I definitely consider vacation planning to be a hobby, and my family would tell you that vacation planning is one of my superpowers

Even with that, I am completely sold on group travel, for all of the reasons that previous posters have mentioned: the convenience, the feeling of security, not having to deal with luggage and transfers, etc. I will also say that we almost always add on a few days before or after (or both) to our group tours, so I get a healthy dose of planning around those days (in addition to booking air to and from the departure and return cities, etc.) And I can honestly say that that planning is more than enough. I'm pretty much at the point where I can't imagine planning a 10-day or 2-week vacation entirely on my own. I just don't have enough time. The other point that I think is really worth emphasizing is that, depending on the group (but definitely with Disney/
ABD), you get access to sites and activities that you just wouldn't be able to do on your own, no matter how much time or effort you are willing to devote to the planning effort. I was on the same Scotland ABD as calyspo, who has already mentioned launching canoes from Urquhart castle on Loch Ness, which is a Disney exclusive. And taking over a local bakery to make scones. Just not going to happen on your own. Same thing on the Central Europe ABD in gaining access to the Sound of Music gazebo. ABD alumni can undoubtedly come up with a very lengthy list of these types of examples. But while I am sold on group travel, I am not sold on just one tour company. While I have enjoyed our ABDs (Scotland, Central Europe and Baltics cruise add-on), I can say that I've enjoyed each one slightly less than the one before. Part of that might be that the Scotland trip (before the itinerary changes of the last few years) just set the bar really really high, and we fell in love with Scotland. But I think you need to look at the specifics each tour company offers, along with the itinerary, and choose the one that will best suit. My biggest issues with ABD these days are the large group size, and ABD's failure to guarantee a departure once a minimum number of guests have signed up. For these reasons, along with itinerary, we have chosen to do China with Thomson Family Adventures this summer. There will be 10 on our trip, and it has been guaranteed since the moment we signed up. That trip starts on July 3, so I will let everyone know our impressions of Thomson. It is also why I will likely lean toward either Thomson (if our experience this summer is positive) or NatGeo for future group trips. NatGeo offers a full slate of family trips that are capped at 25 participants, which just sits much better with me than the 42 we had on our Central Europe ABD or the 49 we had on our Baltics cruise add-on. I've done one NatGeo trip so far, and the guide ratio and baggage handling were MUCH better than ABD, so I think it pays to keep an open mind about the company you use for any given itinerary. All that being said, we aren't necessarily done with ABD. We actually have the Backstage Magic ABD booked for next summer, and while we are likely to push it to 2018, it is definitely on the must do list. Of course, this is a trip that another company just cannot replicate. And we will always be open to new ABD itineraries, but realistically will likely pick NatGeo or Thomson if they offer a very similar itinerary, due to the group size and guarantee issues we have found with ABD. I wholeheartedly agree with calypso, though, that you shouldn't dismiss group travel before you have tried it.