tstidm1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2011
- Messages
- 1,214
I just came back from the Dis Exclusive ABD Backstage Magic tour on July 6-11th. I was the winner of the ABD part of the Beyond the Parks podcast series from last July. As the winner, I thought I should give something back to those who are thinking about ABD as a WDW alternative.
My background is that I usually travel alone. That is partly due to being the only big Disney Parks fan amongst my friends and partly by choice. Group travel seemed scary to me because it takes alot to good conversation from me. I’m more of a listener than a talker. It helps me to open up. I also brought my 70 something year old mom, so it brought some trepidation to me. Now that you have the background, I am going to give some thoughts on ABD and the tour itself. (Warning: minor spoilers possible.)
This is a very active style of travel than many people are used to. I even felt a little challenged by it. You will start between 7 AM and 8 AM with Breakfast and then go off to different activities with the trip. It is a frenetic place at points. Due to a late leaving from Walt Disney Studios, we didn’t get to Grand Californian until 5:30 PM and had little time to prep for the scooter and a break.
I also suggest that if given a break, take that break. We were lucky enough to have a two hour lunch break on Wednesday. I should’ve used a half hour of that as a break in the room. By 3:40 PM, I was ready to take a half hour to cool off in the room. Mom took the rest of the night off because of that pace.
If you love Disney Parks or Movie history, your mind will be amazed at what you're seeing multiple times during the trip. The things I can safely say I saw including holding an Oscar and Emmy, saw how Imagineers solve problems before they become $10 million headaches and how TCL refurbished a crown jewel of a movie theater in the Chinese theater. The true highlights are what you will see in the Backstage areas of Disneyland and Imagineering. Revealing those things would ruin it for everyone else who takes this tour. What you get from this tour in memories more than makes up for the very active style of travel you experience.
I’ve also learned that guides and your fellow attendees can make or break a trip. The DIS fans on the trip were awesome to both me and my mother. The group was a welcoming towards me and mother. The running joke is that the people in scooters should be the lead blockers for the group and clear the path. This was a very interesting and engaging group of people. I met everyone from school teacher to a TV Station researcher.
Alyssa and Summer Rose (our guides) are simply amazing at what they do. This was also the first time doing a Backstage Magic tour with ABD. Their different personalities played off each other well. Alyssa had a fun and enthusiastic spirit. Her energy helped my energy at times during the trip. Summer Rose had strong organizational skills and could set the right tones in places like Walt’s Apartment. They also made a Disney magical moment for my mom.
A couple of other quick thoughts before I wrap up these thoughts on the Backstage Magic tour. First of all, the hotels are excellent properties. I will cover the Grand Californian in my Disneyland specific thoughts in a couple of days. The Loews Hollywood had some of the most comfortable beds to sleep in I’ve ever experienced. It also has an excellent location in the middle of Hollywood. If you wanted to explore more of LA, Metro was nearby. Food was pretty good also. My favorite meal on the whole trip was the Tam O’Shanter. I have a new appreciation for good Prime Rib.
One other suggestion is that you should do a day before the trip and after the trip. For those who are traveling from the East coast especially, it will help you have a better experience by not dealing with the stress of travel. I missed some things in DLR by not staying an extra night even off site.
My overall thoughts on this is that I can do this style of travel again. I would gladly pay for an ABD trip again. This seems to be a good way to experience Ireland without a lot of the extensive pre planning (besides flights). If you want to do the ABD Backstage Magic, I would highly suggest that you do this through the DIS Exclusive trips. Kevin really seem to plus these experiences in the pre-planning stages with ABD on this trip and the other DIS Exclusive trips.
My background is that I usually travel alone. That is partly due to being the only big Disney Parks fan amongst my friends and partly by choice. Group travel seemed scary to me because it takes alot to good conversation from me. I’m more of a listener than a talker. It helps me to open up. I also brought my 70 something year old mom, so it brought some trepidation to me. Now that you have the background, I am going to give some thoughts on ABD and the tour itself. (Warning: minor spoilers possible.)
This is a very active style of travel than many people are used to. I even felt a little challenged by it. You will start between 7 AM and 8 AM with Breakfast and then go off to different activities with the trip. It is a frenetic place at points. Due to a late leaving from Walt Disney Studios, we didn’t get to Grand Californian until 5:30 PM and had little time to prep for the scooter and a break.
I also suggest that if given a break, take that break. We were lucky enough to have a two hour lunch break on Wednesday. I should’ve used a half hour of that as a break in the room. By 3:40 PM, I was ready to take a half hour to cool off in the room. Mom took the rest of the night off because of that pace.
If you love Disney Parks or Movie history, your mind will be amazed at what you're seeing multiple times during the trip. The things I can safely say I saw including holding an Oscar and Emmy, saw how Imagineers solve problems before they become $10 million headaches and how TCL refurbished a crown jewel of a movie theater in the Chinese theater. The true highlights are what you will see in the Backstage areas of Disneyland and Imagineering. Revealing those things would ruin it for everyone else who takes this tour. What you get from this tour in memories more than makes up for the very active style of travel you experience.
I’ve also learned that guides and your fellow attendees can make or break a trip. The DIS fans on the trip were awesome to both me and my mother. The group was a welcoming towards me and mother. The running joke is that the people in scooters should be the lead blockers for the group and clear the path. This was a very interesting and engaging group of people. I met everyone from school teacher to a TV Station researcher.
Alyssa and Summer Rose (our guides) are simply amazing at what they do. This was also the first time doing a Backstage Magic tour with ABD. Their different personalities played off each other well. Alyssa had a fun and enthusiastic spirit. Her energy helped my energy at times during the trip. Summer Rose had strong organizational skills and could set the right tones in places like Walt’s Apartment. They also made a Disney magical moment for my mom.
A couple of other quick thoughts before I wrap up these thoughts on the Backstage Magic tour. First of all, the hotels are excellent properties. I will cover the Grand Californian in my Disneyland specific thoughts in a couple of days. The Loews Hollywood had some of the most comfortable beds to sleep in I’ve ever experienced. It also has an excellent location in the middle of Hollywood. If you wanted to explore more of LA, Metro was nearby. Food was pretty good also. My favorite meal on the whole trip was the Tam O’Shanter. I have a new appreciation for good Prime Rib.
One other suggestion is that you should do a day before the trip and after the trip. For those who are traveling from the East coast especially, it will help you have a better experience by not dealing with the stress of travel. I missed some things in DLR by not staying an extra night even off site.
My overall thoughts on this is that I can do this style of travel again. I would gladly pay for an ABD trip again. This seems to be a good way to experience Ireland without a lot of the extensive pre planning (besides flights). If you want to do the ABD Backstage Magic, I would highly suggest that you do this through the DIS Exclusive trips. Kevin really seem to plus these experiences in the pre-planning stages with ABD on this trip and the other DIS Exclusive trips.
