The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2015

by Sehlinger, Bob; Kubersky, Seth; Testa, Len

• ISBN13: 9781628090246
• ISBN10: 1628090243
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2014-09-09
• Publisher: Unofficial Guides

Summary

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland by Bob Sehlinger & Seth Kubersky makes Disneyland one of the most accessible theme parks in the world. With advice that is direct, prescriptive, and detailed, it takes the guesswork out of the reader’s vacation. Whether they are at Disneyland for a day or a week, there is a plan for any group or family. They can enjoy the entertainment instead of spending their time in lines.

Comprehensive information is presented in a way that permits easy comparisons and facilitates decision-making. Detailed plans and profiles of hotels, restaurants, and attractions are presented in “at-a-glance” formats, providing for effortless communication of the most salient information. Profiles are supplemented by indexes. In short, we’ve got a plan for every reader.

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland’s research team is a multi-disciplinary group consisting, among others, of data collectors, computer scientists, statisticians, and psychologists. Their singular goal is to provide a guide that lets you get it right the first time, and every time. With their help, advice, and touring plans, readers have a one-up on anyone else not using The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. The book is the key to planning a perfect vacation in a great destination location.

Author Biography

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

He is credited with being the first to apply research techniques from the fields of operations research and statistics to travel guides. Among other projects, he was able to develop mathematical models that could save theme park patrons more than three hours of standing in line in a single day.

He is the founder and co-owner of Keen Communications, a book publishing company that includes Menasha Ridge Press, Clerisy Press, and Wilderness Press. The author of 27 books, Sehlinger is a past president of the Publishers Association of the South, and he has served at the invitation of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Information Service on educational missions for publishers in Hungary, Romania, and Russia. He lives in Birmingham, AL.

Seth Kubersky has worked for more than 20 years as a theatrical artist, culture critic, and travel journalist. In addition to coauthoring The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, Kubersky also contributes to The Intrepid Traveler’s Florida guidebooks and Orlando Attractions Magazine. Named Best Arts Writer in The Daily City’s 2013 readers’ poll, Kubersky writes an arts and entertainment column, “Live Active Cultures,” that appears in every issue of the Orlando Weekly, central Florida’s leading alternative newspaper. Kubersky lives in downtown Orlando, FL, with his wife, Genevieve, and their cats, Java and Brubeck.

A lifelong Disney theme park fan, Len Testa has coauthored Unofficial Guides to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as well as Britain’s Best Days Out. In grad school, Len’s master’s thesis described new computer techniques for generating efficient theme park touring plans, for which Len was awarded a U.S. patent.

These days, Len leads the team at TouringPlans.com, the website and research arm of Unofficial Guides. Len has stayed at every Disney hotel, experienced every Disney ride, and eaten at every Disney restaurant and food cart in the U.S. When he’s not at a Disney theme park, he lives in Greensboro, NC.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Why “Unofficial”?
How This Guide Was Researched and Written
Disneyland Resort: An Overview

PART ONE Planning before You Leave Home

Gathering Information
Timing Your Visit
Getting There
A Word about Lodging
Hotels and Motels: Rated and Ranked
Making the Most of Your Time
TOP 30 BEST DEALS
HOTEL INFORMATION CHART
HOW THE HOTELS COMPARE
Touring Plans

PART TWO Essentials

The Bare Necessities

PART THREE Disneyland with Kids

The Brutal Truth about Family Vacations
Mental and Emotional Preparation
Basic Considerations: Is Disneyland for You?
The Age Thing
About Inviting Your Children’s Friends
A Few Words for Single Parents
“He Who Hesitates Is Launched!”: Tips and Warnings for Grandparents
How to Childproof a Hotel Room
Physical Preparation
Developing a Good Plan
Logistic Preparation
Remembering Your Trip
Trial Run
Strollers
Babysitting
Disney, Kids, and Scary Stuff
SMALL-CHILD FRIGHT-POTENTIAL CHART
Waiting-Line Strategies for Adults with Small Children
Lost Children
The Disney Characters

PART FOUR Dining and Shopping in and around Disneyland

Dining in Disneyland Resort
Disney Dining 101
Theme-Park Counter-Service Restaurant Mini-Profiles
Disneyland Resort Restaurants: Rated and Ranked
DISNEYLAND RESORT RESTAURANTS BY CUISINE
Dining outside Disneyland Resort
Anaheim-Area Full-Service Restaurants
ANAHEIM-AREA RESTAURANTS BY CUISINE
Shopping at Disneyland

PART FIVE Disneyland Park

Arriving and Getting Oriented
Main Street, U.S.A.
Adventureland
New Orleans Square
Critter Country
Frontierland
Fantasyland
Mickey’s Toontown
Tomorrowland
Live Entertainment and Special Events
Unheralded Treasures at Disneyland Park
Traffic Patterns at Disneyland Park
Disneyland Park Touring Plans

PART SIX Disney California Adventure

A Most Anticipated Sequel
Arriving and Getting Oriented
Buena Vista Street
Hollywood Land
a bug’s land
Paradise Pier
Cars Land
Condor Flats
Pacific Wharf
Grizzly Peak
Parades and Live Entertainment
Unheralded Treasures at DCA
Traffic Patterns at DCA
California Adventure Touring Plans

PART SEVEN Universal Studios Hollywood

Gathering Information
Timing Your Visit
Arriving and Getting Oriented
Universal Studios Hollywood Attractions
Live Entertainment at Universal Studios Hollywood
Dining at Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood One-Day Touring Plan

Appendix

Readers’ Questions to the Author
Accommodation Index
Restaurant Index
Subject Index
Clip-Out Touring Plans
Unofficial Guide Reader Survey
Disneyland Resort and Anaheim Restaurant Survey