Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Third Edition

 

Susan Veness’ The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World book has long been a standard here at Between Disney. But a lot has changed at Walt Disney World, and here at Between Disney, since the first edition was reviewed in 2011. And it was just a few years ago, in my mind, that I reviewed the Second Edition. And boom, there arrived at my doorstep a Third Edition in 2020…during a time when I was slowly working through Between Books. Slowly, I have been picking up on reviews again and this new edition is really the best place for me to kick off a new era of Between Book reviews.

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Third Edition by Susan Veness follows the same general plan as the earlier editions. Veness walks readers through the four Walt Disney World Resort parks land by land. As she takes this walk she drops fun facts and behind-the-scenes information that for many, okay readers like me, will find delightful and help to expand the park experience. The book is text-driven, with little to no pictures except for a map that highlights some facts about each park.

Overall, the facts are interesting and delightful. I have read a lot of Disney books, yet I felt like I experienced many new to me facts. The text was well-written and engaging. But for some reason, I did find that it took me a bit to get into the text. This may be due to the fact there was content I had read before in this format. But as I got further into the text, my attention was increasingly grabbed instead of diminished. I worried that new sections such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge would spoil me but instead I felt the sections prepared me and helped grab my interest. I felt like the surprises I have kept from myself were not revealed.

It could be the lack of images and photos that may have been my initial barrier to all in. As I read a section I often attempted to mentally picture the layout of the area. I assume the lack of images is tied to copyright issues. And while this text can be used to prepare a traveler, it may even be better in the park as a guide to help fill time in lines, as visitors play a game to find the secret the text points out. For this purpose, the book is light enough to fit in a small backpack but even better would be a Kindle edition on a cell phone.

I did note in the past I would like a section about Downtown Disney/Disney Springs. Content about Disney Springs and the water parks would be fun, but the editions are all consistent in creating boundaries around the theme parks.

As expected from a revised edition, content is often the same. The France section of the World Showcase that I discussed in the Second Edition remains unchanged but has shifted to page 129 to align with the new and removed content in this edition. This fact just leads me to suggest that new readers really should consider the newest edition for the most updated content with the key details found in earlier editions. This is underscored by the growth in each volume as the original had 242 pages, the Second 255 pages, and the Third 286 pages. This text is like the park is expanding. Get the newest fellow readers!

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World is a go-to book for me. It is fun. It is well written. And it has a lot of facts. It has the power to prepare someone for a trip, especially if they want to sound knowledgeable on Disney secrets. Also, it could provide park fun, as family members waiting for their next attraction seek out the secrets provided for each section. I will continue to recommend The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World for those who want to read up on park secrets before they visit the Walt Disney World Resort.

Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World 2nd Edition

It has been nearly 400 posts since I reviewed The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness.  New Fantasyland has come to life.  Test Track is now more Tron than General Motors.  And Avatar has led to shifts at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  I think it is fair to say that now is a good time for an updated version of Veness' title.

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom by Susan Veness provides a behind the scenes tour of the Walt Disney World Resort.  Veness walks her readers methodically through the four theme parks, land by land, providing background and hidden secrets to the attractions and sights.  Veness' facts help the guest better understand the work that Imagineers have put into the park, and allows them to seem super knowledgeable to their friends and family as they enjoy their Disney day.  Along with her own descriptive text, Veness breaks away from the tour to give her readers "Fascinating Facts" about the parks and "Imagine That!" interludes where Disney's Imagineers and other creatives discuss attractions in their own words.  Each chapter ends with a detailed and descriptive, though balanced and brief, timeline of each park.

I think the first big question really is how does this stack up to the first edition?

So let us just rip off the band-aid and be honest about the first edition!  At this point if you are buying the original as new to you, you are buying a time capsule, a historical tour of the past.  Because the Walt Disney World Resort of 2009 is long gone at this point!  So really, if you want a behind the scenes tour book for today...you need this volume.  The old volume simply captures attractions that are now extinct.  And I found myself surprised how many new attractions there really were as I read through the book.  Even areas I have thought of as static, like Main Street U.S.A. have significantly changed, with meet and greats now offered on the Magic Kingdom's main drag.  In short, a new edition was truly needed and at times it made it feel like a whole new book to me due to the number of changes at the resort.

Now, just because this is a second edition does not mean that all the old stuff has not been updated.  On page 110 of the original volume is a discussion of the bridge between the France and United Kingdom pavilions at Epcot.  The same paragraph can be found on page 138 in the new edition.  In the old edition this paragraph is followed by an "Imagine That!" which is now absent in the updated volume.  But instead in the new version there is a description of a cameraman not being edited out of the Impressions de France film.  The France segment is actually halved in the Second Edition.  But except for the bridge paragraph the content is new.  The Tower of Terror seems to me to be an attraction that should not have changed much since 2009.  However, while the description includes around the same number of pages, there is new Hidden Magic for the reader to look for.  So despite being an updated edition there is still new Hidden Magic for the reader of the old edition.  And I will admit, though I have not read the original in depth for several years (I have used it as a resource several times though) the Second Edition felt fresh to me.   The two editions are roughly the same size, and I can see edits for space where I assume Veness had to shrink content down to allow for new Hidden Magic and new attractions elsewhere. 

