I couldn’t wait a minute longer to spill the beans!
The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-Book is coming soon!
That’s right! We’ll soon be releasing an e-Book all about dining in Disney World and planning for your best possible vacation! We’re just a short time away from the e-Book’s release, but we want to make sure we’ve included everything you need. That’s where you can help!
What Do YOU Want To Know?
There’s a lot to be said about dining in Disney World — and we’re covering funnel cakes to fine dining! So we need your input to be sure we’re answering all of your questions about eating in the Happiest Place on Earth.
New to Disney World? If you’re new to Walt Disney World, tell us in the comments section below what questions you’d like to see answered in a dining guidebook about WDW. Is there anything stumping you during your planning? Are there topics you’d like to see covered in more depth?
WDW Veteran? If you’re a Walt Disney World veteran, tell us in the comments section below what topics you think should get some attention in a dining guidebook about WDW. What are your top dining tips that you think can greatly improve a WDW vacation?
I’m looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts!
Why We Wrote The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-Book
This all started with a few of my observations about dining in Walt Disney World over the past 20 years:
- Planning your WDW dining can be a daunting task. Disney World encompasses 42 square miles and hundreds of restaurants and dining locations. Hundreds! Add in that many of the popular restaurants are booked solid six months in advance, and figuring out where your family will eat on your vacation can be downright scary!
- Walt Disney World is expensive. A huge chunk of your vacation budget will go to food, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get the biggest bang for your buck.
- There’s no guidebook I’ve found that covers Disney World dining the way I’d like it to be covered. This e-Book has twice as much dining information and advice than any official Disney dining guidebook on the market.
- Dining in Disney can — and should — be an experience for your family. Disney World restaurants aren’t just restaurants. Disney food isn’t just food. Disney is the best at what they do for a reason.
Even if you’ve been to Walt Disney World hundreds of times, the imagineers, chefs, and cast members will always keep surprising you. You deserve to know what incredible dining opportunities and experiences are available to you, and new ones are being added all the time!
I receive Disney dining questions every day from the people I care about — readers, subscribers, fans, friends, and my own family! I wanted to create a resource that would answer not only the main questions like “What’s the Disney Dining Plan?” and “Do we need to make Advance Dining Reservations?” but also those little questions that you can never seem to find an answer for, no matter how many guidebooks you read or websites you search.
Based on those observations above, we wrote this e-Book both for first-timers in Walt Disney World as well as WDW veterans. It incorporates:
- A fast, easy, 5-step guide to planning your Walt Disney World dining: That’s right! Finish your dining planning in one day and take a weight off of your shoulders!
- Over 120 pages of information and color photographs that will help even those who visit often to have an incredible dining experience the next time they’re in Orlando.
- Money-Saving Advice: Like I said, I want you to get the biggest bang for your buck — find out how to have a great dining experience for less!
- Insider tips and expert advice that you won’t find in any other guidebook: We’re telling you everything we know to be sure you have the best Disney World vacation you’ve ever had.
There’s no substitution for finding everything you need in one place
— especially when it’s organized into an easy-to-use, fun-to-read resource! This guide is the culmination of hundreds of trips to Walt Disney World and hundreds of experiments aimed at finding the best food – and the best dining experiences – available.
Why is it an e-Book Instead of a Print Book?
For those who have never purchased, or read, an e-Book, here’s the scoop: this Guide will be distributed as an instantly downloadable PDF document. As soon as you purchase it online, it will pop up right on your computer — and you’ll be able to read it on your iPad or smartphone as well!
Here’s why we chose to do it this way instead of printing a book:
- Instant Access: You’ll get the information you need — over 120 Pages of Disney Dining Information and Full-Color Photographs — immediately after purchase. No waiting, no leaving your house, no shipping costs.
- Readable Anywhere, Anytime on your Smartphone or iPad — Don’t Lug a Book Around!: You can always read the e-Book on your computer, but it can also go with you anywhere without being a bulky, weighty addition to your day-bag. Access it via your smartphone or iPad right in the theme parks! And the clickable table-of-contents will get you to the page you need fast!
- Access to Resources and Links Right in the Text: No need to write down links or resources, then check them out later like you have to do with a print guidebook. On this downloadable PDF, you’ll be able to move quickly and easily to other sections in the text as well as click on links immediately. And, I don’t know about you, but being able to use those links without having to wait is a pretty big time saver for me — don’t wait for information you need now!
