Is ABD the right choice for our bus-tour adverse family?

[rexalite]

We are looking to book a special trip for my husband's parents 50th wedding anniversary, for the four adults and our only child, our 6 year old son. We are having trouble finding a trip that will suit all of us. My husband and I are adventurous, and also like geeky history and cultural kind of expeditions. My in-laws are not as active and would like shopping more than museum activities. My in-laws definitely like luxury travel, and wouldn't fly somewhere if it were in coach/economy. My husband and I took a Disney Cruise a few years back with our then 3 year old and really enjoyed it, and have taken a number of cruises since then.

One thing that we have learned via cruising is that we don't really like the group tour shore excursions. I found it really frustrating to be spending so much time in the day waiting for other group members to show up at our designated meeting time/place. Also, by having 100 people in our group on that excursion, the tour was really limited in terms of where we could go for meals. Instead of going to local "foodie" type places we had to go to large generic restaurants that could serve many people quickly. Also I didn't really like travelling by bus. After one group shore excursion, we have since given up and now book privately through options like Tours By Locals. The cost is about the same, but I much prefer having the private shore excursion.

Also we are not really "Disney" fans per se. We are considering an ABD tour because it is hard when you have an only child. Our son would much prefer a trip where there were lots of other kids around. So that is the attraction of the Disney option for us.

So, tell me honestly. Is ABD a fit for our family or not? The prices we have looked at (looking at Greece, Italy/Switzerland, Germany/Austria/Czech Republic) in the neighborhood of 6,000 per person say to me "luxury" travel, but when I read the detailed itineraries, it is all travel by bus between the itinerary stops. This makes me worry that my in-laws might not find it luxurious enough. I know everyone is different, so I realize that while these trips might be great for some people, do you think they would be great for my family?

Thanks so much for your input! I appreciate your suggestions.

(Our old DIsney trip report is here http://stopclamoringalready.blogspot.com/2011/12/true-confessions-our-disney-cruise.html )

 

[nunzia]

I don't know how else they would get groups from place to place? I found ABD to be a wonderful VIP trip..but that is me. The groups are small..I think the max is around 30-40? You have 2 guides plus local people. Your every need is thought about before you think it. Like when you board the bus (very nice cushy bus) you may be given snacks and water. I'm sold on ABD and I think your family would really enjoy it.

 

[Bobo912]

I think any group tour is going to use a bus to get from location to location. Depending on which ABD itinerary you choose, there is a possibility of some long bus rides, although there is usually a short stop along the way. A lot of the meals are buffets and I've never found any of the meals to be particularly "luxurious". That is one of the shortcomings, IMO. The max group size used to be 40, but it's not any longer. Not sure exactly what it is, since they don't list it on the website. I was on an ABD with 44 guests last year, and with a group that size there is some standing around waiting on people, not because the group was inconsiderate or not punctual, but because it takes a while for everyone to use the restroom, pay for their purchases when shopping, etc. Obviously, there is less waiting if you are lucky enough to get a smaller group. But with a smaller group you will have fewer kids and there is no guarantee there will be any other kids. One of our ABDs a few years ago had 30 guests, but only 5 were kids. If you contact ABD, they will tell you how many children are already booked and their ages.

 

[MOpGrad2013]

This is a very good question, as I am planning a trip for our DD's graduation in 2016. I found that if I want to take our DS3 (will be 5 at time of travel), there are not that many companies that have the excursions you mentioned available. Many other companies are adult only, and their prices are lower than ABD with more "sophisticated" excursions. They also list smaller group activities.

I am talking about Viking and Trafalgar. But to tell the truth, if I want a FAMILY destination vacation with the services of transportation and tour guides, I would choose ABD. The only way I can see to avoid buses and waiting on other folks is to just travel without the company..thus choosing your plans and paying for each museum that day.

 

[sayhello]

If it hadn't been for what you said about wanting other kids around for your son, I'd've said "Go for the private tours, ABD is not for you". But that's because the things you listed are an issue with *any* group travel. They're not going to get 15 limos to transport 40 people from place to place. You're going to have "luxury motorcoaches". And, as Bobo912 said, you're going to have a bit of waiting, just because it takes a while for 40+ people to use the restroom or get gelato or pay for their souvenirs. Even if you go "super-luxury" with Abercrombie and Kent (which is more expensive than ABD!) you're going to travel in motorcoaches, and wait for people. And likely have fewer children.

