1 comments about A Gunkholer's Cruising Guide to Florida's West Coast, 12th Edition.

1. A fine guide with lots of good info. The only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating is that it could use some sketch charts showing where anchorages are instead of just a text description. All in all it is going to be very valuable in the next few months on my cruise.

No comments about Key West (Tourist Town Guides).

5 comments about Secrets of Disney's Glorious Gardens.

1. I was very excited when I received this book; however, the excitement was short lived. The information in the book is very basic. For example, the book devotes two pages to explaining the USDA zones and another two on how to plant a tree. About the only secret was the directions for making the floating planters from Epcot and since I don't have a pond they were interesting, but not too useful.
   
   Also, the pictures were beautiful, but I wished that the plants in the photos and the locations had been identified. It devotes four pages to the Haunted Mansion gardens, but then doesn't identify the variety of the Haunted Mansion's prolific red roses.
   
   Many of the photos were taken at the 2005 Epcot flower show and I enjoyed reliving the experience through the photos.
   
   If you go to WDW and are amazed at the gardens and have no idea how they do it, then this book would be useful. If,however, you have a good basic idea about how the gardens are created and maintained, then you will not discover many secrets with this book.



2. This is quite a nice book to have, but it's not a must-have unless you are fond on gardening and/or would love to have or have a garden. Pics are very nice, but if you're looking for new pictures with unusual points of view, you may find yourself a little disappointed.



3. As a Disney-holic I can never get enough information on DisneyWorld. This book is beautifully laid out with awesome pictures and great information, even for someone like me who "kills" silk! Great book!



4. But, I wanted to know more about specifics that take place in the Disney's horticultural arena. Also, why talk about the oldest specimen on property (a yucca in the Mexico pavilion over 250 years old) and then not have a photograph. I am a serious gardener and an avid Disney fan. As an annual passholder I travel down to Walt Disney World 4-6 times a year. As much for their gardens as anything else. I was really hoping for more in depth knowledge of horticulture at Disney. A lot of information in the book is very basic. If you love Disney and love plants then I would still recommend this book for your collection. Just be prepared that you are not going to receive the "inside look" that I anticipated.



5. I have thoroughly the book Secrets of Disney's Glorious Gardens. The pictures are gorgeous and the text is very informative. It is a great book.

No comments about Fodor's South Florida, 6th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

No comments about Fodor's Walt Disney World® with Kids 2009: with Universal Orlando and SeaWorld (Special-Interest Titles).

2 comments about Hidden Florida: Including Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa Bay, the Everglades, and the Keys (Hidden Travel).

1. I used this book for planning a quick trip to Everglades, Miami and Key Largo. I found it to have a good mix of history, attactions and restaurant reviews. We ate at several places recommended by the book.
   
   One thing that would make it much more useful would be to include a fold out map so that you can see more detail of a larger area. I found I had to keep flipping back and forth between maps in the book.



2. We have used the guide on every Florida trip we take. Living in Orlando, we pretty much know the ropes here in town. We, as a couple, visit other Florida towns (areas) at least twice per month searching for the perfect beach, event, restaurant or attraction. It is great to use the book to find quirkly places to eat and visit. It's been 100% accurate in it's estimations of quality and pricing. We make notes in ours if we find new spots. One day we'll send our comments to the authors!
   
   When traveling to Savannah recently, we bought the Hidden Savannah book and were just as satified!
   
   I cannot recommend a book any higher! No Chamber or tour guide has been able to top the info in this wonderful guide.

5 comments about On Island Time: Kayaking The Caribbean.

1. This is the best adventure book I have ever read. I didn't want this trip to end. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.



2. A wonderfully informative, yet intense adventure read. Scott's travels around the Caribbean will make you want to go exploring. His simple, yet very seaworthy means of travel allows him to explore places that boaters in larger craft can only steam by while seeking the nearest marina. Well written. I highly recommend this book!



3. At no point did I become board with the adventure or find it un interesting.



4. Reading Williams' On Island Time, you can almost feel the waves lapping over the bow of the kayak and feel the shark bumping you from below. If you can't afford to take off for months to the Carribean, this book is the next best thing.



5. I usually love escapist books of this nature. With this one, I find myself vaguely disappointed. While the writing itself is not bad, some areas are breezed over, and details vary, depending on Scott's memory, most likely. I suppose the biggest disappointment is that the Carribean is now almost exclusively private or government property, and there is almost nowhere to go anymore to discover anything new. He describes a few spectacular coves and tiny islands he explored, usually with others, but 80% of the content deals with avoiding private property and bribing foreign officals with rum from the folks he's hitched a ride with over most of the journey. In all, the book doesn't make me want to go adventuring, to see "what's over that horizon" because everyone has already been there. At least, not without a world class bank account.
   
   The Eagles said it best, "Call someplace Paradise, kiss it goodbye."

3 comments about Florida's Fabulous Mammals.

1. I have been charmed by this book, I can pick it up at any page and be absorbed, read interesting information about the mammals of Florida, my home state. The book is filled with many clear pictures of each animal, and even their young, and also details about their particular features, say clawed feet, or color forms, or teeth and such. In and around each picture is a clear explanation of each animal, their habits and lifestyle, what research there is and their condition of care or preservation in Florida. Also there are panels describing the the effects of man or changes in habitat, the politics and even what fokelore there is and whether this is true. The language is such that any young person who is able to read can understand it, but also it is extremely informative in ways that keep my interest as an adult. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. Even pre-readers can use the pictures to learn by.



