Germany Trip Report 2016 - Completed

[Cousin Orville]

Day 9 Munich to Home



We had the earliest flight this morning at 9:30am, but it’s a direct flight. Our guide Lexie also had an early flight so she rode with us to the airport. We had a nice flight home and it was quite the blessing to have the direct flight.

Zaza and Lexie - awesome guides. We'll miss you!

One more German pretzel in the United Lounge.

Gavin taking command of the Steiff box in the airport.

Now Spoiled Gavin.... There's no fixing this is there?


Final Thoughts



Germany was a great ABD. It wasn’t really high up on my list initially. As I mentioned before, Gavin chose it, but really it was a great trip. I’ve only been to Germany once before to Berlin on the DCL Baltic cruise. So this really showed off a lot of Germany. Our guides were wonderful - no surprise. Lexie so far has only done Germany ABD’s, but I think she’s interesting in spreading her wings to cover other ABD’s. Hopefully!


I’d love to do the Rhine cruise someday, which is closer to where we started - Heidelberg, but Germany really seems to shine in Bavaria - Rothenburg and Munich. That was my favorite part of the trip.


Size. We had 10 guests. By far the smallest. It was nice. It made photo stops more efficient. You could hear everything without whisper devices. You got to know everyone including the guides better. I’m not naive to think ABD will ever decrease the number of guests unless they feel they can make a higher profit on smaller groups. It probably isn’t going to happen. I love ABD and what it tries to accomplish. I don’t feel a strong need to hunt out other group tour operators especially while my children are rather young, but I do carefully read other peoples opinions about tours that limit the number of guests. 44, which is ABD’s max, is too many. When it gets to that level, the luxury is lost somewhat. Group size is something ABD should always be thinking about and not taking for granted if they aim to become the premier family tour operator.


We certainly enjoyed our time in Germany. I’d recommend it. It will be very interesting to see if they change anything about the Germany tour or how many tours they offer next year considering this year's canceled and low attended advenutres. But it’s absolutely a wonderful way to see Germany. If you’re planning this trip, I’d suggest a post night in Munich. That would be nice. 1 pre night in Heidelberg would be nice, but nothing more than that.


My wife and I are heading out on Tuesday to the Northern Italy and Switzerland ABD, so I’m happy to finish up this report. I’ll probably do a trip report on that one as well, though I’m not 100% sure.



Thanks for following along!



Cheers!

Kevin

 

[Cousin Orville]

How crowded was your castle tour group? That was the one disappointment of the trip for me.

Maybe 40 ppl? We were mainly in the back of the group and hung around our step-on guide who, although not technically allowed to give the Castle tour, pretty much pointed out the interesting things. He was more interesting than the official guide. Our ABD guides actually addressed that issue. They said the German gov't refuses to negotiate any private tour of the castle.

 

[figment52]

Thank you for the report. You always do a great job. I hope you decide to also share your Italy/Swiss ABD.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Thank you for another amazing trip report! I really enjoyed reading through it.

Have a fabulous time in Italy and Switzerland. I think you will really enjoy the trip. The Zermatterhoff is such a fabulous hotel -- such a shame they are changing to a lower cost alternative. I'm glad that you will get to enjoy the view from your room. I wish you the best possible weather for your time in Zermatt. BTW there is a shop in Zermat that will put names on Swiss Army knives for you free of charge while you wait (it's right on the main street). We didn't see that service offered in Lucerne so if you want some as a souvenir then I'd recommend getting them there! I also highly recommend taking a quick half day trip to either Pilatus or Titlis instead of the morning boat cruise on the Lake Lucerne. The views are well worth it.

I am doing the ABD Rhine River cruise with both of my kids next year. It will likely be our last ABD as I was VERY disappointed with how they handled our unique situation in Hong Kong. Dd and I are flying from Amsterdam to either Tanzania or Kenya for a safari after the cruise since it is a direct flight on KLM (so why not, right? Otherwise we'd have to transfer twice and spend 2 days getting there). We are in the initial stages of planning for an A&K cruise to Antarctica in December, 2017. After that who knows!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Thank you for the report. You always do a great job. I hope you decide to also share your Italy/Swiss ABD.

Thanks! I'll probably try.

 

[tgeorge]

Another vote for a Italy/Switzerland TR . My next trip will likely be the Amalfi coast, but this is the other contender, so it is always great to hear different perspectives.


Sounds like you guys had a great trip to Germany! And, no, I don't see you getting Gavin out of the front of the plane anytime soon .

