Teen advice for trip in 2016

[cbarganz]

We are currently booked on the river cruise for August of 2016 and may have to change to a different trip due to a scheduling conflict. Our children are (daughter)14 and (son)19 yr. Can anyone please suggest a trip that would be good for that age group if we need to make the switch. It would have to be in either June or July. Thanks,

 

[kristilew]

The Viva Italia trip would be great for those ages. We did it when DD was 17. The trip covers a lot of history they will have or will be about to learn in school, and it moves quickly enough to not be boring. The food is fantastic, and if you are ok with it, your 19 yo will love being served wine with all the meals. You visit amazing cities with plenty of great stuff to do on you own time. The kids on our trip were all teens except one (we went at Christmas, when most little kids stay home) and they all loved it. The older teens/early twenties even went out to clubs together one night. Super fun!

We've also done the Ecuador/Galapagos trip with DD when she was 15. She enjoyed it because of the nature, and being an avid photographer. There were a few older teens on that trip who might have been less than entertained. It's definitely a slower trip, and you have to love nature. But if your kids do, that's another good one.

We did the Peru ABD when DD was 10 and she loved that then. I think it would be good for teens, too, with the rafting, and hiking at Macchu Pichu. They might not love the food as much, if they are picky eaters, and a few of the things like the weaving demonstration and the llama/alpaca visit might seem silly to teens. But it depends on the kids, really.

If you read through the day-by-day itineraries on the ABD website, you'll get a feel for what your family would think was cool. There will be teens on all of the trips, though more on the ones outside of the US.

 

[scottmel]

Following this thread. We want to do another ABD with DD next summer as highschool graduation present and thought England France looked good b/c we could add on Harry Potter museum, Sherlock stuff and DLP..

 

[sayhello]

Following this thread. We want to do another ABD with DD next summer as highschool graduation present and thought England France looked good b/c we could add on Harry Potter museum, Sherlock stuff and DLP..

Yes, you can! I did the Harry Potter Studio Tours and the Sherlock stuff last month. It is *very* easy to get to the Harry Potter Studio tours from London, and I know a great hotel near a lot of the Sherlock stuff (The Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes) if you don't stay at the ABD hotel. Also, if you're Harry Potter fans, there's a stage play, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" that is opening up in London in the summer of 2016. JK Rowling is involved, so it's "official".

And DLP is seriously easy to get to from Paris. Train takes you right from Paris to their version of Downtown Disney. Couldn't be easier!

Sayhello

 

[scottmel]

Yes, you can! I did the Harry Potter Studio Tours and the Sherlock stuff last month. It is *very* easy to get to the Harry Potter Studio tours from London, and I know a great hotel near a lot of the Sherlock stuff (The Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes) if you don't stay at the ABD hotel. Also, if you're Harry Potter fans, there's a stage play, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" that is opening up in London in the summer of 2016. JK Rowling is involved, so it's "official".

And DLP is seriously easy to get to from Paris. Train takes you right from Paris to their version of Downtown Disney. Couldn't be easier!

Sayhello

THanks for such great advice. in terms of time table, we definitely want to do the Harry Potter STudio Tour a Sherlock holmes bus tour type of thing. If we arrived 2 days early could we fit both in easily? Not sure how much time to allocate for Potter Studio tour

 

[RSM]

Probably depends on how big of a Harry Potter fan you guys are. We spent about 4 hours at the WB studio and found it wasn't enough time. But, we wanted to really go through the sets and exhibits. Honestly, we could have spent a whole day there. For many, I think 3 to 4 hours would be sufficient. Remember, they are timed tickets and it's best to get them in advance. Two days should be sufficient to do the WB studio and any Sherlock Holmes stuff. We also visited the Sherlock Holmes museum two years ago. I'd recommend getting there early. There always seemed to be a line to get in. Not sure what it is like more recently. Anyways, have fun. London is a fun city.

