***BREAKING NEWS*** New Adventure for 2014!!

[SingingMom]

Going on my first ABD next fall to Germany. This trip looks like it could be pretty awesome!

You will love the Germany ABD! Wunderbar!

Norway sounds interesting... Will have to hear the details!

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[paddles]

I am very excited to see the itinerary for the Norway trip (especially if it can be combined with a Baltic cruise!). Scandinavia has been on my bucket list for a while, so I'd love to also spend additional days in Sweden as well.

I'm a little wary about the movie tie-in, because I'd like to ensure Disney hits all the key historical/cultural aspects of Norway and not force fit items from the movie.

I realize I'm a minority voice on these boards regarding the Scotland trip - while the itinerary was good, and the Disney touches were amazing, I was a little disappointed that ABD skipped over key historical elements that I would have preferred to spend time on. That said, my family had a great time on the Scotland trip, but I do feel like I need to go back to cover key things we missed (I personally am hoping for an Outlander tour after the series comes out next year! )

So, I'll be anxiously waiting for the Norway itinerary since I'm really hoping we can make it a trip for 2015!

 

[sayhello]

I am very excited to see the itinerary for the Norway trip (especially if it can be combined with a Baltic cruise!). Scandinavia has been on my bucket list for a while, so I'd love to also spend additional days in Sweden as well.

I'm a little wary about the movie tie-in, because I'd like to ensure Disney hits all the key historical/cultural aspects of Norway and not force fit items from the movie.

I realize I'm a minority voice on these boards regarding the Scotland trip - while the itinerary was good, and the Disney touches were amazing, I was a little disappointed that ABD skipped over key historical elements that I would have preferred to spend time on. That said, my family had a great time on the Scotland trip, but I do feel like I need to go back to cover key things we missed (I personally am hoping for an Outlander tour after the series comes out next year! )

So, I'll be anxiously waiting for the Norway itinerary since I'm really hoping we can make it a trip for 2015!

Specifically what historical elements did they skip over? Was it something you thought they'd include given the itinerary description? I've signed up for the Scotland trip, and I'm all for managing my expectations.

Sayhello

 

[Miss SD]

I am very excited to see the itinerary for the Norway trip (especially if it can be combined with a Baltic cruise!). Scandinavia has been on my bucket list for a while, so I'd love to also spend additional days in Sweden as well.

I'm a little wary about the movie tie-in, because I'd like to ensure Disney hits all the key historical/cultural aspects of Norway and not force fit items from the movie.

I realize I'm a minority voice on these boards regarding the Scotland trip - while the itinerary was good, and the Disney touches were amazing, I was a little disappointed that ABD skipped over key historical elements that I would have preferred to spend time on. That said, my family had a great time on the Scotland trip, but I do feel like I need to go back to cover key things we missed (I personally am hoping for an Outlander tour after the series comes out next year! )

So, I'll be anxiously waiting for the Norway itinerary since I'm really hoping we can make it a trip for 2015!

Hello Paddy,

As you know, I agree with you about the lack of historical context in this adventure. I think I expected more because the guides, including the local guides, on our Germany trip gave us historical details as the trip progressed. The difference, IMO, is that one of our Germany ABD guides is a German native and the other is a history buff of the first order. And our local guides, especially Michael in Munich, were fabulous. The Germany trip is called "Once Upon a Fairytale," but I never felt like it was a Fantasyland-themed adventure.

I went on the Brave tour thinking we'd have a similar experience. It didn't happen. And I'll admit it was my fault to have such expectations. Not everyone is as interested in Royal Family stories as I am.

I want to thank you again for having the bus driver stop at Culloden battlefield. If you hadn't arranged it, we would've missed out on learning more about a fascinating part of Scotland's history. (And we wouldn't have met our cab driver who told us about a pub where DD could get steak and haggis pie! He also told us that the Mustard Seed restaurant used to be a church!)

 

[paddles]

Specifically what historical elements did they skip over? Was it something you thought they'd include given the itinerary description? I've signed up for the Scotland trip, and I'm all for managing my expectations.

