If you had to do it over again would you have chosen ABD for your vacation?

[Bete]

I feel ABD charges alot for their vacations. I'm still debating if it's worth it or not. I think for some destinations it might be worthwhile, but for others I'm having my doubts. I think I'm most concerned about North American trips. It would seem you could do better on your own for cost and customization/personalization touches. All of us have different tastes and it seems with ABD you don't have a lot of options if you take one of their trips. As an example, say you are travelling with older people like grandparents, etc. Some of them may not be able to hike, etc. for health reasons. What does ABD do in those cases? Afterall, if this is a family oriented vacation you could easily see three generations going on a trip. It could also be that a very young child couldn't handle the excursions. You get the idea.

Please share your opinions.

 

[redzinner]

Most of the trips I would do with ABD, especially the non-USA trips. We traveled to Italy with them last year (Viva Italia) and are going on an Ireland trip this year. The unbelievable convenience of the Disney total package was and is worth it to me. The best part is the group feel that is achieved with the Disney Guides.

We have traveled across country several times and have no problems doing this ourselves. It was just the 2 of us so there was no problem in deciding what we wanted to do along the way. If it were a family of 6, I think I would do Disney - no discussion about what time to get up, whose schedule to be on, etc ... it's already decided. Is it worth it? Only you can decide.

Multi-generational trips are no problem for a Disney tour if all in the family can navigate for themselves. Guests always have the option of not doing a strenuous activity. Options are staying at the hotel, walking the city or taking the bus ride with everyone and then just staying on the bus, while others do their thing. Disney is up front with the fact that their adventures are not suited for physically challenged guests.

You can't believe how much of a vacation it really is ... Disney sees to everything!

 

[kjd469]

1000% yes....I would do all of their itineraries if i could!! (Maybe I'll have to win the lottery first )

 

[nordkin]

We will absolutely do ABD trips. We have done Southwest Splendors and are booked for Quest for the West. We did an adults only trip and I can tell you the friends we made are priceless. We have done other guided tours and none have compared in quality and we have not kept in touch with any of the people. The only thing we had in common was the trip. On our ABD trip we had a lot of DVC owners and people who love Disney.

Although we have traveled throughout Europe and the US on our own, we felt we did and saw more with ABD than we would have on our own.

I guess it is a matter of what is important to you. Yes they are expensive, but worth every penny to us.

 

[Aburns8]

After taking the Backstage Magic tour, I was convinced that I would take all the tours through ABD. I think that the experience you would get is much better if you tried it on your own. Our trip last December was canceled, and we were lucky enough to take the adults only tour we originally wanted to take. I think ABD is new and is having growing pains. But at least they are trying to accomodate people into other trips.

 

[TDC Nala]

Australia trip worth everything I paid for it. (I've only been home a week)

Personally I would do only the adults only tours.

 

[nordkin]

Personally I would do only the adults only tours.

We agree with you, but unfortunately Quest for thr West does not have an adults only. We booked what we think is the next best thing, a trip right after school starts in September. Last time I checked, which was a few weeks ago, there were still no children on the trip.

 

[sayhello]

I feel ABD charges alot for their vacations. I'm still debating if it's worth it or not. I think for some destinations it might be worthwhile, but for others I'm having my doubts. I think I'm most concerned about North American trips. It would seem you could do better on your own for cost and customization/personalization touches. All of us have different tastes and it seems with ABD you don't have a lot of options if you take one of their trips. As an example, say you are travelling with older people like grandparents, etc. Some of them may not be able to hike, etc. for health reasons. What does ABD do in those cases? Afterall, if this is a family oriented vacation you could easily see three generations going on a trip. It could also be that a very young child couldn't handle the excursions. You get the idea.

Please share your opinions.

Absolutely, positively would do it again (and I am)! I took the Southwest Splendors tour, and I know I could never have done a trip this great on my own! All the details, the special touches, the great care of the Guides! On this tour, if you weren't up to, say, the hike to Delicate Arch, they took the folks who didn't want to hike around Arches national park on the bus, and they had a private tour of the park. But the guides were *great* with the folks who were iffy about the hike, and encouraged them, and walked at their pace (that's one of the beauties of 2 guides!) and everyone who started the hike made it all the way to the Arch! They always seem to have some sort of alternative set up if you don't want to do the more strenuous activities.