That being said, if you want to do the group experience for your son's sake, I'd say ABD is a really good choice. From my observations, the ABD experience is going to be far superior to what you experienced on your DCL excursions. I did the ABD add-on to my 12-day DCL Med cruise, and we crossed paths with the excursions from time to time, and I saw the cattle-car aspects of it, and the massive number of folks. ABD's tend to be limited to 40 - 44 people (although, as Bobo912 says, it's no longer specified in their policies.) But I've found most people on ABD's to be *very* conscious of getting to the meeting areas on time.

But there will be busses (*motorcoaches*). There will be some waiting around. BUT, there will be 2 dedicated Adventure Guides, doing everything they can to make your trip enjoyable and run smoothly and keep the kids engaged and foster a sense of "family" amongst the travelers. The ABD Adventure Guides are, hands down, the best thing about ABDs. You will also usually have one, or even sometimes two, fabulous local guides to talk to you about the site, and the history, and the human side of what you're seeing. You'll have cultural experiences that not a lot of other companies would be able to arrange.

Ultimately, only you can decide if you're willing to give up some of the "Luxury" aspects of private tours for the social aspect of group tours. I'll just say that I took the Greek ABD last year, and the hotels we stayed at (especially the one on Crete!) were wonderful, and we ate virtually all our lunch & dinners in Tavernas and not generic restaurants. The food was *very* good on that particular ABD. (Although it really isn't the norm, even when the group is small).

Sayhello

 

[acndis]

I think the previous posts have been excellent and I don't have too much more to add except that my family has also been very adverse to group travel. We love fine dining and nice accommodations. We do love Disney World so we decided to try ABD for the first time when my son was four so we could go someplace else besides the Magic Kingdom.

Our first trip was Greece and we've done two others and will do three more by the end of next year. They have been perfect for us for the following reasons:

1. We don't have to worry about finding "kid friendly" restaurants in Europe or other destinations. At home, we take our son everywhere. We did not feel as comfortable to doing this other places (especially Europe). As I mentioned, we love fine dining and we have had to forgo some of that on these trips but the food has been great and unique and we felt comfortable with our son.

2. There is a lot of downtime from the group. On all of our trips, there were plenty of opportunities to get away from the structured environment, see things on our own, or even take a nap. My husband was really concerned that we would be overscheduled and have to socialize with the group all the time. It's not like that at all. It's very laid back.

3. With that said, we have LOVED our fellow adventurers. We've met wonderful people on all of our trips and we are probably the most anti-social group you will ever come across. However, we still keep in touch with folks on our adventures and chose to spend quite a bit of our free time with them (especially in Ireland).

4. Our son being an only LOVES the Juniors program. He has been madly in love with every Adventure Guide we have had and has loved the other kids. He has always been the youngest but they've always included him and he has found a way to participate. This is the biggest bonus for him and it is wonderful that he has met people from all over the country and been able to be a kid on our vacations (snowball fights were the highlight in Wyoming).

5. There is always at least one "adult night" which is wonderful. My husband and I had a wonderful dinner together in Crete while our son was at the Juniors night. We never get to do that at home or even in WDW.

6. My dad has started joining us. He loves to plan travel but loved giving the reigns over to Disney once he saw how organized and well-planned everything was. He is in his seventies so there is something for everyone.

7. Finally, when I don't plan the trip, I find myself doing things I never would have been interested in doing and LOVING it! A full day of dog sledding? A bike ride? Kayaking? All my other trips were spent in fancy restaurants or at the theatre. I found I love all the outdoor activities and they have been my favorite of the trip.

So, that's my two cents. ABD has worked wonderfully for us. We really do love it!

 

[kristilew]

While there is bus travel on all the trips, it is with a purpose, and the time is never wasted. You don't "tour" on the bus, you get from one place to another. If you were to go on your own between cities in Europe, you'd have to get around somehow as well. Yes, you might do so a little more luxuriously than motor coach, but on the ABD you will have guides to give you great info as you travel, and your child will get to sit with other kids and have a blast - you won't have to entertain him.

As for your inlaws preferring shopping: you will need to choose your ABD carefully if this is make-or-break. We have tended to do the more adventure-focused trips (Peru, Galapagos) and while there are souvenirs, there is not high-end shopping. We are do the Italy trip this year, and it looks like there will be much more opportunity for real shopping. The guides on our trips have always been very helpful with tips for where to buy what items, and what to pay.

Also, you should probably choose a trip that has several on-your-own dinners. Again, the guides will be happy to make suggestions to fit your foodie wishes, and often to make reservations for you. But some trips are more conducive to this than others.

Finally, while there is some amount of "hurry up and wait," the ABDs we've done definitely don't feel like we are moving in a herd. If you move faster than others, one of the guides will go with you to lead the way. If your inlaws are slower/less mobile, there will be options offered to accommodate them. We have even had situations where our child went off with another family because of diverging interests, or where one kid joined us as we explored. The point being, your group is not really just dumped out at the start of an excursion and told to meet back up. You are literally guided all along the way, so there is much less room for frustration.

