Newbie to Adventures by Disney.

[Iggipolka]

My wife and I are considering booking an Adventures by Disney trip next year. I'm curious, for those who have done one of these trips, where you went and what did you think about it? Would it be fun for two adults (38 and 49) without kids, or are the trips very kid/family focused?

Thanks!

 

[trampslady]

I'm 40 and my husband is 43. While we won't be able to offer firsthand knowledge until after our September 26 Fairytale Adventure to Germany (capped off by a day at Oktoberfest), I have read a great deal about these adventures, and I think there are as many adults without kids that enjoy them as families with children.

We planned to go on a normal adventure but the pricing and dates actually led us to an adults only visit. Many adventures have one or two dates that are for adults only.

 

[abdmom]

We just got back from Enchanted China. Our trip was about half adults and half children (under 25 years old). The age range of adults was from about 40-55. At one of our hotels, we happened to overlap with a Tauck tour. I've seen Tauck compared to ABD. The age range of the people getting on that bus was about 50-75.

The family friendliness of the tour comes from the overall friendliness and upbeat style of the guides as well as the "active" nature of the trip. There is more walking than I would expect on a tour geared for older folks. At one of our hotels, we spent a fair bit of time bike riding. A few of the activities were geared more towards the kids, but they weren't really childish. At one stop, we painted ceramic figures. At another stop, we learned how to make Chinese noodles and see a demonstration of glassblowing.

I liked the ABD tour immensely because of the guides, my fellow travelers and the style of the trip. If I had gone on a trip where we spent hours on buses and listened to a guide drone on about history and artwork, I would have hated it. The ABD tour was geared more towards learning about the people and the contemporary culture.

One night, they had a junior adventurer dinner and movie. I think most of the adults ended up at the movie too.

Overall, I would say that rather than saying that the ABD tours are aimed at families with children, I would say that they are aimed at the 55 and under age group.

 

[Poppins2000]

My husband (45) and I (47) just got back from the Emerald Isle trip last month. There were 40 in our group, six of them were children between 7-15. Everyone else was anywhere from 22-75.

The trip was for anyone wanting to learn more about a country, it's people and culture...it's just presented and provided to you with the same top notch Disney service we have received will visiting the parks and on the cruise line.

I did post a trip report on this site, if you are interested. It'ss a five parter, titled "Our trip to the Emerald Isle May 18-25, 2008"

 

[LocustPoint]

My DH and I did Southwest Splendors last year and are doing Backstage Magic this year. We had an incredible time last year and after reading the trip reports for Backstage Magic expect nothing less. The added Disney touches make for a wonderful experience. Just a warning once you try an ABD you will anticipate the release of the next years adventures so you can plan your next trip!

 

[Iggipolka]

Woo! Thank you so much for the responses. The trips sound fantastic and just what my wife and I are looking for. I've been reading the trip reports and love them.

Thanks again!

 

[jackienut]

My husband and I just returned from Italy. We opted NOT to do Adults Only for our 40th anniversary, nor did we have children (or grandchildren) with us. The interaction of the families in the group is so wonderful. We loved watching the children and teens enjoy all the sights and experiences and listening to them share with others. There is plenty of free time for lunch or dinner alone, etc. so I wouldn't let kids or no kids even play into my plans.
Whatever you decide, I can tell you it will be wonderful.

 

[AndreaJ]

We just returned returned from the most recent Emerald Isle trip - 22 people total on our tour, 10 of which were kids/teens! We had a couple with no children, and they had a great time! We all became one big family. You will not be disappointed when going on an ABD tour!

 

[kristilew]

As a couple with one child, we don't really get into the kid scene all that much. What I liked about the kid friendly aspects of our adventure was that they most often involved the guides taking the kids AWAY from the adults to do some extra activity. DD loved it and we got to enjoy time with each other and the rest of the grown ups.

 

[vacationbug]

ABD for teens? I am worried that the "kids" focus is too young for our 13 & 17 year old? Any advise/thoughts/opinions are appreciated!

 

[SailingBeagle]

DH & I over 50, 3 vacations per year. Usually 1 cruise ( not disney)
1 WDW and 1 other.
Returned from Backstage Magic in June and we are still talking about the
best vacation we ever had.
Everything Disney does is 5 stars...from hotels, to meals, to transfers and transportation.
We have not decided on the 2 ABD trip for 2009.

You WILL NEVER REGRET A DECISION TO DO AN ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME
WITH ADVENTURES BY DISNEY.

 

[wdwsos]

ABD for teens? I am worried that the "kids" focus is too young for our 13 & 17 year old? Any advise/thoughts/opinions are appreciated!

I'd absolutely recommend it for teens. On our last trip (Flavors of France last week), we had five teenagers, three boys and two girls, the girls slightly older than the boys. The almost-16-year-old told me that she was absolutely dreading the trip -- didn't want to leave her friends and it was pretty much a "boring trip" to celebrate her sister's graduation from high school -- but after Day One, she was having one of the best vacations of her life. She cried when she left us all.

The guides know how to cater the Junior Adventurer activities to all ages. The teens participated in some and not in others, but either way they were happy.

I have Kodak galleries up for Viva Italia, Imperial Cities and Flavors of France. If anyone wants to seem them, send me an email or PM. They're people-intensive -- that's what I like to remember after the trip -- but I do have some occasional shots of the actual places we visited.

Dotti

 

[inkkognito]

Hubby and I are 50-something and 40-something, and we both LOVED Backstage Magic. We had very few kids on our trip, which surprised me, but the guides were great about getting them involved. I wouldn't feel at all awkward about going on an ABD with more families, or even if we were the only childless couple, because I have faith that they do a great job of catering to everyone.

 

[awatt]

We did Costa Bella last year and Emerald Isle this year as a family of 4. Both were awesome, trips of a lifetime.

There was a good mix of ages on both trips. On each one there was a couple travelling without kids, and both couples were enjoying themselves immensely. Without kids, you have the flexibility to enjoy the spa, high end shopping , nicer restaurants and the pubs/bars on your free time, which would be very nice.

And the guides do a great job of seeing to it that everybody, with or without kids, is having a wonderful time. So it is not strictly geared toward families.

And I believe there are also some adult-only itineraries.

 

[ears2BWV]

We just got back from Quest for the West. Two adults, deeply into our 40's, and 2 teens. This was our daughter's graduation present. It was a very mixed crowd. We had one of the larger groups, 36. It was pretty spaced out . There were 14 adults 40-60, 7 highscool aged teens/college age, and the rest 8-14. There were many times the guides took away all the junior adventurers, so this left a more adult setting at times. After the second day the younger kids all wanted to hang out together, so the meals always had adult tables. They were mostly tables of 4-8, so you always had a different adult exchange with meals. It was nice to have this variety. I would not hesitate to go as an adult group. We had an aunt bring her nephew, and I don't think she ate more than 2 meals with him. Our teens sometimes found the junior adventurer activities too irresisitable and had to join in, other times they hung out with the adults. After dinner all events were pretty much done, so the teens usually hung out togehter each night until bedtime. I would definitely encourage you to go forward with a trip. My graduating daughter broke down in tears when the plane took off to go home. If the trips were free, I'd be standing in line for another!