I think it all depends on what's important to you, but I totally thought ABD was worth it.

Sayhello

 

[kristilew]

I would do the adults only as well. Oh, wait, oops, I have a kid Well, maybe we'll sneak off one of these summers while she's at camp!

Actually, for having a kid, it was still one of the best vacays hubby and I have taken, as they kept the kid so occupied and entertained. For the entire trip, I didn't have to be the mom, and that was worth every penny.

We had a couple in their 70s on our Peru trip and there were a couple of strenuous things that they weren't sure about. The guides were fabulous about accomodating them and keeping them included with slight modifications. As for little kids who couldn't keep up, that's what the age limits are for.

Yes, you can do it all on your own, and save a little $$. For me, there's other ways I'd rather spend my time than wrangling the family, finding a place to eat, making sure there's water and snacks, figuring out the perfect photo spot, standing in line, driving to the next location, dealing with hotel check in, lugging bags, etc, etc. On an ABD, all that is handled. And handled well.

 

[DopeyDave]

Personally I would do only the adults only tours.

We wanted to do that when we booked our Viva Italia tour for September. But there were no more early booking discounts left, so we were torn between 'full price' and kids. We finally decided we could have obnoxious adults on a tour just as well as bratty kids. So we bet on the thought that there'd be few kids, if any, on an Italy tour right at the beginning of school anyway. Eight months until we find out whether our gamble pays off!

 

[Turtlemom]

I would do another ABD in a heartbeat. Although I'm sure I'm paying a premium for the trip and I know I could go to the same places on my own--I have completely enjoyed both ABD trips we have taken with the kids. (Hawaii '06 and Southwest Splendors '08). We are currently booked on the 8/11 Quest for the West. The disney guides do an amazing job of bringing the group together and making it feel like family, not just a bunch of people sharing a bus. Also, on each trip there were some couples without children and they seemed to enjoy being with everyone just as much as we did. We still keep in touch with some families we have travelled with and the added "touches" and memories are priceless.

It is hard to see that ABD is struggling this year with cancellations, but I hope they continue to provide the excellent travel experience that they have given our family. I'm looking forward to trying more ABD itineraries, including the European and Asian ones.

Turtlemom

 

[abbyjt]

We have loved all 3 abd trips we have taken (London and Paris, Southern Spain, Germany). Our kids loved them too. We travel quite often with our 3 children and are quite comfortable going anywhere and finding our way around and finding restaurants etc. The abd trip is just a different kind of trip. It is totally worth the money. Heading to South Africa this June.

 

[TDC Nala]

We wanted to do that when we booked our Viva Italia tour for September. But there were no more early booking discounts left, so we were torn between 'full price' and kids. We finally decided we could have obnoxious adults on a tour just as well as bratty kids. So we bet on the thought that there'd be few kids, if any, on an Italy tour right at the beginning of school anyway. Eight months until we find out whether our gamble pays off!

It isn't that the kids would be obnoxious. One feature of the tour I thought was excellent was the bonding between the group. Of course maybe this was just a good group, but I'm told on the kids trips families with children tend to hang together (would make sense, families aren't going to invite singles to hang with them). I'd think to be the only non-family with no children might not be preferable for me. of course if you're on a tour with no adult only options, what can you do.

 

[nunzia]

I would certainly do ABD again. We did Backstage Magic and there is no way you could duplicate that trip on your own, nor could any other tour group do it. The access was just amazing. When we took into consideration the quality of accommodations and meals we figured it wasn't all that expensive.They are very organized and take very good care of you which instills alot of confidence. For some reason, the couple we went with didn't seem as pleased with it as we were, so if we do it again, we'll just go without them
I wish they'd do a new York trip..(not that Boston/NY which was cancelled). You know..see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, city tour, Broadway shows..I'd do that! NY really intimidates me to do alone.