Sayhello

I do think its about expectations, and mine (like MissSD) were very high given the amazing Italy trip we had taken the year before. Scotland was really good, but here are my thoughts on where ABD could make improvements:

1. Add a Scottish Adventure guide

2. On day 2, spend more time sightseeing in Edinburgh. Our particular group didn't get to go inside Holyroodhouse and I would have liked to see all of Edinburgh Castle (not just the crown jewels, which is what you get on the last day - its nice to have dinner there, but I really wanted a full tour of the castle).

My advice to is to ensure you spend 2-3 days in Edinburgh beforehand to really see the city and its environs, otherwise, you'll really miss out.

3. On day 3, the description seems awesome (and this is where the itinerary description is widely different from reality), but you sit on a bus for 6 hours with little/no historical commentary, etc. We had lunch at Fort William (with no explanation why it was such an important place), and at GlenCoe, you're given a couple sentences about its importance, but no real insight or opp for photos.

We went to Aileen Donan castle, which was pretty, but I wish the tour had gone to Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument instead (we passed right by it on our way out of Edinburgh). This IMHO is one of the most important historical sites to see there (its like going to Paris and skipping Versailles, and seeing Fontainbleu instead...its nice, but not the most historically significant thing to see).

4. The other days in Skye and Lewis are amazing

5. Rothiemurchus estate is also wonderful, but we started that day at around 10am....I really would have liked a tour of Inverness (I don't go on vaca to sleep - I'm happy to leave the hotel by 8am and do more stuff). We barely had a description/overview of Inverness, and its such an amazing city with lots of history. Also, Culloden battlefield is skipped over which was a critical site for the Jacobite movement. If we started the day a little earlier, and left Rothiemurchus just 30 mins earlier, both an Inverness and Culloden tour would be possible.

6. On day 8, ditto on my comments about sitting on a bus for hours w/no historical commentary. We passed through Aberdeen, and the guides weren't going to give any commentary until I nudged them to do so. That said, Dunnotar castle and Balmoral are wonderful to see.

Because you asked where the tour fell short of my expectations, that's what I'm focusing on in this reply. Please don't read this as the tour is terrible...it is not. Its quite good, but falls short of historical context...so I give the tour a "B" grading, where I would give Bella Italia an "A".

If you have the right expectations set, I think you'll have a great time (and you can adjust your pre/post days to cover additional things to do). We're going on the Central Europe tour next year, and I see the Prague part of the itinerary is extremely light...and having now been to Scotland, I know to add many pre-days to do everything I'd like to do!

I'm a big fan of ABD, and I hope they took the feedback from Scotland to craft the Norway trip to strike a balance of both movie/historical elements.

 

[paddles]

Hello Paddy,

As you know, I agree with you about the lack of historical context in this adventure. I think I expected more because the guides, including the local guides, on our Germany trip gave us historical details as the trip progressed. The difference, IMO, is that one of our Germany ABD guides is a German native and the other is a history buff of the first order. And our local guides, especially Michael in Munich, were fabulous. The Germany trip is called "Once Upon a Fairytale," but I never felt like it was a Fantasyland-themed adventure.

I went on the Brave tour thinking we'd have a similar experience. It didn't happen. And I'll admit it was my fault to have such expectations. Not everyone is as interested in Royal Family stories as I am.

I want to thank you again for having the bus driver stop at Culloden battlefield. If you hadn't arranged it, we would've missed out on learning more about a fascinating part of Scotland's history. (And we wouldn't have met our cab driver who told us about a pub where DD could get steak and haggis pie! He also told us that the Mustard Seed restaurant used to be a church!)

It was great meeting you on the trip! I loved the cab drivers in Scotland as well...they were so friendly and helpful, and gave lots of interesting insights!

Are you signed up for a tour next year yet?

 

[Bobo912]

It was great meeting you on the trip! I loved the cab drivers in Scotland as well...they were so friendly and helpful, and gave lots of interesting insights!

Are you signed up for a tour next year yet?

I'm getting totally off topic here, but wanted to ask what is the customary tip for taxis in Edinburgh. We're spending a few days there on our own before flying to Dublin for our Ireland ABD next summer. Any advice on restaurant and hotel tipping would be appreciated, as well.