Having said all that, you do have to have the right attitude to enjoy these trips. Your group might be happier at a resort somewhere that you could put your child in the kid's club program, you and your hubby could go hiking or diving, and your inlaws could hit the high end duty free shops. BUT, if you are willing to roll with it, these trips are big fun.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Cruise ship excursions are not in the same league as ABD travel. We've done 3 previous DCL European cruises in the past and really dislike excursions. In the majority of ports we hire private guides. In maybe 1 out of 7 ports we'll do a shore excursion for specific reasons (for example DCL organized a ball in Catherine's Palace on the Baltic). Generally though, I'm not a fan. ABD is nothing like that. The guides are of a totally different caliber, and the attitude and atmosphere is fundamentally different. Think of it more as a bunch of friends taking a trip together with cream of the crop guides. I wish there was more information on just how selective ABD was on picking their guides because however they do it, it make s a difference.

My biggest gripe personally is sometimes the restaurant selections are not good as they should be. I've had one trip where I thought it was very good and another that was hit or miss. As I suppose it may help to judge how picky or not I am, I'll say I'm not a huge fan of DCL's main restaurants. I do like to find good restaurants for the pre nights and nights off. That helps.

As far as serious shopping time... There's definitely time to get out and find cool souvenirs etc. But, your not likely to have time to go on a major clothes shopping spree in Paris.

 

[Pakey]

I've only been on one AbD, am a huge Disney freak and like luxury travel. I'm also in the grandparent age group. I've done a lot of international travel independently and I've gone on one other group trip, which was Egypt with Llindblad/National Geographic.

I did the London/Paris AbD.

I would not consider AbD luxury travel. I have stayed in much nicer hotels on all of my other international vacations and the food certainly wasn't that good (my biggest disappointment). The AbD accommodations were decent but they were not The Four Seasons. The food was mediocre and very Americanized. We are very adventurous eaters who like high end dining so the food alone has kept me from another AbD.

I thought the AbD itinerary was well thought through and provided a good variety to give you a glimpse at the variety. Our tour was 44 people which did cause some waiting as we had one couple in the group who were oblivious to group etiquette. Everyone was very nice and I thought AbD did a great job in this area. The bus transport was not bothersome. I felt rushed much more than I do when traveling independently but I expected that and didn't mind so much because the 42 other people were all very nice.

Our guides were nice but not close to what we experienced on our Lindblad trip. Since our AbD was adult only, perhaps our guides were better trained for family travel. I would grade them with a B as compared to an A for the Lindblad guides.

As a shopper, I didn't think there was enough time but by adding days onto the front and back of the group portion, I was able to get more time.

I can only speak for myself but if I were to do international travel with my grandchild, I would put that above my own wants. I would prefer to travel independently but if my granddaughter would have more fun in group travel, I would be happy too. I would not mind giving up my nice room at The Raffles and my gourmet dinners to watch her make some once in a Lifetime memories.

 

[carpenta]

I've only been on one AbD, am a huge Disney freak and like luxury travel. I'm also in the grandparent age group. I've done a lot of international travel independently and I've gone on one other group trip, which was Egypt with Llindblad/National Geographic.

I did the London/Paris AbD.

I would not consider AbD luxury travel. I have stayed in much nicer hotels on all of my other international vacations and the food certainly wasn't that good (my biggest disappointment). The AbD accommodations were decent but they were not The Four Seasons. The food was mediocre and very Americanized. We are very adventurous eaters who like high end dining so the food alone has kept me from another AbD.

I thought the AbD itinerary was well thought through and provided a good variety to give you a glimpse at the variety. Our tour was 44 people which did cause some waiting as we had one couple in the group who were oblivious to group etiquette. Everyone was very nice and I thought AbD did a great job in this area. The bus transport was not bothersome. I felt rushed much more than I do when traveling independently but I expected that and didn't mind so much because the 42 other people were all very nice.

Our guides were nice but not close to what we experienced on our Lindblad trip. Since our AbD was adult only, perhaps our guides were better trained for family travel. I would grade them with a B as compared to an A for the Lindblad guides.

As a shopper, I didn't think there was enough time but by adding days onto the front and back of the group portion, I was able to get more time.

I can only speak for myself but if I were to do international travel with my grandchild, I would put that above my own wants. I would prefer to travel independently but if my granddaughter would have more fun in group travel, I would be happy too. I would not mind giving up my nice room at The Raffles and my gourmet dinners to watch her make some once in a Lifetime memories.