 

[kristilew]

It isn't that the kids would be obnoxious. One feature of the tour I thought was excellent was the bonding between the group. Of course maybe this was just a good group, but I'm told on the kids trips families with children tend to hang together (would make sense, families aren't going to invite singles to hang with them). I'd think to be the only non-family with no children might not be preferable for me. of course if you're on a tour with no adult only options, what can you do.

Actually, on our Peru trip, we hung out with two couples who were there with no kids, and one pair that was an aunt with her adult neice.

Our DD was off with a new friend most of the time anyway, so it was like a mini adults only trip for us. We did have good family time too, of course, but did not really hang out with the other families.

I think it's just a matter of who you click with. We liked one couple so much, we did a fall trip with them, and are meeting them again over spring break - and they don't even have children.

 

[BriarRosie]

After taking the Backstage Magic tour, I was convinced that I would take all the tours through ABD. I think that the experience you would get is much better if you tried it on your own. Our trip last December was canceled, and we were lucky enough to take the adults only tour we originally wanted to take. I think ABD is new and is having growing pains. But at least they are trying to accomodate people into other trips.

I enjoyed our adults only tour, and I would definitely want to book another one.

 

[travelingirlie]

I absolutely LOVED our Australia trip! Worth every penny and I would do it again if the economy was better!

We travel all the time with our kids (15,12 and 8) and they have been traveling since they were very young. Our first trip with a tour company was to Israel when my kids were 10, 8, and 4 and then we did galapagos when they were 12, 9, 5 and israel again the next year. We also just recently did thailand.

I was chatting with my kids about which vacation they liked the best, and Australia won hands down. They said they LOVED disney!!!! All 3 of them have been searching the itineraries and begging to do more!!! they wish we had done all of our trips through disney!
I would do it again for sure!!!!!!

It was also a really nice break for me! I wasn't always worrying about my kids, because they were always taken care of. Everything was soooo easy!! My oldest daughter (14 on the trip) has a bunch of food allergies, and the guides made it sooo easy and didnt draw too much attention to it. I didnt have to worry one bit about what they were putting on the table.

She also has a bit of OCD and they were great with providing itineraries and answering any questions she might have. (Much better than my husband and I who plan on a whim )

They were also AMAZING with my youngest who ABSOLUTELY LOVED mike!! He was GREAT with her! My son also had a great time with all the kids his age!

My husband and I thought it was great to talk to other adults with kids.
Man! I can't wait to do another one!!!

 

[Phil1019]

Hi, My daughter and I loved the Backstage Magic tour last year in April. We felt like VIP's at all times. This year I booked The Costa Rica adults only tour (4/18/09). Trip ended up being cancelled. I did rebook for July, however I don't think I will be booking another trip with them in the near future. I is very hard to change vacation dates at the last minute since I am a nurse. I think I will bank on a sure thing next year.

 

[Pakey]

For my husband and I, I'd have to say the answer is "maybe". We did an adults only London Paris last year (with added days in both cities) and were scheduled to do Costa Rica this fall until it got cancelled. Now we are going to do Costa Rica on our own with pretty much the same itinerary as AbD keeping our original travel dates.

The reason I say maybe is that there is some convenience in having things pre-arranged. However, with a good travel agent, you can still get most of that convenience. What I really disliked about AbD was the dumbed down food choices. We had spent 2 weeks touring Italy in 2007 and the thing we enjoyed the most was all of the places we found to eat. On our London/Paris trip, we did not enjoy any of the included meals (hotel breakfast was nice but you get that when travelling on your own anyway).

 

[Happy99]

For my husband and I, I'd have to say the answer is "maybe". We did an adults only London Paris last year (with added days in both cities) and were scheduled to do Costa Rica this fall until it got cancelled. Now we are going to do Costa Rica on our own with pretty much the same itinerary as AbD keeping our original travel dates.

The reason I say maybe is that there is some convenience in having things pre-arranged. However, with a good travel agent, you can still get most of that convenience. What I really disliked about AbD was the dumbed down food choices. We had spent 2 weeks touring Italy in 2007 and the thing we enjoyed the most was all of the places we found to eat. On our London/Paris trip, we did not enjoy any of the included meals (hotel breakfast was nice but you get that when travelling on your own anyway).

I agree 100% on the meals - for the prices they charge for these ABD's they really need to up the food offerings.