Thanks for another fantastic trip report! I hope you and your wife have a fantastic time on the Italy/Switzerland trip.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Loved the trip report as always! Totally agree about group size v. Luxury feel, etc. We actually had 49 on ours last year, which was ridiculous. Love the 10, although I suspect they won't go with that few very often. Hope you do a trip report for the next one!

 

[tink1970]

Another appreciative voice chiming in (and hoping you'll write a TR for your next adventure!).

 

[SingingMom]

Michael was something else. One of my favorite guides ever. I have it on good authority that Karl Hotlz who was on one of the first ABD River Cruises hired Michael as a private guide for him and his family. I guess one of the perks of being the head of ABD, you know who the best private guides in the world.

.

Michael's stories of "Poor Sisi" enamored our DD so much that she begged us to take the Central Europe ABD after Germany so we could see Sisi's palaces and apartments. She even minored in European Studies partly because of what Michael awakened in her!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Thank you for another amazing trip report! I really enjoyed reading through it.

Have a fabulous time in Italy and Switzerland. I think you will really enjoy the trip. The Zermatterhoff is such a fabulous hotel -- such a shame they are changing to a lower cost alternative. I'm glad that you will get to enjoy the view from your room. I wish you the best possible weather for your time in Zermatt. BTW there is a shop in Zermat that will put names on Swiss Army knives for you free of charge while you wait (it's right on the main street). We didn't see that service offered in Lucerne so if you want some as a souvenir then I'd recommend getting them there! I also highly recommend taking a quick half day trip to either Pilatus or Titlis instead of the morning boat cruise on the Lake Lucerne. The views are well worth it.

I am doing the ABD Rhine River cruise with both of my kids next year. It will likely be our last ABD as I was VERY disappointed with how they handled our unique situation in Hong Kong. Dd and I are flying from Amsterdam to either Tanzania or Kenya for a safari after the cruise since it is a direct flight on KLM (so why not, right? Otherwise we'd have to transfer twice and spend 2 days getting there). We are in the initial stages of planning for an A&K cruise to Antarctica in December, 2017. After that who knows!

I understand your disappointment regarding your experience in HK. Really there's no excuse on ABD's behalf. It was a typhoon that caused you to have to reschedule your flight, right and therefore your airport transfer? ABD certainly could have called the driver to attempt to reschedule. I've had to do that on my own before due to an airport strike. Even if the driver couldn't reschedule ABD could have paid for your taxi. It drives me nuts when large companies have a set of protocols that they are unwilling to bend for the sake of customer service. I once listened to and later met an exec at Ritz Calrton that stressed the importance of empowering your employees at every level to do what needs to be done for the sake of the best customer service. Now how well they execute that may be up for debate, but it's so important. Obviously the guy you spoke with at ABD who basically told you tough, was not so empowered.

So, who are you doing your Safari with? Gavin and I are planning on South Africa with ABD and then Victoria Falls on our own. Our family summer vacation is still up for debate. We have a DCL cruise to Iceland booked, but may instead do Japan on our own.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Another vote for a Italy/Switzerland TR . My next trip will likely be the Amalfi coast, but this is the other contender, so it is always great to hear different perspectives.


Sounds like you guys had a great trip to Germany! And, no, I don't see you getting Gavin out of the front of the plane anytime soon .

Thanks for another fantastic trip report! I hope you and your wife have a fantastic time on the Italy/Switzerland trip.

Ooo.. tough choice. We saw the Amalfi Coast once on a DCL cruise, and it's so beautiful. I'd love to spend more time there. The ABD trip reports and photos coming from TXTransplant and now DD's Prince look great.

Loved the trip report as always! Totally agree about group size v. Luxury feel, etc. We actually had 49 on ours last year, which was ridiculous. Love the 10, although I suspect they won't go with that few very often. Hope you do a trip report for the next one!

Yeah, I'm glad ours went ahead with 10. We might have gotten lucky that it went. And yes, 49 is ridiculous. 44 is too high. We've lucked out that all but our first ABD in France have been lower than that.

Another appreciative voice chiming in (and hoping you'll write a TR for your next adventure!).

Thanks! I probably will knowing me

Michael's stories of "Poor Sisi" enamored our DD so much that she begged us to take the Central Europe ABD after Germany so we could see Sisi's palaces and apartments. She even minored in European Studies partly because of what Michael awakened in her!

