Just got back from our much anticipated ABD Southwest Splendors trip July 4-11 and wanted to report on our trip. I won't bother to give a detailed day-by-day report, as the previous reports pretty much spell it out and I don't want to be redundant...however, I thought I would give my thoughts on a few differences in our trip and what other may have experienced, and some things that were the same.
We had Geraldine and Maura as our guides, and we couldn't have picked 2 better suited to this itinerary and each other...fabulous girls, great sense of humor and a lot of fun...if you are lucky enough to get one or both of them as your guide, you will not be disappointed!
Our group was full - 40 people..20 of which were "kids"...however, most of these were teenagers...sounds like a nightmare right?...wrong!! this was the nicest group of kids that you could want to spend a week with...not one was obnoxious or loud when they should be quiet...in fact a lot of the families commented on how well mannered and behaved all of the kids were. I had been slightly worried about this issued before we left, but my fears were not realized.
I guess my point is this - every group WILL be different, depending on the make-up of the group...you really have no way of knowing ahead of time (unless you book an adults only tour) so it's best to go with an open mind and see what you get....it may be surprisingly pleasant. Our guides did mention their previous tour (which I believe was the one Kristilew was on) and that there were A LOT of younger kids on that tour and it was very "busy". They also said it was unusual to have such a high number of teenagers, all but 1 of which were boys...it worked out great for us since our son is 15.
With regards to the group, "bonding", I have kind of mixed feelings about this. I don't think anyone in our group, kids or adults, really bonded until at least mid-trip...most of the kids just kind of stuck with their own families, but all seemed perfectly happy to do so. It wasn't until our full day of travel, in which we played several games on the bus, that everyone kind of loosened up more and the kids started to hang around with each other. We had tried to make an effort to speak to and introduce ourselves to the other families, but I felt that more effort on ABD's part, especially on the first day, to loosen everyone up would have been helpful...after leaving the airport for Sedona, would have been a perfect time on the bus, to have some sort of group ice-breaker...also at the welcome dinner, some kind of group activity for the kids would have gone a long way to getting them more comfortable with each other. We did not have any bus issues...everyone changed seats on a regular basis, depending on who boarded the bus first and which seats they chose at the time...this was nice, as everyone got to experience sitting in the front, back and middle. My advice is this...to prevent people sitting in the same seats, and therefore risking always being in one particular location, just make sure that you board towards the front of the group, and pick a new seat each day...then the others will most likely follow. We did stay in the same seats for each "outing" and then switched it up the next day.
The food - having previously travelled on the ABD to Peru, last October, we had expected the level of food offered would be of equal quality. After reading Kristilew's trip report of this itinerary, and knowing that she had also done the Peru trip, I was sufficiently "warned" that the food would not be at the same level. Knowing this ahead of time definitely was helpful, and I think because of that, we didn't experience the same feelings that her family did. There is a lot of very tasty food offered on this trip, and you will not go hungry for sure...there were just not any "special" food memories like we had in Peru...could this be due to the locale?...absolutely...but if you go into it knowing it will not be gourmet you will not be disappointed. One thing....I found it odd that at the ABD provided dinners, there was virtually no food that the younger Junior Adventurer's would want to eat...what little kid wants to chow down on a Rib-eye?...I think some chicken fingers or burgers would have been great. Just my thought though.
Accommodations - We thought the Amara in Sedona was a lovely hotel...nice location (despite the hill) and the rooms were clean and comfortable and modern. We were slightly worried when we saw our room location next to the ice machine, but it turned out to be very quiet. The Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab, Utah was in a truly gorgeous location, had lots of interesting things to see and do and we wouldn't hesitate to return there again...the rooms were "rustic modern", clean and spacious. And now...The Thunderbird Lodge...I am really struggling as to what to write about this. I don't want to scare anyone going on a future Southwest Splendors ABD, so I'm trying to word it just right. I was expecting "basic"...that is very accurate. I was expecting "not modern"...that is an understatement. I was expecting "no amenities"...this is very, very true. I can live with all of these things as long as the room is clean...in our case, we had some major cleanliness issues, and so our opinion of the Thunderbird Lodge is not a good one. However, everyone else in our group, although feeling the Thunderbird was shockingly un-Disney, did not experience any issues similar to ours, so I am sure that you will most likely not have an experience like ours. I will not be specific, but after the issues were mentioned the next morning, an attempt was made to rectify the situation(s)...too late...our time at the Grand Canyon was definitely marred by the accommodations...we did not feel we really had a comfortable place to "hang out" there...and there is quite a bit of on your own time the afternoon there, and due to the fact that the Thunderbird does not even own a lawn chair, we couldn't even sit outside to escape the room. We ended up next door, on the porch at El Tovar, overlooking the canyon, pretending that was where we were staying, lol.
