I won’t pull any punches, Adventures by Disney (ABD) is expensive. Very basically, ABD is a tour company that is owned and operated by Disney. ABD offers vacations all over the world from China to Africa to a long weekend in Nashville, Tennessee. ABD provides tour guides, experiences, hotels and some meals.
Now, most of these experiences and locations you can travel to on your own, or with different tour companies. However, ABD Backstage Magic which takes place in Hollywood and Anaheim provides access to places that true Disney super fans only visit in their dreams. Which brings me to my first reason why ABD is worth the high price tag:
1. Access to Exclusive Experiences and Locations
Jim Henson Studios. Walt Disney Studios. Walt Disney Imagineering. You’ve probably heard of most, if not all, of these locations. Access to all of these are extremely limited. Henson Studios does not offer tours like most other Hollywood movie studios. Walt Disney Studios only allow cast members or their guests inside. Imagineering is locked up tighter than Fort Knox.
All three of these are places the Disney super fan wants to visit in their lifetime. As someone who has experienced this tour, I can definitively tell you that any of these locations are worth the price tag alone. The things we saw in Imagineering alone…I won’t ruin the surprise but there are items in there that would make even the most casual fan drool.
2. The Friendships
Go ahead and roll your eyes. I thought people were being ridiculous when they waxed on about the lifelong friendships they made on ABD trips. It is very hard to understand until you experience it firsthand. It might be a little different on the DIS Podcast trips, since everyone is a poster or at least a lurker on the boards and listens to the Podcasts so you already have that in common. My group that was on the December 2015 trip just completely meshed. We all enjoyed each other’s company, cities with lifelong sports rivalries were tossed aside, cats were living with dogs, all barriers were overcome.
A lot of us became social media friends after the trip and a decent amount of us are having a reunion at Disney World in April. You can never have too many friends in your life who love the same things you love.
3. Disneyland!
This trip includes 4 days at Disneyland, the original Disney Park. Walt’s Park. What makes this trip so special is that not only do you get to experience this park with roughly 30 other Disney super fans, you get tons of special behind-the-scenes access. Though every tour’s experiences are different, you will most likely get to see behind the scenes of a few rides. Let me tell you, some of these rides are more complex and fascinating than you ever dreamed. If you’re lucky, you will get to speak with many amazing Disney cast members and Imagineers who will let you in on some secrets behind the Disney magic. You’ll get to go to many backstage areas and see how the magic is created. You might be thinking to yourself, I’ve already taken the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps tour. So have I…and while that tour is excellent, it doesn’t even scratch the surface of everything you get to experience with ABD.
Due to recent changes in the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps tour, ABD is now the only way to get to peek inside Walt’s apartment. You’ll also be able to see inside other very exclusive locations inside the parks that you never thought you’d see with your own eyes…
4. The Little Things
There are numerous smaller perks included with this trip that altogether are very convenient. Your ABD Tour Guides will act as your PhotoPass photographers on the trip, and all the pictures they take are included with the cost of your tour. They’ll take pictures of you and of interesting things in locations that otherwise would not allow pictures due to security. Maybe you forgot to take a picture of the Hollywood sign or your picture of the big Kermit statue at Jim Henson studios came out blurry. It’s OK, your ABD guides got excellent pictures of all those things and they’re now yours.
Maybe you’re a little apprehensive about taking this trip during a busy time of the year, like ours in mid-December. You’ve always heard about how crowded the parks are. This is perfectly ok. Chances are * you are going to get a handful of FastPasses from your guides for your park alone time. You might even get VIP seating for shows and parades. Not only that, but those ABD guides sure know how to cut their way through a crowd. Just fall in line like little ducklings and crowds will not be an issue.
Your guides will most likely include some small surprises along the way, like special snack items or a small gift. I won’t list ours here, as your experience will most likely be different.
In the end, only you can decide if this trip is worth the high price tag. It can be very doable if you are able to put aside a little bit of money each week or month and save up in advance. In my view, many of the experiences to be had on this trip are worth the cost.
* All ABD trips are just a little different. Things might happen on someone else’s trip and your experience will not be the same as mine.
