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The home of the Unofficial Guide travel series.

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Major changes for the 2013 edition include:

• Part 1 - Planning Before You Leave Home Updated details on changes to Extra Magic Hours schedules, including AK dropping evening EMH entirely; Disney's switch to 2-hour evening EMHs at the other parks; the addition of a second morning EMH at the AK most mornings; an expanded “Walt Disney World Calendar” covering more special events each month, and their impacts on crowds.


• Part 2 - Making the Most of Your Time and Money A new overview of Disney's current discounting strategy; updated ticket prices; updates on Disney's new FASTPASS enforcement; an updated section on FASTPASS guidelines; a completely new section on the upcoming “FASTPASS Plus” program; a new section on how to use our mobile app, Lines, to update your touring plan while you're in the parks, in the event something unexpected just happened; a new section on ride break-down rates, useful for contingency planning when in the parks.


• Part 3 - Accommodations Updated reader perspectives on the efficiency of Disney's transportation system (in the section on benefits of staying in WDW); Updated economics on renting DVC points; New recommendations on the best Disney-specialist travel agents; updates on which Disney resort to choose depending on the kind of hotel you stay at outside of WDW; a new review of Disney's just-opened Art of Animation Resort, including room diagrams and pool ratings; updates on Disney's converting from wired Internet to WiFi; tips on where to find the best bars and lounges at the Disney resorts; the 2012 Readers' Disney Resort Report Card, with ratings on every Disney hotel; new coverage of the Grand Floridian DVC resort; a substantial change in our coverage of the Downtown Disney Resort Area (we think many resorts here are not good choices), and a chart showing the additional charges you're likely to pay if you book at these resorts; updated reviews for several DDRA hotels; several pages of new or updated reader comments on the Disney Dining Plan; a new section describing the various resort fees and expenses you're likely to find at the Swan and Dolphin that are not shown at the time you book; the addition of more than 20 new resorts; updated ratings on dozens of others; a section on new websites to find deals on boutique hotels and on how to use “bidding” sites such as tingo.com, guestmob.com and others; and a new section on specific hotels to avoid in Orlando and Kissimmee.


• Part 6 - Walt Disney World with Kids A new section reviewing outside stroller-rental companies in Orlando, including how we tested each stroller and stroller company, and how much you may save by using these.


• Part 8 - Arriving and Getting Around An update to the section detailing where to find the best airport and off-site rental cars; a discussion of the new SixT.com rental company; updates to the Readers' rental car report card; new advice on how to avoid the traffic at Downtown Disney; an updated chart showing the travel times times between the Disney resorts and theme parks when driving and when using the Disney transportation network.


• Part 9 - Bare Necessities Updates to the price comparison chart between two Publix stores, Goodings, Garden Grocer, and Winn-Dixie; updates to the Garden Grocer section.


• Part 10 - Dining in and Around Walt Disney World An updated section which restaurants are most likely to have last-minute Advance Dining Reservations, including new charts showing restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner; updated details on Disney's new $10 cancellation fee for certain restaurants and how this affects your ability to get a reservation; a new section on drinking at Epcot's bars; updated menus for all counter-service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom; updated menus, reader ratings and Unofficial Guide reviews for around 100 sit-down restaurants.


• Part 11 - The Magic Kingdom A new review of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom; updates on the Fantasyland construction, including the new “double Dumbo” and addition of FASTPASS at Dumbo; 12 new Jim Hill anecdotes; and 6 new Magic Kingdom touring plans for adults and parents of small children, including 1- and 2-day plans.


• Part 12 - Epcot An update on Agent P's World Showcase Adventure; new Jim Hill anecdotes; new Epcot 1-Day touring plans; a new Selective touring plan; a brand-new Epcot plan for Parents with Small Children.


• Part 13 - Animal Kingdom Updates on the new EMH schedule; details on the new parade route; new Jim Hill anecdotes.


• Part 14 - Disney's Hollywood Studios We separated DHS out from the Universal and Sea World parks here; the 2013 edition is the first time that each park gets its own chapter. Most of the updates here involve tweaking the text describing how lines develop at the various attractions and how to avoid them, and the amount of actual movie-making that happens at the park (none); updates to the strategy for getting your children into Jedi Training Academy; updates to the Live Entertainment section for the addition of Mulch, Sweat and Shears; a new one-day touring plan and an updated "Not-A-Touring-Plan" touring plan.


• Part 15 - Universal Studios Updates to Universal Express; updates to our coverage of Universal's child-swap process; updated touring tips and touring strategies for several attractions.


• Part 16 - Islands of Adventure Updates to the Spiderman review; updates on how to getting a wand at Ollivander's; updates on the procedure for seating guests of different body types at Harry Potter; a new tip on how to tour Hogwarts without riding the attraction.


• Parts 19 through 23 cover behind-the-scenes tours, shopping, the Disney water parks, golf, nightlife, and more. Most of these updates include additions or deletions to stores, tours, bars, etc., and updates to their prices.

More Guides from the Unofficial Team

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2013 The newly updated 2013 edition of the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland has been thoroughly revised to document every detail of the amazing changes Disney's Anaheim resort has experience in the past year. You'll find detailed critical descriptions and expert touring tips for all the attractions, shops, and eateries in Disney California Adventure's brand-new Buena Vista Street and Cars Land expansions -- including secrets to securing your seat on the blockbuster new Radiator Springs Racers ride. For the original Disneyland park, we have the latest information on the refurbished Matterhorn Bobsleds, new flavors along Main Street USA, the upcoming Princess Fantasy Faire, and much more. Over at Downtown Disney, the Guide's got the dish on the latest shopping and dining choices, not to mention fresh ratings for hotels and restaurants in the Anaheim resort area. Finally, find out if the new Transformers ride is reason enough to depart Disney's domain and visit Universal Studios Hollywood. Of course, you'll find all of our famous time-saving touring plans, freshly fine-tuned to trim your wait for all the newest attractions, along with a heaping side of our irreverent sense of Unofficial humor.

The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2013 With this essential guide, travelers can find out how and where to spend their money wisely for a memorable and affordable trip to Las Vegas. This updated book covers all the new major hotel casinos.

More Walt Disney World Unofficial Guides

As thorough as we try to make The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World - the "Big Book" - there isn't sufficient space for all the tips and valuable information that may be important and useful to certain readers. Thus, we've developed additional Disney World guides, each designed to work in conjunction with the Big Book. All provide information tailored to specific Disney World visitors.

	The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World Color Companion, 2nd edition A full color visual feast that proves that a picture is worth 1,000 words. You can read everything you need to know about Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort in the Big Book (even learn the best rooms to request), but in the Color Companion you can see the guest rooms, the pool, and the magnificent lobby.
	The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2013 by Bob Sehlinger and Liliane J. Opsomer with Len Testa presents planning and touring tips for a family vacation, along with more than 20 special touring plans for families that are not published anywhere else.
	Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando, SeaWorld & The Best of Central Florida Includes comprehensive coverage on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which opened in 2010. Both Universal Orlando® and SeaWorld® remain in the top theme parks to visit in the United States - each with attendance of almost 5 million in 2009.