Germany: Once Upon a Fairytale Meets Thread

[SingingMom]

Just called ABD to ask about our box... Was told it should ship out this weekend - if we don't get by Friday to call back! Getting excited!

There are 37 guests on our trip right now - 11 of them children. That is a bit more than our first ABD of 22 with only 2 children and our almost 19 year old daughter. Will be interesting to see if the dynamics are very different.

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[JacksGirlz]

We are waiting at the airport for our flight to New York. Two days of fun in Manhattan and then we will be in Germany on Thursday!! My DD and I each have a journal to keep track of everything we experience on this trip. That way I can, hopefully, be able to do a great trip report.

 

[sayhello]

We are waiting at the airport for our flight to New York. Two days of fun in Manhattan and then we will be in Germany on Thursday!! My DD and I each have a journal to keep track of everything we experience on this trip. That way I can, hopefully, be able to do a great trip report.

Have a wonderful trip!

Sayhello

 

[SingingMom]

We are waiting at the airport for our flight to New York. Two days of fun in Manhattan and then we will be in Germany on Thursday!! My DD and I each have a journal to keep track of everything we experience on this trip. That way I can, hopefully, be able to do a great trip report.

Enjoy NYC! Do you have specific things planned? We spend a lot of time in Manhattan. Lucky to live so close!

Hope you have our dear friend as your guide in Germany! We can't wait to see him next month on our tour!!!

Safe travels !

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[JacksGirlz]

Saw the Lion King, visited the Times Square Disney Store and ate our favorite New York City pizza. Now waiting at the Dublin airport for our connecting flight to Frankfurt!!

 

[SingingMom]

Saw the Lion King, visited the Times Square Disney Store and ate our favorite New York City pizza. Now waiting at the Dublin airport for our connecting flight to Frankfurt!!

How exciting! NYC is truly "the city that never sleeps!"
They did a nice job with the disney store renovation. That is ALWAYS one of our stops. Lol

Can't wait to hear about Germany! We leave in less than a month!

 

[SingingMom]

Called ABD today. Supposedly our "box" shipped on June 18 - 2 days ago. Anxiously awaiting the arrival!
Lots of angst & family drama lately - I really NEED this adventure!!

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[JacksGirlz]

Our ABD guides for this trip are Nadine S. and Kim F. Met them this morning and they were both very friendly. Gave us a small map of Heidelberg and some ideas of places to go and things to see for the day. Also found out that there are 36 adventurers on this trip, 22 of them are kids under 18.

 

[SingingMom]

Our ABD guides for this trip are Nadine S. and Kim F. Met them this morning and they were both very friendly. Gave us a small map of Heidelberg and some ideas of places to go and things to see for the day. Also found out that there are 36 adventurers on this trip, 22 of them are kids under 18.

Our friend is guiding next week's tour. Sorry you missed him! But I know Nadine and Kim are also very good! ;-)

We arrive in Heidelberg a day early, so I hope there is lots to do!

22 under 18? Wow. Only 14 adults? That's a lot different than our tour last year! I like children (was one myself. Lol) but we are past the little kids part of our life! Lol. We will probably start taking the adult exclusive tours when our daughter's schedule fits. But if you have younger kids, that ratio would probably be a great trip for them! Would have loved that when I was a kid!

Keep us updated if you can!

Ps: our box came today! Those new backpacks are confusing. Should have come with instructions.... ROFL. :-D

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[JacksGirlz]

Most of the kids are teens with only 3 boys. Everyone is getting along well. The weather is cool with rain showers here and there. With the middle two hotels being historic sites there is no central air just oscillating fans in the rooms so I am thankful that it is cool weather and not 90 degrees like it was last week. Just finished up our tour with the night watchman in Rothenburg and the views of the city are just beautiful. Looks like tomorrow we will have a good 4-5 hours in the afternoon on our own to explore this picturesque town. Can't wait to try the local sweet called schneeballen.

 

[SingingMom]

Most of the kids are teens with only 3 boys. Everyone is getting along well. The weather is cool with rain showers here and there. With the middle two hotels being historic sites there is no central air just oscillating fans in the rooms so I am thankful that it is cool weather and not 90 degrees like it was last week. Just finished up our tour with the night watchman in Rothenburg and the views of the city are just beautiful. Looks like tomorrow we will have a good 4-5 hours in the afternoon on our own to explore this picturesque town. Can't wait to try the local sweet called schneeballen.

Thanks for the update! We leave in 17 days!

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[MinnieGarden]

Jacksgirls, SingingMom, and anyone else traveling soon, my husband and I are on the Dis Exclusive trip at the end of September. While in Munich, do you see the Glockenspiel and is it during a "performance" time? I know our time in Munich is extremely limited, especially since we will be there for the start of Oktoberfest. Danke!

 

[SingingMom]

Jacksgirls, SingingMom, and anyone else traveling soon, my husband and I are on the Dis Exclusive trip at the end of September. While in Munich, do you see the Glockenspiel and is it during a "performance" time? I know our time in Munich is extremely limited, especially since we will be there for the start of Oktoberfest. Danke!

I remember in another thread someone said you do get to see the Glockenspiel. I can let you know when we return!