 

[jjharts]

Paddles - I couldn't agree with you more! I totally loved the "Brave" tie-ins (that was the main reason we booked this particular tour) but would have liked much more detail on the country and its' history. We did have a wonderful local guide when we went to the Quiraing who gave us some history on our way back to Portree but other than that the bus rides were a bit lacking. I wish we would have gotten to stop at Culloden - sounds amazing.

Norway has been on my list for a long time. I cant wait to see the itinerary

 

[sayhello]

Thanks for your insights paddles, Miss SD & jjharts! That's very helpful. I *do* hope you guys put all of this in your post-trip surveys! They really do pay attention to those.

Sayhello

 

[Cousin Orville]

I do think its about expectations, and mine (like MissSD) were very high given the amazing Italy trip we had taken the year before. Scotland was really good, but here are my thoughts on where ABD could make improvements:

1. Add a Scottish Adventure guide

2. On day 2, spend more time sightseeing in Edinburgh. Our particular group didn't get to go inside Holyroodhouse and I would have liked to see all of Edinburgh Castle (not just the crown jewels, which is what you get on the last day - its nice to have dinner there, but I really wanted a full tour of the castle).

My advice to is to ensure you spend 2-3 days in Edinburgh beforehand to really see the city and its environs, otherwise, you'll really miss out.

3. On day 3, the description seems awesome (and this is where the itinerary description is widely different from reality), but you sit on a bus for 6 hours with little/no historical commentary, etc. We had lunch at Fort William (with no explanation why it was such an important place), and at GlenCoe, you're given a couple sentences about its importance, but no real insight or opp for photos.

We went to Aileen Donan castle, which was pretty, but I wish the tour had gone to Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument instead (we passed right by it on our way out of Edinburgh). This IMHO is one of the most important historical sites to see there (its like going to Paris and skipping Versailles, and seeing Fontainbleu instead...its nice, but not the most historically significant thing to see).

4. The other days in Skye and Lewis are amazing

5. Rothiemurchus estate is also wonderful, but we started that day at around 10am....I really would have liked a tour of Inverness (I don't go on vaca to sleep - I'm happy to leave the hotel by 8am and do more stuff). We barely had a description/overview of Inverness, and its such an amazing city with lots of history. Also, Culloden battlefield is skipped over which was a critical site for the Jacobite movement. If we started the day a little earlier, and left Rothiemurchus just 30 mins earlier, both an Inverness and Culloden tour would be possible.

6. On day 8, ditto on my comments about sitting on a bus for hours w/no historical commentary. We passed through Aberdeen, and the guides weren't going to give any commentary until I nudged them to do so. That said, Dunnotar castle and Balmoral are wonderful to see.

Because you asked where the tour fell short of my expectations, that's what I'm focusing on in this reply. Please don't read this as the tour is terrible...it is not. Its quite good, but falls short of historical context...so I give the tour a "B" grading, where I would give Bella Italia an "A".

If you have the right expectations set, I think you'll have a great time (and you can adjust your pre/post days to cover additional things to do). We're going on the Central Europe tour next year, and I see the Prague part of the itinerary is extremely light...and having now been to Scotland, I know to add many pre-days to do everything I'd like to do!

I'm a big fan of ABD, and I hope they took the feedback from Scotland to craft the Norway trip to strike a balance of both movie/historical elements.

1. I'm sure it's not easy hiring an ABD guide from the country you're visiting, but I agree it can be a big plus. In Vietnam, one of our ABD guides was from Hanoi and he was really great about bringing his own personal experiences and stories to the tour. Incidentally, he was contracted by ABD (or at least he wasn't a full time Disney cast member.)

2. It seems to me that the major cities ABD begins or ends with are often brief overviews. I really don't mind that though as you can plan ahead and stay a couple of days on your own. In Vietnam, they spend very little time in Saigon and it was well worth spending a couple of days beforehand. Same with Esprit de France and Paris. However, I feel ABD excels once they take you out of the big cities and into to smaller cities and towns less accessible or more difficult to organize on your own in a limited time. So I like the way they do it.

Keeping somewhat on topic, I hope that they don't spend too much time in Oslo. That's a neat city but incredibly easy to do on your own. And honestly, the less time there, the more time can be spent in other more exciting places.

