Unofficial Guide coauthor Len Testa has combed the web, looking for the best Disney sites. Here are Len's picks:
Best Official Theme-Park Site
The official Walt Disney World website gets the nod over the official Universal Studios site and the official SeaWorld website. Each contains information on ticket options, park hours, attraction height requirements, disabled guest access, and the like. Disney's site is more comprehensive, providing downloadable color maps of each park plus lists of attractions closed for refurbishment. Disney's also test a free online vacation planner on its website, but we still like ours better (and it's free, too). On the minus side, however, Disney's Web site is bogged down by too much high-tech gimmickry (music clips and animation that start up without asking), causing the pages to load slower than Space Mountain's standby line in July. (Wait, maybe they're just conditioning you!) In addition, the site is often needlessly complicated.
Best General Unofficial Walt Disney World Web Site
Besides TouringPlans.com, Deb Wills' AllEars.Net is the website we recommend to friends interested in making a trip to Disney World. It contains information on virtually every hotel, restaurant, and activity in the World. Want to know what the rooms look like at Disney resorts before you book one? This site has photos—sometimes for each floor of a resort. The website is updated several times per week and includes menus from Disney restaurants, ticketing information, maps, and such.
We also read MousePlanet on a weekly basis. Besides timely information, MousePlanet delivers detailed, multi-part stories on a wide range of Disney theme park subjects including restaurants, resorts and transportation. The site hosts a lively set of discussion boards featuring a wide range of theme park topics, and their "updates" section is the most comprehensive available.
Best Money-Saving Site
Mary Waring's MouseSavers is the kind of website for which the Internet was invented. It keeps an updated list of discounts and reservation codes for use at Disney resorts. The codes are separated into categories such as "For anyone" and "For residents of certain states." Anyone calling the Disney central reservations office (phone (407) W-DISNEY) can use a current code and get the discounted rate. Savings can be considerable. We've used discount codes to pay about $89 per night for a room in the Casitas at Coronado Springs. The family two doors down paid the full rate of $180 per night for essentially the same room, but they probably didn't sleep as well as we did. Two often overlooked features are the discount codes for rental cars and non-Disney hotels in the area.
Best Disney Discussion Boards
The best online discussions of all things Disney can be found at Disboards. With tens of thousands of members, and millions of posts, they are the most active and popular discussion boards on the Web. Disney visitors from the United Kingdom can say "cheerio" to one another whilst online at www.TheDIBB.co.uk.
Best Internet Radio Station
We thought our couple-hundred-hour collection of theme park digital audio was complete until we found Mouse World Radio. Seven different radio stations are available (some free, others for a small fee), playing everything from attraction ride scores and hotel background music, to old clips from Disney's resort television ads. What makes Mouse World Radio special is that the tracks match what the Disney parks are playing at the time of day you're listening. So every morning at 8 am, you'll hear essentially the same music that's currently playing at the Magic Kingdom before it opens. And every night at 9 pm, you'll hear IllumiNations just as if you were at Epcot. Added bonus: several stations contain lyric-free Disney background music, and are suitable for listening at work.
Best Disney Planning Podcast
The WDW Today podcast discusses current Disney events, attraction and restaurant reviews, and touring strategies three times per week. Wednesday shows are dedicated to listener questions, and guest hosts include a veritable who's-who of Disney authors, webmasters, and other experts. Each show typically lasts between ten and twenty minutes, perfect for listening on your way to work.
Best Site for WDW Live Entertainment Schedules
Orlando resident Steve Soares posts the daily performance schedule a week in advance for every live show in Walt Disney World. This information is invaluable if you're trying to integrate these shows into our touring plans. Visit http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/ for the details.
Best Site for Breaking News and Rumors
We try to check WDWMagic every few days for the latest news and rumors on Disney World. The site is popular with Disney fans and park castmembers, who often provide insider information on upcoming attractions and developments. WDWMagic also has pages dedicated to major rides, parades, and shows in each park, including audio and video. User forums allow you to read and post messages to other Disney fans. A close second: Screamscape. Lance and crew continue to do an excellent job of uncovering the very latest on Disney projects still in development. Years after its debut, Screamscape is one of the sites we check a couple times per week.
Best "Theme Park Insider" Site
If "E! True Hollywood Stories" did an episode on theme park development, it would end up with something like JimHillMedia.com. Well-researched and supplied with seemingly limitless inside information, Jim's columns guide you through the internal squabbles, shareholder revolts, budget compromises, and outside competition that made (and makes) Walt Disney World what it is.
Best Trivia Sites
Lou Mongello's excellent Walt Disney World Trivia series has an equally good website: DisneyWorldTrivia.com, with message boards, Disney theme park news, and more. Lou hosts live internet "chats" via his site, usually on Tuesdays. We've been known to pop in occasionally.
Fans of Steve Barrett's Hidden Mickeys book now have an online destination to keep updated on the latest tri-circle sightings at HiddenMickeysGuide.com.
Best Orlando Weather Information
Printable fifteen-day forecasts for the Orlando area are available from www.AccuWeather.com. The site is especially useful in winter and spring, when temperatures can vary dramatically. During summer, the ultraviolet index forecasts will help you choose between a tube and a keg of sunscreen.
Best Website for Orlando Traffic, Roadwork, and Construction Information
Visit expresswayauthority.com for the latest information on road work in the Orlando and Orange County areas. The site also contains detailed maps, directions, and toll-rate information for the most popular tourist destinations.
Best Driving Directions
The printable directions available at MapQuest are accurate and efficient. We especially like the feature that allows you to get driving directions for the return drive home with the click of a button. Perhaps future maps will be able to flag every Stuckey's roadside stand along your route, too.
There are hundreds of other Disney sites, as well as sites that rate and contrast thrill rides in theme parks in the United States and all over the world. Start with sites listed above and follow the links.
Best Mobile Phone Application
At the risk of sounding like geezers, today's cellphones can do far more than the first computers we ever used. Unofficial Guide contributor Rich Bernato combed the mobile application space to find the best applications for Walt Disney World. Rich's tips for choosing an application:
Designing mobile apps is an imperfect science, especially if you're trying to capture Disney World's entire array of offerings. The best are those that stick to one purpose instead of trying to capture the whole Mouse.
As far as the iPhone goes, E Ticket ($5.99) appears to have the most going for it. E Ticket uses the vast resources of WDWInfo.com to assist planners in organizing all of the myriad details necessary for a successful trip. It contains satellite maps, locator buttons, information and reviews of all resorts, parks, attractions and dining, and features for itinerary planning. It takes a little time to learn how to navigate, but appears to be worth it in the long run.
Social Network Sites
Social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter are popular forums for Disney fans to gather online, share comments, tips and photos. Following fellow Disney fans as they share their experiences while they're in the parks can make you feel like you're there, even as you're stuck in a cubicle at work.
