Adventures by Disney – Our Family’s Awesome Guided Tour Review
Our family recently traveled with Adventures by Disney on a press trip to Montana and Yellowstone. Here is our Adventures by Disney review. Plus, what we think you should know about these guided family trips with Disney.
Are you a Disney fan? Have you been to the parks and perhaps even a cruise but want to do more with Disney? Imagine traveling around to some of the hottest destinations in the world with a Disney cast member as your guide. Adventures by Disney is the way you can bring Disney magic around the world with you.
What is Adventures by Disney?
Adventures by Disney (AbD) is a brand of Disney that offers tour packages to families, and even adults-only, who want to visit popular destinations without all the planning stress involved.
Adventures by Disney works to create itineraries that offer families the chance to see the best sights and experience the culture of a destination. They offer vacations all over the world, with a focus on traveling to popular tourist destinations that families want to visit.
How Much is an Adventures by Disney Vacation?
The prices vary widely so this can’t be answered easily. The Disney website shows the pricing for each of the offered itineraries. Our family was on the Montana / Yellowstone tour which costs about $4,400 for kids and $4,600 for adults for 7 days and 6 nights.
Some of their international trips cost around $10,000 per person but are longer trips. However, some of the Costa Rica trips are under $4,000. They also run special offers, and returning guests have the option to book their next AbD trip with a discount.
What’s Included?
The best way I can describe an Adventures by Disney trip is by saying it’s a bit like being at an all-inclusive resort. Or perhaps like being on a cruise. You pay the initial cost upfront and then you stop worrying about expenses.
Almost every meal is covered. Our lunch on our arrival day was not covered, due to various arrival times, I’m sure. And there was one lunch at Big Sky that wasn’t covered. Alcoholic drinks are typically included on the opening night dinner and the farewell dinner.
All of the accommodations, activities, and tipping are included in your cost.
What Makes an Adventures by Disney Trip Unique?
I think the biggest feature that makes Adventures by Disney trips unique is that they’re designed for families. They do have adults-only trips, but for the most part, they’re focused on getting families to travel around the world together. The itineraries and activities are designed to help showcase the destination and let you really learn about the area.
The tour guides really get to know your family. You’ll start to feel like you truly are a part of a group and that you’re traveling with friends. I appreciated how engaged the tour guides were will each family, helping get to know us and being sure to point out things they thought might interest specific guests. The personal, family feel is what makes an Adventures by Disney trip unique in my opinion.
© Kimberly Tate
Disney Touches on the Trip
Our Montana & Yellowstone vacation with Adventures by Disney was all about the National Parks and Montana, not Mickey Mouse. You won’t find any over-the-top Disney displays, instead just some subtle touches of Disney along the way.
Cast Member Adventure Guides
For big Disney fans, the cast member adventure guides will be the most noticeable Disney feature. Their helpful personalities go right along with their Disney cast member badges. One of our guides, Doug, shared how he went through a nine-month-long interview process to become an adventure guide. You’ll find them to be friendly, excited about their jobs, and knowledgeable about the area.
Pins
Disney pin collectors HAVE to go on an Adventures by Disney vacation. These trips feature unique pins that are given out each day for collecting. Mia is a huge fan of pin collecting in the parks so she was really excited to discover that pins are a special Disney touch on these Adventures by Disney trips.
On our Montana / Yellowstone trip we received a special pin for each day of the trip. The pins were also themed to match the special activity of the day. For example, the day we visited Old Faithful we received a pin that said “Goo Goo for Geyser”. We received seven pins on our trip and all of them featured Disney pals!
© Kimberly Tate
Disney Music
The final Disney touch on our Adventures by Disney trip was the music that was played while we were traveling around on the bus. Our adventure guides had some Disney soundtracks that they played on the rides.
Our Adventures by Disney Review – What We LOVED
What I loved best about our AbD trip was that there was no stressful planning involved. I didn’t have to research hotels and figure out where to stay. Meals were all taken care of so the only thing I had to figure out was what I wanted to order!
And planning the daily itinerary was already done. We just had to wake up each morning and hop on the bus, ready for adventure. Even your luggage is transported around for you. You leave your luggage at your room for pick up and it magically gets transferred along with you to your next stop, showing up at your next room door!
© Kimberly Tate
My girls loved the activities that were planned during the trip. They also liked that they got to choose from a few different activity options on a couple of the days. They also really enjoyed meeting the other kids on the trip and getting to travel with new friends.
All of us loved our adventure guides, Doug and Lauren. Their enthusiastic and happy personalities helped keep things going even during boring travel times or waits.
As a family that travels with allergies, I loved that our adventure guide, Lauren, took care of all the allergy arrangements for us when eating. Of course, they’re reliant on getting the proper information from the restaurants, but it’s nice knowing they’re having the conversation for you each time.
© Kimberly Tate
Is AbD Right for Your Family?
If you’re wanting to take an epic family vacation to an international destination or a popular tourist spot but don’t have the time to plan it, Adventures by Disney might be perfect for you. These vacations are the perfect way to travel internationally without stressing over where to stay, where to eat, and how to navigate without knowing the language, everything.
If you’re planning a trip to Yellowstone, there are some important things you need to research and book in advance, whereas your Adventures by Disney trip is all done for you.
My only advice as to it possibly not being a fit would be if you’re the type of person who wants flexibility or spontaneity on your vacation. Since these are tours, you’re following along with a pre-arranged itinerary. There isn’t the opportunity for you to add in an extra stop or spend more time at an attraction. The tour group needs to stay on schedule and everyone is along for the ride.
If your next ideal vacation would involve little to no planning except for what to pack and how to make sure you catch the plane, give AbD a try. I think busy families with parents who either are too busy to plan a vacation or just don’t enjoy it would find an Adventures by Disney vacation relaxing and enjoyable.
It’s also great for social individuals who enjoy meeting new people and sharing a travel experience with others. I met some fabulous people on our Montana vacation and now we’re Facebook friends.
Feel free to ask me any questions you might have about an Adventures by Disney vacation. I’m happy to help!
And check out these other great Disney vacations that go beyond the parks.
Wow. I didn’t realize they did trips beyond the cruises. This looks like a fun opportunity I may have to float around the family!
There are quite a few people who don’t quite understand what AbD is, nor the great opportunities they offer traveling families. It’s such a wonderful way to step out of your comfort zone and experience someplace new. All the planning and work is done for you, you just have to have fun!