Germany ABD 2018 Mini Trip Report *COMPLETE*

[riot23]

Hi all! I thought I’d compile a mini trip report that might be useful to some who might be interested in taking this adventure in the future.

This adventure was completely re-imagined and this is the very first season it is running and we are the fifth trip this summer.

I'm Christina, the primary researcher, planner and Disney addict of the family. My mom, Linda and I planned to take this ABD as our "pre-trip" before heading to Copenhagen for a Baltic Cruise.

We spent 5 days in Berlin back in 2016 and I absolutely fell in love with Germany. We have German heritage and I am fascinated by many of German historical events. We chose this particular ABD because it worked logistically with our other travel plans but also because it would allow us to see if would enjoy the ABD product because kinda already we knew we'd enjoy the destination.

Pre-Days:

We spent 5 days in Prague before we headed to Munich by bus (super affordable and easy!) for 2 pre-nights ahead of our ABD. We stayed close to the Munich Hauptbanhof at the Hotel Metropol. We did a day trip to Salzburg before the start of our ABD which allowed me to check another country off the list.

First off, our wonderful ABD guides for this departure were Mark Chris and Zuza!


DAY 1 - MUNICH

As I mentioned, we arrived in Munich 2 days before our adventure so I can’t comment on the airport transfer. We grabbed a cab from our hotel near the Hauptbahnhof and made our way to the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski.

As usual ABD has provided top notch accommodations and we were kindly greeted and our luggage whisked away and magically appeared in our room moments later. After completing hotel check-in, we met with our guides at the welcome desk where we received our welcome gift.


Of course we had to take some "goofy pics"

After getting things settled in our room, we headed out to explore Marienplatz and Viktualienmarkt and grabbed a bite to eat at a bakery. We’ve definitely enjoyed all the great breads and pastries Germany has to offer.

After returning to the hotel we met in the lobby at 4pm to meet our fellow adventurers and head out on a walking tour of Munich. We all introduced ourselves, received our first pin *squee!* had a complimentary beverage and met our local guide Michael. Michael spared not a minute jumping into Munich’s history in a very engaging and exciting way. His passion for history is easily seen through his amazing storytelling.


Michael giving us a history lesson. His bag was full of fun props!

We headed out on our walking tour, we saw many significant sights of Munich, including the Glockenspiel at Marienplatz and the Michael Jackson shrine. I can't remember exactly we saw but all in all our group was completely riveted by Michael.


Marienplatz


Michael Jackson shrine - something I didn't expect to see in Germany!

As our walking tour concluded we had supper at Ratskeller which is originally a restaurant build under Munich’s city hall and it’s where politicians would eat.

Supper was served family style and we had a starter of local style salads and pretzels. The main courses were Alaskan pollock, roast pork, beef, breaded chicken and fried zucchini with a variety of accompaniments. Dessert was Black Forest cake, apple strudel with ice cream and apple fritter donuts. We really enjoyed the meal. Zuza and Mark Chris acknowledged all Adventure Insiders for returning and made mention of the very early wake up time in the morning, breakfast at 6:30 for a 7:15am departure.

We had a quick walk back to the hotel and promptly passed out after getting all our things ready for the next day.

We were VERY excited because the next day was a visit to the *real* Cinderella's Castle

 

[OhanaCuz]

Thank you for sharing this!

 

[acndis]

So happy you are writing this one! I would love to hear about your pre-days in Prague and Munich and more about the bus from Prague. Can't wait to see more.

 

[2-pointdoe]

We are planning Germany for our 2020 trip.

 

[cyndiloveswalt]

We did Prague this past spring and had such a great time! What a beautiful city. We are going to Munich in April and Just added on 3 days in Hallstatt Austria. It’s funny you say that about the Michael Jackson memorial. We stayed at the Intercontinental in Prague and it sits just below the park on the hill with the big metronome. We had a great guide one day for a walking tour and he told us there was once a big statue of Stalin there and after that fell Michael Jackson came to tour and stayed in our hotel and they had a huge statue of him placed there. I think it was there for quite a few years. Guess the Europeans really liked MJ!
Can’t wait to hear more about Munich. Please let me know any must sees!