- It’s Always Up To Date: Releasing this as an e-Book means there’s virtually no time lost between our writing the book and your reading the book. Not having to wait for printing presses, type-setting, shipping, or new editions means that this information is current and up-to-date the moment you purchase it, no matter what!
I Can’t Wait To Hear What You’d Like To See In the Book!
Whether you’re brand new to Walt Disney World or a seasoned veteran, we want to know what you want to see in the ideal WDW dining guidebook. It’s our goal to have as comprehensive a guide as possible, and all of our heads together are much better than mine alone!
Post in the comments section below any questions, important topics, or dining tips you’d like to see addressed in The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining!
Have a Question About The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining?
If you have any questions about the book, feel free to ask them in the comments section below! We’ll be sure to answer any and all questions on Friday of this week!
Join our DFB Newsletter to be notified as soon as The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is available for purchase, and follow me on facebook and twitter for updates! Don’t forget to keep an eye on DFBGuide.com for details.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Awesome AJ! Can’t wait to see it! Will you cover gluten free diets? DW was diagnosed with celiac and I feel so bad eating in front of her.
I’d love to find an index by food item (such as funnel cake, milkshake, etc…) listing where to find those in parks and hotels !
Great idea AJ, one good idea would be to mention to newbies that buying a parkhopper pass is a must so that you can eat where ever you want without haveing to spend the whole day at that park, especially helpfull since so many great resturants are at epcot…
I love this idea!
I would like to see up to date pictures of the actual menues, they change often.
I would also like to see pictures of the restaurants and the surrounding areas, it can be helpful in deciding where to eat.
On our last trip we went to Kona Cafe, I had heard it was somewhat loud and busy, right off of the loby but I didn’t realize it was right IN the loby. We didn’t like this dining experience, it felt like we were in the middle of the mall having dinner.
And definately a list of approved snacks for the dining plan!
Can’t wait for this to come out!
Thanks
AJ Rules!!! 🙂
For Newbies, the most important thing to emphasize is making reservations far far far in advance. Nothing breaks my heart like seeing an exhausted and drained father drag himself to the podium at Le Cellier only to find out that they’re completely booked for the night and that his only option is likely to be Biergarten.
For veterans, I’d like to see you include a section extolling the virtues of some of the better counter service places that are often not given the credit they deserve. My favorite example is Mara at the AKL. Great food, great service, lots of seating any time of the day, and of course…Zebra Domes.
Can’t wait for the e-Book!
Can’t wait AJ! I’m primarily interested in non-DDP dining. Will the focus of the book be solely on DDP?
I’m excited to read this AJ. Congrats on the ebook and I can’t wait to buy it! I know what to get the other guys on the podcast for Xmas now
Please publish this book in Portuguese and Spanish
Awesome! Can’t way to see it!
You need to cover the resorts. Most people only eat in the parks and where they’re staying.
I love to get information on how family friendly a restaurant *really* is. I know it’s Disney and kids are welcome almost anywhere, but where are they going to be most comfortable and responsive and which restaurants are better enjoyed kid-free while the kids party it up at the Neverland Club? Not that I have any specific kids in mind…
Will I be able to read it on my Kindle?
When will it be available?
Good beer: Where to find it in the sea of bland, mass-produced domestic lager.
Excellent idea….and if you want proofreading help, let me know.
Very excited! Will there be stuff in there that isn’t in the blog? Also can you cover the Disney bus system?
How about the must haves for dining “Around the World”. If you had just enough time to whiz around EPCOT World Showcase what would you grab (recommend) from each country? =) This is going to be great! Looking forward to reading the finished book!
Very excited for you, AJ! I can’t wait to read the book!
I’m so excited for this ebook! My husband and I are taking our first Disney World trip in May. This blog has saved me! We are both big foodies and I was ecstatic to find a place where I could find reviews and information by people like me, Disney AND food lovers! We are regulars at Disneyland and feel like we have the food situation mastered there, but Disney World has been so overwhelming in comparison.
As a newbie, the most beneficial thing has been exactly how you post on your blog. I love the format of your reviews, where you talk about the atmosphere, price, actual menu and food items. The steps to planning sound amazing. Do you have an estimated time when the book will be released?
Will we be working on a Disneyland one soon??? : )
Congrats! So excited for you!
Congrats! Would love to see in-depth info on the bars/lounges around property, both in the parks and at the resort hotels. Can’t wait to read!
Great!!! Can’t wait.
