"Is ABD worth the $$$?" Discussion thread

[disneyphx]

Wanted to chime in here - after 4 ABDs (5 for DH and DD), we did our first Tauck Bridges trip this summer.
I would say the biggest difference is in the intangible 'Disney Magic' and the guides. While I loved our trip, it just did not feel as special or magical to me as our ABDs. There was another group on our trip who had previously only done ABD too, and they agreed. However, the 'less magic' is not something that DD and DH noticed or missed as much as I did.....The time they did was on the last night when dinner was......just dinner......
It was a reminder to us to compare itineraries closely, and choose the one that most appeals/dates work etc.
We have done one trip with Thomson Family Adventures which was fabulous - I don't think it is fair to really compare that one though as there were only 5 people (3 of us and a father/daughter).
Happy to answer questions about the comparison!

 

[Bobo912]

Wanted to chime in here - after 4 ABDs (5 for DH and DD), we did our first Tauck Bridges trip this summer.
I would say the biggest difference is in the intangible 'Disney Magic' and the guides. While I loved our trip, it just did not feel as special or magical to me as our ABDs. There was another group on our trip who had previously only done ABD too, and they agreed. However, the 'less magic' is not something that DD and DH noticed or missed as much as I did.....The time they did was on the last night when dinner was......just dinner......
It was a reminder to us to compare itineraries closely, and choose the one that most appeals/dates work etc.
We have done one trip with Thomson Family Adventures which was fabulous - I don't think it is fair to really compare that one though as there were only 5 people (3 of us and a father/daughter).
Happy to answer questions about the comparison!

"Magic" is definitely intangible and based on the individual's perception. But as far as some of the more tangible things that are generally mentioned as contributing to the magic, such as the little surprises along the way, I found them to be just as plentiful, or more so, on our TB trips. But I believe TB tour directors have much more flexibility in how they handle their tours, rather than following a formula like ABD. Our TB farewell dinners had as many special touches as ABD. For example, on our first trip the tour director burned CDs of all the photos she had taken and handed them out at the final dinner (which I'm sure she stayed awake most of the previous night to finish). And she had a photo contest for the kids during the tour and handed out the prizes for different categories at the farewell dinner. And we had some other special activities, as well. On our TB riverboat cruise, the TDs put together a photo montage video, very much like the one at the ABD farewell dinner, and we all ooohed and aaahed and got all emotional over it, just like ABD. So for us, the farewell dinners were not just dinners and were definitely just as special as our ABDs. But, like I said, with TB, I think it's dependent on your tour director. Although I'm sure they have some standard training, they seem to have more leeway in how they handle the special touches.

 

[Ava]

Tauck and Uniworld have been offering family river cruises for quite a few years. As far as other companies that offer land based family tours, just off the top of my head, I can think of Thomson Family Adventures, Trafalgar, Tauck, National Geographic, Abercrombie and Kent, Classic Journeys, Wildland Adventures, Backroads, Rick Steves, G Adventures, Globus, REI, and Austin Adventures. I'm sure there are a lot more that I am forgetting or don't know about. Kid friendly tours are not that uncommon.

Thank you for posting this list! I'm still some years off from being able to do a family tour (my youngest is only 2) but this gives me a lot of fun research to do for the next few years!

I think for me the value of traveling with a tour group (ABD or other) would greatly depend on the destination and itinerary. For a nature-focused, active itinerary or for visiting certain countries/regions of the world that I'm not at all familiar with, I'd prefer to go with a tour group. But I traveled enough in Europe pre-kids that I'm confident I can plan a great trip for my family to most any city there for a much lower cost than a group tour. I'm also not really a fan of touring by bus, which most group tours seem to do a good bit of. If the itinerary includes visiting more remote areas that would be difficult to get to on our own I'd consider it, but public transportation is plentiful and pretty easy to navigate in most European cities and the extensive rail system there makes it easy to travel between cities as well.

 

[Woodview]

To Ava

Try renting a car ..... they drive on the same side of the road ... as you

BUT with , as you call it A Stick Shift , ( Gear Lever ) ........ It is hard to find an Automatic Car.. ( For hire ) in Europe

I live in Ireland and we Drive on The other side of Road ... but with a gear lever

So when I drive in Europe I have to use right hand for changing gear & in USA get used to Automatic cars

 

[lilaclily]

Has anyone gone with Tauk tours that they con compare? Tauk is supposed to be a premium experience but less expensive.

 

[Losen]

No. We did the Arizona and Utah adventure last month. The lodge at the Grand Canyon is dirty. I think the tip for the guides is excessive. I will never do another ABD trip ever! My daughter had a scratched cornea in Moab and it almost an act of

 

[Losen]

No. We did the Arizona and Utah adventure last month. The lodge at the Grand Canyon is dirty. I think the tip for the guides is excessive. I will never do another ABD trip ever! My daughter had a scratched cornea in Moab and it almost took an act of
God to get her to the hospital.