 

[OhanaCuz]

We did Prague this past spring and had such a great time! What a beautiful city. We are going to Munich in April and Just added on 3 days in Hallstatt Austria. It’s funny you say that about the Michael Jackson memorial. We stayed at the Intercontinental in Prague and it sits just below the park on the hill with the big metronome. We had a great guide one day for a walking tour and he told us there was once a big statue of Stalin there and after that fell Michael Jackson came to tour and stayed in our hotel and they had a huge statue of him placed there. I think it was there for quite a few years. Guess the Europeans really liked MJ!
Can’t wait to hear more about Munich. Please let me know any must sees!

Right outside the hotel Disney put us up in in Budapest was a tree that was a shrine to Michael Jackson.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/michael-jackson-memorial-tree

 

[riot23]

So happy you are writing this one! I would love to hear about your pre-days in Prague and Munich and more about the bus from Prague. Can't wait to see more.

Thank you so much! We really enjoyed the trip and Germany really is one of my favourite places in the world!

As for Prague it was the first stop on our trip and it was a good reintroduction to Europe. There's so much to be said for the charm and history in this city. It really is remarkable.

We stayed at the Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel which isn't in Old Town but is close enough. We didn't find it to be a problem due to the fact that everything is Prague is very walkable. Aside from our cab rides from the airport to the hotel and the hotel to the train station where we caught the bus to Munich, we walked everywhere. We enjoyed the Sheraton very much and were able to book 5 nights on SPG points which was a fantastic value for us.

With Prague being so scenic, we spent many days just walking the different neighbourhoods and exploring everything there was to see. Charles Bridge was beautiful and the views of the city from Prague Castle were great. Also be sure to check out a local pub for some delicious (and cheap!) food and beer!

We did a day trip to Terezin Concentration Camp Memorial with Pavel Batel from Terezin Private Tours and it was one of the most meaningful experiences I had in Europe. I would highly recommend booking a tour with Pavel if you are at all interested in the history of the Holocaust. The camp is about an hour outside of Prague and really worth visiting.

The bus we took from Prague to Munich was an IC BUS operated by Deutsche Bahn that left from Praha hlavní nádraží Prague's main train station. It was a 5 hour bus ride, with decent wifi and only cost 38 Euro for 2 people. This was a great value for us seeing as a cab ride to the airport would have been as much as the bus ride to Munich!

Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[riot23]

DAY 2

We set the alarm for 5:45, way too early for my taste, but we had to get ready, we have to see the castle that inspired Walt Disney! When I was first researching this trip, this was definitely one of the highlights I was most looking forward to.

It was absolutely incredible. The bus ride was around 3 hours but Michael kept us entertained with history and giving us some context for today’s locale.

Upon arrival we took a quick washroom break, we took a couple photos by the lake and then headed to the line for the Castle shuttle and had about a 15 minute wait. ABD is unable to book this excursion as a group so we entered the lines with all the other visitors. From a logistical perspective it wouldn't be too challenging to book this visit on your own, but I very much appreciated being able to relax and simply enjoy the sights. The guides were great about making sure we were all together.


The fresh water lake by the shuttle stop. Michael, our local guide, was encouraging us to take a dip, but it looked way too cold! Didn't stop him though!


The shuttle bus up to the bridge and castle. They crammed as many people as they possible could on the bus.

Once we got off the shuttle we got some amazing photos of the castle from Marienbruk, the bridge that was built for King Ludwig’s mother. The view was unlike anything I’ve ever seen but I couldn’t get off that bridge fast enough, thanks to my fear of heights! The planks on the bridge were a bit wobbly, so I was sure to be quick and grab my photos and get out of there. It really is a great photo spot, though.


My favourite photo of the entire trip! What a magnificent castle!


Marienbruk, aka the *scary* bridge

We then made our way up to the castle and Michael showed us some photos of the interior and shared some more insight behind where we would be touring in the castle. The timing of entry is very precise. You only have 5 minutes to enter with the indicated time on your ticket.


We had an 11:25 entry time. Our guides filled the time by taking photos and Michael explained some of what we would see inside.

