Grüetzi, Grüetzi! That's Amoré!: A 2015 Italy/Switzerland Trip Report - Complete!

[mare1203]

Afternoon in Lucerne


After lunch, the itinerary had said we were scheduled to do a hike and walk around the area. However, that wasn't actually in the plan, so we had about 30 minutes to an hour to explore around on our own.








There wasn't too much in town, but it was pretty.






We were told to meet back up at the docks, so we could catch our ferry back to Lucerne.


Our captain!


I enjoyed this sign warning people about swimming too close to the boats. Don't do it!


For our return journey, the guides had planned a fun event: white elephant! At the welcome dinner, they had announced that we would be doing this white elephant and said any family who wanted to participate was invited to do so.


By the end of the adventure, people are relatively comfortable with one another and they enjoy watching the dynamics play out. I don't remember what the gift was that evoked this reaction, but there were some ridiculous gifts in the mix! This is what makes white elephant so fun.


There were definitely some fun and tense moments in the white elephant exchange. It was also interesting to see what everyone picked. No family ended up buying the same thing, which was nice.


We ended up with this awesome placemat/poster (you think I'm kidding...I'm not). I took it and put it up in my office. I smile and giggle a bit every time I see it. The only thing missing is a Swiss cow, haha!

We finished up with just a few minutes before we would be docking in Lucerne. The afternoon was on our own time. Since we hadn't had much chance to shop in Switzerland, that was our afternoon activity. For our souvenirs, we ended up with the big 3: Swiss Army knives (and I actually use mine fairly often!), Kathy and I each got a Swatch, and some Swiss chocolates.




Kathy and I got some truffles from Laderach. I maaay still have some left, sitting in my fridge (and no, my family doesn't understand my willpower). I need some more, because they are amazingly smooth and decadent.
​

Once we made our purchases, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the farewell dinner (tear!). We also needed to cool off because it was hot! Again, so much for that cool adventure...​

 

[mare1203]

Farewell Dinner, Part 1


Our next adventure takes us to an always wonderful, but bittersweet activity: the farewell dinner. On our way down to the farewell dinner, we ran into another family who informed us that the restaurant wasn't air conditioned and we might want to change, seeing as it was still over 95 out despite it being after 5pm. Kathy and I were in sundresses, but my dad was in pants and a long sleeved shirt. He hemmed and hawed over changing; we finally convinced him he was dumb if he didn't.


Our destination that night was the Old Swiss House. It was built in 1859 and is located in the city center of Lucerne, about an 8-10 minute walk from the hotel. The building is one of the most photographed landmarks in Lucerne.




The Old Swiss House was built in 1858. When the building was bought in 1931 by the the Bulhozer family, they turned it into the restaurant it remains today. Their daughter married August A. Busch, at the time President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch. This union started a long relationship between the restaurant, company, and families that lasts, even today. In fact, one of the son's is still in charge of the procurement of all imported hops for Anheuser-Busch, which is now, of course, part of InBev. The restaurant itself is currently run by son or grandson Phiippe Bulhozer.


The farewell dinner took place on the 2nd floor of the restaurant. They had the patio and windows open so some non-existent air could get through. It originally served as living quarters for the family until 1967 when it turned into a banquet area for private parties such as ours. Staff are dressed in original Lucerne attire.




When we arrived, there were 3 gentlemen playing alphorns. They were awesome.




We listened to them play a couple songs, and then the leader gave us some information about alphorns. Afterwards, we were all invited to try it.


The head honcho showing us how to blow into the mouthpiece to make noise. Stephanie mentioned to me that the guy was like, just pretend you're kissing and she was like, I dunno what kind of kissing that guy is doing Haha, after playing the alphorn, I must agree, lol.


My family wasn't originally interested in trying the instrument, and abandoned me to try by myself. Luckily, the guides swooped in and saved me to take some pictures. It was actually really fun and I was able to make noises...success!


Eventually, I convinced my family to give it a try as well.






After spending some time with the alphorns it was time for dinner. As you might have guessed, the Old Swiss House specializes in outstanding Swiss cuisine.


Our appetizer was a plate of cheese croquettes in a fresh tomato sauce. These were a fancy version of mozzarella sticks and they. were. delicious.