Other points I have made in the past stand.  The book is well-written and easy to access.  Veness uses bold text to help the reader scan through content, which is especially helpful when walking through the park and wanting facts on hand.  The book itself is small enough to fit into a backpack.  And I found this edition as enjoyable as the first.

I think if I was to make any suggestions, I would like to see a chapter on Downtown Disney.  But since that is very much in flux in 2015, I can understand why it continues to be excluded.  

The time has come for an update!  The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom by Susan Veness captures the Walt Disney Resort of today, sharing the Hidden Magic in the stories behind beloved Disney attractions.  Some may argue that it steals the Magic.  But for me, Susan Veness has only made the resort more magical by giving background in an easy to digest format.        



Review Copy Provided by Publisher 

Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Trivia

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World continues to be a sentimental favorite for me.  It is as I have said before the first Disney book that my wife gave me as a gift.  And the Between Book installment reviewing that first book continues to be the most viewed post at BetweenDisney.com! So any book that Susan Veness offers, is something that I must read.

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Trivia is a tour of the four parks of the Walt Disney World Resort.  But along with a tour, it is a game.  For each attraction there are two trivia questions.  One question is multiple choice.  The second is an open ended question.  The answers for both questions are found in the back of the book.  Along with the trivia questions, Veness provides a scavenger hunt for each park.  And as bonuses a kids and a die-hard scavenger hunt is provided towards the end of the book.  And since this is a hidden history book, Veness provides a fascinating fact and something to look for each attraction along with the questions. 

As a game, the book is lightweight and could fit in most backpacks.  The book would probably experience some wear in a pack, but should not add much weight to carry around the park.  The questions could easily help fill time in lines within the parks.  I have not even considered the eBook version of the book, which would not take up any weight since many guests would have a phone with a book app.  I just wonder how quickly one can jump from question to answer.  If anyone reads the book on a eReader, I would love the answer to that question.  And for added usability, the scavenger hunts can be cut out to go into a pocket our pouch.

Most of all I was worried that they would be too easy.  They are not, there are plenty of questions that I did not know the answers for.  During the week I read this book I kept it on my desk at work.  I told everyone who needed something that they needed to start with a question that I could answer, to put me in a good mood.  Not everyone started on a good footing!  So the questions are definitely challenging and not the same reused facts that we typically find in a Between Book.  

There is also plenty of new facts that I at least have not run across.  For example I did not know the secret of the floating bubbles at Voyage of the Little Mermaid.  The quality of facts is beyond what one can generally think to Google.  And as someone who has read many books with fun facts, I was satisfied that many of the facts were fresh to me.

The book is updated and in fact looks into the future.  For example, Veness discusses the very recent addition of mermaids to Pirates of the Caribbean.  And of course, the recent Fantasyland additions are all mentioned.  But she also has facts for an attraction that is not open with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.  The only announced addition she does not provide content for is Avatarland, but who can blame her!

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Trivia is a great extension of the Hidden Magic series.  It provides Hidden Magic in a new format, with the trivia providing a twist.  The book is interactive by providing a game that the whole family (or office) can play.  And the book does not just restate facts that can be found elsewhere (unlike many books I have been reading lately).  Fans of Veness' prior works will be pleased and families looking to add bonus fun to their trips should consider this book as a fun option.



Review Copy Provided by Author 

Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner: A Complete Organizer, Journal and Keepsake for Your Unforgettable Vacation

It’s a planner!

It’s a guidebook!

It’s an examination to the little touches that makes The Walt Disney World Resort special!

It’s a grill!

It’s a cooler!

It’s The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner: A Complete Organizer, Journal and Keepsake for Your Unforgettable Vacation, and three out of five isn’t bad. 

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner by Susan Veness and Simon Veness is the follow up offering to Susan Veness’ The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World, a Disney fan favorite.  The first book is a land by land review of Imagineering Easter eggs and hidden history throughout the parks of the Walt Disney World Resort.  This new book does have additional “Hidden History” call outs for interested readers, but the bulk of this text falls within the traditional planning guide.  The authors provide a park by park, land by land overview of the Walt Disney World Resort and the planning experience. 

The guide opens with basic planning advice that could improve any trip to Orlando for a guest.  They provide an in-depth description of accommodations within the resort.  The authors then guide readers through each park of the Walt Disney World Resort.  From The Magic Kingdom Park to Disney’s Animal Kingdom they provide a summary of attractions, dining, shopping and special occasions for every park.  But recognizing that the resort is not parks alone, they also extend their summaries into the water parks, resort dining, Downtown Disney and the often unknown attractions within the park.  Throughout the book the authors sprinkle in tips for rookie guests and “Hidden History” providing background or history on aspects of attractions, restaurants or dining.  Each section is accompanied by blank lined pages for guests to journal or take notes of their own trips.  Chapters on each park are accompanied by simple maps (non-cluttered) of the parks.  And working as a planner there are folder pockets with each major park section to store documents or notes to help with your trip.  The book concludes with a selection of color photos, which readers are directed to as they read through the text. 