3. Having been to both Aileen Donan castle and Sterling castle and the Wallace Monument, I wouldn't change the ABD. Sterling Castle is not comparable to Versailles. Is it worth a visit? Sure, if you've got an extra day or even a few hours, as you mentioned there's important history there. But judging from my own travels through Scotland and not actually being on the ABD, I wouldn't cut Aileen Donan. Aileen Donan has a certain dramatic presence. Its remoteness and mystery really makes you feel like you've traveled a great distance to see something magnificent. Even though it's relatively small and historically a footnote, it's still so fundamentally different from where you traveled from that it leaves long lasting impression - a feeling of achievement. Sterling, as beautiful and historically important as the area is, lacks the drama. The monument, while neat and worth it if you have the time, was probably the least interesting thing I saw in Scotland. Sterling Castle, also worth a visit if time permitted, is not nearly as impressive as Edinburgh Castle.

6. That's surprising. On the long bus rides I've been on, they've been pretty good about balancing commentary and silence. There's always room for improvement.

 

[sayhello]

1. I'm sure it's not easy hiring an ABD guide from the country you're visiting, but I agree it can be a big plus. In Vietnam, one of our ABD guides was from Hanoi and he was really great about bringing his own personal experiences and stories to the tour. Incidentally, he was contracted by ABD (or at least he wasn't a full time Disney cast member.)

2. It seems to me that the major cities ABD begins or ends with are often brief overviews. I really don't mind that though as you can plan ahead and stay a couple of days on your own. In Vietnam, they spend very little time in Saigon and it was well worth spending a couple of days beforehand. Same with Esprit de France and Paris. However, I feel ABD excels once they take you out of the big cities and into to smaller cities and towns less accessible or more difficult to organize on your own in a limited time. So I like the way they do it.

Keeping somewhat on topic, I hope that they don't spend too much time in Oslo. That's a neat city but incredibly easy to do on your own. And honestly, the less time there, the more time can be spent in other more exciting places.

3. Having been to both Aileen Donan castle and Sterling castle and the Wallace Monument, I wouldn't change the ABD. Sterling Castle is not comparable to Versailles. Is it worth a visit? Sure, if you've got an extra day or even a few hours, as you mentioned there's important history there. But judging from my own travels through Scotland and not actually being on the ABD, I wouldn't cut Aileen Donan. Aileen Donan has a certain dramatic presence. Its remoteness and mystery really makes you feel like you've traveled a great distance to see something magnificent. Even though it's relatively small and historically a footnote, it's still so fundamentally different from where you traveled from that it leaves long lasting impression - a feeling of achievement. Sterling, as beautiful and historically important as the area is, lacks the drama. The monument, while neat and worth it if you have the time, was probably the least interesting thing I saw in Scotland. Sterling Castle, also worth a visit if time permitted, is not nearly as impressive as Edinburgh Castle.

6. That's surprising. On the long bus rides I've been on, they've been pretty good about balancing commentary and silence. There's always room for improvement.

Thanks, Kevin. All perspectives are useful and appreciated!

I agree, having one Guide be local can be a huge plus. The fact that Elena was Greek, and studied as an archeologist were a HUGE plus. (But Landon was no slacker, either!) She also is not a full-time Disney cast member. But I'm also surprised at the lack of commentary on the bus rides. Maybe that's something they'll build the more they do this trip.

paddles, Miss SD & jjharts, did you have step-on Guides at all the locales? Was it the bus rides that were lacking or your times on the ground, also?

Thanks!
Sayhello

 

[Miss SD]

It was great meeting you on the trip! I loved the cab drivers in Scotland as well...they were so friendly and helpful, and gave lots of interesting insights!

Are you signed up for a tour next year yet?

No, we're going to take a break from ABD after five consecutive years with them. We enjoyed our time in London (on our own before the Brave tour) so, if all goes to plan, we're going to Paris and to London again. That way, we can focus on the historical sites I like and the cultural stuff teenage DD enjoys.

Enjoy Central Europe next year, paddles!

 

[Miss SD]

Thanks, Kevin. All perspectives are useful and appreciated!