One option for diner was salmon (I think. It may have also been perch) with boiled potatoes. Someone at our table who ordered this kindly allowed me to take a picture, as no one in my family ordered the dish.


Everyone in my family got the stroganoff. Holy crap was this good. Some of the best stroganoff I've ever had, and my family makes a mean recipe. Only problem? Stroganoff is heavy comfort food that warms you and sticks to your ribs. Not the best choice for our sweltering evening.

Don't worry, I still managed to polish it off. I only hated myself for a few hours afterwards.​

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Once dinner was finished, the guides "offered" to take us to the Lion Monument located nearby (read: we need to set up for the finale, and you need to leave while we do it).​

 

[walnut611]

Oooo...I want to try the alphorns too! I can't believe it was 95 at 5 pm, and I thought we're having a heat wave here Were they hot wearing the Lucerne attire?

I love beef stroganoff but can't make it. Do you mind sharing the recipe?

 

[lildreamer101]

Aww... it's almost over.

 

[mare1203]

Oooo...I want to try the alphorns too! I can't believe it was 95 at 5 pm, and I thought we're having a heat wave here Were they hot wearing the Lucerne attire?

I love beef stroganoff but can't make it. Do you mind sharing the recipe?

The alphorns were definitely fun. I also might be biased because I could actually make some noise! We actually had a kid who chose to learn the trumpet after he left the adventure in part due to his experience with the alphorn! (the mouthpiece is similar).

Yeah, it was some awful heat (and I'm used to heat)! I think they had to be hot! There was definitely some sweat dripping down.

I'd be happy to share the recipe; I'll put it after my final thoughts!

Aww... it's almost over.

I know! I'm so sad it's almost over!

 

[mare1203]

Farewell Dinner, Part 2


After dinner, we walked down to the lion monument, which, was actually incredible. The pictures don't do it justice. It's very moving.


The Lucerne Lion Monument is one of the most popular and iconic monuments in Switzerland. It was designed to honor a group of Swiss soldiers who lost their lives while serving the French king Louis XVI during the French Revolution. The Swiss soldiers were working to defend the Tuileries Palace in Paris.


The It has been called (by Mark Twain) “The saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world”. It was definitely a moving monument. You can see the anguish in the lion.


Remember that story where I told you Stephanie lost her backpack on the way to Lucerne? Well, she found out which bus it was on and successfully contacted the company and driver. Happily, she learned that while the bus was headed to France, the driver located her backpack and was willing to deliver the bag after his current trip ended. While we were at the statue, Steph received the fateful call that her lost backpack had arrived in Lucerne and was on its way to the Old Swiss House, hurray! Happy ending!!


We walked back to the restaurant, only groaned a bit when we walked back into the sweltering room, and got ready for the end of the evening. When we arrived, our dessert was sitting for us. Everyone received their award winning chocolate mousse. I thought it was delicious, but only ate half, to which Kathy had no trouble polishing off herself.


Stephanie retrieved her backpack, much cheering ensues. We also had the chance to receive our final pin. We let the bus driver who retrieved the backpack pick the first pin


To get the pin, we were asked to say something what our favorite part of the trip was. It's always fun to hear about what everyone enjoyed.


The end was, of course, the slideshow. The girls did a great job putting it together.




Before leaving, we got a picture with our guides. It's really the only thing we are not good about doing throughout the trip.


We also took a picture depicting how we felt. There weren't any tears, but it was close, haha.


We walked back to the hotel with Stephanie ,while Jessica had gone on ahead. I believe she arranged to go with a few of our less mobile adventurers. When we arrived, we also found out there was a final surprise waiting for us. The guides gave us all a set of mini Swiss Lindt bars! I had seen these around both Zermatt and Lucerne in the little tourist shop. As you can see in the pic, there are pics of the Matterhorn and Switzerland on the wrappers, which is the best reason to buy them. I still have a bunch left, but they’re yummy.

After dinner, it was still rather early, so we discussed what to do with the rest of the evening.




While we contemplated going out in Lucerne, we ended up running into a variety of our fellow adventurers spending time at the bar and decided to spend some time with them. It was a fun way to spend a few final hours with the people we had spent over a week getting to know.
​

 

[mare1203]

Departure

This last post is super underwhelming, so sorry!


