Arizona & Utah - 5/25-6/1 2 adults are back!

[BWV Dreamin]

This is the ABD I really want to take. Also looking at the adults only trip. Does anyone know when the 2017 trips will be announced? Is there still room for 2016?

 

[Chirple]

This is the ABD I really want to take. Also looking at the adults only trip. Does anyone know when the 2017 trips will be announced? Is there still room for 2016?

It looks like a waitlist message appears if the trip is full (see Italy & Switzerland departing July 8, 2016). We went with the all-ages trip to jump into the ABD pool at a less expensive price.

 

[sayhello]

This is the ABD I really want to take. Also looking at the adults only trip. Does anyone know when the 2017 trips will be announced? Is there still room for 2016?

Generally, ABD have been announcing the trip dates/prices in late May/early June. So I'd expect you'd get the 2017 dates in May or June of 2016.

If you look at ABD's website https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/north-america/grand-canyon-vacations/rates-dates/ they list one Adults Only trip for May 18 - 25, 2016. Since it's still listed, that means there's still room in the trip (it'd probably be listed as waitlisted if it was full). May is actually a great time to take this trip, because it's still not really hot yet.

Sayhello

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Thanks for all the info!

 

[Chirple]

Revisiting my thread because our trip is this year!

For those who have taken this adventure, what type of footwear do you recommend for the rafting part of the trip? I looked at ABD's suggested packing list. My husband has only worn flimsy water socks at Typhoon Lagoon; his everyday shoe is a pair of sneakers or his winter boots. He's not a sandal person at all. I have no issue purchasing a pair of water-friendly sandals. Will athletic shoes be sufficient for the rest of the trip?

What type of clothing did you wear on the rafting trip--bathing suits? My husband wears glasses, and I suggested to him that he bring his old pair for the rafting trip with a strap to hold them on his head.

 

[Bobo912]

Revisiting my thread because our trip is this year!

For those who have taken this adventure, what type of footwear do you recommend for the rafting part of the trip? I looked at ABD's suggested packing list. My husband has only worn flimsy water socks at Typhoon Lagoon; his everyday shoe is a pair of sneakers or his winter boots. He's not a sandal person at all. I have no issue purchasing a pair of water-friendly sandals. Will athletic shoes be sufficient for the rest of the trip?

What type of clothing did you wear on the rafting trip--bathing suits? My husband wears glasses, and I suggested to him that he bring his old pair for the rafting trip with a strap to hold them on his head.

I wore Keens for the rafting trip and my son had some other kind of waterproof shoe. Wore my running shoes for the rest of the trip. Strap and old glasses is a good idea. My son lost his glasses on the rafting trip, because he decided to jump off the raft when the guide and a few other people did. He had a strap for his glasses but he wasn't wearing it. I wore quick dry shorts and a rash guard. Son wore swim trunks and rash guard. I think most people in our group wore shorts, some with swimsuit underneath.

 

[sayhello]

I took a pair of Keens - absolutely fantastic! You can totally get them soaked, and they are fine, but they have a full sole that's going to protect the bottom of your foot, and have great traction. They are also extremely comfortable.

The rest of the time, I wore either tennis shoes or a lightweight pair of hiking shoes (the type that are basically tennis shoes on steroids). I wore those for the hike to Delicate Arch, and when one of the Adventure Guides and I took a hike out in the hills around the Red Cliff Lodge.

http://www.keenfootwear.com/product/shoes/women/newport-h2



For clothes, I wore a long-sleeve rash guard and quick dry Columbia shorts like Bobo912 did. And a hat!

Sayhello

 

[carpenta]

and the most important item....SUNSCREEN! reapply after getting out of the water. And wide brimmed sun blocking hat with a strap.

 

[Chirple]

Thanks, I knew I'd get great responses! We will most likely purchase sunscreen when we get to AZ since we are arriving a few days early for independent touring. We both tend to fry pretty quickly. Might have to drag him to REI to check out the waterproof shoes, hats with straps, and eyeglass straps. I wear Hoka running sneakers nearly every day and might look into their trail shoes as well.

I need to purchase a new swimsuit this year and was thinking of board shorts style. I'll check the rash guard tops as well.

 

[Chirple]

We have completed our first ABD, and we wish we were still on the trip. It was amazing!

I am not doing a full trip report, but I wanted to share some info in case it helps others with their trips. Feel free to ask me questions.

We arrived in Phoenix on 5/21, got a rental car from Alamo, and stayed at the Hampton Inn near Sky Harbor airport for one night. We drove straight to Tombstone the next day and spent 2 nights there. On 5/24 we returned to the Hampton Inn; the next morning we left at 11 to return the rental car and take the shuttle bus to Terminal 4. Keep that in mind if you arrive a few days early and get a car--rental agencies are all offsite.