......what a nice perspective on travel with family.......I agree with your review of the food and hotels but the family travel is "what it's all about" with ABD IMO.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

The max group size used to be 40, but it's not any longer. Not sure exactly what it is, since they don't list it on the website. I was on an ABD with 44 guests last year,

I didn't realize they'd changed that! Keeping the group numbers small was actually one of the key benefits of ABD compared to other tour groups. I think that is a major step in the wrong direction. It almost makes me want to wait until the last minute to book to be sure we weren't booking one that had that many people.

To chime in on OP's question though, I think there have been so great answers in this thread (actually some of the best discussion on this subject that I've seen). We've been on 2 ABDs and love them--both involved at least one day of fairly long bus rides (Scotland and Ireland). My family is not a bus family either, and although by the end of the trip I was VERY happy to not have to go on the coach again, ABD does a great job making the time go by, as well as breaking up the long distances with stops and/or surprises. As others have said, there really is no way around coaches unless you hire a private driver tour guide, which I've done a number of times. A private tour guide is great, but you lose the camaraderie of the group, which we've enjoyed on both ABD tours. I've been on one other organized tour (alumni travel group) that was higher end than ABD, and they, too, used coaches. As for the luxury quotient, some of our hotels with Disney have been 5 star (Balmoral in Edinburgh, for example). If that is important to your inlaws, it's easy enough to see the hotels on each itinerary and use trip advisor to check them out. In general they tend to pick one of the nicer--if not nicest--accommodation in the area. Sometimes there isn't a 5 start to choose from. With kids in the mix, I think ABD is the most high end choice in group travel. Have fun whatever you decide!

 

[ldo]

random suggestion---DisneyParis staying at Marriott Vacation Club
This Aug., we went on a Med. cruise and then flew to Paris afterwards. We stayed at the Marriott Vacation Club at Disney Paris (near a large high end shopping center). We chose the M as our Paris spot for the accommodations and the fact that we were doing some things outside of Paris. We only went to Disney 1 day and Paris 1 day. I would say the M was luxury. Look it up online. The most adorable replica Monet village with individual 2-3 bedroom townhouses. Cute village town withing walking distance. Rental bikes at M to ride around the lovely property and tree-lined sidewalks (you could bike to downtown Disney). We would go back just to stay here.
You can easily book private tours to Reims (cathedral and champagne houses), chateaux such as Fountainbleu, and, of course, tours into Paris. You could take your son to DLP 1 day, as well. My kids have been all over Europe and this was one of their favorite places. You could easily contact the concierge ahead of time to get ideas and have her book private tours for you. We even went to a 13th century village (Provins) an hour away and climbed a castle built in the 1200s. In the summer, Vaux de Viscount (sp?) has the chateau lighted at night with 1000s of candles with special high-end dinners.
Downside, not many kids and no "buddies" for the entire trip, but the M does have a fully staffed kids club, small movie theater, indoor pool, etc. Summer will have lots of activities, "fun nights" for kids only, etc.
Otherwise, I would suggest the signature ABD is they are offering them vs. the regular.

 

[Woodview]

To Rexalite of post 1.

To be honest the ABD trip would not suit your family.

I have no idea of where you live or how /where you are joining the tour.

Lets say you are joining the tour in Europe and the coach will hold 44

passengers

Now of these 44 ... 5 will be in your group ( Age 2 x 70 + , 2x? + 6 year )

How many of the remaining 39 Passengers will be under 10 .... I think

very few .

I would suggest That A really good Camp site .... NOT TENTS

BUT Mobile HOME type would be a far far more relaxing holiday

FOR YOUR MIX of Family

OR A VERY GOOD AMMIENITY Hotel

Your 6 year old would have many children to play with .

Your In Laws could relax in the sun .

AND you 2 can do trekking etc Hillwalking +


THERE are many of these in Austria , Switzerland , North Italy , Andora , & Spain & South France

Travel from U.K by Air or By Train.


This might not be to your liking OR to the Spirit of ABD

BUT IT IS AN HONEST REPLY

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I'm not sure why you would consider any tour for such a group trip, which you could easily plan yourself. It might work for 4 adults, but when you add a six year old, it's going to be a completely different trip.

Find a city you all want to visit (I'm assuming you want to go to Europe from your post). There are many choices which are great for adults and children; London, Amsterdam, Paris, etc. For the price of an ABD tour, you can stay in a luxury hotel, eat in nice restaurants, etc. You and your husband and son can break off for things you want to do (go to the park, visit kid friendly museums, etc), and then meet up later with your parents.