Universal Orlando and Disney World Books to Read Before You Go
Episode 36: Maven’s Bookshelf
My number one top tip in my list of 55 Things To Know Before You Visit Disney World is to do your homework! There are lots of books to help you get ready for your trip to Disney World and Universal Orlando. Find out my top recommended Universal Orlando and Disney World books on this episode of the Go Informed podcast.
These are the show notes for Go Informed Podcast episode 36. Click the Play button to listen to the episode for lots more detail about this topic.
Disney World and Universal Orlando Detailed Guidebooks
The Unofficial Guide Books
If you’ve listened to my show at all, you’ll know that the Unofficial Guides and their associated publisher Touring Plans are some of my absolute favorite resources for making an Orlando vacation better.
The Unofficial Guide books cover every detail you need to know to thoroughly plan and prepare for your Orlando vacation. These books include hotel and dining reviews, detailed descriptions of every attraction, and touring plan suggestions that will help you power through your theme park day.
If you own an Unofficial Guide you also get a discount on a membership on the excellent TouringPlans.com website and Lines app.
Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is my Disney World bible. This book has everything you need to know about visiting the parks, staying on and off the Disney property, dining, shopping, you name it – it’s in there. There are lots of tips for how to save money and how to be most efficient in planning and executing your park touring.
This is a big book with tons of details so if you’re the planner, it’s for you. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World also includes short sections about Universal Orlando, Sea World, and other Orlando attractions. So if your vacation will mostly be at Disney World this book may be the only guidebook you need.
View the Unofficial Guide to Disney World on Amazon here.
Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando
If you’re planning to spend more than a day at Universal Orlando, it’s worth picking up the Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando. This book takes you though all the attractions, hotels, and dining at Universal Orlando plus has lots of tips for how to best navigate the parks.
View the Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando on Amazon here.
Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids is loaded with details about touring all the Disney World parks and attractions, with added advice written by kids for kids. If you’ll be traveling with older kids, get a copy of this book for them and let them help you plan the trip.
View the Unofficial Guide to Disney World With Kids on Amazon here.
Disney World Guidebooks with Lots of Pictures and Moderate Details
The Birnbaum’s Official Guides offer a more glossy overview of the Disney World parks than the Unofficial Guides. This can be perfect for travelers who are looking for basic information about what Disney World has to offer.
Where the Unofficial Guides are essential for whoever is planning your Orlando vacation, the Birnbaum’s books are great for getting the rest of the family excited and educated about the trip. These books feature lots of glossy photographs and short descriptions of attractions, dining, hotels, and other Disney World details.
I think these books make great gifts for anyone headed to Disney World. For more gift ideas, be sure to check out my Disney World and Universal Orlando traveler gift guide here.
Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World
The Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World book is full of lovely photographs and short snippets of information. It’s a great resource for Disney World travelers who’d like to know more about what’s there without getting bogged down in every detail.
View Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World guide on Amazon here.
Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World for Kids
Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World for Kids is organized much like the original Birnbaum’s guide, but it’s designed to help kids get ready for the trip. Because this book has lots of pictures, even little kids will love it. Fun kid-friendly features of this book include attraction reviews written by kids and an autograph section for collecting character autographs at the parks.
View Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World for Kids on Amazon here.
Just For Fun Disney World and Universal Orlando Books
Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets
Learn all about the Hidden Mickeys at Disney World and where to find them. This little book makes a great stocking stuffer and is sized to fit easily in your park bag.
View Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets on Amazon here.
Go Informed Podcast episode 38 is all about Hidden Mickeys!
The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic by Jason Surrell
Get the backstory about Disney’s Haunted Mansion, find out some of its secrets, and learn about the different Haunted Mansions worldwide. This book is fun for anyone who wants an inside look at the parks and how Disney Imagineering works.
View The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic on Amazon here.
Kingdom Keepers Series by Ridley Pearson
The Kingdom Keepers books are young adult thrillers set in the Disney Parks. Consider giving these to your kids after you get home from your trip since the stories transport the readers back into the parks.
View the Kingdom Keepers books on Amazon here.
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando is not just inspired by the movies. There are lots of references to things that only happened in the books, so if you want to be fully in-the-know, be sure to read (or re-read) the Harry Potter books before you go.
As with pretty much anything involving JK Rowling, the Harry Potter audio books are incredibly high-quality and totally immersive. If you’ve got a road trip to Orlando, these audio books will help you pass the time in a flash. Buy them on CD or download through a service like Audible before you go.
View the Harry Potter books on Amazon here.
View the Harry Potter audio books on Amazon here.
Dr Suess Books
Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park has an entire land inspired by the Dr Suess books. The references here go beyond the Cat in the Hat and the Lorax, so if you’d like to have a better sense of what inspired the design here, pull out your old Dr Suess books and give them a read.
View Dr Suess books on Amazon here.
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Additional Resources for Planning Your Trip to Disney World and Universal Orlando
55 Things To Know Before You Visit Disney World
33 Things to Know Before You Visit Universal Orlando
Adding a Visit to Universal to Your Disney World Trip
The Go Informed Podcast
Find all the episodes in the series 10 Days to a Better Disney World Vacation here.
Find all the episodes in the series 7 Days to a Better Universal Orlando Vacation here.
Find all episodes of the Go Informed podcast here.
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