ABD Italy - Is there enough Family time or is the Group aspect strong?

[YayDisney]

My husband and I have been to Italy several times, and to all of the locations in the itinerary. We are not generally "group travelers," usually I research and figure out places to stay and then we rent a car and wing it. On our family vacations, it's always just the 4 of us and we do that on purpose because our kids still want to hang out with us (yay!) and we want the focus of our vacation time to be enjoying our family, not enjoying other adults.

But, our kids have been dying to go to Italy and we think they are old enough to "get it" now. Our "wing it and see what happens" style may not be the most responsible approach when travelling Europe with two 12 year olds, so I am seriously considering ABD's Italy itinerary, thinking it will be a great introduction for them in Europe and a safe way for us to see how they handle it all.

I like that they have things specifically geared for kids, but is there enough time on your own so you can enjoy your family?

When the group eats, is it an adult table and a kids table? or do the families sit together?

Are the group activities separated into adults and kids? or are they geared for the family to enjoy together. Thoughts on this are really appreciated.

 

[Cousin Orville]

My husband and I have been to Italy several times, and to all of the locations in the itinerary. We are not generally "group travelers," usually I research and figure out places to stay and then we rent a car and wing it. On our family vacations, it's always just the 4 of us and we do that on purpose because our kids still want to hang out with us (yay!) and we want the focus of our vacation time to be enjoying our family, not enjoying other adults.

But, our kids have been dying to go to Italy and we think they are old enough to "get it" now. Our "wing it and see what happens" style may not be the most responsible approach when travelling Europe with two 12 year olds, so I am seriously considering ABD's Italy itinerary, thinking it will be a great introduction for them in Europe and a safe way for us to see how they handle it all.

I like that they have things specifically geared for kids, but is there enough time on your own so you can enjoy your family?

When the group eats, is it an adult table and a kids table? or do the families sit together?

Are the group activities separated into adults and kids? or are they geared for the family to enjoy together. Thoughts on this are really appreciated.

I think there's enough time on your own. That's pretty subjective though.

It depends on the dinner and the group dynamic. Occasionally the guides will specifically set up a kid's table, but more often the kids spontaneously create there own table. I'd say most meals you are sitting together as a family, but as the trip progresses you see the kid's forming their own table more and more.

Most activities are enjoyed together. However, if the guides think the activity may be a little dry for junior adventurers, like a tour of the inside of a chateau, they'll take the kids on a more fun version of the tour. Having traveled a lot on our own in Europe as well, this is one of the advantages of ABD. There are some sites you really want to see as adults, but it's challenging to make it truly interesting for kids. ABD can put a spin on that activity to really make it enjoyable for everyone.

 

[chloe77]

We did Viva Italia last summer. We were with the group for the majority of every day except for the occasional afternoon or dinner off. While with the group, though, you can mingle or not - it's not weird at all to just stick with your own family. We didn't have kids tables at any of our meals, but we were often seated with another family as we were four people and most tables sat 8-10. Only a couple of the activities separated kids and adults.

I don't think you can really understand unless you do it -- we are not group travelers either and we absolutely loved it. You can interact with the group as much or as little as you want, and I bet you'll find yourself wanting to more than you had anticipated.

 

[pinksand]

We did the Adults Only Italy ABD in 2016, so I can't speak to the kids' aspects, but one thing I wanted to point out is that you can always opt out. In Florence, we had gotten tickets on our own for the Uffizi (the ABD didn't go there), and it was our wedding anniversary, so we left the group and were on our own for the afternoon. There was another couple on our tour that was barely with the group for the first 3-4 days - they opted out of almost everything. If there's something on the itinerary your family isn't interested in, you can always go off on your own to have family time. Just make sure to tell your guides before you split off.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

I have only done adults only tours with ABD, but on the Italy trip I thought there was a great balance of group time vs. on your own time. And as a previous poster said, you can always opt out of an activity to do something on your own. Just make sure you tell the guides so that they don't panic over missing guests!

 

[kristilew]

We did the Italy trip as a family of 3 over Christmas a couple of years ago. I thought it was a good mix. Most days there is on-your-own time, whether it is for lunch or dinner, for exploring after a group walking tour. We also opted out of the past making day and stayed in Florence just the three of us. Also, if you add a pre or post day, or more, you'll have family time then.

The best thing about doing ABD and not winging it with kids is that the guides take on the "mom" role, so you will get a vacation too. They'll have the sunscreen and the snacks and the waters and the diversions when the kids get punchy. You'll have another glass of wine.

 

[Donalyn]

PP - the guides really do all of this "mom" stuff? Snacks? water? That makes me even more excited to go.

 

[sayhello]

PP - the guides really do all of this "mom" stuff? Snacks? water? That makes me even more excited to go.

Yes, they do! Even for the grumpy adults at times, too!

Sayhello