What is the value for you in ABD trips?

[SuperJ]

I've done the parks plenty and one cruise (another planned). I am aware of Disney pricing being insane (and I think they are close to pricing us out of the parks. the second cruise will probably be our last, but it's a family thing). I hadn't ever looked at ABD until a niece expressed interest in seeing Paris (i'm the childless aunt with a little of a discretionary budget so we do a summer trip sometimes). It would be at least 2 years away, but I started researching to get an idea of what I'd need to save. I looked up the ABD trips because I thought having the opportunity to travel with other kids (and me other adults) with little hassle would be a benefit, but I was honestly shocked at the prices. I'm comfortable traveling internationally and using mass transit (have been to Paris before) so I will probably just end up going it on my own and booking day tours for some things. These trips, particularly when you add the non-included meals and airfare on top of it, are just not something I could afford, even with saving, or mentally justify the cost of. And I'm just looking at 1 adult, 1 child for the London/Paris trip. I then looked up a few others and they seemed similarly very expensive compared to the rest of the market. I see a lot of families going on these trips, sometimes multiple, and I think their vacation cost more than a new car or a down payment on a house. On paper, the trips look to visit the same major tourist attractions as other trips, so it's hard to see any justifications for the difference in their price points. I understand budgets are different and I'm not asking anyone to explain how they afford it. I am instead assuming that folks who do these trips find value in it, despite what appears to me, even with comparable hotels, to be a significant cost difference over doing the trip on your own or with another tour company. I know this also applies to cruises, but the "value difference" on the cruises for our family were the cleanliness of the ships and the inclusion of things that are extras on other lines. I don't see that with ABD, since they obviously don't control the hotels and sites visited. I am therefore wondering - where are you finding the value? Why did you choose ABD over all other options? what are the things that, to you, justify the price? Is it a higher level of service (and do you actually get it) or is there more? What are the things that, to you, are worth the well over 5 figures price tag? Or, did you do it and regret it/not see the value? Just genuinely interested in hearing thoughts from folks on this because I'm curious about what I'm missing.

 

[starry_solo]

I haven't yet been on an ABD, but I hope to do so eventually.

The reasons why we haven't been on ABD is the cost, as you point out.
But, we are getting older and, as you've noticed, prices are going up on everything. Plus, if/when we travel with the parents, I don't know, I feel like the ABD guides would be more patient than other tour guides since they are used to dealing with adventurous children

 

[polynor]

We just went on our first one.
I had to do a deep sigh before we committed because it's a lot of money, and as you mention, you still have to travel to the destination, there' still out of pocket expenses such as any costs associated with on your own time (including anything you do pre or post excursion expenses).

For context, we have done a couple of Disney cruises, lots of WDW and DL trips and we're DVC. We have NOT done tours such as Tauck, NatGeo or Rick Steves as a comparison. though in thinking about this one, those were all recommended to me. We selected ABD because of the Family friendly element and more catered service aspects.
Those that recommended Tauck and NatGeo to us had older kids than ours (youngest-9). Tauck seems to have similar itineraries but also price out close to ABD.

The biggest perk I would guess is the family element of it --
The guides were exceptional with the kids and whole group. They noticed when my youngest was getting restless and gave him "jobs", they provided snacks at just the right time, they had separate jr adventurers time which we felt super comfortable letting them go off with the guides which made our dinner and touring way more enjoyable. We were told by others in our group that other ABD tours had even more jr time than ours.
All the major sites -- those are all things you can figure out how to do yourself or arrange independent private tours. But the mix of touring activities from *important historical site* to immersion activities that we would have never planned on our own was perfect -- those immersion activities (pasta making) was the youngest's favorite activity. We would have *NEVER* done that separately.
Additionally -- having someone plan that for us -- tell us where to go, book the hotels (the hotels were all really nice -- but each with their own nuances), arrange for the tour guide, have water and snacks when needed, show up with ponchos and handwarmers, etc. Huge stress relief. Granted -- this is something you could get from Tauck etc. Regardless, I had enough stress just trying to plan pre-ABD excursion.

So -- for us, my vacation time is limited, my vacation planning time is even more limited. So it's either booking something like this or not going at all. I doubt we'll ever be the family that have done 10+ of these -- but maybe a handful for the hard to plan areas...?