The next morning, we got up extra early to meet up with guides for our farewell and ride to the airport.




Since breakfast wasn't being served at that early hour, we were given a breakfast bag for the road.


And thus we have reached the inevitable end to our amazing trip.


It was definitely one of my favorite vacations of all time and I will continue to look back at pictures and smile. Until next time, ABD'ers!
​

 

[tgeorge]

Great Trip Report! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. The zip line sold me! This trip is definitely at the top of the list. The problem is trying to decide which one to do next

 

[mare1203]

Final Thoughts

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this trip report. I’ve enjoyed sharing my experiences and highlighting an ABD that doesn’t have a lot of information out there. With that, here are some final thoughts on our Alpine Magic Adventures by Disney trip.

As I mentioned multiple times, I absolutely LOVED this trip. Nearly everything about it was right up my alley. The Alpine Magic trip has something for nearly everyone. Lots of activity and outdoor recreation? Beautiful sights in nature and an incredible mountain? Delicious food and drink? Check, check, check.

While I would argue that the entire trip report is a positive review, I would be remiss to not mention any negatives. My least favorite site of the trip was Lucerne. Perhaps this is because it was more city than anything else, or perhaps it’s because so much of its history was destroyed by fire, but it just didn’t capture me in the same way northern Italy or Zermatt did. While the activities during our Lucerne day were fine, there also wasn’t anything outstanding about them.

However, I am happy to report and many may already know that there have been some significant adjustments to the Lucerne portion of the trip for 2017. Rather than going on the boat cruise, adventurers will travel to Mount Titlis for a choice of activity and lunch at a mountain view restaurant. I feel like the addition of Mount Titlis is a better fit for this activity intense adventure than the previous itinerary and is definitely a positive change. The afternoon on your own has also been replaced with a visit to a cheese factory. My reaction to this? A CHEESE FACTORY???? Well, sign me right up. I love cheese! Perhaps your reaction will be less than enthusiastic, but that sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon. The only negative I see to the change in Lucerne days is the lack of time to explore on your own. Lucerne has some okay shopping, so if shopping is your jam, then this would be the place. I think you could skip the walking tour, though, if you would rather go off on your own. Or you can always add on an extra day yourself.

Our adventure group was overall great. I’m still friends with a number of adventurers from this trip on FB. As I mentioned earlier, about ⅓ of our crew belonged to one family and a few of them really kept to themselves the whole time. Not something Disney can do anything about, but I figure the family might have been better off doing something just for them. I never thought about asking the vacationista’s about the family breakdown (i.e. is part of the group going to be a family reunion of 10+ people), but it might be worth it to ask.

Going as a group of 3 adults is always a tricky proposition. I mentioned it in my previous trip report, but basically you’re paying full price 3 ways, but only receiving 1 room. While a hotel might charge a bit extra for a 3rd person, they definitely aren’t charging that full rate. Disney is aware of the problem and want to find a way to change it, but haven’t as of yet. I don’t actually know what the answer is, and it’s not something that would in any way change our mind about booking a trip. Just something to know for those of you in the situation or the possible situation.

Inevitably, conversations about ABD’s will come around at some point to value. I think this trip is a great value. The hotel accommodations are incredibly high and all are well-located to the areas. We had the most meals on our own in Italy, which can be pretty budget friendly. We only had one dinner and one lunch on our own in Switzerland, which was much more expensive and would have added to your outside expenses. I also thought there was a pretty good balance of group activities and on your own time. Plus, many of the activities were not things you might plan if you were doing a trip yourself. I definitely think this ABD would be difficult to replicate on your own, which in my mind adds to the value.

What’s next? Well, that’s a very good question. I’m on the complete other end of the planning spectrum from most people on the DisBoards, it seems. While I am a fastidious planner, I am not in the position to be in any way able to forecast more than about 6 months out. We just bought into DVC for the Poly and the thought of booking 11 months out makes me more distraught than should really be allowed. My sister and I are also young adults and at the place in our lives where things can change rather quickly, so that is also part of the lack of foresight. Anyway, to get back on point, we didn’t decide what to do for 2016 until late February. Kathy and Jeff ended up going on an Alaskan Cruise for their honeymoon. They loved it, but that also means they won’t be going on an ABD for 2016. Which meant I was either 1) going to travel with my Padre or 2) not go on an ABD at all. Since number 2 wasn’t really appealing, I talked with Bob to get his take on the idea. He got on board and said he’d join me on a trip.