As a semi newbie, semi veteran…I like the idea of up to date menus. Also, any special things to know/requests that should be made. Like going during fireworks time to some restaurants for views. The little things that make dining an event.
I love the index by food idea.
Will you be releasing it soon? We are just about to go make our ADRS and would love any last minute tips before we do it.
AJ, I’m so super excited about this!! I hope it will include discussion of kids menu items. I sure would love to see Disney introduce a bit more variation in the childrens’ menus. My kids love pizza and mac & cheese, but not for a solid week! If you could highlight where a restaurant offers some non-typical choices for kids, that would be great.
Also, for resort dining, I’d love to see tips on the best way to get to the resort from another resort, though that may be too much to ask since Disney hasn’t yet figured out a good system for travel between resorts! Perhaps the answer always begins with “Take a bus to Downtown Disney…” in which case, you can ignore my request! 🙂
I second the offer of proofreading assistance – I’m a grammar and punctuation nerd.
Sounds fantastic! I would love a section on advise for vegetarians, last time I went to Disney World I struggled to find anything I could eat besides plain cheese pizza and the occaisional veggie burger. Wish I’d found this site beforehand!
A.J., I can’t wait to get an e-copy of your book!
Please include restaurants and counter service locations that accept the annual pass for 10% (or more) discounts because I was clueless about this and probably lost a fair bit of money before accidentally stumbling upon the topic in your blog. I thought the only dining discounts in WDW were with Tables in Wonderland which we don’t have.
Also…maybe a section on discounts in Disneyland too because we got quite a few AP dining discounts there on our last trip. Thanks!
Great news, A.J. I already know it will be terrific, based on everyone’s work here. Love what you have mentioned so far – you have the best photos – and will just add my name to the list of people that are looking forward to what you have to say about vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other dietary restrictions.
Oh, and I’ll be adding my list to those who get the e-Book, too!
AJ – In my recent planning, I did run into a question that I could not find the answer to. When planning a day, I wanted to book O’Hana for breakfast and then head to MK. We are staying at the Swan. The problem is I have no idea if this is efficient with kids. We have a car and plan on driving everywhere (3 car seats)…is there easy parking at the Polynesian? How far to MK afterwards? We have a toddler and twins so you learn quickly to take efficiency seriously.
So…if you could add a general section that highlights easy vs difficult options for resort / park dining in the same day. Like if you are at AK its easy to dine at AKL but not….
Not sure if this makes sense or not but it was actually the one area that I had a bit or trouble with.
Extending from that…I think it would be cool to have sample intineries…for example…If you are staying in the Boardwalk area (consisting of these hotels) you could eat breakfast at Cape May and walk to Epcot.
Just a thought…
We’d like to see good recommendations for nightlife in WDW, especially when the parks close early in the winter. Very excited to buy this book, AJ! We’ve been fans since the start!
Love the book idea!
In addition to the already mentioned dietary restrictions and restaurants convienent to where you will be for the day I would add:
Restaurants in the DTD area but not in DTD that are not usually covered like the Bull and Bear, ect…
An adult beverage section
All of the snacks included in the dining plan
Discounts available – DDP, TIW, AP, DVC, others…
I would love to see more detailed info on dealing with food allergies/gluten intolerance. I know Disney is great with what they offer, but we have found it difficult to get specific menus from each restaurant. We would love to see exactly what each restaurant has before we make our DDR as we are kind of obssesive about planning where we eat!
Please cover those restaurants that are good for watching fireworks and similar events (I assume this would be in the plan already), and also include any guidance you can on what time to make a reservation to be in place when the show starts, how early to show up for that reservation, and what table locations to request. And all those inside tips like “the California Grill lets you come back on the same day for Wishes”.
AJ – I don’t want to start a ” it’s not Disney” deal again but are you thinking off property at all ?
Exciting! I think that it would be great to see information on the hotel lounges. Especially those on the monorail loop.
This blog has changed radically in a year. The BIG PLUS is the pictures. I could write for days about bangers and mash (my favorite “foreign” food and something this blog has written about lovingly three times recently). But it is your pictures that makes we want to go to Raglan Road for the first time and not make a return trip to EPCOT’s Rose & Crown (which I love but now I believe Raglan has the best product for me).
The pictures of food on your site are fantastic. A foodie like me loves to see as well as read! I will walk through restaurants before ordering in order to see the food. My wife goes crazy when I do this but I want to see if there is something that interests me. If your e-book had pictures of the entrees, at a minimum, it would be the perfect compliment for your already first class reviews!