Once we passed the turnstiles, there are a lot of stairs to climb. The front facade of the castle was under construction and was covered by scaffolding. This seemed to be a common theme all over Europe, I guess summer really is construction season all over the world. Once inside the castle, we each received a tour listening device and had a quick tour through select interior rooms with an english speaking guide from Neuschwanstein Castle.

The best part of the castle itself has to be the balcony just past the café on the way out.


Views from the balcony on the way out of the castle. Be sure to stop for some great pics.

ABD springs for the horse and carriage ride back down to the bottom of the mountain, which all us adventurers appreciated, especially after all those winding staircases. A great example of that ABD pixie dust.


An great picture of all the awesome adventurers on our trip! You can actually see both Austria and Switzerland from here too.

We walked by the lake, used the WC and indulged in a quick ice cream from one of the small shops before heading back to the meeting spot for 2pm. Some adventurers swam in the lake and others went for lunch. We boarded the coach for the 2 hour return trip. On the bus our guides explained that they would be giving us vouchers for dinner. The original itinerary for this adventure included a group meal at the iconic German beer hall, Hofbrau Haus. They mentioned they moved to this voucher system, 40€ for each guest to dine at the Hofbrau Haus or a selection of about 15 or so other restaurants in order for guests to have a much more authentic experience to eat alongside the locals.

We went for an early dinner around 4:30-5:00 and had absolutely no trouble getting a table. We both ordered the Wiener schnitzel, an enormous german beer and an Apfelschorle (sparkling apple juice) for me. It was a neat place to experience, but be warned there are a lot of tourists and some locals just looking for some free beer.


If you love beer, Munich is the place to be.


A traditional wiener schnitzel! It was huge, but very tasty

After dinner we walked around Marienplatz, grabbed a gelato and went back to the hotel for an early night. We were pretty tired after the early morning we had. But it was an amazing day to remember.

Next up: Deutsche Museum, Lunch at a Monastery and a relaxing evening.

 

[carpenta]

Didn't you just love Michael? He was one of the best we ever had. Michael took all the kids on our trip swimming in the lake and a few even swam far enough across to be in Austria across the border that runs through the center of the lake. Love your report. Thanks.

 

[riot23]

Didn't you just love Michael? He was one of the best we ever had. Michael took all the kids on our trip swimming in the lake and a few even swam far enough across to be in Austria across the border that runs through the center of the lake. Love your report. Thanks.

Michael was AMAZING! He was a great introduction to ABD, but we soon discovered he was in an entirely different category all on his own. He teaches the history with so much passion and creativity, it's really impossible not to engage with him. It's truly incredible the way he is able to connect with guests so quickly and make everyone feel special.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm enjoying looking back on the trip and remembering all the fun we had! Can't wait for the next trip.

 

[riot23]

DAY 3 - MUNICH

Today had two activity options for the morning either an excursion to Dachau, former concentration camp departing the hotel at 8:30am or an excursion to Deutsches Museum, the world’s largest science museum leaving an hour later.

Full disclosure, most of our group chose to experience Dachau and I think most of them found the experience to be very meaningful. We have previous visited Saschenhausen outside of Berlin two years ago and visited Terezin, Czech Republic on this trip prior to the start of our ABD. Mom decided she had seen enough concentration camps for one lifetime since the experience can be very emotional and intense. I’m glad that Disney has given the opportunity to guests to have this unforgettable and impactful experience. If this adventure is your only chance to visit a Holocaust memorial or concentration camp, I’d recommend going. With that said, we chose to visit the Deutsches Museum. After having two full day guided tours at the previous concentration camps we've visited, I was hesitant to only visit Dachau for a few hours, knowing that it’s nearly impossible to get the full scope in such little time. If anyone else wants to chime in and comment on the Dachau excursion, please do!

The Science Museum group had 7 adventurers and one guide. This is a different activity than what was originally mentioned in the itinerary. They no longer visit the BMW Museum. The guides mentioned that it wasn’t really what they expected and there wasn’t a lot for guests to do and it was generally underwhelming.


Here's our small Science Museum Group

Upon arrival at the Science Museum we started at Astronomy on the 6th floor. On this floor most displays were bilingual. This was not the case for the remainder of the museum. I’m not really *into* science, so while the displays were neat to look at, I’m not the primary demographic. This would be a Mecca of sorts for those that love to explore the history of science. There were many interesting models and some mildly interactive exhibits.