 

[AquaDame]

I may not be the person you are looking for, as I find value in ABD on trips that are NOT easily done on my own. I would not consider an ABD to France or England, as they are exceptionally easy to get around. I'm also not traveling with a kid though; that is a huge benefit.

For us the value is hand holding in countries where it gets more complicated, like Egypt or SE Asia (not Japan usually as I speak some Japanese but more on that below). ABD is exceptional at the 'fixer' role. Unbeknownst to the travelers they work behind the scenes greasing palms, making connections, and rerouting trips all without you knowing anything is amiss. Their guides knock the socks off guides we've had elsewhere when it comes down to stuff like that. Any guide can do a good job when things go right, its when things go wrong that their value swings wildly. Other groups say they can do the same, but when things have gone wrong on trips no one has resolved things as satisfactorily as ABD has in our experience. If you read through some of the trip reports on the boards there are many notable examples of them going above and beyond. Some of this can be attributed to the fellow travelers having a similar mindset and willingness to help also that I still can't quite explain. My bus in the arctic didnt HAVE to take time out of our day to go back to the airport instead of continuing on to the next activity to pick up lost luggage for a fellow passenger, but it was unanimous that we did not mind being late to reunite a traveler with her stuff as quickly as possible. Nary a grumble on that bus, and the thundrous applause was intense when our guide took a victory lap with the suitcase above his head. Stupid simple, but something I'll always remember.

Compare this to my trip last month on AMA Waterways. Was it their fault the river was flooding and the ship had to leave us behind? No, heavens no. But they also did not need to leave us standing on a cold dock with no information, no water, food, or bathroom for two and a half hours while they figured it out. Two more couples joined us in that time and were similarly unhappy but still we just sat and sat. We were not dressed for it mind you, as we thought we'd just walk from the train to the boat. It was 30 degrees when the sun went down and I was in jeans. I have no doubt ABD would not have made us wait for more folk to arrive (AMA did NOT know where folks were or when they would arrive, so it made no sense), and even if they did they would have directed us to somewhere warm for a drink or dinner (and probably paid for it). We received not one apology when we finally boarded, and in fact received worse service as there was no welcome drink or hot towel or anything, no help with our luggage to our room, AND the maitre d chose to toss shade at my husband and I when we asked for our own table after the ordeal as we really just wanted to decompress. Nor did we do the emergency muster drill which I'm sure violated some laws. After that terrible start I ended up sick (ok maybe it had nothing to do with standing in the cold, I know a virus is a virus but I'm still mad about it), and there just wasn't anything special about the tours or experience that makes me long to go back. ABD just somehow makes everything more fun whereas normal staff just seem to be going through the motions and doing a base level job. I get theatrics, and I'm sure a lot of it is fake, but I've had great interactions with the guides anyway that have sure FELT sincere, even to this jaded traveler.

We've also done an on-our-own tour through China where I arranged everything on my own and we used guides in every city also. That went better than the AMA trip, but still just didn't hit the same. I came home tired and starting over from scratch in every city was rough... a length of trip guide would have been welcome. Next month we're going to Japan on yet another tour group - All Japan Tours - and I'll know if that is good enough after that trip. Normally we travel to Japan on our own and I wouldn't have it any other way but this is in Hokkaido in the dead of winter and you need a car to do what we want to see. Neither of us felt comfortable driving, on the wrong side of the road, in a country where we do not speak the language natively, when there could be whiteout conditions or road hazards. It was just too much of a risk... so tour it is!

 

[aggiedog]

I have not done one myself, for the reason that the itineraries look great but with 4 kids I can't pull the trigger with the cost. I have friends that have done several with their 2 kids, for what boils down to 2 reasons. They are married doctors with very busy practices and neither have the time or inclination to plan a big trip for their family. They like the ability to pick a trip, pay a certain amount monthly, then just go. The other is that despite multiple trips with ABD (or perhaps because of it) are very hesitant to strike out on their own to travel. The husband told me I was brave to take a Disney Baltic cruise because of all the different foreign languages we'd be encountering. Again, we were going on a Disney cruise.

If you think the trips are expensive, did you see the "Round the World in a Private Jet" price? That's for an entirely different set of realities than my life!

Calypso's Egypt report has me thinking though. The private access to some of those sites, along with the logistics of planning/executing a trip to somewhere like Egypt, might make it "worth it" for maybe an adult only trip with DH. I really hate crowds.