Many times we heard, "the hotel is not great...but oh, the view!!" ...I say rubbish!!...why shouldn't we expect to have a decent hotel AND a great view?...with the standards we have come to expect from Disney, and ABD, the Thunderbird Lodge is just plain unacceptable IMHO...this is the type of hotel, that if it were not on the rim of the Grand Canyon, would be charging by "the hour"! I apologize to anyone who is now afraid of staying here....I sincerely hope that you do not have an experience anywhere near ours...I hope that you are sufficiently prepared for this non-hotel experience...I am so glad I knew ahead of time what the general idea of this place was.
Activities - we thought the planned ABD activities were great, the step-on guides in each location were fabulous...really entertaining, and knew everything about the locations. The activities were well suited to all members of the group, regardless of age...ABD did a good job planning these things. We chose to do the ATV tour in Moab, Utah as an optional activity. It was pricey, but oh-so-worth it! If you choose to do just one optional, I highly recommend this ATV tour...even it you've done the ATV-thing before, you will not have ever seen scenery like this in your life...absolutely stunning, and very different from what you will have already seen on the tour. It was truly the highlight of our trip, and well worth every penny we spent!!!
Overall, I would say this is a wonderful itinerary, a great way to see the Southwest if you've never experienced it before. This is also a great "starter" group trip if you haven't experienced group travel before. We had a really nice vacation, with absolutely no having to worry about any of the details. Hoping desperately that ABD listens to the feedback on the Thunderbird Lodge, and makes changes, as this would then be a "perfect" trip. We are true fans of ABD and will definitely be booking another... waiting for the August itineraries to come out for next year. If you have already booked this and have an upcoming trip...don't worry, you will enjoy it and have fun!
If you have any specific questions, I will definitely do my best to answer them.
We had Geraldine and Maura as our guides, and we couldn't have picked 2 better suited to this itinerary and each other...fabulous girls, great sense of humor and a lot of fun...if you are lucky enough to get one or both of them as your guide, you will not be disappointed!
Our group was full - 40 people..20 of which were "kids"...however, most of these were teenagers...sounds like a nightmare right?...wrong!! this was the nicest group of kids that you could want to spend a week with...not one was obnoxious or loud when they should be quiet...in fact a lot of the families commented on how well mannered and behaved all of the kids were. I had been slightly worried about this issued before we left, but my fears were not realized.
I guess my point is this - every group WILL be different, depending on the make-up of the group...you really have no way of knowing ahead of time (unless you book an adults only tour) so it's best to go with an open mind and see what you get....it may be surprisingly pleasant. Our guides did mention their previous tour (which I believe was the one Kristilew was on) and that there were A LOT of younger kids on that tour and it was very "busy". They also said it was unusual to have such a high number of teenagers, all but 1 of which were boys...it worked out great for us since our son is 15.
With regards to the group, "bonding", I have kind of mixed feelings about this. I don't think anyone in our group, kids or adults, really bonded until at least mid-trip...most of the kids just kind of stuck with their own families, but all seemed perfectly happy to do so. It wasn't until our full day of travel, in which we played several games on the bus, that everyone kind of loosened up more and the kids started to hang around with each other. We had tried to make an effort to speak to and introduce ourselves to the other families, but I felt that more effort on ABD's part, especially on the first day, to loosen everyone up would have been helpful...after leaving the airport for Sedona, would have been a perfect time on the bus, to have some sort of group ice-breaker...also at the welcome dinner, some kind of group activity for the kids would have gone a long way to getting them more comfortable with each other. We did not have any bus issues...everyone changed seats on a regular basis, depending on who boarded the bus first and which seats they chose at the time...this was nice, as everyone got to experience sitting in the front, back and middle. My advice is this...to prevent people sitting in the same seats, and therefore risking always being in one particular location, just make sure that you board towards the front of the group, and pick a new seat each day...then the others will most likely follow. We did stay in the same seats for each "outing" and then switched it up the next day.
