Fantastic experience on Southwest Splendors

[glassslipper2004]

Hi all. We just got back from our Southwest Splendors trip and it was fantastic. After all the concerns voiced on this board I was definitely worried, but not only did we not have any of the problems raised, we had an above average, amazing time. Our guides, Mike and Courtney, were wonderful, enthusiastic and attentive, and are very aware of all of issues mentioned on the boards (as is Disney). For example, someone here had complained about no kids meals at one of the group dinners - this time, they added burgers and hot dogs!

I'll write more later, because it is late now and I am tired, but let me at least say this: I am so very glad we stayed at the Thunderbird. It was totally fine, we had no cleanliness problems at all, and the magic of waking up before sunrise to go out to the rim of the Grand Canyon in your pajamas (dodging the many elk having an early breakfast) is absolutely priceless. Our guides called it a two star hotel with a five star view - and the five star part is correct. The rooms were comfortable, breakfast at nearby Bright Angel was just steps away, the group dinner was tasty, the dinner room was nice, and the dancers were amazing. But I will never forget the peaceful feeling of sunrise on the rim, and being able to just stroll around the rim at any time was truly magnificent.

 

[sayhello]

Hi all. We just got back from our Southwest Splendors trip and it was fantastic. After all the concerns voiced on this board I was definitely worried, but not only did we not have any of the problems raised, we had an above average, amazing time. Our guides, Mike and Courtney, were wonderful, enthusiastic and attentive, and are very aware of all of issues mentioned on the boards (as is Disney). For example, someone here had complained about no kids meals at one of the group dinners - this time, they added burgers and hot dogs!

I'll write more later, because it is late now and I am tired, but let me at least say this: I am so very glad we stayed at the Thunderbird. It was totally fine, we had no cleanliness problems at all, and the magic of waking up before sunrise to go out to the rim of the Grand Canyon in your pajamas (dodging the many elk having an early breakfast) is absolutely priceless. Our guides called it a two star hotel with a five star view - and the five star part is correct. The rooms were comfortable, breakfast at nearby Bright Angel was just steps away, the group dinner was tasty, the dinner room was nice, and the dancers were amazing. But I will never forget the peaceful feeling of sunrise on the rim, and being able to just stroll around the rim at any time was truly magnificent.

glassslipper, glad you had such a great time! It's good to know that ABD is aware of us and listening! Looking forward to your report!

Sunrise at the Rim... sounds magnificent!

Sayhello

 

[kjd469]

Welcome back, and so glad to hear you had a wonderful time!! Also good news to hear that ABD is lurking on these boards, and making changes as warranted!

 

[glassslipper2004]

Now that I've had a little time to sleep, I wanted to give a few comments about our trip that will hopefully be helpful to others considering Southwest Splendors.

A few words about our group. We had 33 guests, and our two wonderful guides, Mike and Courtney. There was one extended family group with grandparents and two families, several families with one child each, a family with four kids, one single parent and child, one adult traveling alone, and us (two parents, two kids). A variety of travelers, in other words. We got along well, and many of the kids (but not all) enjoyed each others' company quite a bit, hanging out together on walks, in the bus, at the pool, and at a kids' table at dinner (by their own choice).

Day one - We arrived at the airport just in time to buy some take-out food (suggested by our guides) for lunch, and get on the bus. Disney made our air arrangements, and you have to get up very early to get there in time from the east coast. All went well. (By the way - the burritos at the airport are super). Along the way to Sedona we stop at Montezuma's castle for a nature walk/tour. The guides had sunscreen, so don't worry about that. After more bus riding, we arrived at our beautiful hotel in Sedona. The views are amazing, and the resort itself is lovely, with big fluffy comforters. Dinner that night was fun, a buffet of pastas (average) but lots of welcomes. There was an animal wrangler and after dinner, musicians. A great time. Make sure to have your hat and sunglasses with you in your carry-on for the walk at Montezuma's castle.

Day two - Red rock jeep tour. Very bumpy, but fun. Picnic lunch tries to be fancy and is pretty good. Nice time at the museum, crafts for the kids (and grown-ups) and various activities. Afternoon is free to roam the Sedona shops and relax at the pool. I always appreciate time to relax at a beautiful pool, and this was definitely one of those times - the view is awesome. Dinner on your own: everyone in our group went to the Cowboy Club! This was a great choice, as the food was good and there were very interesting options, including cactus fries (everyone seemed to like these - kind of like fried zucchini), buffalo, rattlesnake, and tasty burgers and steaks. One warning: most of the provided meals are burgers and steaks too, so if you are so inclined, you might want to eat something else for the on your own meals. I've never eaten so much beef in my life (and it shows...).