 

[Marthasor]

I've done the parks plenty and one cruise (another planned). I am aware of Disney pricing being insane (and I think they are close to pricing us out of the parks. the second cruise will probably be our last, but it's a family thing). I hadn't ever looked at ABD until a niece expressed interest in seeing Paris (i'm the childless aunt with a little of a discretionary budget so we do a summer trip sometimes). It would be at least 2 years away, but I started researching to get an idea of what I'd need to save. I looked up the ABD trips because I thought having the opportunity to travel with other kids (and me other adults) with little hassle would be a benefit, but I was honestly shocked at the prices. I'm comfortable traveling internationally and using mass transit (have been to Paris before) so I will probably just end up going it on my own and booking day tours for some things. These trips, particularly when you add the non-included meals and airfare on top of it, are just not something I could afford, even with saving, or mentally justify the cost of. And I'm just looking at 1 adult, 1 child for the London/Paris trip. I then looked up a few others and they seemed similarly very expensive compared to the rest of the market. I see a lot of families going on these trips, sometimes multiple, and I think their vacation cost more than a new car or a down payment on a house. On paper, the trips look to visit the same major tourist attractions as other trips, so it's hard to see any justifications for the difference in their price points. I understand budgets are different and I'm not asking anyone to explain how they afford it. I am instead assuming that folks who do these trips find value in it, despite what appears to me, even with comparable hotels, to be a significant cost difference over doing the trip on your own or with another tour company. I know this also applies to cruises, but the "value difference" on the cruises for our family were the cleanliness of the ships and the inclusion of things that are extras on other lines. I don't see that with ABD, since they obviously don't control the hotels and sites visited. I am therefore wondering - where are you finding the value? Why did you choose ABD over all other options? what are the things that, to you, justify the price? Is it a higher level of service (and do you actually get it) or is there more? What are the things that, to you, are worth the well over 5 figures price tag? Or, did you do it and regret it/not see the value? Just genuinely interested in hearing thoughts from folks on this because I'm curious about what I'm missing.

We have done 3 ABDs - SoCal/DL, Arizona/Utah and Central Europe (the first year it was offered - itinerary has changed since then). I always price shop when putting vacations together - for example, after looking at the Greece ABD, I realized, for our family, it was not our ideal itinerary and we could do 3 weeks in Greece on our own (by booking with a few local tour companies) for the cost of the 1-week ABD - the caveat, however, is it was a TON of work on my end. We also did Paris/France on our own last summer after a DCL cruise - again, I booked with a local tour company to go to Normandy and then we did Paris on our own.

I picked our 3 ABDs for very particular reasons - you cannot, on your own, replicate the SoCal/DL ABD. They have so much backstage access at DL, Imagineering, Studios, etc. and it's actually a very good value once you factor in the stay at the Grand Californian, night show access and lightning lanes that are included. For Arizona/Utah - those drives are very long and I did not want to rent a car for that itinerary. I had looked at doing that one on our own, as well and with the included activities and hotels, felt it was a very, good value. We booked Central Europe during its first year and got a very good deal on it. My DS was also very young at the time and I wanted ABD to handle the logistics for us, which, of course, they did.

I agree, ABDs are very expensive, but if they are offering an itinerary that we love and I don't feel I could replicate well on our own, we will book it. What is really pushing things over the edge for us, at the moment, is the cost to fly internationally. Even if I think the pricing for the ABD is ok, I add in airfare and the whole trip goes completely out the window.

 

[Longhorn Pookie]

We just went on our first one.
I had to do a deep sigh before we committed because it's a lot of money, and as you mention, you still have to travel to the destination, there' still out of pocket expenses such as any costs associated with on your own time (including anything you do pre or post excursion expenses).

For context, we have done a couple of Disney cruises, lots of WDW and DL trips and we're DVC. We have NOT done tours such as Tauck, NatGeo or Rick Steves as a comparison. though in thinking about this one, those were all recommended to me. We selected ABD because of the Family friendly element and more catered service aspects.
Those that recommended Tauck and NatGeo to us had older kids than ours (youngest-9). Tauck seems to have similar itineraries but also price out close to ABD.

