Brit's Guide 2004 - Up-date (01/12/04)!

[florida sun]

Hi Simon

Bought the Brits Guide 2005 a few days ago and have'nt put it down since, Thanks very much it is great, One Question, I understand you do a book on selecting the right cruise,is that a 2005 version as well.

thanks for any info

Sue

 

[SimonV]

Hi there Sue. Many thanks for your kind post and comments about the book. As regards the cruise book, there are no plans to up-date it any time soon, I'm afraid, as we have too much other work to do first. It was last up-dated for 2004 and the majority of it will still be current, but you could also look at another publication I do, World of Cruising magazine, which is published quarterly and contains a lot of useful up-to-date info. Here is a link to the mag website: www.woconline.com.

 

[florida sun]

Thanks Simon

That's very helpful, I will look into that straight away, still have'nt put your book down, it's the best one I have ever read on WDW.


Sue

 

[wicket2005]

If you are going to Orlando, buy this book. It is full of valuable tips and information which I have followed each time I go over there, and is suitable for the first timers as well as those fortunate to be able to go again.

It is written in such a way that makes it very easy to read and take in the facts, with a slap of humour thrown in every now and again. We all laughed at the author's description of two daring slides in one of the water parks that the author didn't dare go on.

I consider the book to be an essential bit of kit for my holidays in Orlando. Preordered the latest book way back in August 2004, when we booked this year's holiday and had to wait right till the end of the year for it to be published - agony! Well worth the wait though.

I am very pleased to see the website has been set up and regularly visit it. Another handy place to pick up tips.

Thanks Simon for a smashing guidebook. :thewave:

 

[SimonV]

Thanks very much for such a glowing recommendation, wicket. It is much appreciated. Once again, if anyone would care to post their thoughts on the amazon.co.uk website, it really helps with our marketing: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...35056/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/202-8185341-1630242

 

[wicket2005]

Once again, if anyone would care to post their thoughts on the amazon.co.uk website, it really helps with our marketing: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...35056/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/202-8185341-1630242

Thanks for reminding me, been busy recommending the book on the forums forgot about Amazon, been straight over there this morning to spread the word.

 

[MazdaUK]

Just got back from Coronado Springs and I have to say without your book Simon we could not have done half what we did in the two weeks! Using your "busy days" table menat that with careful use of FP we could do nearly everything we wanted to, and certainly all of our "must see's", and we also enjoyed some great meals and picked up some bargains!

favourite places to eat:
Hollywood Brown Derby
Rainforest Cafe (AK)
Jungle Jims
Cracker Barrel
Perkins
IHOP
Ponderosa

Thanks again

 

[SimonV]

Hi there Mazda. Many thanks for your comments. I note your recommendation for Jungle Jim's with interest. I have had several complaints about that restaurant in recent months but you ovbviously had a good experience there. I was wondering about excluding it from the next edition, but would you argue that it is still worthwhile?

Thanks for your additional thoughts!

Simon

 

[MazdaUK]

As we were walking in a family left saying they hadn't been visited by a server and were fed up waiting (we hoped they didn't try the pizza place over the road - Chicagos? - as we ate there one, it was the worst meal of the trip - most expensive for least food - and service was so slow after 20 minutes we were still waiting for someone to appear to take our drinks).

We found service was quick (perhaps because the reception staff passed on the message that we had seen the walk-out!) and the food was really good - best burger we had out there, and curly fries a welcome change and just the right quantity, although if people have them a lot in the UK (unlike us) I can see it would not be so satisfactory. Also we were there in Happy Hour so draft beer was cheap - DH recommends the local brew, can't remember the name. Eldest DS loved his burger, younger DS said best mac & cheese of the trip.

What complaints have you had? I'll agree its no rainforest cafe, but it didn't have a 1 1/2 hour wait! (which DTD RC did that day). We would have gone back on our last day but DH was getting itchy about getting the car back in one piece and worrying we might hit traffic so we ate at the airport - Outbacks? - which was also excellent (and large draft beers!!)

 

[SimonV]

Hi Mazda - many thanks for your comments. The things I had been hearing were definitely poor service, restaurant in need of a good clean and food below average. But, as with many of these things, it often comes down to the day you go (if there may be a service issues with shortage of staff, etc) or the individual server. The food quality is really the key for me, and it sounds as if you were more than happy with yours, which is the best thing to hear. I may well go and check it out for myself, though, as I haven't been there in more than 6 months. Good to hear about the Outback, too. I rate them very highly and have yet to hear any adverse comments at all.