We did get some pretty good views of the city from the roof of the museum.

Our guide, Mark Chris took us for a quick snack break, on Mickey's dime of course, as we waited for our minibus to pick us up at 12:30. We had an hour or so bus ride before we arrived at Klosterbrauerei Andechs Visit for a beer tasting and lunch.

This is how Disney describes this activity:

Visit the magnificent Andechs Monastery high atop Holy Mountain and home to the Andechs Monastery Brewery. Partake in a tasty lunch in the outdoor biergarten before enjoying a beer tasting with commentary by a master brewer.

In reality, we were all essentially squished in a small, hot room; not the outdoor biergarten that was advertised. The brewmaster attempted to do a quick beer tasting while waitresses were busy bringing food and drinks to everyone. It was very noisy and difficult to hear any descriptions.


Lunch inside the restaurant. Where's the outdoor biergarten?


Some of the beers included in the tasting.

If this had been one of the activities that I had looked forward to on the itinerary I would have been very disappointed. This excursion is definitely an area where Disney could improve. After about an hour, which was more than long enough in my opinion, we were on the bus and headed back to Munich.


The *required* photo with the bear statue

The evening and dinner were on our own, we had our obligatory afternoon nap and headed out for supper around 6pm. Keep in mind that there is no shopping in Germany on Sunday so aside from restaurants there wasn’t much to see and do in the main square. So get your shopping done early, fellow shopaholics! We went to the Hard Rock Café in search of any food that was not sausage or schnitzel. We had to wait over half an hour for a table as it was very busy.

Upon returning to the Kempinski we decided to go for a quick swim in the pool and get a head start on packing. The spa area on the 6th floor of the hotel consisted of a decent sized pool, a change room, multiple treatment rooms, a fitness area and a lovely terrace with some nice views. It was a nice place to relax and have some alone time, much needed for this introvert.


A great way to end the day, especially with the incredible heatwave Europe was experiencing.

 

[indoshakespeare]

I love Bavaria. And that castle is probably the most beautiful man-made structure i've ever seen.

 

[riot23]

So sorry for the hiatus! I promise to post the rest of this trip report in a timely fashion now that I've finally made my photo book of my trip. It was fun to remember all he great memories we made with our ABD group!

DAY 4 - NUREMBERG AND ROTHENBURG

This morning we had to have our bags outside our door with luggage tags for 7:15. We got up around 6:30, got ready for the day and were headed to what was our last time at the incredible Kempinski breakfast buffet. We met on the bus at 7:55 for a 8:00 departure and were off to Nuremberg.

The guides played Bedtime Stories on the entertainment system which many people seemed to enjoy, while I worked on my trip report

Upon arrival in Nuremberg our coach picked up our local guide Ingrid at the bus station and carried on to the court house. We did a quick washroom break and got the chance to sit inside Courtroom 600 which is where the Nuremberg Trials were held from 1945-1946 after WWII. The stop was very quick maybe 15-10 minutes or so, the courthouse was FULL of other tour groups.


Inside Courtroom 600, where the Nuremberg Trials were held.

Our coach then dropped us off just outside of the main square and where we started our walking tour and mini culinary tour with Ingrid as our guide. First up was a stop at Bretzl for an authentic german pretzel with butter. I didn’t have one, as I don’t like pretzels but everyone else seemed to enjoy. Next we made our way to the underground art bunker. This was one of the more interesting sights we saw.



Inside the bunker museum.

We walked down a tunnel which took us underground into what was originally a beer cellar. During the early stages of the war, the city of Nuremberg knowing what was coming due to having many Nazis on their city council. They had all the precious art hidden in this underground bunker to be safe from destruction. Ingrid mentioned 3 men were tasked in 3 shifts so there was always someone there with the art. It was so secret, not even their wives could know where they were working. The cellar at the time was heated but now is very cold and damp, which was actually a bit refreshing to us since Europe is in an extreme heatwave.