The biggest perk I would guess is the family element of it --
The guides were exceptional with the kids and whole group. They noticed when my youngest was getting restless and gave him "jobs", they provided snacks at just the right time, they had separate jr adventurers time which we felt super comfortable letting them go off with the guides which made our dinner and touring way more enjoyable. We were told by others in our group that other ABD tours had even more jr time than ours.
All the major sites -- those are all things you can figure out how to do yourself or arrange independent private tours. But the mix of touring activities from *important historical site* to immersion activities that we would have never planned on our own was perfect -- those immersion activities (pasta making) was the youngest's favorite activity. We would have *NEVER* done that separately.
Additionally -- having someone plan that for us -- tell us where to go, book the hotels (the hotels were all really nice -- but each with their own nuances), arrange for the tour guide, have water and snacks when needed, show up with ponchos and handwarmers, etc. Huge stress relief. Granted -- this is something you could get from Tauck etc. Regardless, I had enough stress just trying to plan pre-ABD excursion.

So -- for us, my vacation time is limited, my vacation planning time is even more limited. So it's either booking something like this or not going at all. I doubt we'll ever be the family that have done 10+ of these -- but maybe a handful for the hard to plan areas...?

Thanks for the helpful thoughts. We have two boys (6 and 7). Did the ABD tours you joined specifically have "Jr adventurers" activities called out on the intiial itinerary? I'm looking at some of the ABD itineraries on their websites, and some of them have Jr adventurer activities specifically mentioned (e.g., S. Africa), and some don't (e.g., Egypt) even though their minimum age would accommodate our children.

If you, or anyone else, have experience with South Africa or Egypt ABD tours, please share. Thank you!

 

[abdgeek]

Thanks for the helpful thoughts. We have two boys (6 and 7). Did the ABD tours you joined specifically have "Jr adventurers" activities called out on the intiial itinerary? I'm looking at some of the ABD itineraries on their websites, and some of them have Jr adventurer activities specifically mentioned (e.g., S. Africa), and some don't (e.g., Egypt) even though their minimum age would accommodate our children.

If you, or anyone else, have experience with South Africa or Egypt ABD tours, please share. Thank you!

Only the ABD itineraries that mention Junior Adventure activities have them. The ABD Egypt one does not. However, there were children on the Dec. 19, 2023 trip but I don’t think any of them were that young (I was in the group with the college age kids). IMO, Junior Adventure activities are only offered when the adults are doing something the kids can’t do or would get bored doing (think wine tasting, visiting a museum). The kids would still visit the same place, but the activity would be tailored to them. On some tours, there is a JA night where the kids get together with the tour guides, have dinner, and play games. You can always check with ABD to see what age children are going to be on your tour. The kids normally bond on the tour regardless of age. However, I have noticed that the further the trip is from the U.S., the more families treat the ABD as a family trip vs. bonding with other families on the trip.

 

[Donalyn]

Value is, of course, a very personal thing. As are travel styles.

We are Disney people - so when I told my husband that he could pick the destination for a "big" trip for his 50th birthday, I wasn't surprised when Disney related ideas were what he came up with. After I said no to his first three suggestions (two for being repeats of places that we'd already visited and one for being very, very expensive (this was not a Disney option)), I felt that I could not say no to the ABD Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice), even though I knew we could have planned a similar trip for like half of the price.

We did that trip and last summer did the ABD Rhine River Cruise. Both were excellent and I'd highly recommend them to anyone. Here is the value that I think ABD brings:

* Time tested itineraries, designed for family travel. As stated before - not just museum after museum, but mixing it up. And I found that things that I wasn't excited for, actually were pretty fun - like pasta making, and dinner in the castle. (Now, after 20+ years of family travel planning under my belt, I think that I'm also pretty good at itinerary planning. And I generally enjoy it - getting a mix of things that everyone in my party will like/enjoy. But when you are talking about a big trip, like your kids' first trip to Europe, etc. you want to get it right the first time, you don't have the luxury of trial and error.) Also, the pacing was pretty good.

* We also had people on our trips who really just like the turn-key solution to international travel - they don't have time to plan things and just want it done for them, with a service level that they expect. ABD will do that for you, if that is what you need.