I agree, having one Guide be local can be a huge plus. The fact that Elena was Greek, and studied as an archeologist were a HUGE plus. (But Landon was no slacker, either!) She also is not a full-time Disney cast member. But I'm also surprised at the lack of commentary on the bus rides. Maybe that's something they'll build the more they do this trip.

paddles, Miss SD & jjharts, did you have step-on Guides at all the locales? Was it the bus rides that were lacking or your times on the ground, also?

Thanks!
Sayhello

We had step-on guides in Edinburgh, Portree and Lewis, who were knowledgeable and personable. IMO, the bus rides seemed interminable with little or no commentary from the guides as we drove. Now that I think of it, maybe that was the problem. The trip covered a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time. You felt like you'd seen a lot of the country, but you didn't learn much about it. It was like booking down I-5 from SF to LA, with a few bathroom breaks and little commentary in between. Fine for traveling through the Central Valley, not so good for the Scottish Highlands.

 

[sayhello]

We had step-on guides in Edinburgh, Portree and Lewis, who were knowledgeable and personable. IMO, the bus rides seemed interminable with little or no commentary from the guides as we drove. Now that I think of it, maybe that was the problem. The trip covered a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time. You felt like you'd seen a lot of the country, but you didn't learn much about it. It was like booking down I-5 from SF to LA, with a few bathroom breaks and little commentary in between. Fine for traveling through the Central Valley, not so good for the Scottish Highlands.

OK, that makes a lot of sense. And seems to be something that is fixable!

Sayhello

 

[Calfan]

I do think its about expectations, and mine (like MissSD) were very high given the amazing Italy trip we had taken the year before. Scotland was really good, but here are my thoughts on where ABD could make improvements:

1. Add a Scottish Adventure guide

2. On day 2, spend more time sightseeing in Edinburgh. Our particular group didn't get to go inside Holyroodhouse and I would have liked to see all of Edinburgh Castle (not just the crown jewels, which is what you get on the last day - its nice to have dinner there, but I really wanted a full tour of the castle).

My advice to is to ensure you spend 2-3 days in Edinburgh beforehand to really see the city and its environs, otherwise, you'll really miss out.

3. On day 3, the description seems awesome (and this is where the itinerary description is widely different from reality), but you sit on a bus for 6 hours with little/no historical commentary, etc. We had lunch at Fort William (with no explanation why it was such an important place), and at GlenCoe, you're given a couple sentences about its importance, but no real insight or opp for photos.

We went to Aileen Donan castle, which was pretty, but I wish the tour had gone to Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument instead (we passed right by it on our way out of Edinburgh). This IMHO is one of the most important historical sites to see there (its like going to Paris and skipping Versailles, and seeing Fontainbleu instead...its nice, but not the most historically significant thing to see).

4. The other days in Skye and Lewis are amazing

5. Rothiemurchus estate is also wonderful, but we started that day at around 10am....I really would have liked a tour of Inverness (I don't go on vaca to sleep - I'm happy to leave the hotel by 8am and do more stuff). We barely had a description/overview of Inverness, and its such an amazing city with lots of history. Also, Culloden battlefield is skipped over which was a critical site for the Jacobite movement. If we started the day a little earlier, and left Rothiemurchus just 30 mins earlier, both an Inverness and Culloden tour would be possible.

6. On day 8, ditto on my comments about sitting on a bus for hours w/no historical commentary. We passed through Aberdeen, and the guides weren't going to give any commentary until I nudged them to do so. That said, Dunnotar castle and Balmoral are wonderful to see.

Because you asked where the tour fell short of my expectations, that's what I'm focusing on in this reply. Please don't read this as the tour is terrible...it is not. Its quite good, but falls short of historical context...so I give the tour a "B" grading, where I would give Bella Italia an "A".

If you have the right expectations set, I think you'll have a great time (and you can adjust your pre/post days to cover additional things to do). We're going on the Central Europe tour next year, and I see the Prague part of the itinerary is extremely light...and having now been to Scotland, I know to add many pre-days to do everything I'd like to do!

I'm a big fan of ABD, and I hope they took the feedback from Scotland to craft the Norway trip to strike a balance of both movie/historical elements.

Just wanted to offer some counterpoints to the above, while acknowledging that I completely agree it is all about perspectives and expectations.