After the art bunker, the guides took family pictures and we stopped for a beverage at a local pub / restaurant. This was a nice opportunity to enjoy the company of fellow adventurers. Next up was the obligatory German sausage! We all cozied up in a small restaurant and were each served 6 sausage links with mustard, sauerkraut and potato salad. The sausage tasted reminiscent of breakfast sausage back home and was pretty enjoyable, despite the fact that we were all melting.

After the sausage we finished off the culinary tour with gingerbread distributed by Ingrid. I was given some small chocolates due to my nut allergy. The guides gave us an hour and a half or so of free time to explore Nuremberg before heading on to Rothenburg. Mom chose to grab some spaghetti eis, aka spaghetti shaped ice cream, which I had to pass on again due to my allergies. But the free wifi at the restaurant appeased me for a bit. We did a quick walk around the square, and headed for a drink at Starbucks, where we found our guides were hanging out. I want to say we met at the meeting spot at 2:30 and were off on the 1.5 hour ride to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.


Enjoying some "spaghetti" eis.

Rothenburg is an incredibly neat place to visit, which I hadn’t even really ever considered visiting but I’m glad Disney has kept this as part of the Germany Tour. Watching our coach maneuver the marrow archways and cobblestone roads was a feat in and of itself.


Outside the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas Store on the same street as our hotel.

We arrived at the Hotel Eisenhut, which is a hotel which had been converted from 4 mansions. Each room is furnished differently in a distinctly historic style. Something to note is that this hotel has very weak wifi and no air conditioning. Not dealbreakers by any means but it’s worth adjusting your expectations to experience the authenticity and charm of this storybook town. A fan was provided which did help keep us cool enough while sleeping.




Our room at the Hotel Eisenhut.

Dinner was on your own and the guides recommended a couple restaurants. We chose to eat at the Hotel Reichkuckenmeister as did quite a few other families from our group. I had the Alsacian flatbread and mixed salad as my body has seriously been lacking anything resembling a vegetable on this tour. Mom had the pork schnitzel and fries. And because I’ve had to skip many of the desserts, I easily indulged in a creme brûlée. Yum!

We made our way back to the hotel, and settled in our room before we went to meet in the lobby for a walk with the Nightwatchman at 8:30pm.


Every family got a picture with the Nightwatchman. A true Disney touch!

Turns out mom had too much beer with dinner and had to pass on the tour. We met our Nightwatchman and posed for pictures. He took us on a tour of Rothenburg and explained the significance of his job in Medieval times. Other tourists were actually trying to join along with our group, but our guides kindly let them know the nightwatchman was just for us! It was neat to have the sun set while we were on our walking tour. Experiencing Rothenburg at night was pretty cool and quite picturesque.


Rothenburg really must be experienced, pictures just don't do it justice.

After the walk, our guides surprised us with a quick beverage, my first time trying a Spezi (cola and lemonade mix), and our pin upon return to the hotel at around 10pm and it was lights out!


Spezi is quite tasty

Next up: More fun in Rothenburg.

 

[riot23]

DAY 5 - ROTHENBURG

This morning was one of the activities I was most looking forward to... PRETZEL MAKING! Because the kitchen of the bakery is so small, our group of 28 was split into 2 groups, 9:10 and 10:10. We had no preference since we had been getting up relatively early on this tour each day. Getting up and ready for 9:10 wasn’t a big deal. We had a quick breakfast at the hotel, didn’t quite compare to the spread at the Kempinski but it was still pretty good.

We did a photo op on our way to the bakery and then we were on our way to make pretzels. The town really is incredible picturesque and we got one of my favourite photos from the trip.



Even though I don’t like to eat pretzels I do love to bake. We entered the kitchen at Backerai Striffler, it was still quite cramped and hot even with our only half of our group. Alex the apprentice baker, cut the dough and showed us all how to roll and form an authentic german pretzel. Of course, ours paled in comparison but some came pretty close. I’ve been assured that they tasted delicious.



After the pretzel activity we were officially certified pretzel bakers and had free time until the optional Medieval Costume dress up. We chose to skip this activity but our fellow adventurers that participated said they had a really good time. Each family was assigned a time and had 20-30 minutes for photos. We saw some pretty hilarious pictures of Mark Chris dressed up as a princess! Or should I say, Martha Christine...