We looked at quite a few, mostly based on dates. While many of the trips came into contention, I ultimately decided that I wanted to travel in the fall if at all possible. I try to avoid leaving in August because of college commitments (which is terrible because I live in Phoenix and NO ONE should be there for the entire month of August...who decided to start school in August in the desert???). September is still rather awful as people are still angry because it’s hot, our counterparts around the country are starting to see some crisp fall weather, and I generally question everything about my life during that month. Soooo to combat that, I decided to look into September trips. That narrowed the field considerably. After much deliberation, we decided to book the Central Europe trip! In fact, I just received our box, whooo! We are also going to add on a couple days and travel to Munich for Oktoberfest (because in my mind it would be blasphemy to be that close during the actual festival and NOT visit). I’m pretty excited to see this part of the world and looking forward to experiencing my first adult exclusive trip, even though I’m just going to be a big kid. Since there have already been some wonderful trip reports about the Central Europe trip (and many activities overlap with the Danube River Cruise), I’m not sure if I’ll do a full report or something else, but I’m definitely planning on writing something up.

Thanks again for reading along; until next time, adventurers!
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[GAN]

Great trip report! Being of Swiss heritage, I especially enjoyed it. Although it makes me miss my relatives that I love and miss SOOO much! Can't wait for your next adventure to make it to the boards -are you considering anything?

 

[tgeorge]

Great final thoughts! It is great to hear what people think about their adventure at the end. It definitely helps to put things in perspective. Have a great time on the Central Europe trip! Prague is definitely a place I need to get to. And, of course, Oktoberfest.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Great final thoughts! It is great to hear what people think about their adventure at the end. It definitely helps to put things in perspective. Have a great time on the Central Europe trip! Prague is definitely a place I need to get to. And, of course, Oktoberfest.

I agree! Love the wrap up, too. Can't wait to hear about Central Europe!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Great to see the finished report! DW and I are doing the northern Italy/Switzerland ABD in less than a month now. We're very, very excited! Enjoy Central Europe! We're heading to Munich tomorrow. I'll tell them you're coming!

 

[disneyphx]

Thanks for another amazing trip report!
Between your report and the changes to the time in Lucerne, we booked this trip for 2017 - as a back to back - we will do London and Paris first. We will retrace some things from our Tauck Bridges trip (including the hotel in Lucerne) but we all love Switzerland so I think we can cope.
Looking forward to hearing your impressions from your next trip!

Michele

 

[walnut611]

Thank you for your TR!!

Now about that beef stroganoff recipe...LOL

 

[carpenta]

Thank you so much Mare1203 for such a wonderful report. I love you conclusion page. Pros vs. cons are a great aspect for every report. Happy Travels in your future.

 

[kanadar]

So sad it's over It was definitely one of my favorite trips ever! I would do it over again in a heartbeat, especially with the changes they made to Lucerne. I'm sad to be missing out of Central Europe but the Disney Alaskan Cruise was amazing! Have a fantastic time sestra!!

 

[hilarys]

Great trip report. Switzerland is just so beautiful and I love the mix of activities on this trip. I think you will love the Central Europe trip. To me it was the perfect blend of museums, natural scenery (Germany), hands-on (marionette making, pretzel making), active (ice cave, salt mines), and kitschy cultural (dinner in Prague, Sound of Music tour)- just great!

 

[sayhello]

Great trip report. Switzerland is just so beautiful and I love the mix of activities on this trip. I think you will love the Central Europe trip. To me it was the perfect blend of museums, natural scenery (Germany), hands-on (marionette making, pretzel making), active (ice cave, salt mines), and kitschy cultural (dinner in Prague, Sound of Music tour)- just great!

They don't do the marionette making any more. I think people complained about the issue of having to carry them & pack them up & take them home.

Sayhello

 

[hilarys]

They don't do the marionette making any more. I think people complained about the issue of having to carry them & pack them up & take them home.

Sayhello

Oh that's right. It was fun (but really hard as I have zero sewing skills) and our marionettes are still sitting in their packaging in our guest room 2 years later. Better to have more time to see the beautiful city of Prague.