1. I think a Scottish adventure guide would be fabulous and agree this could really enhance the trip. That being said, I did think that our adventure guides (Hanneke and Zoe) really did make an effort to add historical commentary throughout the trip, and that the step-on guides in Edinburgh, Skye and Lewis (plus the tour guides for our private tours at Eilean Donan and Glamis castles) were also great in this regard.

2. I definitely agree with Paddles that adding some pre-days in Edinburgh is a must, and I also agree with CousinOrville about the way ABD seems to handle the arrival and departure cities and that these are best enhanced by adding days on your own. However, our trip seems like it was much better in Edinburgh than Paddles’ experience. Because we went in August when the Queen was not in Edinburgh, we did get a guided tour inside Holyroodhouse (with local guide Davey MacCrae who was great). Also, because we were not able to have our farewell dinner at Edinburgh Castle due to the military tattoo (which I admit was a bit of a disappointment, although we attended the tattoo on one of our pre-days and it was fantastic), we did get a 90 minute guided tour of Edinburgh Castle on our Day 2 in Edinburgh. So we saw the entire castle in addition to the crown jewels. And we loved the tapestry studio and weaving activity on this day, which was a surprise to almost everyone in my family, because we honestly weren’t looking forward to it that much. We used another of our pre-days to take the train to Stirling so we could see Stirling Castle, so it wasn’t a disappointment to us that the ABD didn’t cover Stirling. We saved a close-up of the Wallace monument for another trip to Scotland/Stirling but had nice views of it from Stirling Castle. It is very easy to do Stirling on your own, and I agree with the point about its historical significance, so I recommend this for an on-your-own activity.

3. I really did not mind the long driving day from Edinburgh to Skye. Our guides did offer up quite a bit of commentary (perhaps because of the feedback on this point from the earlier trips). As well, they organized trivia and other games for the group to play on the bus, and there were movies and videos too. Frankly, I was perfectly happy simply looking out the window and taking pictures of the amazing scenery as we drove through the Highlands. Also, maybe because of having read the Outlander books, I was familiar with the significance of Fort William. I thoroughly enjoyed Eilean Donan Castle, and would not have wanted to omit this from the trip. It is the most photographed castle in Scotland, after all.

4. I completely agree that the days on Skye and Lewis were fabulous. The day on Skye was our favorite of the trip. It was jam packed with sites and activities from morning till evening, but we loved everything about that day. I would have liked to be able to spend some time in Portree when more of the shops were open while we were on Skye, but I wouldn’t want to sacrifice anything on this day to accomplish that. We did walk into Portree on our own after the Ceilidh dancing and found a few shops open, so that was a plus. We definitely plan to go back to Skye at some point.

5. Again perhaps due to the feedback from earlier trips, we started out for Rothiemurcus much earlier than 10a.m. We loved the day there as well. While we enjoyed the horseback riding a little more than the mountain biking, we enjoyed both. And the picnic lunch was surprisingly good. This day also happened to be my DD’s 11th birthday, and she really enjoyed doing these kinds of activities on her special day. Our guides offered to drop adventurers off at Culloden on our way back to Inverness from Rothiemurcus, and my family did opt to get off. Having read the Outlander books, I knew I wanted to see Culloden. We had a good 1.5 to 2 hours at Culloden. We caught one of the last guided tours and had plenty of time to explore the grounds and museum on our own before sharing a cab back to Inverness with another couple from the ABD. I do agree that having the ABD do more in Inverness itself would be a plus. However, we chose to walk back to the hotel after our group dinner at the Mustard Seed restaurant, and this allowed us the opportunity to walk down by the river and back through town and to do some shopping. I recommend Highland House of Fraser if you are still looking for souvenirs by the time you get to Inverness!

6. I also did not mind the long driving day back to Edinburgh from Inverness. Again, our guides made an effort on the commentary, there were more movies and videos and great scenery to enjoy. I agree that the coffee/restroom stop in Aberdeen was a bit of a throwaway (although we did take a few pictures of the North Sea), but Dunnotar Castle is breathtaking, and I would not want to skip it. I devoted at least 4 pages in our photo book to Dunnotar! Likewise, Glamis Castle was fabulous – both the guided tour and the archery. We ended up getting back into Edinburgh 2+ hours before we needed to meet for the farewell dinner, which my DS and I used for some last-minute shopping: a kilt for him and a Scotland sweatshirt for me.

