The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2023

by Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa

Overview

Save time and money with in-depth reviews, ratings, and details from the trusted source for a successful Walt Disney World vacation.

How do some guests get on the big, new attraction in less than 20 minutes while others wait for longer than 2 hours—on the same day? Why do some guests pay full price for their visit when others can save hundreds of dollars? In a theme park, every minute and every dollar count. Your vacation is too important to be left to chance, so put the best-selling independent guide to Walt Disney World in your hands and take control of your trip.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2023 explains how Walt Disney World works and how to use that knowledge to stay ahead of the crowd. Authors Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa know that you want your vacation to be anything but average, so they employ an expert team of researchers to find the secrets, the shortcuts, and the bargains that are sure to make your vacation exceptional! Find out what’s available in every category, ranked from best to worst, and get detailed plans to make the most of your time at Walt Disney World. Stay at a top-rated hotel, eat at the best restaurants, and experience all the most popular attractions.

Keep in the know on the latest updates and changes at Walt Disney World. Here’s what’s NEW in the 2023 book:

• Learn when to visit Walt Disney World to get lower crowds and bigger hotel discounts
• Get details on how COVID-19 and social distancing measures have impacted Walt Disney World Resort
• Find insider coverage of EPCOT’s new Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster—the longest indoor roller coaster in the world
• Read a review of TRON Lightcycle Coaster—the Magic Kingdom’s newest thrill ride
• Take in the latest on new Disney programs such as Early Theme Park Entry
• Utilize Disney’s new Genie+ ride reservation system to cut down on waits in line
• Uncover the newest, best places for ticket and hotel deals
• Save more with information on discounted stroller rentals, car rentals, and vacation homes
• Seek out the best places in each park to see Disney’s nighttime spectaculars Enchantment and Harmonious
• Savor the updated reviews of every Walt Disney World restaurant since reopening
• Discover the highest-rated rooms and buildings to ask for at every Disney resort

Make the right choices to give your family a vacation they’ll never forget. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2023 is your key to planning a perfect stay. Whether you’re putting together your annual trip or preparing for your first visit, this book gives you the insider scoop on hotels, restaurants, attractions, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628091298
Publisher:	Unofficial Guides
Publication date:	08/30/2022
Series:	Unofficial Guides Series
Pages:	768
Sales rank:	664,628
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Bob Sehlinger, a Lowell Thomas Award-winning journalist, is best known as the creator and producer of The Unofficial Guide series.

Len Testa, a lifelong Disney theme park fan, is also coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland and The Unofficial Guide to the Disney Cruise Line. Len leads the team at Touring Plans, a research arm of The Unofficial Guides.

Read an Excerpt

What Is Disney World-yet

We may be biased, but we think Walt Disney World (WDW), in Orlando, Florida, is the best collection of theme parks on Earth. Its combined size, quality, and ambition go far beyond that of any other amusement park or theme park you may have seen.

If this is your first visit, you’re probably familiar with Disney World through Disney’s theme park advertising. It’s great at showing families enjoying exciting rides and meeting its famous characters. But 30-second ads don’t convey where to find those rides and characters.

Walt Disney World has four theme parks. If you’re familiar with any of them, it’s probably the Magic Kingdom—the first one built and the one most people think of when they hear the words Disney World. The other three theme parks are EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Walt Disney World also contains two water parks: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. But there’s more: over three dozen hotels and a campground; more than 100 restaurants; a massive year-round sports center; an outdoor mall/entertainment/hotel complex called Disney Springs; six convention centers; four golf courses; and an array of spas, recreation options, and other activities.

How Big Is Walt Disney World-yet

Walt Disney World is huge—around 43 square miles, about double the size of Manhattan and slightly smaller than Miami.

For easy reference, we (and Disney) use the theme parks as rough guides to locations within Walt Disney World. The Magic Kingdom Resort Area, for example, is about 7 square miles and contains the Magic Kingdom theme park and nearby hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and entertainment. The EPCOT Resort Area is roughly 1.5 square miles and contains the EPCOT theme park, nearby hotels and restaurants, and so on. Most of these areas are separated by miles of barely developed Central Florida swampland.

The areas are so far apart that it’s not possible to walk between them. Instead, you’ll usually get around via the Walt Disney World transportation system’s fleet of buses, boats, cars, monorail trains (monorails), and aerial trams. In fact, Disney World’s bus system is the third largest in Florida, behind Jacksonville’s and Miami’s. The Disney transportation system is so large that Part Nine of this book is dedicated to it.

Because of Walt Disney World’s size, it would probably take around two weeks to explore most of it. Most families don’t have two weeks to spare, so we’ll tell you the best things to see in the time you have.

The Major Theme Parks

The Magic Kingdom

When most people think of Walt Disney World, they think of the Magic Kingdom, opened in 1971. It consists of Cinderella Castle and adventures, rides, and shows featuring the Disney cartoon characters. It’s only one element of Disney World, but it remains the heart.