Dinner wasn’t until 6pm at the hotel, so we had 7 or so hours of on our own time. We did some shopping at Käthe Wolfahrt a incredible Christmas themed store. It’s really worth visiting even just to see the amazing displays. We walked to the park just down the street from our hotel and enjoyed the views. After some more shopping the heat was becoming unbearable and we returned to the hotel for a rest.

Around 3:30 we decided to go walk around some more and sit in the main square for some good old people watching before dinner.

At 6pm we met in the dining room. We had preselected our meals on the bus the day before. This is one area I have a slight criticism of ABD’s procedure. I totally understand the logistical need for guests to preorder their meals in order for meals to be timely and efficient. On multiple occasions we are given a simple description of 3-4 options. Perhaps it’s because of my allergies, but I’m someone who really wants to read the entire menu description. For example, for this meal I chose the vegetarian spicy pasta with vegetables. Had I known it was a “cheesy lime sauce” instead of a red sauce I would have ordered differently. I would appreciate being able to preorder off a fuller menu with more options. Maybe this is unrealistic, but hey, a girl can dream.

After dessert, apple fritters for those without allergies and ice cream for those that do. The guides took the junior adventurers to the park for some games. It seemed like a great opportunity for the kids to bond some more and play together. We enjoyed having some lengthy conversations with some other families and then we headed up to our room to start packing.

 

[riot23]

DAY 6 - BAMBERG - BERLIN

This morning we had to have luggage ready and outside our room for 7:00 am and departed on the coach for Bamberg after breakfast at 8:00. The guides advised that our luggage would be traveling on the coach the entire way to Berlin, whereas we were transferring to the ICE train in Bamberg that we should only bring what we were able to carry around on the walking tour of Bamberg. The coach ride was pretty uneventful and we were all set for a walking tour after about an hour and a half.

In Bamberg we were met by two lovely women dressed in Baroque dresses who led us around the town. They gave us a quick history and their banter was cute. We had a quick WC and photo op stop about 20 minutes into our walk. The timber houses along the river were quite lovely and the baroque facades on other buildings showed the evolution over time.


Our wonderful costumed guides with our Adventure Guide Zuza.

We had a quick 15 minute in our own to grab a water or ice cream until we walked to the train station. Most of the group, us included grabbed a bite to eat at the McDonalds and we walked to the platform as group for a 12:42pm departure. The train was an ICE train that travels around 200km/h. We were seated in first class and it included the all important wifi! We chilled for 3 hours and before we knew it, we had arrived in BERLIN!


The Berlin Hauptbahnhof where our ICE train arrived from Bamberg.

We took a quick coach ride to our hotel, Regent Berlin. Our hotel room was well appointed with 2 queen beds, a desk and a very nice bathroom with a bath tub and a walk in shower.



We headed out right away and walked to Berliner Dom to enjoy the sights.


Berliner Dom - One of my favourite sights in Berlin.

After heading back we got ready to meet in the lobby for dinner at 7:15. We crossed Gendarmenmarkt and went to a local restaurant. Didn't think to write down the name, sorry!


Berlin is full of amazing architecture. Pictured here is Konzerthaus Berlin.

We were served family style, lots of different sausages, cucumber, potato and coleslaw salads along with roasted veggies. The potato salad was amazing and I would've happily enjoyed an entire bowl to myself. The meal included all beer and soft drinks too which was much appreciated from our group. Overall tonight's dinner was really good!


The only photo I took of the food. So much sausage... when in Germany, I guess.

Although our group was bummed that there was no real dessert just cheese and grapes. Other tables looked to be ordering some delicious treats! Come on ABD, your girl loves dessert! After making it back to the hotel around 9:45pm, we headed to bed to gear up for a busy day in Berlin.

 

[riot23]

DAY 7 - BERLIN

This was my absolute favorite day of the entire tour. We started off today with the obligatory hotel breakfast, which was adequate but not stellar. I think we met in the lobby for 9, but don’t quote me on that.

We boarded a coach for our highlights sightseeing tour and had a new step on guide. We arrived at Brandenburg Gate, took some family and group pictures and got the brief history. We walked through the gates, crossed the street to the spot where Reagan gave his speech in West Berlin in 1987. There we received our pin of the day. After a short stroll through the Tiergarten, we arrived at the Bundestag, the government headquarters of the city. We glanced at the Reichstag and were on our way to the Memorial the Murdered Jews.


