A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I returned from our second Adventures by Disney trip. We took a cruise down the Rhine River. We visited four countries and packed a lot in those eight days. We visited storybook villages, historical sites, world-renowned cities, saw castles, and experienced VIP service throughout the trip. Last year we sailed on a ten-day Mediterranean Disney cruise and added on an Adventures by Disney package. Instead of booking our excursions through the cruise line, we booked them through Adventures by Disney. I will explain what that means later on in this post.
First, for those of you that don’t know, Adventures by Disney (“ABD”) is a guided group travel option offered by the Walt Disney company. It provides culturally immersive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, South, and North America. The trips range from 3-4 days (short escapes) up to 12 days long. There are river cruises on the Rhine, Danube, Seine and Rhone rivers. As mentioned above, you may add an ABD to certain Disney Cruise Line cruises.
Being a Disney fanatic, I had heard of these trips a few years ago. We had been to Disney World more times than I can count, and we had done several Disney cruises at this point. However, two things made me shy away from them, the thought of group travel and the price. I had always loved planning our vacations. I would spend hours looking for excursions, comparing tour operators, etc. When it came to going on our first family trip to Europe, I was a little hesitant. I looked at what Disney Cruise Line had to offer for excursions and was a bit surprised at how expensive these excursions were. As I was weighing my options, a brochure for ABD arrived at my house, offering what they called an “Embedded ABD.” The add on includes preselected shore excursions, led by two Adventure Guides. Each embedded ABD is capped at 40 people. The ABD consists of a welcome and farewell reception, activities on the sea days, a case of water, and all photos taken on your excursions and the ship.
The more I read, the more I was starting to see the value in the add on. I decided to give my travel agent a call and discuss it with him. After our chat, I booked it. Unlike the land-based and river cruise trips, the deposit was refundable if we decided we could not swing the cost. At this point, I had nine months to mull over our decision. During those nine months, I poured over reviews, talked to people who had been on this trip. By the time our paid in full date arrived, I was ready to commit. OUCH! It was the most we had ever paid for a vacation. Now mind you, we paid off the cruise that day, too, so it seemed extra painful. LOL.
As the trip got closer, I started to have buyer’s remorse. Every time I told someone what we were doing, I heard how expensive it was, how I could take the trip for a lot less money, etc. It was starting to annoy me and feed into my fear that the trip was not going to live up to my expectations.
Well, can I say… the trip was worth every single penny. We had an amazing time. The guides were fantastic; the excursions were incredible; we received first-class VIP treatment from the moment we stepped on the ship until we departed. I was hooked. The Adventures by Disney experience is second to none, and I did not hesitate to book the Rhine River cruise and our next adventure, the Canadian Rockies with ABD. So, what makes the difference?
The Disney Difference
Disney is known for its storytelling. The story is told through the Adventure Guides. In addition to the two guides, you are joined by local guides that immerse you into the culture. (Side note, with river cruises, you have six guides. ) You experience the culture and traditions of the local people. The Adventure Guides provide the first-class service that Disney is known for, and all of your needs are met beyond expectations. The guides do more than take you from place to place. They provide more information you could ever dream of about each destination. They make sure you are hydrated, feed, know where the good bathrooms are (KEY!!), and the best local places to shop and eat outside of tourists traps. They are photographers and great entertainment for all. You get to know your guides, and it makes the trip a more intimate experience.
Not only do you get to know your guides, but the other families traveling with you — most groups top off at 40 people, except for river cruising. I believe 130-140 is the cut-off. You spend a lot of time with these people, and we have made friends along the way.
Are you traveling with children? ABD makes sure to build in what they call Junior Adventure activities for kids. For example, when we were at the Colosseum in Rome, one of the guides took all the kids and did a tour separate from the adults. They learned all about this amazing piece of history, all the while acting as gladiators.
Another difference between ABD trips and other group travel is what Disney calls the Insider Access. The Insider Access includes things like an after-hours tour of the Vatican, with a private viewing inside the Sistine Chapel. How about a backstage pass to Good Morning America? Or perhaps an exclusive dinner at Edinburgh castle is more your thing. These are once in a lifetime experiences, and Disney makes it happen.
Have I mentioned how easy ABD makes traveling? Need help making airfare reservations? ABD can help. Want to arrive a couple of days early or perhaps extend your trip by a few days? ABD can arrange this as well. Once your adventure begins, there is no waiting in line to check into your hotels, and there is no carrying your luggage. Everything is taken care of for you. Sign me up!
Lastly, we chose ABD for Disney’s track record when it comes to safety. Safety is their number one priority, and I have the utmost confidence that ABD will always keep our safety in mind when traveling to these various destinations.
All of this is the Disney difference, and this is why we choose to explore the world with Adventures by Disney.
If you would like to read more about our trips with Adventures By Disney check out these posts.
Today’s adventure takes us to the French Riviera. When we first booked this trip, the place was I most excited about was Rome. Though I loved it, the French and Italian coasts stole my heart. Simply breathtaking.
Villefranche is a charming fishing village on the Riviera. It is located in between the city of Nice and the country of Monaco. We left the ship early, took a tender, and caught a bus to our first stop, Monaco. Along the way, we saw a beautiful coastline. Though a lot of the bus rides were a bit long, Adventures by Disney goes out of their way to make us comfortable. The busses all have reclining seats and air conditioning. Each day, James and Dusty had plenty of water and snacks for us. We really could not ask for more. As we made our way to Monaco, were told a bit of the history. It is the second-smallest country in the world (Vatican City is smaller). It is notorious for tax havens. As one of our guides said, “It is where the shady go to get sunny.” It is also known for the annual Formula One Grand Prix. Upon arriving, the bus parked next to the Oceanographic Museum. Though we did not tour the museum, we took in the views and snapped some photos.
We walked through a beautiful garden that is paid for and maintained by the royal family. We continued to St. Nicholas’s church. If you remember, before Meghan Markle, Grace Kelly was America’s princess. St. Nicholas’s church is where she married her Prince, Prince Rainier, III. It is also where the royal couple is buried.
After exiting the church, we continued walking through the streets to the Palace. We toured the Palace (no ac!!!), but no pictures are allowed inside. We did get a coupled of good shots in front of the Palace and overlooking the harbor.
After leaving the palace, we had a bit of free time. We shopped and had a crepe. Later, we met up with the group and drove to Monte Carlo. It was interesting to see the streets of the Grand Prix. We were told that to dock your boat in the harbor for the Grand Prix; one must pay 50,000 Euros per day for a minimum of 3 days. Yikes! I guess we won’t be doing that any time soon. LOL! The next stop was lunch. We enjoyed a great lunch on the rooftop of the Fairmont Hotel, overlooking the water. The food and atmosphere were excellent. We had a little bit of time to explore, but we chose to hang back at the hotel and enjoy the views. We also got to know a bit more about our fellow adventurers. It was a lovely afternoon. About an hour or so later, we were off to the village of Eze. Since this post is long enough, I will continue this trip report in the next couple of days. For now, au revoir!
