The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World by Rona Gindin

I absolutely adore Disney vacation planning guide books!  I could sit and peruse them for hours – even though I know most everything that their pages contain.  There’s just something about a guidebook that makes me happy. 

Something that is not so positive about them, though, is their size.  Most guide books are somewhat large.  And, if you’re making a first trip somewhere (or you're just the “guidebook type”), you may want to carry your  guide book with you.  After this year, we won’t be taking our stroller on Disney trips anymore.  And, unless you want to carry a big backpack or other storage option, you’re probably not going to want to lug  that big guidebook along into the parks. 

Enter The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World – The Essential Guide to All the Magic – by Rona Gindin.  Now you can “have your cake and eat it too”; or, in the case of the Disney guidebook, you might say that now you can “have your guidebook and carry it with you too!” 

Here's your pocket guidebook to all the magic! The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World is just what you need to navigate the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, accommodations, and Disney World's recreation venues! Author Rona Gindin is a writer, editor, and TV personality in Orlando, Florida. Author of two travel guides, she also hosts a popular television show celebrating local restaurants. Color-coded, numbered entries in the text are keyed to full-color area maps in each chapter. ''Top Picks'' direct you to not-to-be-missed attractions. Notes pages. Portable size and sleek, non-touristy ''Black Book'' format. Full-color spot illustrations throughout liven the text. 7 easy-to-use fold-out Disney World maps. Elastic band place holder marks your spot. 4-1/4'' wide x 5-3/4'' high. Concealed wire-o binding, book lies flat for ease of use. 248 pages

Yep, it’s all that, with a cherry on top!  You can throw this little book in a small purse or jacket pocket and away you go!  It’s got everything the bigger guidebooks have, only smaller.  I love the wire-binding and the fact that the book will lay flat – in other words, you can read this book hands-free.

After the Introductory material in Chapter 1, chapters follow on each of the four Disney parks, then a chapter on Downtown Disney, and chapters on Recreation and Where to Stay.  Each chapter starts out with a fold-out map:

Then, there is a snapshot of each section (some interesting information):

There is information on each individual section in the parks, including What to Do and See, Where to Eat and Shop, and all the attractions in each section.  Top Picks are designated with a red starburst:

This book is most definitely one of those “big things in a small package”.  I’m quite impressed with it and will certainly be recommending it to friends. 

You can learn more about the author by visiting her website or her blog.  You can also follow her on Twitter.