{"id":29858,"date":"2013-07-03T08:50:33","date_gmt":"2013-07-03T12:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=29858"},"modified":"2022-05-04T20:43:27","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T00:43:27","slug":"book-review-the-hidden-magic-of-walt-disney-world-by-susan-veness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/book-review-the-hidden-magic-of-walt-disney-world-by-susan-veness\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review \u2013 The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World, by: Susan Veness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cover\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I must preface this post with the following: First, I have yet to visit Walt Disney World (WDW), but I am in the early planning stages for a family trip for next year (yay!). Second, this book\/guide was published in 2009, so some of the information is out of date. With that said, I really enjoyed the book. It is full of history of the parks as well as the many hidden gems all over the parks. It not only is full of tips and treasures valuable for both first timers and experienced WDW guests, but it also gives me a greater appreciation for all the incredible work put into the design and building of each park.<\/p>\n

The book covers the 4 major parks in WDW (water parks and Downtown Disney are not included in the book) and is divided up into 4 chapters, one for each park (The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney\u2019s Hollywood Studios, and Disney\u2019s Animal Kingdom). Within each chapter are several sections for each section, or land, within each park; there is also a section at the end that details each parks \u201ctimeline\u201d covering the various additions and changes within each park over the years. There are also little sections called \u201cImagine That\u201d and \u201cFascinating Fact\u201d inserted into the text that offer extra tidbits of history or background on the particular attraction. The book is full of so many cool and interesting things and hidden gems to find. It is hard to narrow it down to the most interesting but here are some of my favorite tips, details, history and hidden gems the author writes about in each of the parks.<\/p>\n

The Magic Kingdom<\/p>\n

\u201cIn keeping with Walt\u2019s desire for authenticity, there are no restrooms in Liberty Square, except for those required inside the full-service restaurants, just as there would have been no indoor toilets during colonial times (pg. 22).\u201d What a random yet completely amazing design detail that largely goes unnoticed (unless you really have to go I suppose).<\/p>\n

Epcot<\/p>\n

\u201cFuture World represents both the living world \u2026 and the world of innovation \u2026 Notice the smooth, curved lines of the curbs, pathways, rocks, and landscaping on the right of Future World and the more angular, well-defined lines on the left? Making the distinction between nature\u2019s flow and science\u2019s requirement to operate within specific lines is a small design element that enhances the complete theme (pg. 68).\u201d Another mostly unnoticed design detail, but the best and most effective details usually go unnoticed on purpose.<\/p>\n

Disney\u2019s Hollywood Studios<\/p>\n

\u201cMuppet* Vision\u2019s preshow holding area is filled with jokes, \u2026 Just after you enter the room, look up at the net filled with red and green squares of Jello. It\u2019s a pun on the name of Mickey\u2019s famous Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello. Get it? A net full of Jello (pg. 156).\u201d Maybe it\u2019s just because I appreciate a good pun now and then, but this gave me a good laugh and groan.<\/p>\n

Disney\u2019s Animal Kingdom<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you exit the show [It\u2019s Tough to Be a Bug], turn left rather than following the crowds off to the right. A lovely, winding trail affords a spectacular view of the Tree of Life\u2019s carvings most guests never see (pg. 187).\u201d What a great place to enjoy a little quiet exploration time!<\/p>\n

All in all The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World<\/i> was a good book, with valuable information for first-timers and park veterans. However, it is in need of some updating (especially in the Magic Kingdom chapter). Good news, however, I did some checking and there is a new version (titled: \u00a0The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Trivia: A Ride-by-Ride Exploration of the History, Facts, and Secrets Behind the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom<\/i>) coming in November of this year! So if you are looking for more up to date information you may want to wait for the updated version. The author also recently published The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner: A Complete Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake for Your Unforgettable Vacation. <\/i>Will definitely be purchasing it in the near future in anticipation of our possible trip next summer!<\/p>\n

Sponsored Ad:\u00a0<\/strong> Would you like to help support The Mouse For Less website in continuing their mission of being THE Disney vacation planning resource?\u00a0 You can do so by purchasing The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World<\/i>\u00a0from our affiliate link through Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I must preface this post with the following: First, I have yet to visit Walt Disney World (WDW), but I am in the early planning stages for a family trip for next year (yay!). Second, this book\/guide was published in 2009, so some of the information is out of date. With that said, I really…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":29860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1688,1695,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wdw-dining","category-theme-parks","category-walt-disney-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29858"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84710,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29858\/revisions\/84710"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}