Grand Canyon trip... does it fill up?

[CJinMD]

We are currently booked on the Grand Canyon trip for next May (Memorial Day), and the last time I checked, the only people booked were us (me, DH, and 2 kids) and another couple. I would have thought there would be more people booked (especially since we booked when there was a sale). Does this trip often fill up or should I worry about it being canceled?

 

[Chirple]

We took this trip this year over Memorial Day weekend. There were 11 of us--a multigeneration family (7), a mother/adult daughter duo, and my husband and me. We had one ABD guide for the whole group.

 

[CJinMD]

We took this trip this year over Memorial Day weekend. There were 11 of us--a multigeneration family (7), a mother/adult daughter duo, and my husband and me. We had one ABD guide for the whole group.

My boys will be 6 and 8 at the time of travel. Should I worry that there won't be any other kids? Im guessing they don't really cancel this trip if they went with only 11 people. Thinking about it, I guess there would be advantages and disadvantages of going with such a small group. How was your experience?

 

[Chirple]

For us it was one of the best vacations we have ever taken. There were 3 kids in the family, older than your boys but not teenagers yet. Our guide worked really well with them, and they adored her. The only issue we saw was that since there were no other kids on the trip that they continued with their normal sibling interactions. You have never seen such diverse personalities on triplets (yes, they were triplets--2 girls and a boy).

The mother/daughter duo thought it was an adults only adventure so they were a bit disappointed when they found out otherwise at the airport. The four of us spent a lot of time together, and I think having another pair without kids saved their trip.

Even if your sons are the only children on the trip, I think they will still have a lot of fun.

 

[CJinMD]

For us it was one of the best vacations we have ever taken. There were 3 kids in the family, older than your boys but not teenagers yet. Our guide worked really well with them, and they adored her. The only issue we saw was that since there were no other kids on the trip that they continued with their normal sibling interactions. You have never seen such diverse personalities on triplets (yes, they were triplets--2 girls and a boy).

The mother/daughter duo thought it was an adults only adventure so they were a bit disappointed when they found out otherwise at the airport. The four of us spent a lot of time together, and I think having another pair without kids saved their trip.

Even if your sons are the only children on the trip, I think they will still have a lot of fun.

Thanks so much for your input.

Did they keep everything pretty much the same, even tho it was a small group (transportation, activities, etc)?

 

[Chirple]

We had a few "surprises" that I have not seen done on other trips. Since we were such a small group, we were usually back to the bus before our due time which allowed for an additional outing. Also, not every person participated in every outing. For example, only 4 of us took the optional 5 am hike in Sedona, 8 of us did the geological walk at the Grand Canyon, 5 of us did the hike into the Grand Canyon, and 8 of us did the hike to Delicate Arch while the 3 older people stayed on the bus with the step-on guide (Preston) and went through Arches National Park. All of the activities outlined for this ABD took place.

They kept the huge bus for us. We had a lot of room to spread out. The kids all sat towards the back unless we were playing a group game.

 

[mousehockey37]

When I first looked at the thread title OP, I thought you were asking if the Grand Canyon filled up, lol...

 

[CJinMD]

We had a few "surprises" that I have not seen done on other trips. Since we were such a small group, we were usually back to the bus before our due time which allowed for an additional outing. Also, not every person participated in every outing. For example, only 4 of us took the optional 5 am hike in Sedona, 8 of us did the geological walk at the Grand Canyon, 5 of us did the hike into the Grand Canyon, and 8 of us did the hike to Delicate Arch while the 3 older people stayed on the bus with the step-on guide (Preston) and went through Arches National Park. All of the activities outlined for this ABD took place.

They kept the huge bus for us. We had a lot of room to spread out. The kids all sat towards the back unless we were playing a group game.

Thanks, sounds like you had more advantages than disadvantages.

When I first looked at the thread title OP, I thought you were asking if the Grand Canyon filled up, lol...

LOL!

 

[sayhello]

Many kids are still in school over Memorial day weekend, so families won't tend to take them out of school that close to the end of the year. My May Arizona/Utah trip was only Adults Only because no kids were signed up.

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

We had a few "surprises" that I have not seen done on other trips. Since we were such a small group, we were usually back to the bus before our due time which allowed for an additional outing. Also, not every person participated in every outing. For example, only 4 of us took the optional 5 am hike in Sedona, 8 of us did the geological walk at the Grand Canyon, 5 of us did the hike into the Grand Canyon, and 8 of us did the hike to Delicate Arch while the 3 older people stayed on the bus with the step-on guide (Preston) and went through Arches National Park. All of the activities outlined for this ABD took place.

They kept the huge bus for us. We had a lot of room to spread out. The kids all sat towards the back unless we were playing a group game.

We had a group of 16 when we did this trip and had the same experience. The smaller group allowed for a few extras that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. And we were all upgraded to cabins at Red Cliffs Lodge, which was total overkill for a us, since there were just the two of us, but very nice. We still had 2 guides with our group (the fabulous Chris & Tiffany) so there was lots of attention and lots of photos for each family.

 

[Love2Cruz]

How strenuous are the hikes on this trip? I am in OK shape and I do alot of Disney/Orlando Theme park trips that requires long periods of walking...but are these hikes strenuous inclines? Just don't want to get in over my head. I wouldn't be doing this trip till 2018 or 19..and still haven't decided on itinerary yet. TIA

 

[Chirple]

How strenuous are the hikes on this trip? I am in OK shape and I do alot of Disney/Orlando Theme park trips that requires long periods of walking...but are these hikes strenuous inclines? Just don't want to get in over my head. I wouldn't be doing this trip till 2018 or 19..and still haven't decided on itinerary yet. TIA

It's different than walking/standing in the theme parks. All hikes are optional, but here's what I found:

Boynton Canyon - seemed like a gradual incline. No breaks needed.

Grand Canyon - the majority of the hike feels gradual on the way down and up, but we went further into a steeper decline since there were only 5 of us doing it. Coming back up we had to stop for a break right after the steeper incline and then took maybe one more break on the way up. We actually had to hustle a bit on the way back because it was starting to rain a little.

Delicate Arch - it's 2 miles up (and back), and some spots are more steep than others. Since I ended up hiking this alone on the way up, I only took two quick breaks to drink water. When I looked at the photos taken by our guide, it looks like they took a few breaks on the way up.

You will be walking/climbing over rock and dirt surfaces so areas will be uneven. Wore athletic shoes for each hike. My suggestion is to start incorporating some incline walking at a decent pace as well as working your core, which is important in preventing back pain.

 

[Love2Cruz]

No worries, I didn't find it offensive at all.