Is an Adventures by Disney Trip Right for Me?

[brightmango]

I’ve been thinking about trying an Adventures by Disney trip but don’t know much about them. If you’ve been, who do you think would get the most out of this type of trip?

 

[dismsn]

I'm currently on my first ABD tour and on a bus to Rome with my husband. We are on the adults only Grand Europe tour. We've never done a group tour before and we're really enjoying it. Everyone is nice and has a great sense of humor. We have one solo traveler and everyone has welcomed her during meals, etc. Several of us have spent the on your own time together and that's been fun. For our tour, we are on our 4th, and last, hotel tonight.

To enjoy this type of traveling I think you need to be open to others, be willing NOT to see everything in each location (at least for this tour there isn't time), and be okay with things not being perfect (it's pouring rain and I'm hoping I dry off on the bus before we get to Rome). Oh, and also be okay with long days that might start early.

I love not having to deal with hauling our bags, making any travel arrangements, or dealing with transportation (we enter the train station or airport and follow the orange sign).

It IS expensive but I feel like we've gotten our money's worth so far. All breakfasts are included and so are a majority of the other meals. If you are a picky eater though, the group meals have all been set menus (and delicious IMO) or buffets so you might not have a choice in what you eat.

Oh, and if you decide to book an ABD tour, buy the travel insurance on your own separately. I had an issue with the ABD travel insurance that took MONTHS to resolve and left a bad impression of Disney and AON (the travel insurance company).

 

[jimmymc]

AbD is generally great about:

• Seeing the major tourist sites with little to no wait
• Comfortable transportation between activities
• Picking nice hotels in great locations
• Luggage transportation between hotels
• Guides who can help you with anything and proactively make your trip better
• Using the best local guides to enhance the experience as famous locations
• Building a nice group dynamic, especially including solo travelers
• Gets a lot done without marathon days

Where AbD can lack:

• Meeting locals who aren't tour guides
• Seeing off the beaten path sites/hidden gems
• Some trips have forced downtime in the middle

Hit or miss: the included meals. Some are fantastic, some are boring or too Americanized. But that last one might be a pro for some travelers.

 

[Mathmagicland]

Here is a recent article from The Points Guy, about their thoughts on their experience.

https://thepointsguy.com/disney/adventures-by-disney-italy/