Surprisingly fun read and well-written. This book takes you to the hidden tricks and cons of WDW. Hard-core park attendees spill their secrets to the loopholes of park attendance: counterfeit and bait & switch fast passes, free parking ruses, Disney pin entrepreneurship, wheelchair hierarchy, resort hopping, and more. As with all shenanigans, many go over the edge here, and the book is more of a voyeuristic read than a guide. However, the love of Disney shines through....and that is the engaging angle. While it is quite obvious that Leonard is a huge Disney geek and a person into place-hacking and other such endeavors, this book tends to fall flat in what I saw as it's need to seem "cool". I would have liked this book much more if Leonard had concentrated more on the exploration of the theme park and the behind the scenes, even the place-hacking and system-hacking side. But this obsession about talking about which hidden balconies and hovels to have sex in, how great it is to do drugs in the park, and other male teenage fantasies is very sad. If you aren't a teenager and find yourself looking for hidden places in a theme park to have sex, you may have some issues to deal with. I don't think I'm a prude at all and I do go by the adage that as long as it's between consenting adults whatever, but still these sections of the book make me feel a little sad for the author. It's also great to know that Disney puts on rock concerts, but the way Leonard tells it they are ROCK CONCERTS. He really does seem to want to make his time and experiences at Disney seem 16-year-old-boy cool. And these parts of the book seemed the least genuine of the whole book. Maybe it was subjective, but there seemed to be more enthusiasm for the place-hacking and other stories. I would question that the demographic to enjoy this book would not necessarily be the demographic who would enjoys public sex and taking LSD. Nor are they prudes at all. Just geeks.But other than that he does convey his love of the park and interviews some other people who have explored the park in interesting ways also. I did enjoy two-thirds of this book greatly and would give those parts 4-stars. But you can only read so much about the n-th balcony that gives you a view of the fireworks while screwing.
What do You think about The Dark Side Of Disney (2011)?
This book wasn't what I was expecting. It was too personal and commercial for my taste.
—slate
It was not what I expected... but I must say that I enjoyed the information provided.
—klane
I enjoyed the writing style of this book. Very entertaining and informative.
—PrincessM13
loved ittttt could have done without the gross bug/ reptile pics though.
—milla