Thanks again,

Simon

 

[bgilbank]

Can anyone suggest the best places to visit on independance day. We were maybe going to go one of the disney parks but are worried about the crowds. What about the night-time too?
Barbara

 

[Miffy2003]

Hi Barbara,

If you start a new thread you will get a better response as not everyone reads this one unless there is an update on it

Weclome to the Disboards

Karen

 

[bgilbank]

Hi Simon, we've just bought your latest Brit's guide & plan on taking it with us again to Orlando in June. One comment tho' could you may be put an index of websites used in your book at the back for reference purposes. Many times I have to search the book knowing I've read of a certain website but have struggled to find it again!
Any suggestions of alternative ways of spending Independance Day than in the major parks with the crowds?
Barbara

 

[SimonV]

Hi Barbara, thanks for your email and kind comments. We'd love to be able to provide a full page of website addresses, but it would take up at least a page and we have to squeeze everything in to the same space at the moment. However, it is something we're looking to build up on our website, www.askdaisy.net/orlando.

As regards July 4, I suggest goind to downtown Orlando and spending the day around the Lake Eola area, where there is a big firework show in the evening. It will still be busy but probably more comfortable than the parks.

 

[valleyboy]

We went to jungle jims last april and thought it was the worst meal of our trip .We had to wait half a hour for a tablea and when we got inside the restaurent was half empty so obviously some staffing problems ,sevice was poor ,we both had steaks which were small and overcooked and ordered a childs cocktail for our boy which was cherry coke with a twizzle stick in it
We had lunch the same day at rainforest cafe for about the same price .I personally would not recomend a trip to jungle jims

 

[disneyholic family]

Hi Simon,

I was in London on business in February and stayed the weekend to do a bit of sightseeing, which included hitting every single bookstore in London (living in a non-english speaking country, it was wonderful to be surrounded by all of those books in English).

One of my missions was to come back with the updated Brit's guide to Orlando as well as the Disneyland Paris guide.

Imagine my surprise when in every single store they didn't have a single copy. (I checked with the information desk and it seemed they never carry them - or so they claimed).
In any case, finally, in the last store (and for the life of me I can't remember which, but it was one of the major chains), they had one copy of each, which i of course grabbed.

I plan to use the Orlando guide a bit differently this summer. In over 30 years of visits we've never shopped in Orlando (what would be the point when we're from an area of the US which is far superior to Orlando in terms of bargain prices).
But this year, for the first time ever, we're making a home visit to the states without actually going 'home'. So Orlando area shopping will have to suffice. Based on the very detailed information you provide in your guide, I've made a list of the 3 malls we'll have to hit, to manage our standard summer stocking-up for the long winter in exile. It's great to be able to prepare in advance, given our limited time on this trip (only 2 weeks in WDW - I don't know how we're going to manage to get everything in, but at least thanks to you the shopping part of our trip is good to go).

 

[SimonV]

Hi there Beth. Many thanks for your kind efforts on our behalf! The book should certainly be available in all branches of WH Smith and Waterstones, plus Stamford's, the big travel bookshop in Longacre. However, we do know some independent bookshops don't stock it simply because they don't have very efficient stock control systems (and they wonder why they lose busines to the big chains!).

Very good luck with your shopping, though - there is a lot in store!

Kind regards,

Simon

 

[disneyholic family]

It probably was Waterstone's. Or the other one. But one of those two didn't have it and didn't know what I was talking about. The Borders also didn't and also didn't know what it was.

 

[disneyholic family]

By the way, I was just reading your Paris guide. The getting there by train section. I have to say that when we took the RER from Paris to DLP (about 5 years ago I think), we did not feel all that safe. I would NEVER go that way again.
In general, we never felt truly secure on any of the trains or metros we rode in and around Paris. I don't know if this was a feeling based on anything real, or just phantom fears. But we definitely felt "threatened", especially on the trains to the City of Science and DLP.

 

[disneyholic family]

I read the Paris guide from cover to cover yesterday. Very nice.

Now i realize why we didn't enjoy ourselves so much when we were at DLP about 5 years ago. We didn't have your book to guide us.