Day three - In the morning there is a nature walk through flat country, in between the red rocks. This was interesting, the guide was knowledgable (they all are), but a little hot and long. Make sure to wear your hat and sunglasses (three cheers to sayhello and others who encouraged me to bring and wear a hat, it really helped). Lunch at Tlaquepaque -- we didn't really get much out of this stop. We had to be quick, so we didn't have much time to wander except to rush to lunch and back out again. It was also very hot, and we were feeling the heat. But we had a nice lunch at a Mexican place. After lunch, we get back on the bus and drive to the Grand Canyon. Our arrival there and our first sight of the canyon was hard to describe -- amazing. After our first view, and a little time to look around, we go to the Thunderbird (drum roll....) - it was totally fine. The rugs are dated and stained in places, and the colors are outdated, but other than that, the bedding and towels were clean, and the location is beyond wonderful. Dinner as a group was very nice - a BBQ buffet (we got a lot of those) with native dancers after dinner. The native dancers were quite good, and very touching. The view from the rim, the sunset, and the stars at night were all worth the trip.

I'll write more soon.

 

[kristilew]

Wow, so glad you had a great trip! It sounds like they made some real changes to the meals from earlier this year. I'm glad they're being more honest about the Thunderbird as well. I do agree that the location was worth it!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip! What was your very favorite thing?

 

[glassslipper2004]

My very favorite thing was white-water rafting - it wasn't very white, the weather was lovely, and we got to swim/float along with the rafts. It was a very relaxing, scenic trip. I also liked the hike to Delicate Arch, which was not so relaxing (!) but beautiful and very rewarding, if a little scary.

 

[whiteside61]

So glad you loved your trip! We felt the same way about the Thunderbird....such a beautiful setting, we could live with the "tired" accommodations. We just received our CD with pictures from the trip and I'm feeling very nostalgic. For us, it was a trip of a lifetime!!

 

[glassslipper2004]

Day Four - This was our whole day at the Grand Canyon. In the morning the bus drove us around to various view points on the rim. This was a great way to see some of the sights. We had a local guide on board, Robin, who was very informative. The parents among us experienced some real stomach fluttering when the kids romped around on the rocks near the rim, but all survived. Several of us in the group were amused by a book called "Death in the Grand Canyon" but it is no joke - people really do fall off the rim and die, usually because they are doing something stupid like going past the walls/guardrails.

Anyway, I digress. We had lunch on our own, and we dashed over to El Tovar to get in a quick lunch before our helicopter ride. El Tovar is elegant, but for whatever reason we ate indoors, they didn't give us the porch option. I'm not even certain it is available for lunch, but try to sit outside if you eat there, it looked lovely. The food was nicely prepared. After lunch, we had to get ourselves to the airport for the helicopter. This proved to be problematic, as our guide said they couldn't take us, although he was very apologetic. The Disney bus took a big group of us to the visitor's center, then we had to wait for the park bus to take us to the airport. This took about an hour, and even at the airport, we had a long hot walk to the correct location. The helicopter ride itself is only 30 minutes long, and it goes very quickly. We are glad we did it, but I don't think it is a "must see." In retrospect, spending all that time at the Canyon itself, instead of way over it, would have been better.

Back at the Canyon (two buses and another hour later) we had dinner on our own. We went to Bright Angel. It is kind of like a Friday's - nothing special, but not bad either. We decided to get a bunch of appetizers and share, as we were tiring of the same entrees which seem to show up at each restaurant (burgers, steaks, etc.)

After dinner, our guides had mentioned they would be at the rim by El Tover by 7 to watch the sunset, and encouraged us all to go. It was amazing. The kids watched, chatted, played with each other, and the adults did pretty much the same, taking pictures all the time of the gorgeous light on the cliffs.

Day Five - We travel onwards. Breakfast at Bright Angel is fine - added to the eggs and bacon, etc. were biscuits and gravy. This entertained some members of my family, but I ate cereal! This is the six hour bus day. Very long. Midday we stop near Monument Valley and have lunch at Goulding's. This option should be improved - the restaurant is worse than a Friday's, more like a poor diner, and the native staff don't seem very happy to see you. Then we boarded an open air vehicle and took a tour through Monument Valley - very dusty and bumpy, but amazing to see. The rock formations are so large and imposing, and such bizarre shapes. This area has been featured in many movies and commercials, as has Arches National Park, which I'll talk more about later.

Back on the bus for three more hours, we finally arrive at the amazing Red Cliffs Lodge. This is a very special place, with big rooms (with kitchens and back porches - like a ski lodge), lovely outdoor spaces, a nice restaurant, the best food of the trip, and, of course, it is on the Colorado River and nestled among the red cliffs. The website doesn't do it justice. We had a Mexican themed dinner (a nice change) with tacos and fajitas, then all wobbled off to bed.