 

[sayhello]

THanks for such great advice. in terms of time table, we definitely want to do the Harry Potter STudio Tour a Sherlock holmes bus tour type of thing. If we arrived 2 days early could we fit both in easily? Not sure how much time to allocate for Potter Studio tour

I agree with RSM. At least 4 hours actually *at* the Harry Potter Studios tour (we spent a little over 5 hours last month). There's a LOT to see & take in, and if you're a fan, you really don't want to rush through it. It takes about 30 - 45 minutes give or take to get there from London Euston Station (maybe 15 minutes on the train, wait for a shuttle, 15 minutes on the shuttle). Plus whatever travel time to get to London Euston Station. And allow time to get Butterbeer ice cream at the half-way mark, and to go crazy at the gift shop. Really, really special for any Harry Potter fan! It can take most of the day. We left around 9-ish, hung around & had breakfast while waiting for our 11am entrance time, then spent a bit over 5 hours there, leaving a bit after 4:30pm. By the time we got back to London, it was dinner time, and then we did the Ceremony of the Keys that night. A nice, full day.

You can easily do the Sherlock Holmes related stuff on a second day. We did it ourselves, no tour, and we still managed to do it in less than a day.

Sayhello

 

[scottmel]

I agree with RSM. At least 4 hours actually *at* the Harry Potter Studios tour (we spent a little over 5 hours last month). There's a LOT to see & take in, and if you're a fan, you really don't want to rush through it. It takes about 30 - 45 minutes give or take to get there from London Euston Station (maybe 15 minutes on the train, wait for a shuttle, 15 minutes on the shuttle). Plus whatever travel time to get to London Euston Station. And allow time to get Butterbeer ice cream at the half-way mark, and to go crazy at the gift shop. Really, really special for any Harry Potter fan! It can take most of the day. We left around 9-ish, hung around & had breakfast while waiting for our 11am entrance time, then spent a bit over 5 hours there, leaving a bit after 4:30pm. By the time we got back to London, it was dinner time, and then we did the Ceremony of the Keys that night. A nice, full day.

You can easily do the Sherlock Holmes related stuff on a second day. We did it ourselves, no tour, and we still managed to do it in less than a day.

Sayhello

THank you! Super helpful. We are huge fans as well so I will allow the entire day for it. I assume you did this on your OWN day not on a free day DURING the tour correct?

 

[sayhello]

THank you! Super helpful. We are huge fans as well so I will allow the entire day for it. I assume you did this on your OWN day not on a free day DURING the tour correct?

Correct. It was a pre-day, actually for my Scotland ABD! It wasn't open yet when I did London & Paris!

Sayhello

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the ABD trips. If you want to try to stay close to the itinerary of the river cruise, you might want to look into the Central Europe trip. It is AMAZING. I agree with others that Viva Italy would also be a great choice.

I have yet to go on an ABD that isn't FANTASTIC. Decide on your dates and see what itineraries fit your schedule. I'd look into booking soon -- as the tours start to fill up the prices go up. The price for our China adventure next summer has gone up $1,500 per person since we booked.

 

[Woodview]

We are currently booked on the river cruise for August of 2016 and may have to change to a different trip due to a scheduling conflict. Our children are (daughter)14 and (son)19 yr. Can anyone please suggest a trip that would be good for that age group if we need to make the switch. It would have to be in either June or July. Thanks,

There are other River Cruise Co. who do near enough the same tours as ABD , In fact the Same ship owners do the Same Tours

every week .
"
Another co is " Viking river cruises " & " Uniworld "

Pick your dates And Start point then Book your Flights yourself

 

[carpenta]

We have done the Tauck Bridges Danube river boat tour and as Woodview stated they offer the same experience on a river boat with families but have been at it for many more years. We have done a few with Tauck Bridges and they are wonderful. The family make up we have encounted seem to be older in the kid's ages which would fit your kids to a tee. Check them out.

 

[Bobo912]

Uniworld has also been doing family cruises for several years. Viking doesn't allow anyone under 12 on their cruises. My child is a teenagers now, so it's not an issue for us (or for you either, cbarganz). But my impression is they actively discourage any guests who are not adults, so I won't consider them. I've done Tauck Bridges (wonderful just like capenta said) and I'm doing a Uniworld family cruise next July.