Happy New Year! Where are you headed in 2018?

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I’m not OKW Lover, but I will try to answer this from my own perspective.

I have done Backstage Magic nearly every year since 2010, and this year will be my 7th (and 12th ABD overall).

More than anything else, the thing that keeps me coming back are the groups. Each group is different, and brings its own unique energy to the experience. For me, it keeps the trip fresh and exciting! Over the years, I have been very lucky to have been part of some wonderful Backstage Magic groups, and have made several lasting friendships.

I have also watched this trip evolve over the years. While the major components of the trip have not changed (ie; Studios, Imagineering, DL, etc.), the experiences at these locations have never been exactly the same. I don’t want to share some of the things I’ve seen/done on Backstage Magic and spoil any surprises, but I will say that the experiences at Jim Henson Studios and Imagineering in particular have gotten even better over the years. I’ve also never had the same exact experience on the Disneyland Park or California Adventure days.

Jason

Thanks for the insight. We’ve talked about how this is the only ABD we would consider doing again but we’ve been turned off large group travel by poor group experiences on both our ABDs. Our Backstage Magic group wasn’t too bad because we had the common interest of Disney and wanting to know more about Walt and the history of Disneyland but the same can’t be said for our second group. Not even the common love of Disney was enough to make our group experience a good one.

 

[AlixaLock]

Mother/daughter backstage magic in July! Can’t wait ...!

 

[SingingMom]

Thanks for the tip! One question about flying out. Did you fly out of AGP Malaga? I see it's 50 min away from the hotel and you have to book a flight after 12pm. Did guests still leave the resort in different vans depending when their flight was or did everyone drive to AGP together? Many of the flights leave pretty late in the evening.

We took the high speed train from Malaga back to Madrid, then spent two extra nights in Madrid with DD's friend who was an International Intern with her at Fantasyland! He gave us a wonderful post tour of Madrid from a local's point of view! We stayed at a Marriott for two nights, then flew back to US nonstop from Madrid. It really made for a tremendous addition to the trip and the flight was much more affordable from Madrid.