Brandenburg Tor

I think it’s a big miss for Disney not to arrange a walk up the glass dome of the Reichstag. We did this on our trip two years ago and would highly recommend it. It was such a neat architectural feature and gave great views. Hopefully this is something ABD will consider adding to the itinerary in the future.

We had around 15 minutes at the memorial which allowed adventurers to walk it on their own and really feel the immensity and weight of the tragedy it represents. Afterwards we rode the coach to Checkpoint Charlie. I guess some might find it neat to see, but in all reality it is just a very busy intersection in a very commercial area with plenty of scammers and pickpocketers so be very carefu!. Our guides actually spotted some pickpocketing taking place and intervened. ABD guides solving crime a little at a time!


ABD Crime Stoppers in action

Lunch was at Dom Curry where we had plenty of sausage options from the traditional pork to ostrich, buffalo and even a vegan option. I think most of us stuck to the traditional pork currywurst served with fries and sweet potato fries with our choice of drink. I really enjoyed the lunch and the chance to sit outside and enjoy some shade. By this point in the trip the overbearing heat was a constant and any relief was greatly appreciated.


Our super delicious Currywurst lunch

After lunch we took the coach to the East Side Gallery where we got the chance to see some of the Berlin Wall still intact they had been preserved and now serves as an art memorial. I would’ve loved to spend more time here but we were allotted only 10 minutes. Afterwards along with our new step on guide and two artists we went to the Hackescher Markt area where we went down an alley way and were greeted with some really neat street art. The artists described some history of street art and helped us understand some of the basics between tagging and graffiti.


The East Side Gallery


Hackescher Markt - a neat peek into urban Berlin


Just one of the amazing examples of street art we saw.

Next up was a surprise highlight. The ABD itinerary describes:

Street Art Tour and Graffiti Workshop

Get an introduction to Berlin’s vibrant history of street art at Gendarmenmarkt by a local street art guide. Check out some examples throughout the city as you pass the districts of Kreuzberg and Friedrichhain. The tour will end at Humboldthain Music Club for a Graffiti workshop where Adventurers will utilize stencils to create your own graffiti on canvas.

As mentioned, the area we toured had changed from the original itinerary. The graffiti activity was a lot of fun. After a quick beverage break, the artists demonstrated a variety of techniques of how to layer and stencil spray paint on canvas. All safety gear was provided but wearing what was essentially a plastic bag in some of the hottest weather it really just made everything even more sticky and wet.

Adventurers of all ages enjoyed the opportunity to be creative and the artists were more than willing to help those who needed a hand. I thought this was a very fun experience that left me with a very memorable keepsake. Certainly something you can only get with ABD.


All our fellow adventurers in their protective gear working on their stencils


My final street art masterpiece!

After an already busy day, we headed to the Ritter Sport chocolate store for a make your own chocolate bar and and snack in the cafe. Of course I did some souvenir shopping and purchased *just a few* bars to bring back home. ABD treated us to the DIY bar and snack / drink in the café which was much appreciated and really Junior adventurers went with one of the guides and had their own DIY experience which looked like lots of fun!


My favourite Ritter Sport! Yum!

We got back to the hotel around 5:30 and we were on our own for dinner. We refreshened up and headed to a local pub a couple blocks away for our last pork schnitzel of the trip. This was such a fun and active day. This is exactly what I had anticipated from ABD and it did not disappoint.

 

[riot23]

DAY 8 - BERLIN

This was the last day of our adventure. The scheduled activity for the morning was a Bike Tour of the Berlin Wall. As biking wouldn’t be our activity of choice, we did decide to opt out as did 5 others in our group. The guides did offer the option for a walking guide too. Instead we decided to do a bit of shopping and browsed some of the stores in our neighbourhood, making sure to stop at the Birkenstock store.

