PassPorter's Disneyland 2009: News, Feedback, More About This Page:

[Jennifer Marx]

PassPorter's Disneyland Guidebook News
We'd originally wanted to bring a new edition of PassPorter's Disneyland Resort & S. California Attractions out early this year, but we decided it was better for us and our readership in general if we brought a 2009 edition out this summer. That's the same time that the top 2 Disneyland guidebooks and when everyone else seems to expect ours, so we're going to try that this time around. Thus, we're projecting an August 2008 release date. Pre-orders will open sometime this spring, and we will make advance chapters available as downloads to all who pre-order through us.

Feedback
We're hoping to both expand and improve upon the book in the 2009 edition, in celebration of our 10th anniversary. In order do that effectively, we need those of you who have the first edition to give us feedback on what you liked and didn't like. We'd also like those of you who do not have a copy to tell us what you do want to see in a Disneyland guidebook. So please take a moment to fill out our Disneyland Guidebook Survey here:
PassPorter's Disneyland Guidebook Survey

Tips, Magical Memories, and Photos
All PassPorter guidebooks have reader-submitted tips and magical memories, and we'll be selecting new ones for the 2009 edition very soon. Please consider submitting a tip and/or story for use in our guidebook. Everyone who gets published receives a free copy of the guidebook when it is published. You can submit tips and memories here:
Share Your Disney Tips and Stories! - PassPorter.com

We're going to be including more reader-submitted photos in this edition, too! To submit photos for consideration in our guidebook, please upload it to the PassPorter Photo Archive. Photos with good keywords and descriptions are much more likely to be chosen. Also, if you have a photo you want to be sure we consider for the guidebook, include the phrase RSP as a keyword during the upload process (RSP = reader submitted photo). Like tips and stories, all readers who have their photos published will receive a free copy of the guideboook.

All tip, memory, and photo contributors that we want to include in our guidebook will receive a permission form and a chance to review their submission before publication, too!

Thank you in advance -- together we can make the BEST Disneyland guidebook for PassPorter's 10th anniversary year.

[chezp]

It sounds like it will be the BEST Disneyland guidebook for the 10th anniversary.

[Politzania]

While I wish it were coming out sooner, I am looking forward to the update!

[Colexis Mom]

Sounds like it's going to be a great book

[crazydisney]

I am very excited we plan to return to DL in Aug of 2009 and a new guidebook out this summer is perfect timming for me as I will be starting to do some serious planning by then - Thanks!

[ilovedisney0_0]

Oooh, oooh, I have one! I need to find that picture now...

[LauraBelle V. Hime]

Sounds great, Jennifer! I'll have to look through my photos.

[GrandCanyon]

Hi Jennifer,

I'm new to the boards, and just figuring my way around. We leave for our trip to DL on August 1. First, when in August will the 2009 version be released? And second, if I purchase the old book now, will there be updates in your 2009 version be posted online before it's release in August?

Thanks.

[bradk]

i haven't read the 2K6 version and honestly i flat out choose not to buy it simply because there have been some significant changes since then. i'm sure plenty of info is still good though but that's my take on it.

[Dave Marx]

I think waiting for the new edition will be cutting things a bit closely. As with any guidebook, the sooner you have it in hand, the better your plans can be. The vast majority of the information in our current guide will still be useful and accurate (prices change, operating hours change, the location of Matterhorn and the functionality of our PassPockets don't).

Yes, it's true that things have changed a bit since 2006. For those relatively few things that have changed, updates are available (and will continue to be available).
Looking over our online updates list, it looks like it can use a bit of additional updating. I'll see what we can do to get that fixed-up real soon.

I understand that folks shouldn't have to stand for anything less than 100% accuracy. However, I know of no source that is ever 100% authoritative, including web sites - web sites, too, must be updated by human beings if they are to remain fresh. That's why researchers depend on multiple sources of information.

There are newer editions of the Birnbaum's and Unofficial Guides out there. They'd be fine supplements to our first edition, or useful in their own right if you'd prefer to limit your purchases. Our regular readers know that we don't hesitate to recommend those books in our own books. We also list huge numbers of web sites in our books. Knowledge is power, and we respect our readers need for as much information as possible.

Folks may choose to not buy a book due to its publication date, but I think "refuse" suggests that someone is insisting that the book be purchased. That's something that anyone who knows us ought to know we don't do.

[bradk]

i by no means mean to suggest the book shouldn't be purchased by anyone, so i apologize if i gave that impression. it's just my own personal views on the matter.

i do however give a book's publication date weight. granted WDW is far more dynamic than DLR, there is one 'current' WDW guidebook that i can think of whose publication date is 2003 and it's obscene how outdated it is.

and technically the matterhorn can and has moved - it used to be in tomorrowland

but i would buy the 2K8/9 edition in a heartbeat if it were available prior to my trip. i don't think anyone needs to question my loyalty to the passporter in general. i'm a strong and vocal advocate of both the WDW and DCL versions on many other sites.

[TLisi]

I'm trying to load a picture for consideration...it says I don't have permission to upload...how do I get permission?

[Dave Marx]

Tina,

Due to the problems we've had moving to the new server, we've temporarily suspended photo uploading for everyone. We hope that'll be cleared up in a few more days.

[Jennifer Marx]

Originally Posted by bradk

but i would buy the 2K8/9 edition in a heartbeat if it were available prior to my trip. i don't think anyone needs to question my loyalty to the passporter in general. i'm a strong and vocal advocate of both the WDW and DCL versions on many other sites.

Thanks, Brad! MUCH appreciated.

[bradk]

it's just an honest opinion. i don't mean to beat the dead horse, but i'll give a case in point.. and this might very well be just me, but...

i figured i'd look into buying a guidebook for LA since I'll be out there in a couple of months. i flipped through the time out guide which seemed well put together, nice photos, etc., but the publication date was 2006 (which in effect means it was probably 'current' as of 2005). next to it is another major guidebook (i can't recall if it's frommer or fodor, i tend to get the two mixed up easily). it's marked 2008.

now here's my thinking. i was last in LA in 2005. i know for example that the disney ice cream shop & studio store opened about a month after i was there. i also know that several other places i wanted to visit have closed since then. so i made my decision based solely on the fact that i wanted what i would assume to be the most up to date information since i didn't feel like spending $100 on a few different books and sorting out the contradicting information.

(as a tangent, flash forward and i find out that their universal studios information was not only very biased against but also outdated by years. now i know better in this particular case, but there are going to be people who buy the books who will be mislead due to outdated information)