Met our group at Starbucks between doors 4 and 6, which is at baggage claim on level 1. Had time to grab a quick lunch on level 3.

Our group consisted of 11 adventurers--3 siblings over age 11, their parents, their grandparents, and an adult daughter/mother duo. We had one guide, and she was fantastic. She said they thought about getting us a smaller vehicle, but we ended up with the huge bus.

The bus has a restroom, which my husband used a couple of times. He said it was okay as far as traveling bathrooms are concerned.

I have a sensitive digestive tract, and I had a few issues. The worst being the day we were hiking to the Delicate Arch. I barely made it up the first incline before I had to turn back and use the long drop (a nicer version of an outhouse). My group went ahead of me, and I was pretty mad that I had to turn back. I felt better after a bit and made the hike up on my own. Met up with my group at the top. If you think you might have intestinal issues, be proactive in what will keep them to a minimum.

As I previously mentioned, my husband is afraid of heights with too much open space. He pushed himself to take the mile hike into the Grand Canyon (you are mostly looking at your feet so you don't trip) and took a photo with me under the Delicate Arch. I was really proud of him.

Rapids on the rafting trip were really mild. One person in my raft and I both got the opportunity to guide it.

Weather was absolutely perfect. Make sure you are drinking the water they offer plus more.

I loved the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, and we adored the Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab. We stayed at the Maswik Lodge in the Grand Canyon. While not fancy, it was clean and comfortable for our two nights there. Plus it was a really quick walk to the canyon rim. We ate our on-your-own dinner at the onsite cafeteria. Lots of choices. I had a basic grilled chicken sandwich and a side salad, and my husband had the Italian sandwich, which disappointed him. (We have a local deli that makes the best Italian sandwich.)

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Thanks Chirple. This trip is still on my bucket list.

 

[Chirple]

You're welcome, BWV Dreamin! My husband said it was one of the best, if not THE best, vacations he's ever taken.

We loved Red Cliffs Lodge so much that we have already talked about going back. It was the only location that had self laundry (1.75 for the washer, 1.50 for 30 minutes on the dryer but can add more time at the start, and 1.00 for powder detergent). We did laundry at the Hampton Inn on 5/24 and then twice at Red Cliff.

 

[wdw4us]

Chirple:

We were on the trip just before you. 5/18-25th. We had Doug and Landon and two other guides, Samantha and Lorraine who were shadowing. Did you have either one of them?

Agree on the Enchantment and then Red Cliffs. Monument Valley and Moab and Red Cliffs were our favorites and all we talk about – going back there. We took the hike with Preston at Arches and saw a lot with him.

My husband is terrified of heights and because of this the Grand Canyon was not our favorite as it was VERY windy when we were there.

I have to say that we had the best vacation ever with ABD. It will be hard to beat that trip no matter where we go. We were 35 adults ranging from 18-70 and had a great time.

We flew in the night before and stayed at the Drury Hotel as they have free shuttle back and forth with a free breakfast. Highly recommend traveling before to avoid being rushed.

Glad you had a great time

denise

 

[carpenta]

We LOVED Preston. He really added so much to our trip with his "folksy" narration and good humor. When we went the temps were 115+ so the rafting trip or should I say rafting swim was high on everyone's list. Thanks for bringing back some great memories.

 

[Chirple]

You're welcome, carpenta! Wasn't Preston great? Since we didn't stay on the bus to tour the arches, our time with him was limited but very enjoyable.

Only the family of 5 arrived the first day of our adventure. The grandparents and the mother/daughter duo arrived on 5/24. I liked that we had time to acclimate to the time change (east coasters here).

wdw4us, Casey was our guide. It was her first solo tour. I believe she is doing the one starting tomorrow and then will be heading out for the SE Asia tours later this summer. She is quite the adrenaline junkie!

It started to rain on us a little on our way back up to the canyon rim. It actually felt refreshing, but we had to hurry in case the weather took a quick, nasty turn. Thankfully, only 6 of our 11 went on that hike.

I took the 5 am Boynton Canyon hike with 3 other adventurers our first morning at Enchantment. So beautiful watching the sun rise through the canyon. This was the only hike my husband skipped as it would have taken him 4 cups of coffee to get out the door.

Our temps were mostly in the 80s during the day. Monument Valley and Moab were pretty warm. I had to wear jeans when we did our ATV rides since my husband and I each took single rider vehicles. Sedona was much cooler and at some points needed to wear my fleece jacket.