The day before, the guides polled interest for Museum Island passes for the on your own time that afternoon. This would be a voucher left at concierge that would allow entry to all the museums on Museum Island. I don’t think any families took the guides up on this offer. However some of us did express interest in a Spree River Cruise. The guides arranged for us to get vouchers for the hour river cruise and that’s why we did for the afternoon. It was sweltering but nice to cruise the river and see some of the sights from a different perspective. Afterwards we did a little more shopping around the Hackescher Markt and Alexanderplatz areas.

We were to meet for dinner at 5pm in the lobby. The guides escorted us to a lounge area in the hotel where we were treated to drinks. We shared some trip memories and we were off on the coach to Clärchens Ballhaus for dinner.

It was particularly hot and muggy on this day, it would have been great to have a table outdoors. However we had a reserved table in the restaurant that had VERY squished and uncomfortable seating. We had preordered our meals on the bus to Bamberg 2 days prior. Most adults ordered either the steak or the fish and the kids a pizza option.

Unfortunately, the steak option came with green beans, which I happen to be allergic to. They offered to make me a new one but to be honest, the kids pizza option looked WAY more appealing. Which most of the adults agreed with after eating their meals. They were unable to fulfill this request, but our guide switched out his meal for mine and I got to have the pizza. ABD guides really will sacrifice themselves for their guests. I told him Via Napoli is on me next time we’re at WDW. Thanks Mark Chris!

The drinks were unlimited and flowing. We left around 9:30 after a little after the dancing began. Upon return to our hotel, Mark Chris who was leaving early the next morning to head back to the states, bid his final goodbye and handed out the final pins for the trip. A couple of us headed to the hotel patio bar for a nightcap and chat. It was a really nice time. It was sad to say goodbye to these newfound friends. And then it was to the room to pack our bags.

DAY 9 - Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland!

The dreaded last day of our adventure.

We headed down for breakfast around 9am as we had a transfer to TXL at 10:15 for our 1:15 flight. A couple of or adventure families were eating at the same time we were. We sat with another family and enjoyed our last meal together.

Just a heads up that Tegel airport is quite small and a lot of the smaller airlines won’t allow you to bag drop / check in and go through security until an hour before your flight. Of course in Disney fashion they are erring on the side of caution to have you at the airport 2+ hours before departure. Zuza met us in the lobby and we had our final hugs and goodbyes before heading to the airport.

We waited for a couple hours before being able to check in and catch our flight to Denmark!

Sorry for the lack of photos!

 

[riot23]

FINAL THOUGHTS / WRAP UP

I started this TR while on the trip and continued my travels afterwards with a Baltic cruise and on my own for other European destinations. I’ve had some time to consider the overall experience and value of ABD and if it’s something I would do again.

I think ABD is an amazing product, but not without an equally jaw dropping price tag. As one of the travellers on our trip said, “It’s because of our love of the Disney product that we’re willing to add the extra zeros to a trip that one could do with another provider.”

I can’t say that I disagree, but with that being said, I would absolutely do an Adventures by Disney again. We actually booked the SF / BSM DIS exclusive trip for next July. The fact that the California trip allows for exclusive Disney content and experiences that are not available elsewhere make the ABD very appealing and seemingly well worth the price in my opinion.

I would also pay the ABD premium for more exotic locations where I might have a harder time getting around in terms of logistics or a large language barrier. For instance the Japan, China and South Africa trips appeal to me. As someone who is in charge of all the logistical planning of all family vacations, I very much appreciated having Disney take care of the planning and execution for me. It was quite relaxing to just show up when I needed to and set my luggage out the door. Tinkerbell was sorely missed for the rest of our trip!

I would recommend this Adventure overall but I still think there are some small adjustments to make for future departures. If you have a desire to visit Germany and taste a lot of beer and sausage, you’re gonna LOVE it!

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions!

 

[FoodieFriend]

Thank you for your trip report! ABD Europe is on my bucket list, so seeing what people think really helps me narrow down which adventure to consider. While I do want to try all the sausages & schnitzel, none of us drink beer/alcohol, which is a large part of any European ABD, I'm guessing.

 

[riot23]

While I do drink occasionally, most of the time I chose the non-alcoholic drink options. I think the inclusion of alcoholic (beer / wine) drinks at the meals was a nice touch, I wouldn't say that it added or removed any value from the experience. There were always alternatives. I would agree it is part of the European culture, most certainly with beer in Germany!