We just returned from the June 17 trip and loved every minute of it! They are definitely working out some kinks, but overall the experience was tremendous. The biggest issue is probably the excursion sign up method - a lot of confusion, but overall we found that it went well and were not disappointed. They did change a few excursions but only because after the first sailing in April, found some were a bit harder to pull off. I think we had a different experience that WDW Groupie or Texas Julie. Apart from the excursion sign up, we did not experience anything that would not be expected when traveling with a large group of people. Some of the walks/tours moved a little slower than I would have liked, but then I am used to travel with just four people and not 30. Our experience with the Adventure Guides was outstanding - they knew everyone's names, they were personable, they shared many experiences and really went out of their way to make sure people were happy. I can't speak for the ziplining excursion, but they always told us when to bring water, bags, cameras, ect... For example on the 3 hour bike ride, they made sure everyone had multiple bottles of water. The guides also switched bikes with anyone who had trouble with their bikes. The canoe ride was a bit hectic but tons of fun and lots of laughs. It is not often you get to be part of such a large group of canoes going down a river and through a lock - that was fascinating. True, not everyone totally understood how to steer their boats, but that made it even more fun. I think that some travelers may have had an expectation that everything should run like a Disney park, but I found that considering the number of people and activities, things ran very smoothly. I found my fellow travelers to be quite warm and open and generally in good spirits. In fact, I found myself getting choked up at the farewell slide show, as here was a group of people who came onboard strangers and left as friends. This was our first trip with
ABD, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I completely enjoyed this trip, as did my family. There were several excursions that we probably would never have done on our own - the organ concert and the Sigfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet outing - so we were delighted that we had the chance to do these things. We had so much fun that I can't even pick just one highlight!
On a side note, we visited the Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum on our own as we stayed in Amsterdam a few extra days. We chose the Rijksmuseum which was incredible and a must see if you love art and historical buildings.
As far as the ship, the service could not have been any better - outstanding from start to finish, and in my mind, far superiior to any other cruise ship I have been on.
Practical notes - someone mentioned water - we had at least six bottles of water in our room at all times, and every day they provided water before we left the ship. Also, there was always extra water on the buses, and the guides almost always had extra water in their bags. Plus, you can drink the tap water without problem in all of the areas we visited. It was unseasonably warm (90's), so check the weather and make sure to bring sunscreen. Also, my son's seasonal allergies went haywire and he was stuffed up quite a bit. Again, though, several of the guides had allergy medicine and extra kleenex at all times! Finally, in Strausburg there is a lot of road construction going on, so it took the buses a tad bit longer to navigate. Hopefully that will clear up as summer goes on.
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. We are scheduled for ABD Peru next year though 
. Hoping for the best.