I think the differences in our experiences were likely due to a combination of factors: my own expectations, the time of year since the August trips had a bit of a different itinerary in Edinburgh than earlier trips and the fact that I do think ABD took heed of some of the earlier feedback and made some improvements mid-stream.

 

[calypso726]

I am very excited to see the itinerary for the Norway trip (especially if it can be combined with a Baltic cruise!). Scandinavia has been on my bucket list for a while, so I'd love to also spend additional days in Sweden as well.

I'm a little wary about the movie tie-in, because I'd like to ensure Disney hits all the key historical/cultural aspects of Norway and not force fit items from the movie.

I realize I'm a minority voice on these boards regarding the Scotland trip - while the itinerary was good, and the Disney touches were amazing, I was a little disappointed that ABD skipped over key historical elements that I would have preferred to spend time on. That said, my family had a great time on the Scotland trip, but I do feel like I need to go back to cover key things we missed (I personally am hoping for an Outlander tour after the series comes out next year! )

So, I'll be anxiously waiting for the Norway itinerary since I'm really hoping we can make it a trip for 2015!

There are a number of Outlander/Jamie and Claire tours currently available. Diana Gabaldon mentions a few of the ones she knows about on her website.

Personally, I would love to see ABD put together another Scotland itinerary that focuses solely on the historical and cultural aspects as well as the beautiful landscapes throughout the country.

Specifically what historical elements did they skip over? Was it something you thought they'd include given the itinerary description? I've signed up for the Scotland trip, and I'm all for managing my expectations.

Sayhello

Scotland was my first ABD so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect and had nothing to compare to either. I loved it, but then again I was not expecting a whole lot in the way of history because it was based on Brave. I thoroughly enjoyed the local guides we did spend time with so, I do believe a local guide on the bus would have been a major plus.

I went a few days early and am SO glad that I did. I HIGHLY recommend going a few days early, especially if you trip is in August. There is so muc to see and do in Edinburgh. Personally, I think the August travelers who don't get the farewell dinner at the castle but get the extra time at Edinburgh castle on day 2 and the farewell dinner at the Signet library get the better end of the bargain, despite how much I complained about the itinerary change beforehand Go see the Royal Military Edinburgh Tattoo. It's amazing! Thanks to Paddles' advice we hired a driver to take us on our pre trip to Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. The experience was wonderful but David the driver was the highlight Do, ask ABD to drop you off at Culloden battlefield. It was very moving and incredible significant from a historical perspective.

To keep this on topic. I am very interested to see what the Norway itinerary will be too. We are booked for London/Paris next year but we are looking forward to seeing the trip reports from others.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Just speculating, but I would guess one of the ABD guides will actually be Norwegian. I mean, how common is it for an American cast member to speak Norwegian fluently?

I sure wish they would release the itinerary early. I mean even if they won't accept reservations early, it would be cool to see where they're going. Surely it's finalized by now.

 

[SDSorority]

Beginning October 15th, ABD's newest Adventure will be available for booking.

NORWAY​

Details to follow.​

I'm really excited to see where in Norway they're gonna go- we're going to Norway in 2014 (not with ABD, just on our own), and it'll be interesting to see if they choose places we're going to.

 

[sayhello]

Every time I see the title of this thread, I keep thinking for a second that it's something about "Breaking Bad", because that's all my friends are talking about...

Sayhello

 

[paddles]

Just speculating, but I would guess one of the ABD guides will actually be Norwegian. I mean, how common is it for an American cast member to speak Norwegian fluently?

I sure wish they would release the itinerary early. I mean even if they won't accept reservations early, it would be cool to see where they're going. Surely it's finalized by now.

I agree - I'd love to see the itinerary to start pondering it

We wouldn't sign up until 2015 since we already are doing Central Europe next summer (and my hubby is super excited about watching World Cup matches during our pre-days in Germany).

I really hope there is a baltic cruise to add along with the Norway itinerary as sailing the fjords would be pretty amazing (along with seeing St. Petersburg, Sweden, etc.)