Wow! I can see how Central Europe would be a perfect follow up to Germany. He actually didn't have much to say about Sisi. (Maybe it was me and I zoned out or was taking pictures) But the stories he did discuss were fascinating.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I understand your disappointment regarding your experience in HK. Really there's no excuse on ABD's behalf. It was a typhoon that caused you to have to reschedule your flight, right and therefore your airport transfer? ABD certainly could have called the driver to attempt to reschedule. I've had to do that on my own before due to an airport strike. Even if the driver couldn't reschedule ABD could have paid for your taxi. It drives me nuts when large companies have a set of protocols that they are unwilling to bend for the sake of customer service. I once listened to and later met an exec at Ritz Calrton that stressed the importance of empowering your employees at every level to do what needs to be done for the sake of the best customer service. Now how well they execute that may be up for debate, but it's so important. Obviously the guy you spoke with at ABD who basically told you tough, was not so empowered.

So, who are you doing your Safari with? Gavin and I are planning on South Africa with ABD and then Victoria Falls on our own. Our family summer vacation is still up for debate. We have a DCL cruise to Iceland booked, but may instead do Japan on our own.

It was a little more than the car to the airport, it was also that I could have been stranded in HK if I hadn't been able to move our flight to an earlier time and they were completely unwilling to help me find alternate accommodation (since the Peninsula was booked). As I said before, they were willing to leave me completely stranded in a foreign country. Had I not been a seasoned traveler I probably would've been in a panic. It wasn't the fault of the guide as he was acting within the scope of his duties with ABD but they should have been able to deal with an exceptional circumstance (like a category 5 typhoon) since I'm certain it doesn't happen often. It was not a feeling that I care to duplicate ever again.

I haven't made a final determination on a safari provider. It will be either A&K Tanzania or a private trip arranged through a specialty agent here in the US. I am leaning more towards a private one since the lodges are on private conservancies (as opposed to in a National Park) and there wouldn't be as many vehicles at sightings (with the exception of the Ngorongoro crater). Currently we are looking at Kruger (Sabi Sands) and Victoria Falls or Tanzania (Serengeti, Lake Manyara and the crater). It's going to come down to where the best value is for the dollar (Kruger tends to be a bit less expensive than Sabi Sands).

 

[calypso726]

Chiming in to voice another plea for an Italy/Switzerland TR! I also want to say I am so glad you are doing Africa before we are and adding Victoria Falls as we plan to do. I am sure I will be seeking your advice for that when we start planning for that one in a couple of years. Loved the Germany TR!!!

 

[Skip3key]

Thanks for a wonderful trip report ! We have only been on the Southern California ABD and loved it, and cannot decide between Italy and Germany next... you have made it much harder to pick!

 

[ABDGurl]

Cousin Orville...loved your report!!!! Brought back such great memories. This was one of my most favorite ABD's. Everything about it was great. My husband and I don't have kids and we actually really loved the Stiff Museum (I had read on other threads that some adults were concerned it would be for kids only). Didn't think it was for kids only...maybe we are just kids at heart!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Thanks for a wonderful trip report ! We have only been on the Southern California ABD and loved it, and cannot decide between Italy and Germany next... you have made it much harder to pick!

Germany is certainly a great ABD, and I recommend it. We had a fun time. However, if you've never been to Italy before, I'd suggest Italy first.

Cousin Orville...loved your report!!!! Brought back such great memories. This was one of my most favorite ABD's. Everything about it was great. My husband and I don't have kids and we actually really loved the Stiff Museum (I had read on other threads that some adults were concerned it would be for kids only). Didn't think it was for kids only...maybe we are just kids at heart!

Thanks! I really enjoyed Steiff too. Much more than I thought I would. I bought a bear. Definitely didn't plan on that. It's a tough call, because there's not that much time in Munich. So, I can understand people wanting to go straight there. But everyone (all 10 of us ) had great time at Steiff.

 

[BurleyGirl]

Today was our last full day, and we headed south to Neuschwanstein Castle. This is one of the main castles that Disney used as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle. In fact, in the Dream Suite in Disneyland (seen sometimes on the Backstage Magic ABD) they have a prominent portrait of Neuschwanstein in the Living Room along side Chenonceau in France. I saw Chenonceau on my first ABD, so it’s cool to be seeing Neuschwanstein now

I had no idea that Chenonceau was a Walt Disney inspiration!! Been there twice...that's a really neat piece of info!

Your trip looked amazing...thank you for sharing it with us!