 

[Bobo912]

Has anyone gone with Tauk tours that they con compare? Tauk is supposed to be a premium experience but less expensive.

Several people on the board have done both. ABD and Tauck are very similar and sometimes Tauck costs a bit less. Both are expensive and both are very good. You can't go wrong with either company.

 

[EllinK]

No. We did the Arizona and Utah adventure last month. The lodge at the Grand Canyon is dirty. I think the tip for the guides is excessive. I will never do another ABD trip ever! My daughter had a scratched cornea in Moab and it almost took an act of

We have been very interested in ABD and were thinking this would be the trip we would start with. I've been a little concerned that there have been SO FEW trip reports over the past couple years -- and now this!

If you were on an Arizona/Utah trip and had a great time, please post about it here...
Thank you!

 

[sayhello]

We have been very interested in ABD and were thinking this would be the trip we would start with. I've been a little concerned that there have been SO FEW trip reports over the past couple years -- and now this!

If you were on an Arizona/Utah trip and had a great time, please post about it here...
Thank you!

In my opinion, the Arizona/Utah trip is one of ABD's best itineraries. I did it in 2008, and have done 6 ABDs since, and still consider it one of my favorites.

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

In my opinion, the Arizona/Utah trip is one of ABD's best itineraries. I did it in 2008, and have done 6 ABDs since, and still consider it one of my favorites.

Sayhello

We did the Arizon/Utah trip in 2011. We loved it. I think there are quite a few people on this forum who have taken it more recently and will have something positive to say if they see your post.

 

[EllinK]

We did the Arizon/Utah trip in 2011. We loved it. I think there are quite a few people on this forum who have taken it more recently and will have something positive to say if they see your post.

I'd love to hear about recent experiences!

 

[Bobo912]

I'd love to hear about recent experiences!

If you start a new thread asking for feedback, you'll probably get responses from some more recent travelers.

 

[Chirple]

EllinK, we are taking the AZ/UT trip next year. I have a thread going with my questions in the main ABD forum. From the majority of the feedback I've received, it sounds like a great trip and an excellent way to start with ABD.

 

[minnie4ever]

I agree. I am a female traveler and I have traveled extensively in the past with friends and family, and more recently to WDW, Hawaii and other places by myself. The trouble is, I am getting older now and getting back to Europe is a little more daunting then when I was much younger. I hate to spend the single traveler extra amount but I like the idea of traveling worry free, with a group of fun individuals that I have something in common with and with a company I know I can trust right off the bat. So I will tighten my belt for a while and Italy here I come!

UPDATE:
OK so I am just back from my first ABD. OMG sooo worth all that overtime. Had a great time and now I am hooked...Darn you ABD for doing such a great job!!!
Viva Italia was FANTASTIC. Yes there were a few bumps in the road. I was hot, sweaty, (it was VERY warm and humid there) got rained on an had to stop for frequent sit-downs (with some other ladies in the same boat) as I am not in the best shape, but the guides were so patient, had alternatives for us or would just lag behind until we got our wind back. Those guys worked really hard to make sure we had a good time.
Note that there were 4 other single women on this trip besides me.
We had fun on the bus, fun with pasta and mask making and fun at our dinners. The private tour of the Sistine Chapel was so worth it, and Rome, Venice and especially ( for me )Tuscany was so beautiful. I was with a great group of people. Oh, am I gushing???...why yes I am!
So if you are a single woman traveler and can afford an ABD, just go. Life is too short
to sit on the couch and dream. The only problem is to pick the next trip.
Scotland? London/Paris with a side of Disneyland Paris? or the biggie, South Africa?

 

[Reighngold]

My background is I've traveled in Europe and Asia quite a bit before having children. I feel very comfortable and enjoy planning and traveling. After having children we took a few DCL Baltic and Med Cruises (which I still love to do and is uniquely helpful for traveling with very young children <6). I wanted to travel more extensively with my oldest son, but at 7yo (now 10yo) wanted him to be able to travel with other young children for fun. And that has worked out amazingly well. It's his favorite way to travel and I know a lot of it is because he makes great friends during these trips. So, I can certainly attest to traveling with children regardless how comfortable you are with planning. Traveling with other likeminded families is a major plus, and from what I've seen it seems to hold true for teens as it does for "junior adventures".

There is another aspect that I didn't understand before taking an ABD, and that's the guides. It is just not something that can be understood until you've traveled with ABD. I've done a lot of private tours all over the world. The majority of the time the private guides are wonderful, but they're not on the same level as ABD guides. I don't know how ABD picks them, but I guess somehow Disney is able to choose amongst it's thousands of cast members for the best of the best. These guys are the Top Guns of VIP guides. They set a certain tone when traveling. They keep everything light hearted, fun, enjoyable, and stress free. They inform and educate. They want everyone to have the best trip ever. And all the guests respond to that tone as well and everyone has an amazing carefree time. I don't know if that's the best way to describe the guides. I think you have to experience it firsthand. But they make a big difference, and they add a lot of "value" to a trip.

