Between Books - The Cast Member's Guide to Walt Disney World: An Insider's Look at the Ultimate Disney Vacation

Let me be honest, we all want to feel like we are in the know when it comes to planning our Disney vacations.  I have often myself thought about writing down my starting points and tips for a Disney vacation, because I clearly know best (I am actually insulted when not consulted).  And I think others feel the same way.  Walt Disney Cast Member John Kenney is one that has taken the jump to bring words to paper (including virtual paper) to describe his best tips towards planning a Walt Disney World vacation.

The Cast Members Guide to Walt Disney World: An Insider's Look at the Ultimate Disney Vacation by John Kenney is what you would generally expect from a guide book.  The text starts out with some general information about how to get to Walt Disney World including when, how, budget and more.  This is followed by chapters breaking down each of the theme parks of the resort including checklists of slow moving attractions, intense attractions, and attractions to avoid.  And after the parks, Kenney highlights the fun one can have outside the parks at places like Downtown Disney or experiences like renting the Grand 1 Yacht.  And he adds information about tours, marathons and special events for those traveling when these occur.

The reason this caught my eye was the promise of a cast member sharing his tips.  And Kenney does give commentary based on being in the parks a lot.  But honestly, and he admits it also, the majority of the text is common knowledge or common sense.  There really are not behind the scenes stories that make you feel like the book is specifically written by a cast member of several years.  Maybe 20 years ago many of the tips would have seemed like secrets in this text.  But in the age of the Internet and a Disney community which shares its best tips, well it is not really that secret anymore.

The book itself is clear and easy to read.  And it is organized in a topical logical manner that is easy to flip through.  Though I would prefer that there was a table of contents that would allow easy navigation in the Kindle version I read.  There are some issues you find in typical self-published Kindle books like spacing issues.  But for me the biggest problem is consistency.  For example the attractions of Epcot receive descriptions that could be useful to the novice Disney parks visitor and this is generally done for the other parks.  But it is not done for the Magic Kingdom Park, the Park that visitors are most likely to spend time in and spend multiple days in.  So for me this was a miss.

I got this book for free.  And I think that any visitor who does not have a guide book to help them plan could get value out of The Cast Member's Guide to Walt Disney World at that price.  Honestly, I could see someone who did not wish to spend the current $9.20 for The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World but wanting a simple and useful guidebook on their phone looking into this text...if it was priced in a range around $3 to $5.  However, as it is priced today at $9.99 it simply cannot complete with the  consistency and completeness of the cheaper The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.
  
The Cast Members Guide to Walt Disney World: An Insider's Look at the Ultimate Disney Vacation is a simply to use clear guide book to help plan your Disney vacation.  And honestly, I would probably produce something not as good if I attempted my own guide.  Though, mine would mention PhotoPass cast members will also use your camera.  But in the end, where it is priced for the content included puts it in a tough place to compete in a crowded market. 

Dreaming Disney - The Unofficial Guide’s Disney Dish with Jim Hill

Betweenlanders want to know more about Disney, we want the inside track on rumors and what could have been.  Let’s face it, living in Betweenland you are kinda out of the Disney loop.  Sure we can hear rumors and get news from the main Disney news outlets, but we want to know more than Cars Land is going to open June 15, 2012.  We want to know about the things that could have been, the things that never happened and the inside stories of how our favorite attractions were developed or became extinct.

Jim Hill lives that dream.  He knows people and has connections within Disney and the theme park industry that most Disney enthusiasts will never have access to.  Sometimes it is about who you know!  Additionally, it seems clear that sometimes Mr. Hill has lucked into seeing pieces of Disney history that many would not have noticed, but when seen through Mr. Hill’s eyes tell a story of what will or was to be. 

Len Testa, of WDW Today and Touring Plans, has partnered with Jim Hill to create “The Unofficial Guide’s Disney Dish with Jim Hill.”  The podcast is simple in production but rich in content.  The two Disney experts literally walk around the parks talking.  Testa throws out questions to which Hill responds and provides stories and details that often have not been heard before by Disney fans.  As they talk you hear the sounds of the background music and running attractions around them. 

In the first seven episodes they have toured all four parks of the Walt Disney World Resort; The Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  Additionally the two have walked through the hotels of both the Epcot area and Magic Kingdom.  They have even toured Downtown Disney.

The content of all these podcasts is fascinating.  I have repeated so many of these stories to the Between Wife, she would probably like me to quit listening.  The story telling is engaging and often funny.  And both Hill and Testa know these theme parks in a way many of us could only dream of.  Every episode is an absolute must listen.  And when they are done, you feel like you know something new and something the off the street Disney fan is not in the loop about yet.   

The biggest question I have is the future.  The podcast releases on a very irregular schedule, with every release being a surprise that instantly goes to the top of my listening queue.  So every episode leaves the listener with the question of when will another episode drop and what will it be about.  I can foresee episodes on Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.  And there could be more episodes on hotels, it’s not like they have visited the values yet!  Perhaps, one way to keep this series going is more visits to the visited parks, especially after the completion of the New Fantasyland.  Another idea would be a visit to Disneyland for three or four episodes.  Yet another opportunity is clear in their episodes on the Universal Orlando Resort, which introduced this park to me a non-Universal fan.  As much as I don't want to admit it, Orlando offers more than one resort.  Most recently they have released episodes with Sam Gennawey with Testa, sharing his planning knowledge about design elements within the Magic Kingdom. 

Clearly there is still opportunity to share some great stories.  And I will be waiting out here in Betweenland to put myself in the loop.