By the way, for those traveling in groups, at both the Thunderbird and the Red Cliffs Lodge we had connecting rooms, which was great as our girls are only 9 and 11 - so they could have their own room, but we could open the doors and all be together. Lots more space than on a European trip.

 

[glassslipper2004]

To finish up my mini report...

Day 6 - After a wonderful breakfast at Red Cliffs Lodge (including delicious cinnamon rolls, and lots of available non-egg/sausage foods such as oatmeal with brown sugar, yogurt and fruit) we head over to Arches National Park for the Delicate Arch hike. Folks who didn't want to go on the hike - which the guides warned us several times was not easy - could stay on the bus and do a tour with our local guide, who was great. I was torn as I was feeling lazy and I'm not particularly sporty, but I decided to go with the majority of the group, including my kids and DH, on the hike.

It was amazing, and I'm glad I did it. But it is a little challenging, and really not for you if you are afraid of heights. One guide led the way and the other stayed with the stragglers (including, usually, me) so we didn't feel too lost. We brought lots of water, which we definitely needed. I'm very glad I had my hat, too.

I don't know if I can describe how beautiful the hike is, it was like nothing I've ever seen before. Definitely worth the trip.

After the hike they brought us to Moab where we could eat lunch at one of the (not particularly interesting) local restaurants and buy t-shirts or whatever. Then back to the hotel for some free time - we went to the pool and were very, very happy.

That night was the junior adventurers party and adult time alone. The kids had been really looking forward to this, as the guides had built it up. They all seemed to have a fun time together. The adults could eat at the restaurant at the Red Cliffs Lodge, the Cowboy Grill, which was very good, and we were able to choose pretty much whatever we wanted off the menu. It was a great meal but I was so darn tired I didn't even get dessert!

Day 7 - Argh, the horseback ride. Too long for me. Enough said. DH loved it, took a million pictures of the beautiful rocks and valleys and streams, and me looking grumpy. Lunch was the Red Cliffs BBQ, pretty basic but tasty, sitting outside by the Colorado River in their convenient outdoor eating/picnic area. Afternoon -- the best part of the trip -- rafting down the Colorado. This was just amazing, a gentle float, in beautiful land, and we could jump out and float in the water along with the rafts. Paradise. Back at the hotel afterwards we relaxed for a little while, then went to our farewell dinner. This was held in a very pretty outdoor deck area, but unfortunately it was very hot and there wasn't much of a breeze able to get to us. They had country musicians - but they played loud, making it hard to talk to each other. Later they moved us inside (with a/c) to see the slide show and talk about our memories of the trip, and then we all went down to the beautiful river side fire pit for a campfire and s'mores. All were pretty exhausted at this point, but it was a nice way to end the week.

Day 8 - Bus to the airport, Grand Junction. I had been warned that the airport was small - it is, but pleasant enough. We actually had time to walk into town and get pizza at the first place we came too. Our guide had suggested this as an option to getting a bag lunch. It worked out fine, but was a longish walk in the very hot sun, carrying all our stuff. Flights home were long but no problems... until we got to our home airport and forgot where we parked the car! Not Disney's problem!

All in all, I very highly recommend this trip. The scenery can't be beat, and the guides were fantastic. Happy to answer any questions.

 

[Amy H]

I am torn between this trip and the DC trip. My daughter will be 7 1/2 by the time we go. How difficult is the hike and horse back riding? Thank you

 

[glassslipper2004]

I think the Southwest trip is generally very popular with younger kids. The hike was wonderful - it is not too hard for young people like a 7 year old, just hard for me because I am 40+! It is mostly a gentle walk, but then a portion of it is walking on rock at an incline. Then a short section around the side of what seems like a mountain - just keep close to your daughter so she doesn't scurry off the edge. At the top, it is again a little scary if you are afraid of heights, but really, really beautiful. The kids on the trip (which included one girl who was 8, but other trips have had younger ones) had no trouble at all with the hike.

The horseback riding is an optional, non-Disney event. Both the 8 and 9 year old girls were a bit grumpy by the end, as it is long (3 hours). I would definitely not make that a factor in your decision, though - you could easily choose to do something else during that free morning, there are many options including hiking on your own, lazing by the pool, a hummer tour, etc. Or if the rest of your family is gung ho for the ride, just take her along and be prepared for the possibility of whining.

Many of the events on this trip are perfect for younger kids - including several bumpy rides on a jeep and a truck. Definitely a different experience than the history lesson/museums/historical places on the DC trip (which personally I'd also love to go on, but I live on the East Coast and felt like the southwest was something I was more likely to rely on Disney for).

Good luck - let me know if you have more questions.