I’d like to second the requests for lounge/bar info and off-site options as well. Also cost-effective dining. We like to do 1/2 cheap stuff and 1/2 nice stuff so it averages out.
Congrats on the new e-book AJ! Good luck! I know I’ll be buying a copy as soon as I can!
Someone asked whether the book will focus on the Disney Dining Plan. I would like to see some focus on how to avoid the Disney Dining Plan (often the places that don’t take the plan are much easier to get into). The Swan and Dolphin have some of the best restaurants on property. Definitely lounge/bar info! Especially places to go that still don’t use the standard Disney drinks menu.
sounds awesome, good luck with it!
Great idea AJ! I’m a list maker, so I’d love to see a bunch of “Top 5” lists for different things like best character meals, best for kids, best for trying something new, best standbys, etc. It would make it so much easier to choose!
I also tend to plan where I’m eating based on where I am going to be, or vice versa, so I’d love something like “if you are at Animal Kingdom, eat dinner at …” even if it isn’t at the park. Maybe things at AKL for AK, Boardwalk for HS, etc. Oh, and it would of course include TS and CS!
Love this blog – I can’t tell you how much this blog has helped us plan, and having the kids go through back posts has made them more involved and excited about the whole vacation.
I would love to find more about snacks in the book. This is one area I want to do better on next vacation. I found an amazing post in disboards – 38 pages of snacks for 2011! Hoping this will lead us to all the best treats.
2 things we learned the hard way – #1 – venture out of the theme parks for meals, usually less crowded during prime meal times, and a good way to take a break from touring; #2 – don’t waste your dining plan counter service credits on breakfast. Most counter service breakfast meals are bland and all the same throughout WDW. Consider using snack credits for breakfast (think Main Street bakery) or doing a character breakfast.
Great suggestions so far. One thing I didn’t see mentioned was Club Level offerings. Do the offerings vary by resort? How much and what types of food are offered? Can you replace a meal with these or are they more appetizer foods?
I also agree with offering ideas to use snack credits, both during and at the end of your stay. I hear people on the different boards say all the time how they had to buy 17 rice krispie treats from their resort gift shop at the end of their stay because they had too many left over credits. I love rice krispie treats as much as the next person but there are much better options out there!
Can’t wait until it’s available!
How exciting!! I love the idea of an approved disney dining plan snack list. Then I would have it with me on my eReader in the parks! I also like the idea of an adult beverage/bar section, esp. with info on resort lounges. There’s lots out there about ‘drinking around the world,’ but what if I want to drink along the monorail?
I’m going on my first trip to Disney World this Sept. and your blog has been invaluable. Thank you!
Excellent! Can’t wait to see it!
Thanks to everyone for these fantastic responses!! We’re working on a follow-up post that addresses the questions asked about the book — it will be published later today (Friday, 3/4)!
But keep the responses coming! We’ll be working on the book for a few more days, and we want to incorporate as many suggestions as we can.
Thank you so much for this great support — I always say it, but I’ll do it one more time: I have the best readers in the world! I can’t wait to hear what you think about the e-Book!
Contests AJ- what a great accomplishment! I can offer some advice from a veteran / AP holder point of view. As far as AP holders- it would be good to discuss the tables in wonderland benefits. I have met some fellow AP holders that aren’t aware of the benefits or that it includes alcohol, etc. Also, it can be more cost effective for an AP to skip the dining plan and just use TiW. This depends on each person’s dining needs, and how many people they are going with, if they always order appetizers/dessert, etc. For my needs, the cost of the dining plan exceeds the savings I can get from TiW (especially since my travel companions and I usually get one drink with dinner). Of course, the more sit downs, longer trips, or more trips in a year justify the initial $75 outlay.
The one piece if advice a lot of people underestimate is the need for planning. There is definitely a positive correlation between the travel group size and amount of planning needed. This is especially true with picky eaters or food restrictions in the group. Having the picky eaters, or travelers in general, review menus prior to the trip (on a wonderful site like DFB… 🙂 ) will save time in parks. This way certain restaurants, especially quick serve, are “preapproved.” Reduces time wandering from place to place in the park if someone doesn’t like the menu, etc. That and then people will feel included in trip planning. I think that’s a good boost for kids, or people who have been in background of planning. Gets them involved and excited.
Best wishes for finishing this project! Can’t wait to own one!
That should have read “Congrats AJ.” Love-hate relationship with auto correct.
Can’t wait!