Overall, this is a very solid and useful guide.  The summaries are helpful, and would give first time guests a good idea of the experience they can anticipate without being completely spoiled.  I had to laugh when discussing the tips with the Between Wife.  I commented to her that the descriptions of Disney’s PhotoPass included all the basics, but I thought rookies needed to know that the photographers will take a picture with your camera.  Her response was, “Do you think you hit a point where you know too much about Disney?”  As always her point was made.  This book isn’t for me, it’s really directed at those first timers.  And with that in mind, the advice and guidance the Vennesses’ offer is very solid and helpful.  I mean, I could argue that Dole Whip isn’t “pineapple-flavored yogurt.”  Dole Whip is non-diary so not yogurt.  But I am a self proclaimed Dole Whip expert and for the first timer who might find Dole Whip in a yogurt shop that is probably a pretty good description. 

Now with the Dole Whip caveat out of the way I still found plenty of Hidden Magic I just did not know in The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner.  I had no idea that some of the pools have opening ceremonies, with the description of the opening of the Fuentes del Morro pool at the Caribbean Beach Resort definitely sounding like an extra special piece of magic.  I was amazed at the tricks that Imagineers have used to make guests think a Nazi swastika is present in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! while it is not actually there.  There are plenty examples found throughout the text where Between Disney learned something new. 

I was concerned about the physical durability of the book.  It does have a spiral spine with a cover that is bigger than the pages.  I was convinced that with my lifestyle that pages would rip off the spiral rings and that the cover would be beaten up after a few days in a backpack.  So I was mean to the book, in fact I tried to destroy it through normal usage.  I have carried it in my backpack, not a happy place for books for two weeks.  I cram my bag to capacity with books and other items of odd shape.  And being a commuter I bang and bash my bag on my daily journeys.  I knew it would fall apart, not being the first book my bag defeated.  I have been defeated.  No pages have ripped out and the over sized cover seems to have helped the pages from being attacked by the random pens and highlighters floating in my bag.  And the cover is showing slight wear, with the corners bruised with a few slightly upturned.  But it has survived two weeks of book bag living!  Maybe I didn’t torture this book enough. 

So who is Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner for?  First, rookie visitors to the Walt Disney World Resort would find this book really useful.  The text includes all the basics that a first time visitor would need to know.  And the authors with their “Rookie Mistake” additions sprinkled throughout the book clearly targeted this audience.  Additionally I could see recommending this book to friends who have never visited the parks but I know would want details about the attractions that are not obvious.  The “Hidden History” for them would not be overwhelming but still provide enough to whet their curiosity.  Second, this book would serve well for folks looking to save money by not buying a separate planner, guidebook and Imagineering guide.  Here right in one text their basic needs would be met.  It’s not the biggest guidebook, but it is one that serves multiple purposes.  Second, more experienced travelers may find this book interesting as a reference; it is always handy to have a book with important telephone numbers for dining and accommodations in one easy to find location.  Third, fans of The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World will probably jump at this book with over hundred new hidden magic secrets.  I expect that the Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner will find its way into many Between Disney libraries to aid vacation planning.      

Review Copy Provided by Adams Media 


For more on the Hidden Magic Series see Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Trivia.  

Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom by Susan Veness provides context, history and interesting facts to the parks of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida. The book serves as a tour of the parks, leading readers systemically through the lands of the four parks. Along with attraction and entertainment information, Veness provides readers with an easy to understand historical timeline for each park. Some text is bolded in the book to provide easy reference when casually scanning or using the text as a guidebook. Along with attraction descriptions there are also additional call outs called “Fascinating Fact” which calls attention to specific behind the scenes or interesting details and “Imagine That” which discusses in more depth the philosophy of Walt Disney Imagineering when developing projects.

This book provides an all in one overview of the Florida parks. So instead of needing multiple books on Walt Disney World, like with the Imagineering guides, one can sit down with one text and get a behind the scenes look at the entire resort. The text is easy to read, and a read most will probably find enjoyable. The Imagineering guides, do serve as a point of comparison with the most striking the difference between the two being images. The Imagineering guides are full of images and concept art. The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World is image free. Like the Imagineering Guide to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, my viewpoint of this book has also changed from a guide to more of a historical testament of what was with the removal of Mickey’s Toontown Fair and the growth of Fantasyland. It really is amazing how quickly a book representing itself as a guide can move from timely to historical with the rate of change within the Disney parks! Veness notes she wants to help her readers see the details of the parks and attractions. In that goal she succeeds as she helps those of us often moving too fast to see what is in front of us to look behind our first glance to the remarkable details Imagineers have built into the parks. The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World is a nice all in one view of the parks of the Walt Disney World resort and a good starting point for growing a Disney obsession living Between Disney.


For more from the Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World series see Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner: A Complete Organizer, Journal and Keepsake for Your Unforgettable Vacation  and Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney Trivia.