* The guides - they are truly excellent. And wonderful at finding magic for everyone. The kid who doesn't want to join in, the honeymooning couple who got their own gondola, with a singer in Venice, making sure that my kid with allergies can have a dessert at meals (and eat the food generally), or just fixing the issues that happen in travel (like getting my daughter's cell phone back when she accidently left it in the transfer vehicle on the way to our first hotel from the airport, because she can't sleep on planes, but can in vans!). Or being there to assist with medical issues, when a lady on our trip had to go to the doctor for an infection (the Italian guide went with her to make sure no language barrier issues). And they just seem to know what people need - water breaks, bath room breaks, snacks, etc. (Oh- and our local city guides were also very good.)

* Special access - the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel alone with just like 35 people and we were there for like over a half hour, while our Rome tour guide discussed the art, etc. And we got to take pictures. (Yes, I understand that some of the other big companies have a similar arrangement, but amazing.) etc. (Less of this on the cruise, most likely due to the departure times for the boat each day.)

* For me - that I also was able to be on vacation during our tours. All I had to worry about was reporting time each day (and maybe a little for on our own time). How nice after being the family tour guide for decades. It made the transfers so easy - moving to different cities was a breeze, as was getting into the new hotels, etc. (I'm becoming a slow travel person, fewer destinations per trip, but if ABD is doing all the work, I'm still happy to move around to see more areas.)

And even with on our own time, or meals, the adventure guides were there to assist. We had some very interesting on our own meals that we will always remember, based on recommendations from the guides. Like the platter of meat and peach bellinis that we had on Father's Day in Venice, or the hole in the wall restuarant in Rome with his and her menus (DH's was blue and had prices, ours were pink and had calorie counts!).

All that said - the only ABD that I'd ever do in the US (and Canada) is the So Cal/Disneyland one. The rest - I could do the trip so easily (or have done a similar trip), for a fraction of the price tag. I can drive in the US, i'm comfortable with US airports, I can navigate reservation systems for hotels and tours. There is no language barrier, etc. And I actually enjoy trip planning (it is sort of my hobby). So the value proposition just isn't there for me. But if that works for people - fine by me - you do you.

And I also don't see the value proposition for the London/Paris trip. But I've done a London/Paris trip and it was very easy to navigate the planning (even in 2000 when the internet was not as helpful as it is now). And both cities have world class (and easy to understand) metro systems, direct train travel between the two, etc. Almost everyone speaks English, even in Paris. And so much to do in each location - that it is nice to be able to customize that to what interests your travel party and travel style. But again, that is just me.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

I'm going to echo some of the sentiments others have already made.

We've only done 3 ABDs so far, and we've done some more world travel on our own (not nearly as much as others on these boards). Our first ABD was S CA (the longer trip including Hollywood and DLR). Like someone else mentioned, it's a trip that cannot be replicated. Going into Imagineering, etc, was a dream. We chose that first because we wanted to try out ABD (and group travel in general) with a little less time and money commitment than the international trips, and we were taking the kids to CA anyway.

Our second was to Italy (Rome/Florence/Venice). We went to Capri/Naples/Sorrento beforehand and to Austria and Germany (Bavaria) after, all on our own. (We'd been to Germany before.) Our guides on the Italy ABD were a little surprised when we asked what laundromat to go to on our first day, and said that most of the clients don't do any exploring etc outside the guided trip. (I think everyone else on our trip flew in to Rome the day the ABD started and flew back home from Venice on the last day.)

We have no trouble going to most of Europe, North and South America, and Oceania on our own, especially since both my husband and I speak a little French, I speak Spanish (he's ok at it), I can get by in Italian, I understand Portuguese, and I remember a little Russian. But we're a *very* busy family, and any trip planning falls on me. Combine that with some of the activities and exclusive things ABD does, and that's where we find value in taking an ABD to a place that we're not necessarily uncomfortable traveling to on our own. (We actually did go back to Venice on our own a few months ago.)

Our most recent trip with ABD was to Greece. My husband didn't join the kids and me until after the ABD, so having the guides' help was invaluable (I really missed it since we were there for another week between the ABD and when my husband arrived). The airports and especially the ferries can be really hectic there, and sitting in a relatively cool restaurant while one of our guides got our luggage onto the ferry in Santorini (for example) was pretty nice.

The next few ABDs we have booked or planned are to places we're not comfortable going on our own, including Egypt, Japan, China, S Africa, and maybe Morocco. We're not familiar with the languages and customs, and I have no desire to try to drive around on our own. (We will stay in Japan after the ABD to go to Tokyo Disney.)