The food - having previously travelled on the ABD to Peru, last October, we had expected the level of food offered would be of equal quality. After reading Kristilew's trip report of this itinerary, and knowing that she had also done the Peru trip, I was sufficiently "warned" that the food would not be at the same level. Knowing this ahead of time definitely was helpful, and I think because of that, we didn't experience the same feelings that her family did. There is a lot of very tasty food offered on this trip, and you will not go hungry for sure...there were just not any "special" food memories like we had in Peru...could this be due to the locale?...absolutely...but if you go into it knowing it will not be gourmet you will not be disappointed. One thing....I found it odd that at the ABD provided dinners, there was virtually no food that the younger Junior Adventurer's would want to eat...what little kid wants to chow down on a Rib-eye?...I think some chicken fingers or burgers would have been great. Just my thought though.
Accommodations - We thought the Amara in Sedona was a lovely hotel...nice location (despite the hill) and the rooms were clean and comfortable and modern. We were slightly worried when we saw our room location next to the ice machine, but it turned out to be very quiet. The Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab, Utah was in a truly gorgeous location, had lots of interesting things to see and do and we wouldn't hesitate to return there again...the rooms were "rustic modern", clean and spacious. And now...The Thunderbird Lodge...I am really struggling as to what to write about this. I don't want to scare anyone going on a future Southwest Splendors ABD, so I'm trying to word it just right. I was expecting "basic"...that is very accurate. I was expecting "not modern"...that is an understatement. I was expecting "no amenities"...this is very, very true. I can live with all of these things as long as the room is clean...in our case, we had some major cleanliness issues, and so our opinion of the Thunderbird Lodge is not a good one. However, everyone else in our group, although feeling the Thunderbird was shockingly un-Disney, did not experience any issues similar to ours, so I am sure that you will most likely not have an experience like ours. I will not be specific, but after the issues were mentioned the next morning, an attempt was made to rectify the situation(s)...too late...our time at the Grand Canyon was definitely marred by the accommodations...we did not feel we really had a comfortable place to "hang out" there...and there is quite a bit of on your own time the afternoon there, and due to the fact that the Thunderbird does not even own a lawn chair, we couldn't even sit outside to escape the room. We ended up next door, on the porch at El Tovar, overlooking the canyon, pretending that was where we were staying, lol.
Many times we heard, "the hotel is not great...but oh, the view!!" ...I say rubbish!!...why shouldn't we expect to have a decent hotel AND a great view?...with the standards we have come to expect from Disney, and ABD, the Thunderbird Lodge is just plain unacceptable IMHO...this is the type of hotel, that if it were not on the rim of the Grand Canyon, would be charging by "the hour"! I apologize to anyone who is now afraid of staying here....I sincerely hope that you do not have an experience anywhere near ours...I hope that you are sufficiently prepared for this non-hotel experience...I am so glad I knew ahead of time what the general idea of this place was.
Activities - we thought the planned ABD activities were great, the step-on guides in each location were fabulous...really entertaining, and knew everything about the locations. The activities were well suited to all members of the group, regardless of age...ABD did a good job planning these things. We chose to do the ATV tour in Moab, Utah as an optional activity. It was pricey, but oh-so-worth it! If you choose to do just one optional, I highly recommend this ATV tour...even it you've done the ATV-thing before, you will not have ever seen scenery like this in your life...absolutely stunning, and very different from what you will have already seen on the tour. It was truly the highlight of our trip, and well worth every penny we spent!!!
Overall, I would say this is a wonderful itinerary, a great way to see the Southwest if you've never experienced it before. This is also a great "starter" group trip if you haven't experienced group travel before. We had a really nice vacation, with absolutely no having to worry about any of the details. Hoping desperately that ABD listens to the feedback on the Thunderbird Lodge, and makes changes, as this would then be a "perfect" trip. We are true fans of ABD and will definitely be booking another... waiting for the August itineraries to come out for next year. If you have already booked this and have an upcoming trip...don't worry, you will enjoy it and have fun!
If you have any specific questions, I will definitely do my best to answer them.