2. Most touristic field guides are remarkable either by a dearth of meaningful information, poor photography, or both. This book, and its parent series, for that matter, suffer from neither, and form excellent works that are a proud part of anyone's library.

   With respect to the instant work, the text is exceptional, containing many captivating facts about animals a lot of folks would regard as very ordinary and uninteresting. Did you know, for example, that beavers were once wild in Florida, were trapped into extinction. and that they are now returning?

   The great color photography closely follows the expertly-prepared text, and brings out many detailed facets of the creatures described. I would heartily recommmend this book and its companions to anyone, tourist or native, who has any sort of interest in Florida or North American wildlife or nature.




3. I recently saw an otter and heard a group of coyotes howling. That led me to this book for more information on the animals around us in Florida.
   The color photos are good-sized and show the animals in varied activities. There's a nice amount of detail about what the animals eat, their lifestyle, issues, threats to their existence, etc.
   I learned a lot about feral pigs, bobcats, panthers, armadillos, black bears, foxes, bats, manatees, deer, etc. Children will enjoy the book also with all the photos and interesting facts.
   A lot of off-beat info is included set off in boxes. These include info about trapping, rabies, wild animals as pets, bat houses, an armadillo fan club, introduced species, and much more).
   One issue with the book is the font under some photos is the same size as the regular text, so the reader gets a little confused following down the columns. This could be easily remedied.
   Things I wish the book would include: maps for each animal showing their range in Florida and a section showing tracks and scat for identifying animals we don't see.

5 comments about Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets (Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secre).

1. This book is a lot of fun. It's a great introduction to the concept of going to the parks and having a multi-layered experience. If you've been before, and you are going back, you obviously like Disney anyway. But it is fun (particularly for kids) to have an additionaly "mystery" to solve while walking the park and standing in line. The idea is that there are all kinds of "hidden mickeys" throughout the parks. A hidden mickey is basically a simple image of mickey's head: a large circle with two smaller circles connected (his ears). So the book explains all this, and has lists for where to find them. As a bonus, it also provides suggested iteneraries to avoid long lines and find certain hidden mickies. It's a lot of fun.
   
   The down side to the book, from my perspective, is that it is difficult to find any one thing. The authors break information up by the purpose they assume a given reader might have, but if your need doesn't match one of those, you find yourself looking in many different places in the book for info. Another problem, and maybe its a "user error," but we couldn't find many of the hidden mickey's based on the descriptions in the book. They just didn't seem specific enough. Finally, many of the hidden mickey's, to me were just circles - a real stretch.
   
   So I don't see this book as a definitive list of hidden mickies. I found this book to be more of a popularizer of a cool idea, with some very good ideas (e.g., the itineraries) added as a bonus. It's worth your dollars, but it won't be the best book on the subject written, I suspect.



2. We had so much fun with this! My kids were constantly searching for more. My husband & dad were a little skeptical at first, but were looking for them by the end of the trip. We found so many new things and enjoyed the search. We are Disney veterans and it made our trip much more interesting. Definitely will buy the next edition!!!



3. Some of my most enjoyable moments at Walt Disney World took place after my husband and I purchased Steve Barrett's Hidden Mickey's 2nd Edition! We began searching based on our location or ride line queue then that search continued at our resort and so on. This book gives you hints and tips on locating these Hidden Mickeys that have become pretty famous among visitors and fans, and when you really can't find Mickey, the book will list the exact location! After reading this book, I've become a fanatic and even find Hidden Mickey's in places there really aren't any - like my lawn where three pebbles fit the bill for a HM perfectly. This is a great way to entertain yourself or you children in lines at the parks or in shops and restaurants too!



4. I am a long time Walt Disney World fan and love the challenge of finding the Hidden Mickeys. This book was recommended by a friend who thought I would like to see some of the more challenging Hidden Mickeys. I was not disappointed. The author has made this into fun scavenger hunt for the whole family.



5. This book is wonderful! I started reading it and let my son who is fascinated with Hidden Mickeys read it too. I have seen him reading it for hours and now he wants to take it with him next time we visit Walt Disney World. I definitely recommend it.
   
   *Note - This book is more enjoyable if you plan on visiting Walt Disney World since it includes scavenger hunts to find Hidden Mickeys.

1 comments about Everything Family Guide to the Disneyland Resort, California Adventure, Universal Studios, and the Anaheim AreA: A complete guide to the best hotels,l ... attractions (Everything: Travel and History).

1. This is a great resource for planning your trip to Disneyland.
   
   Very informative read for the rides, attractions, places to stay. The worksheets are very helpful as well, to keep the information in one place. I also suggest Birnbaums Guide to accompany this and you have a full and well-rounded set of guides to plan your trip and day-to-day activities.
   
   I also suggest joining some message boards to assist you in your planning. Simply Google or do an internet search of "Disney trip planning message board" and you will have quite a few to choose from. Have fun at the Happiest Place on Earth!