Every ABD guide we've had has been amazing. There's only been one hotel I wasn't a fan of (the one in Santorini). Overall, we've had very positive experiences with ABD.

 

[polynor]

Thanks for the helpful thoughts. We have two boys (6 and 7). Did the ABD tours you joined specifically have "Jr adventurers" activities called out on the intiial itinerary? I'm looking at some of the ABD itineraries on their websites, and some of them have Jr adventurer activities specifically mentioned (e.g., S. Africa), and some don't (e.g., Egypt) even though their minimum age would accommodate our children.

If you, or anyone else, have experience with South Africa or Egypt ABD tours, please share. Thank you!

Abdgeek answered this already, but yes, the jr adventurer time is called out. For Italy, there was one night where the kids went away after dinner for a movie and gelato. and then Venice at the Doges palace, they did their own thing while those that wanted the full tour did that (my older two wanted the full tour; other older kids did the jr adventurers with the younger ones. By that day, we had done LOTS of tour activity where I could imagine those that werent as interested would want a respite). know that the guides are adept at handling kids.

 

[Eastridge]

I suggest searching for previous threads on this topic and also reading several trip reports to get a flavor of what ABD offers. But some things that I value:

• Special access and surprises: Most trips offer access to experiences that I would find difficult to arrange myself. This is particularly true of the So. California trips, which are in a category by themselves. Most trips also offer little surprises and treats that may not be big deals but help make the trip feel special.
• Concierge / VIP level service: The ABD guides are the best part. You get spoiled by the handholding, luggage services, handling stuff behind the scenes (particularly if something goes wrong). Read my New Zealand report for a few examples, such as my son forgetting his laptop at the hotel.
• Reduced planning: You also get spoiled by ABD handling the logistics and planning. If you don't have time to do the research and plan everything, there is considerable value here.
• Hotels: When I travel on my own, I usually don't pay extra for rooms with a view. ABD has often put us in rooms with great views. See my Canadian Rockies report.
• Family trips: If you travel with kids, ABD trips are a good choice because there will be other kids and they include activities for them, so the adults get to do the wine tasting, museums and historical sightseeing.
• Security: We don't talk much about this but Disney has resources and contingencies if something goes really wrong with a trip. If something happened to a Tauck tour group, most Americans won't know Tauck. But everybody knows Disney. Particularly when traveling internationally, it's comforting to have Disney backing you if there is an emergency, vs. figuring it out on your own.

 

[CamillaF]

I have never gone but was reading about someones trip to Norway impressed me. What stood out to me was how they handled a situation that went wrong. There was a rock slide that made the train ride to their cruise impossible. Within an hour they replanned the whole trip. They chartered a bus to take them over a mountain pass to meet the ship called ahead and had Lunch waiting for them when everyone needed a break. The guides called the cruise line and got the ship to hold off until they got there. That post made me want to use them when going to China..... but still not in my budget.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I have never gone but was reading about someones trip to Norway impressed me. What stood out to me was how they handled a situation that went wrong. There was a rock slide that made the train ride to their cruise impossible. Within an hour they replanned the whole trip. They chartered a bus to take them over a mountain pass to meet the ship called ahead and had Lunch waiting for them when everyone needed a break. The guides called the cruise line and got the ship to hold off until they got there. That post made me want to use them when going to China..... but still not in my budget.

@calypso726 shared a similar situation with a road issue in her Egypt trip report she is posting right now. Those types of instances alone make Disney worth it to me, along with the fabulous guides, first class accommodations, special or speed-pass access, etc that everyone else is posting about. @CaliforniaGirl09, we too still remember the Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I have never gone but was reading about someones trip to Norway impressed me. What stood out to me was how they handled a situation that went wrong. There was a rock slide that made the train ride to their cruise impossible. Within an hour they replanned the whole trip. They chartered a bus to take them over a mountain pass to meet the ship called ahead and had Lunch waiting for them when everyone needed a break. The guides called the cruise line and got the ship to hold off until they got there. That post made me want to use them when going to China..... but still not in my budget.

