Which did you like better? What do you think is the best value for your money? How was touring with a group on ABD? I am used to traveling independently but not internationally. Thanks for any insight!
I think one has to look at where one is going...if you want to see Italy then do the tour. I loved the sights we saw while on the Imperial CIties. I did think that Disney spent way more on the hotels than is necessary. There are other tours that see the same sights, but don't cost as much. I have done other tours (in England) so I was ready for the be up and ready to go at 7am type of thing. What Disney did that helped was they facilitated the border crossing very well, and the interface with the hotels. I have posted on another thread my comments
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http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1584227 )
I didn't find it overwhelmingly "disney" as one would think! The guides were holding signs for Prague and they were not the iconic signs, just a square white sign that had the ABD logo on it.
when with a group one is hearded from place to place with a limited amount of time in each sight. We felt short timed in some, and others were way too long - this is specific to each person. If you are a photo person - be ready to take them quick! you may not get enough time to do what you want. (this is true with most tours - not just Disney)
A cruise is wonderful - but isn't about the ports as someone else posted. We did the back to back crossing and 1st med, I also did the first panama crossing. Taking the fact that the whole thing was new to everyone on the ship out of the equasion here...I find the excursions were well done (yea a few glitches - but it was the first time!!) we saw a lot of stuff, but all for short amounts of time (again, same as if staying in the country on a tour - it's 2pm we are due at ...) I jokingly call all three of those cruises "tapas" cruises...a taste so one knows if one wants to come explore on one's own indepth.
We had a lot of free time to shop or wander around, I personally liked this. My travel companions didn't so again - that is a personal preference. On the cruise we had NO time to shop at all...run run run was the order of the day. We had one day to see all that a city had to offer. whew.
Personally I would do an ABD if your main focus is sightseeing and really experiencing the destinations. I LOVE cruising and have taken nearly 60 Disney cruises, including the repo from the Med this past summer. I absolutely loved the cruise and would do it again in a minute, but the one negative was that I felt I only got a little sampler of each port. I was left with a distinct taste of wanting more, so much so that DH and I are going to book a European ABD in 2009. We haven't decided which one yet...that is going to be the hard part! I definitely want to be on a guided tour, and we'll experience ABD with Hollywood/
Disneyland in April, so if that's good it will seal the deal for Europe.
I agree with the sampler portion, I also love cruising - for the ship! They are beautiful, and classic!!
We had done 3 Disney cruises prior and loved them all. Wanted to see Italy and decided on ABD because you would see more. Cruise would give you very limited time in places you wanted to see. More like a floating hotel. Wanted to experience the cities of Italy and thought day trips from the ship would not be enough time to capture the cities. The Viva Italia ABD trip we took was fantastic and we really felt like we soaked up the culture. My thought process is cruises are great for relaxation and catching a few places for a short period of time (we have only done cruises to Caribbean locations). In order to see international places ABD is best for our group (less hassles with language, customs, getting around) and we have already booked another for London next summer.
Anything from Disney costs but is worth it. Life is all about choices!
Disney is the most expensive out there - both in cruises and tours. Please remember - Disney has subcontracted the whole tour process...this means the mouse is on it but one can feel the difference wiht the personell. (we have been on just the one tour - and were disappoointed in the guides).
Any insight is much appreciated!!!