The Magic Kingdom is divided into six “lands” arranged around a central hub. First you come to Main Street, U.S.A., which connects the Magic Kingdom entrance with the hub. Arranged clockwise around the hub are Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. The Magic Kingdom has more rides, shows, and entertainment than any other WDW theme park. A comprehensive tour takes two days; a tour of the highlights can be done in one full day.

Five hotels (Bay Lake Tower, the Contemporary, Polynesian Village, the Grand Floridian Resort, and The Villas at the Grand Floridian) are connected to the Magic Kingdom by monorail and boat. Three other hotels, Shades of Green (for the US military and their families), Wilderness Lodge (incorporating the Boulder Ridge Villas and Copper Creek time-share units), and Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, are located nearby but are served by boat and bus instead of monorail.

EPCOT

Opened in October 1982, EPCOT is twice as big as the Magic Kingdom and comparable in scope. It has two major areas: Future World consists of pavilions concerning human creativity, technological advancement, and—increasingly—cartoon characters; World Showcase, arranged around a 40-acre lagoon, presents the architectural, social, and cultural heritages of almost a dozen nations, each country represented by replicas of famous landmarks and settings familiar to world travelers.

The EPCOT resorts—the BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Dolphin, Swan, Swan Reserve, Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, and Beach Club Villas—are within a 5- to 15-minute walk of the International Gateway, the World Showcase entrance to the theme park. The hotels are also linked to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios by boat and walkway. EPCOT is connected to the Magic Kingdom and its hotels by monorail. An elevated ski lift–like gondola system called the Skyliner links EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Disney’s Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Riviera Resorts.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Opened in 1989 in an area a little larger than the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS) has two main sections. One area, occupying about 50% of the Studios, is a theme park focused on the motion picture, music, and television industries. Park highlights include a re-creation of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards from Hollywood’s Golden Age, several rides and musical shows, and a movie stunt show.

The other half of DHS is two immersive lands based on popular Disney film franchises. Toy Story Land opened in 2018 with two highly themed but relatively simple rides for children. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened in August 2019, has two state-of-the-art, large rides for older children, teens, and adults.

DHS is connected to other Walt Disney World areas by highway, boat, and Skyliner but not by monorail. Guests can park in DHS’s pay parking lot or commute by bus; guests at EPCOT resort hotels can reach DHS by boat, on foot, or by Skyliner.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

About five times the size of the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom combines zoological exhibits with rides, shows, and live entertainment. The park is arranged in a hub-and-spoke configuration somewhat like the Magic Kingdom. A lush tropical rainforest serves as Main Street, funneling visitors to Discovery Island, the park’s hub. Dominated by the park’s central icon, the 14-story-tall, hand-carved Tree of Life, Discovery Island offers services, shopping, and dining. From there, guests can access the themed areas: Africa, Asia, and DinoLand U.S.A. Discovery Island, Africa, and DinoLand U.S.A. opened in 1998, followed by Asia in 1999. Africa, the largest themed area at 100 acres, is home to free-roaming herds in a re-creation of the Serengeti Plain.

Pandora—The World of Avatar, based on James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar, is the most significant recent expansion. Its biggest draws may be the animals and scenery—including “floating mountains” and glow-in-the-dark plants—which Disney has replicated from the movie. See Part Thirteen for full details. Disney’s Animal Kingdom has its own parking lot and is connected to other Walt Disney World destinations by the Disney bus system. Although no hotels lie within Animal Kingdom proper, the All-Star Resorts, Animal Kingdom Lodge & Villas, and Coronado Springs Resort are all nearby.

Table of Contents

List of Maps and Diagrams

Introduction

Part One: Walt Disney World: An Overview

Part Two: Planning Before You Leave Home

Part Three: Making the Most of Your Time

Part Four: Making the Most of Your Money

Part Five: Accommodations

Part Six: Dining in and Around Walt Disney World

Part Seven: Walt Disney World with Kids

Part Eight: Special Tips for Special People

Part Nine: Arriving and Getting Around

Part Ten: Bare Necessities

Part Eleven: The Magic Kingdom

Part Twelve: Epcot

Part Thirteen: Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Part Fourteen: Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Part Fifteen: Universal Orlando

Part Sixteen: The Water Parks

Part Seventeen: Behind-the-Scenes and VIP Tours at Walt Disney World

Part Eighteen: Disney Springs, Shopping, and Nightlife

Part Nineteen: Recreation, Sports, and Spas

Appendix A: Readers’ Questions and Comments

Appendix B: Understanding Walt Disney World Attractions

Accommodations Index

Restaurant Index

Subject Index

Touring Plans

Editorial Reviews

In the Disney world, there is one source of information revered and trusted above all others: [The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World].”
—Paul Gauder, WDW Family Style

“If you’re looking for a reliable guidebook, the leader is the Unofficial series.”
—The Mail (London)

“A Tourist’s Best Friend!”
—Chicago Sun-Times

“Indispensable”
—The New York Times

“The Unofficial Guide is, without question, one of the best Disney travel guides available.”
—MouseChat.net

From the Publisher