Last week the temps were 90, this week 60. I can't imagine what July will be like! Lol

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[JacksGirlz]

Yes we went to see the glockenspiel today. Immediately after we arrived in Munich we had time to check into our rooms, stow any items we bought at the Steiff bear museum in our hotel room, take a potty break and then we were off on a 2 hour walking tour with our local guide, Michael. The glockenspiel was really neat and our local guide was great at explaining the history behind it.

 

[JacksGirlz]

SingingMom - I can tell you that your DD will most likely not have enough free time in Munich to do a side trip. When we arrived in Munich we were met by our local guide, Michael, who is so engaging and such a funny speaker. He took us on a 2-2.5 hour walking tour of Munich. This was from about 3:15 to 5:30pm. Dinner is on your own that evening. The next morning you are to be on the bus at 7:30am as it is a 2 hour ride to Neuschwanstein Castle. Then a two hour ride back to the hotel. This is the last day of the itinerary. After you return to the hotel you have about another 2-2.5 hours of free time before you meet again for the farewell dinner around 6pm. The itinerary has changed and you no longer have the farewell dinner at the Hofbrauhaus. The place they switched it to was wonderful and the oompah band was great! We did the Hofbrauhaus on our own the previous night. Hopefully this info helps. Tomorrow we visit Salzburg and on Sunday we have to say goodbye to Germany. :-(

Good news is that we get to then say hello to Ireland!!

I will do a more detailed report once we are back home.

 

[SingingMom]

SingingMom - I can tell you that your DD will most likely not have enough free time in Munich to do a side trip. When we arrived in Munich we were met by our local guide, Michael, who is so engaging and such a funny speaker. He took us on a 2-2.5 hour walking tour of Munich. This was from about 3:15 to 5:30pm. Dinner is on your own that evening. The next morning you are to be on the bus at 7:30am as it is a 2 hour ride to Neuschwanstein Castle. Then a two hour ride back to the hotel. This is the last day of the itinerary. After you return to the hotel you have about another 2-2.5 hours of free time before you meet again for the farewell dinner around 6pm. The itinerary has changed and you no longer have the farewell dinner at the Hofbrauhaus. The place they switched it to was wonderful and the oompah band was great! We did the Hofbrauhaus on our own the previous night. Hopefully this info helps. Tomorrow we visit Salzburg and on Sunday we have to say goodbye to Germany. :-(

Good news is that we get to then say hello to Ireland!!

I will do a more detailed report once we are back home.

Thanks so much for taking the time out to post! DD was disappointed about the time restraints in Munich. She will have to try to make arrangements while she is studying in Europe next semester.

I thought we were supposed to go to Hofbrauhaus with the group. Did you enjoy it enough to go on our own?

Hope Salzburg is enjoyable! Wish we could have planned that too!

 

[JacksGirlz]

SingingMom - the change to no longer have dinner at the Hofbrauhaus is because the restaurant no longer takes private groups (or something along that line). We would have had to sit with the masses and being that the place is huge, seating up to 5,000 guests, it would no longer be the intimate setting that ABD would like to have for the farewell dinner. We are the 2nd group this year to try the new place (sorry I can't recall the name) but our group had it's own private room with our own oompah oompah band that even greeted us with a quick song and show as soon as we stepped off the bus. It was a very nice setting.

Our experience at the Hofbrauhaus was ok. Very crowded and very loud!! We had to circle around a few times until we found someone leaving a table so we could swoop in and sit at it before anyone else did. The waiter then came to pick up the dirty steins left at the table and wiped it off. The food itself was good and, per the beer drinkers in our group, so was the beer. Unfortunately, the waiter had to come back twice to tell us that two of their dinner specialties had sold out! This was at about 7:30pm. I'm not sure if this is usual or not for them but it was a disappointment.

The only way to get more time in Munich would be to skip Neuschwanstein...or stay a day later. ;-)

 

[SingingMom]

SingingMom - the change to no longer have dinner at the Hofbrauhaus is because the restaurant no longer takes private groups (or something along that line). We would have had to sit with the masses and being that ...

The only way to get more time in Munich would be to skip Neuschwanstein...or stay a day later. ;-)

Good to hear the new place is more suited for the farewell dinner!

We booked an extra day before the trip instead of after. I thought, after our last ABD trip, that this would help with getting acclimated to the time change. I also like to leave after we say goodbye, on a happy note. I thought if we stayed an extra day for DD to see the concentration camp, although very educational and historical, it would have us returning home on a very somber note.

We won't miss the castle, but DD really wishes I had added time to see Dauche and then headed to Salzburg for the Sound of Music tour. I told her we had to return home at SOME point! Lol

 

[sayhello]

Good to hear the new place is more suited for the farewell dinner!

We booked an extra day before the trip instead of after. I thought, after our last ABD trip, that this would help with getting acclimated to the time change. I also like to leave after we say goodbye, on a happy note. I thought if we stayed an extra day for DD to see the concentration camp, although very educational and historical, it would have us returning home on a very somber note.

We won't miss the castle, but DD really wishes I had added time to see Dauche and then headed to Salzburg for the Sound of Music tour. I told her we had to return home at SOME point! Lol

You'll just have to do the Central Europe tour next year...

Sayhello

 

[SingingMom]

You'll just have to do the Central Europe tour next year...

Sayhello

Next year I want to go to Italy! Or Aulani, or another Disney cruise, or...... Lol.

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