Disney Guide Books. There are quite a few. I’ll be going through and giving my thoughts on the best ones in future posts, but right now I want to a recommend a very…special sort of Disney guide book.
It’s called The Dark Side of Disney by Leonard Kinsey. You won’t learn about the new FastPass system to Dumbo or the must sees in live entertainment in this book. It won’t tell you about crowd control or which rides are too scary for your small children.
It will tell you how to eat for free (by bringing a plate to Peco’s Bills and Cosmic Ray’s and using the ‘toppings’ to make a salad), how to sneak into the utilidoors, and how to save money on photopass by sharing with a group of strangers. Also in the book: best places to have sex in the park and what it’s like to go through Space Mountain while high on ‘shrooms.
It’s basically a guide to traveling Disney “Harold and Kumar” style. The book is divided into four parts. The first reveals some clever (if morally questionable) ways to save money in the parks, the second part talks all about the best of sex, drugs, and alcohol in the parks. The third part tells you all the scams you can pull in the parks and the fourth chronicles the author’s escapades in the ‘cast members only’ parts of the park.
For the record, I am not encouraging any behavior outlined in this book. However, it is oddly amusing to read about. The author has a frank and lightly comical tone which I greatly enjoyed. Kinsey’s account of his and his buddies’ escapades into the forbidden utilidoors was highly entertaining. Plus, it’s morbidly fun to read such a dark take on your childhood playground.
Actually, they’re not all shady tips, either. The author pretty accurately summarizes how I feel about the rip-off that is the Disney Dining Plan and provides some practical money saving advice.
I certainly enjoyed this book, as I like to delve into “the dark side of Disney in my own ways. If you share my morbid sense of humor, I’d highly recommend this book. With your tongue firmly planted in your cheek, this makes for a great, easy read that will give you a chuckle or two on your next Disney vacation.