I still travel a fair amount outside of ABD (and DCL). Sometimes we take adult trips with friends with a more hardcore foodie/wine style. Sadly that is not ABD. If I could wave a magic wand and change one thing about ABD, I'd strive for better restaurants. Some are amazing IMO, and some are just ok. Sometimes we travel more extensively with our children that are too young for ABD. We're going to Central Europe in a week with the kids. On the upside, I'm able to choose different hotels than are on the Prague/Vienna ABD that I want and we can focus and linger when and where we want, but (if all my kids were old enough) I'd trade that sense of freedom and independence for the magical, carefree fun of the ABD. There are disadvantages traveling with ABD, but the advantages far outweigh them. So, I travel a lot of different ways. ABD is consistently my favorite way. It's not for everyone, but I would encourage anyone on the fence to try it. I have yet to meet anyone on a trip that didn't have a a spectacular time and want to do another.

Your point about making same aged friends is an excellent point.

 

[Darci Thordarson]

I like it

 

[betrent75]

Respectfully disagree! We are active travelers and quite adept at planning-and have done on our own trips, other tour company tours and of course actually took ABD trips. We like to do additional things on our own pre or post trip and find that to be a great fit for us. We save up for these trips and have looked the cost factor and what you get very thoroughly and find the ABD trips well worth it for many reasons beyond just a dollar assessment. There are no ways to travel that will fit everyone's need or attitude but clearly many find ABD a great way to travel. As I usually say in theses sorts of replies-we are all lucky and blessed to have the opportunities to see the world so it is all good!@

I agree! We've traveled the world and even lived in Europe for several years. We vacation at both ends of the spectrum. We have looked in ABD and looked into planning our own similar trips that might mimick their itineraries and what we've learned is that you can't copy what ABD can do. If you want that white glove service and can afford it, do it. If you'd rather not, don't. I think either way you can consider yourself blessed. As long as you're doing what you want with whom you want it's a great vacation!

 

[DCPhotoGal]

I had a good taste of why ABD is worth it after my last (self-planned) trip. We have taken two ABD trips, Scotland in 2014 and Galapagos in 2015. Last month we went to Hawaii on our own since there is no ABD option. It really made me appreciate all of the magic that goes into making the ABDs as smooth as they are. When I arrived in Hawaii after 12 hours of travel, we had to ride a shuttle to the rental car facility, and wait about 40 minutes for a rental car, then drive to the hotel with bags on our laps because the car's trunk was too small for our luggage. When we tried to check into our first hotel, we were told that they did not have a reservation for us. Despite the fact that I had a confirmation number and email from Hilton confirming the dates/rates. They told me that the hotel was totally full and there was no room for us, but after much discussion with several managers they did end up finding a room and eventually apologized for their mistake. Then on our last day on the island we had scheduled a helicopter tour to see the volcanoes. It was cancelled due to weather and we never got to go. We hadn't had the foresight not to plan this for our last day since we didn't realize that the weather would be so unpredictable and that rescheduling is common. The second half of our trip was a little better since we were staying at Aulani, but I still feel like we were struggling to find a good balance of resort time and fun activities/excursions with the kids. I kept thinking... these are all things that would not have happened on an ABD. Someone would have fixed the hotel problem before we got there... our luggage would have been comfortably stashed in a nice car and we would have been driven by a polite driver from the airport... and they would have planned the helicopter tour at a better time so that it was less likely to be cancelled. These are the types of things they do behind the scenes that make your experience better and make it worthwhile.

Beyond the logistical help, there was the other issue of my preteens and their newfound reluctance for family vacations. I hadn't realized how much difference if made to have other kids their own age on the vacation until we took this most recent one with just our family of 4. On our ABD trips, the kids made new friends and spent their free time playing with the other kids rather than on their ipads. They had buddies on the bus rides, and the adults had other adults to chat with. There was so much less friction within our own family when we were with the ABD groups because there was a good mix of family time, separate kid/adult time and group time. I could tell my girls really missed that on our most recent trip. They tried to make friends with other kids at the resorts, but it seemed that everyone was on a different schedule so it was hard to coordinate.

 

[mindeola]

I have never seen a bad review of ABD's so my perception is that it is worth it. Unfortunately, it is not in my budget right now. I have three in college. Sigh. One day I will get to do my ABD! Right now we have to travel on the cheap. We managed to go to Scotland last summer. I am dreaming of that Norway ABD trip. That will be my present when my youngest graduates from college!