I know this has been played to death but I'm curious to hear some opinons...Have checked out (scanned) "The Unofficial Guide", Birnbaum's guide and WDW with Kids. All seem to have some good info but I want to buy one all-inclusive book that I can take with me. Which one would that be? Also, since I already have my accomodations set, we don't need to consider that. Thanks for all your help.

I like Birnbaum's best. Is it in your library? I usually get several free and take the one I like best. No need buying them unless you want.

We always bought the most current WDW with kids - I liked the food reviews and "scare factor" on rides. Seemed to have good tips and suggestions. Have viewed other books from library first, and always bought this one. If it is too much to carry since you won't immediately need it again, cut out the hotel pages and trash them before you go.

Linda and Gail: Thanks for your quick replies. I have taken out some of the books from the libraries but quickly became overwhelmed with the amount of info. I think the things that are important are definitely the scare factor and also reviews of places to have lunches in the parks (since that's the one meal we're mostly likely to eat there each day). I will want to take the book with me for quick references and we'll probably end up highlighting things (that's why I'm looking to buy; also because I just got a gift certificate to Borders and this is what I"ll spend it on!).

Cool Karen! I still pick Birnbaum. Are you in Lexington? I know the Borders- their parents live down the street from me in Louisville!

Linda: No, I'm in N. VA. Have you been to WDW lately and do you have any opinions about eateries that will be good bets for lunches (we plan to do the 4 parks, MK, Epcot, Animal K. and MGM)? We'll be families with 4 kids ages 5-8 between us!

Karen,
I go every year in Oct for the Int'l Food and Wine fest. I've been with my kids 2 times. I have thought very hard about these dining choices and believe you will enjoy them.
MK- The Crystal Palace- a "buffeteria" (no wait!) which has good variety
AnimalK- Flame Tree Barbecue- good food, great atmosphere- very relaxing . Counter service.
EPCOT- of course, there are lots of ethnic places, but my kids LOVED the restaurant in the Land- the Garden Grill. It revolves and you see the top parts of the sets from the ride- really cool. It is "homestyle" food- very good- and characters show up often.There's also a very nice food court in the Land with lots of variety.
MGM- gotta be the 50's Prime Time Cafe! Hamburger/shake place where they cut up with you the whole time- absolutely hysterical.
By the way, there are good online Disney ratings/suggestions. Try www.themeparkinsider.com for some good info. Enjoy!!

You may end up with fast food quite a bit for lunches. In the Magic Kingdom, I found the burgers and fries to be delicious at Pecos Bill's in Frontierland, very close to Splas Mountain. You can add your own fixings, and the choices are pretty good. In Tomorrowland, Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe serves burgers, chicken, soup, salad, and sandwiches. You could also get hotdogs at Casey's on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, and sit on small wooden bleachers and watch black and white cartoons while you eat. At EPCOT, the Sunshine Food Fair at "The Land" might be a good bet because it has an air-conditioned food court that serves a variety of items. I enjoy the vegetable lasagna there. (They have pastry and ice cream also.) In MGM Studios, the park is small enough for you to get a decent idea what is available as you tour. At MGM, I've only eaten at a sandwich place that just serves beveregaes now, and at the 50's Prime Time Cafe, which is sort of expensive (but it has that playful(?) atmosphere where if you put your elbows on the table or don't finish your vegetables, they may make you stand and sing I'm a Little Teapot" or some other such thing. I'm not a good one to guide anyone else, but will offer this in case you don't get many more responses. Enjoy your trip.

plan to attend a character breakfast or dinner, i especially like the mickey mouse character dinner at the contemporary hotel,lots of fun for both parents and kids and reasonably priced.
plan on spending at least one day between parks at the fabulous typhoon lagoon waterpark youll have loads of fun and feel youre far away on a southseas island. enjoy!!

Linda, Bill, Victor: Thanks for all your responses. I hate to admit that we're not going until Nov but from time to time I like to post questions just to get replies from posters who might have just returned etc...
Linda: Your suggestions sound right up my alley (I only wish we could go during the wine festival; unfortunately we were working around a short school week). Victor's response brings me to another question: can we do a character breakfast if we're not staying on-site?
Also, I'm doing the balancing act in waiting to book flights. Currently they're all over $200 for direct flights out of the DC area. I've been told to wait as they always seem to come down but I worry about availability as the months drag on. Also we're a group of 8 which makes things more challenging as well. Any ideas?

Karen- I plugged in 11/7- 11/12 just to look at $ and got a really nice direct flight on USAir for 184. Go to Sidestep.com and look there. Send me your dates and I'll do a search for you'

Linda: Thanks for taking the time. I checked out the USAirways site (my husband didn't want to download sidestep to use it)and found the flights you mentioned. They're out of National (Reagan) airport so I'll have to check with the other couple as Dulles is much more convenient for us both but US Air has no direct flights from there. Thanks again for taking the time. I guess I'll just keep checking with Orbitz etc every few days. Our dates by the way are the 2nd - 9th. Between election day and parent/teacher conferences, my kids onlyl miss 3 days of school that week so it seemed the ideal time to go.

Karen,
For LOTS of great first hand info on WDW, go to www.disboards.com They cover all areas.

BTW- you don't have to stay at Disney to do the character breakfast- but you need to book in advance and you WILL be there for the Wine fest, you lucky thing! You ought to get a sitter for the kids and do the Grand Tasting Dinner on Sat night at Epcot. You need to start checking website early in July for the ticket sales. Even if you don't do the tasting, each country offers wines, beer and small samples of native food which is really a great way to do a big lunch or dinner! November is the absolute best time to go, too!

Linda: The wine festival is in Nov? Unfortunately we'll first be arriving on Saturday so that might be pushing it for us although the other couple we're going with are serious wine drinkers with a killer wine cellar! Can we just buy tickets for the festival or do we have to also buy admission to Epcot for the day? If the latter is the case, it probably wouldn't pay for us...bummer. Where's the best site to check out info for character breakfasts? I know you can only do it 4 months out but I don't remember where to get the info.

Karen,
The festival goes on daily at Epcot, but the Grand tastings are on Sat night only.You do have to purchase a ticket to Epcot. However, they have free wine tastings, cooking demos and seminars throughout the day which your oenophile friends can enjoy.Get in line early, though. We had a tasting from Italy which featured 5 reds at prices over 50 bucks a bottle! Something we wouldn't buy, but loved tasting. The Birnbaum book will have info on character meals, BTW.My kids loved the one at the Seas in front of the Aquarium.

Here is a link for the character meals.
http://www.disney.ca/vacations/disne...er/index.shtml

The Food and Wine Festival is fantastic. You do have to have a ticket to Epcot, but once you are in, you can attend the festival. Booths are set up all around World Showcase which sell dishes from around the world as well as wine. The food is served in smallportions which sell for around $2. You can eat very well there. As for guidebooks, I now exclusively use Passporter. I feel it is a little more personal than Birnbaum's. It also has plenty of space to write your trip notes and pockets to store any information. I have come to swear by this book. It can be purchased online at passporter.com (you can also get it at amazon, but it is cheaper through the passporter site). Definitely book far in advance for the character meals (at least 60 days). We are going in 2 weeks (my 20th visit) and only got around to making my arrangements the other day. Unfortunately, the Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's meals are booked. My mistake. Anyway, good luck in your planning. We live in MD (I saw that you are from N. VA), but are driving down.