We did ABD China right before the world changed with Covid (and politics). Sure hope you get a chance someday to do ABD China - would highly highly recommend it. It was a trip of a lifetime for us with amazing people, guides, and experiences. That one even includes a little time at each of the Asian Disney parks! Fun!

 

[jimmymc]

I've done several real cost comparisons between Adventures by Disney and doing things on your own. And typically, the ABD price is 30% to 40% higher than booking the same hotels, restaurants, and activities on your own. But there are also some benefits ABD offers that are difficult or impossible to get yourself:

1. Two tour guides who know the area and language. And they aren't just normal tour guides; they are available the whole length of the trip if you have any issues with the hotel, meals, accessibility, or anything else you can think of. This is one area where AbD stands out above other tour groups, who often only have one guide and they are always busy making sure the next activity is ready.
2. Easy transportation between cities and attractions. On some of the more intense trips, this is a huge advantage, as you'd never be able to coordinate all the activities on your own and make the times work without private transportation.
3. Luggage service between hotels. As in you leave it outside your room in the morning, and it arrives in your next room that evening.
4. Planning is done for you, and the guides can help you make the most of your free time. Researching the price comparisons alone took several hours each, and I wasn't booking anything.
5. All tips, fees, and gratuities are included (except your guides)
6. Exclusive access to certain activities, like after hours tours of museums and going past the ropes when touring famous landmarks.
7. Skipping the lines at almost every attraction.

I personally think the European trips are not worth it. Trains and public transit are good in most places you would visit, the hotels Disney picks are a bit overpriced and Americanized for my taste, and the language barrier isn't as bad as you think. If I were taking my niece, I would just book a hotel and buy tickets to Paris. But for somewhere like China or Southeast Asia, where you have multiple flights, hotels, and crazy logistics between sites, AbD might be worth the cost.

 

[pjacobi]

* We also had people on our trips who really just like the turn-key solution to international travel - they don't have time to plan things and just want it done for them, with a service level that they expect. ABD will do that for you, if that is what you need.

Unfortunately, this means you are totally dependent on a tour company. I think it is sad when someone returns from a long tour and says that they would love to go back to X but have no idea how to get there without another tour.

I prefer investing in years of travel skills so that I freely travel internationally almost as easy as traveling in the US.


-Paul

 

[WeLoveABD]

Unfortunately, this means you are totally dependent on a tour company. I think it is sad when someone returns from a long tour and says that they would love to go back to X but have no idea how to get there without another tour.

I prefer investing in years of travel skills so that I freely travel internationally almost as easy as traveling in the US.


-Paul

I think it is great that you do that -- and I like the mix of travel I do (many years), doing ABD, Tauck and others. I don't find it sad leaving something not done or wanting to travel with groups. Everyone has their preferences. Of course, this particular discussion board is all about group travel, not solo travel-- but I am sure trip tips for particular destinations are most welcomed!

 

[SuperJ]

Thanks for all the responses! I hadn’t looked at the SoCal trip at all but I see what folks have said about the special extras. Maybe if I ever do one with her I’ll plan for that. I think I may not be the audience for a lot of the trips - I’m well traveled and the only times I did tours were overland camping in Africa and through Egypt and Jordan (I’ve been to Japan, but not Disney in Japan, but went with an American friend who was fluent in Japanese, which made the language barrier easier). I’ve lived in several large cities with mass transit and have been to Europe previously (though last time in Paris was as a teen) so I think the better option for my budget is to plan on my own because I’m comfortable doing that for European cities and with Paris in particular I know enough French to get by. I do appreciate the input (and happy to hear more!). I think if we do save for one of these in the future, it would be SoCal. She does want to see Disneyland eventually (we’re east coasters and thus WDW people).

 

[aggiedog]

We're comfortable traveling on our own in most places, but sometimes it's nice to have someone help with making arrangements. We've used a fantastic French company for 2 different trips to France over the years. I can't recommend them enough. Give them a budget, and your interests, and if you'd like a guide or tickets for a day/half day/specific place, and they'll arrange everything (hotel, transfers and train tickets, entry tickets, etc.) Some of my favorite hotels are places they've picked - small, local places with so much character and well located. We got a trip book each time with sooo much info about whichever neighborhood or town we were in, restaurant recommendations, walking tour recommendations, interesting things to see for each day. I'm seriously considering using them to do another trip with them in a couple of years.

https://www.france-justforyou.com/