322-0439, fax 205-326-1012.
Unofficial Guide is a registered trademark of Google Inc. in the United States and other countries and may not be used without written permission. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Google Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
Cover design by Scott McGrew
Text design by Vertigo Design and Annie Long
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ISBN: 978-1-628-09008-6
Distributed by Publishers Group West
Manufactured in the United States of America
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LIST of MAPS
SPECIAL THANKS
A BIG SALUTE TO OUR WHOLE UNOFFICIAL TEAM, who rendered a Herculean effort in what must have seemed like a fantasy version of Sartres No Exit to the tune of Its a Small World. We hope you all recover to tour another day.
Kudos to cartoonist Tami Knight; child psychologist Karen Turnbow, PhD; Unofficial Guide statistician Fred Hazleton; and a horde of contributors and friends too numerous to list here.
Much appreciation also to editorial and production manager Molly Merkle, text designer Annie Long, cartographers Steve Jones and Scott McGrew, and indexer Ann Cassar .
Bob, Ritchey, and Len
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
BOB SEHLINGER, a Lowell Thomas Awardwinning journalist, is the creator and producer of the Unofficial Guides. Three titles in the series The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, and The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas are the best-selling travel guidebooks in the world on their respective subjects. Bob is also the founder and co-owner of Keen Communications, which publishes the Unofficial Guides as well as outdoors and trade-nonfiction books under the Clerisy Press, Menasha Ridge Press, and Wilderness Press imprints.
RITCHEY HALPHEN is a project editor at Keen Communications. He started his publishing career as a copy editor at Cooking Light magazine, later serving as senior copy editor at Southern Living and copy chief at Health.
LEN TESTA is the coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids, The Unofficial Guide Color Companion to Walt Disney World, and The Unofficial Guide to Britains Best Days Out: Theme Parks and Attractions. A computer scientist, Len created both the Unofficial Guides touring plan software and the touringplans.com website.
INTRODUCTION
WHY This POCKET GUIDE?
THE OPTIMUM STAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD is seven days, but many visitors dont have nearly that long to devote to all that this massive destination affords. Some folks are in town on business, with only a day or two available for Disneys enticements. Others are en route elsewhere, or they want to sample additional attractions in Orlando and Central Florida. For these visitors, efficient, time-effective touring is a must. They cant afford long waits in line for rides, shows, or meals. Its imperative that they determine as far in advance as possible what they really want to see.
This guide distills essential information from our comprehensive Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World to help short-stay or last-minute visitors decide quickly how best to spend their limited hours. It aids these guests in answering questions vital to their enjoyment: What are the rides and attractions that appeal to me most? Which additional rides and attractions would I like to experience if I have any time left? What am I willing to skip?
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
THE AUTHORS AND RESEARCHERS OF THIS guide are totally independent of Walt Disney Co., Inc.; Disneyland, Inc.; Walt Disney World, Inc.; and all other members of the Disney corporate family. We represent and serve the consumer. The material in this guide originated with the authors and researchers and hasnt been reviewed or edited by the Walt Disney Co., Disneyland, or Walt Disney World. Ours is the first comprehensive critical appraisal of Walt Disney World. It aims to provide the information necessary to tour Walt Disney World with the greatest efficiency and economy.
WALT DISNEY WORLD: An Overview
THERES NOTHING ON EARTH LIKE WALT DISNEY WORLD. Incredible in its scope, genius, beauty, and imagination, its a joy and wonder for all ages. Disney attractions are a quantum leap beyond most man-made entertainment we know. We cant understand how anyone could visit Florida and bypass Walt Disney World.
WHAT WALT DISNEY WORLD ENCOMPASSES
WALT DISNEY WORLD COMPRISES 43 square miles, an area twice as large as Manhattan. Within this expanse lie the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disneys Animal Kingdom, and Disneys Hollywood Studios theme parks; 2 swimming theme parks; a sports complex; 5 golf courses; 36 hotels and a campground; more than 100 restaurants; 4 interconnected lakes; a shopping complex; 8 convention venues; a nature preserve; and a transportation system.
Walt Disney World has around 62,000 employees, or cast members, making it the largest single-site employer in the United States. Keeping the costumes of those cast members clean requires the equivalent of 16,000 loads of laundry a day and the dry cleaning of 30,000 garments daily. (Mickey Mouse alone has 290 different sets of duds, ranging from a scuba wet suit to a tux; Minnie boasts more than 200 outfits.) Each year, Disney restaurants serve 10 million burgers, 6 million hot dogs, 75 million Cokes, 9 million pounds of French fries, and 150 tons of popcorn. In the state of Florida, only Miami and Jacksonville have bus systems larger than Disney Worlds. The Disney monorail trains have logged mileage equal to more than 30 round-trips to the moon.