While Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World guide book has always been the official guidebook of Walt Disney World, it was not always published by Disney Editions (an imprint of Disney Book Group). In fact, when the first Birnbaum Walt Disney World guide books were first published (while founding editor Stephen Birnbaum was alive to run it), it was put out through Houghton Mifflin.

Birnbaum’s Disney World is updated each year to remove old attractions/shows/parades/eateries and introduce new ones. They offer up advice such as when the best time to travel to Walt Disney World is, depending on whether you like good weather, low crowds, or lots of special events. A calendar of events is always included, and each year they rate their favorite attractions at each park, their favorite hotels in each category (Value, Moderate, Deluxe), and more obscure favorites, such as best coffee, best milkshake, and best crab cakes.

They offer charts with a breakdown on price, theme, type of dining (counter service, table service, buffet, character dining) as well as special recommendations on what to order when you’re there. There are bits of trivia (Animal Kingdom’s napkins are unbleached), hot tips (which attraction’s FastPass to get first), and Walt Disney quotes. There are theme park maps, a weather chart for average temperatures for each month, sample day touring plans, and advice on transportation to and from Walt Disney World.

While I don’t feel that Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World is very well laid out for a first time visitor, it is packed with information. If you’re purchasing Birnbaum’s Disney World guide book, I recommend reading it straight through- front to back. It’s the best way to get the most information out of it. Then, after you’ve reading it straight through (feel free to skip the spa section if you plan to skip the spa while you’re there), it can be used as a point of reference for actually making your plans.

While the Birnbaum Disney World guide book does hit each of these points, they also publish more detailed guidebooks such as Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World Without Kids (most recent is 2009), Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World For Kids, Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World Dining Guide, and Birnbaum’s Disney Cruise Line .

Now, the problem with the Birnbaum books is that they’re no longer updated in detail. Since my husband and I purchase a new Birnbaum Walt Disney World almost every year, we’ve compared multiple copies side by side and often find that the ride descriptions are completely unchanged- sometimes even when the ride itself has changed. We’ve occasionally even found blatant errors. However, the errors that we find are unlikely to be problematic for first time visitors, just so long as you verify anything that you have your heart set on before traveling.

The best part about the Birnbaum Disney World guide books, however, is the coupons in the back. Aside from a recent printable coupon promotion through Disney World’s special offers page on their website , these are the only Disney World coupons that you will ever find. For the past several years, the coupons have remained the same, and they’re likely too for several more years to come.

Coupons found in the Birnbaum Disney World 2010 book are: 15% off lunch or dinner at House of Blues (Downtown Disney), 15% off Behind The Seeds tour at Epcot (up to 10 guests), up to 20% off Disney’s Vero Beach and Hilton Head Island resorts, 15% off all Sammy Duvall’s watersports centre activities (Contemporary Resort), 10% off Dive Quest and Dolphins in Depth experiences (Epcot), 20% off 2 hour guided fishing excursion, 10% off mini-golf before 4pm (up to 4 guests- Fantasia Gardens or WinterSummerland- nice deal because you get 50% off a second round if played on the same day), $10 off $75+ purchase at Lego Imagination Center (Downtown Disney), 15% off Wild by Design tour at Animal Kingdom, and $50 gift card when you sign up for a Disney Visa.

Coupons stay more or less the same in each year’s guide book, and may well be worth more than the cost of the book. If you’re a fan of special tours, or are into water sports and fishing, I highly recommend this book just for the savings of the coupons. Always double check the current year’s coupons before purchasing, however, if your only interest is the coupons, because they may change. I can not guarantee that your copy will be the same as mine, nor can I guarantee that future years will issue the same coupons.

Birnbaum Disney World 2012

Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2012 guidebook is due out in September of 2011.

Birnbaum Disney World 2011

I do not have the Birnbaum Disney World 2011, but assume that it is much the same as 2010.

Birnbaum’s Disney World 2010

Follow this link to my write up of Birnbaum Disney World 2010.