I am urging everyone to travel more and improve their own travel skills, so that you are not dependent on anyone to find a bathroom. It will open up the world for more travel destinations without the need for a guide to find a bathroom.
-Paul
Eat, Pray, Love -- But Just the Eat Part: Italy 2023 Trip Report
- Thread starter Jess_S
- Start date
I am urging everyone to travel more and improve their own travel skills, so that you are not dependent on anyone to find a bathroom. It will open up the world for more travel destinations without the need for a guide to find a bathroom.
-Paul
Jess_S
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 14, 2015
Even though I said I wouldn't make any more bathroom comments, I will say that I am enjoying hearing everyone's stories.
Was ABD using the Gran Melia for your trip? I ask because we didn't have the shower of death. We had a stall with a clear partial door and, of course, a see-through wall so that everyone in the room could watch you shower. Fortunately, it had a blind you could pull down, so my son didn't need to be mortified.
Without too many spoilers for our final day, my second concern was really vindicated.
On the ABD Scotland that we took a few year's back, there were a few folks who were nervous travelers. But the majority on that trip and seemingly everyone on the Italy ABD were there for convenience and/or the family friendly factor -- not because they didn't know how to travel independently. Most of our conversations with others in the group were about their past travels.
Was ABD using the Gran Melia for your trip? I ask because we didn't have the shower of death. We had a stall with a clear partial door and, of course, a see-through wall so that everyone in the room could watch you shower. Fortunately, it had a blind you could pull down, so my son didn't need to be mortified.
I would say that you can't make assumptions about who goes on an ABD. I've been to 25 countries on 4 continents, and we have traveled on our own for all but two trips. Ability to find bathrooms was not a consideration in our decision to book with ABD. The main reasons I went with a tour group were: 1) you need to prebook all the major attractions in Rome, Venice, and Florence anyway, so I decided to have someone else do it for me; and 2) I knew it was going to be hot and crowded given that we were traveling in July.
Without too many spoilers for our final day, my second concern was really vindicated.
On the ABD Scotland that we took a few year's back, there were a few folks who were nervous travelers. But the majority on that trip and seemingly everyone on the Italy ABD were there for convenience and/or the family friendly factor -- not because they didn't know how to travel independently. Most of our conversations with others in the group were about their past travels.
sayhello
Have Camera, Will Travel
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
It's not that we NEED the Guides to find bathrooms for us -- we are totally capable of doing that -- it's that we *WANT* the Guides to find bathrooms for us because we'd really rather not have to deal with it. Finding your own bathroom is not a virtue. When necessary, it will happen. When someone else has already done the research, it makes my time easier and more enjoyable.
Sayhello.
Jess_S
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 14, 2015
Trip Report: ABD Day 7
July 10, 2023
The best feature of the Hilton Molino Stucky is undoubtedly its air conditioning. Even when it is 95 degrees outside, the Hilton’s rooms are cool and comfortable for sleeping. Thus, I woke up well-rested on the final day of our tour. I immediately opened the window, inviting the stifling heat into our room. Our window overlooked the Giudecca Canal, and I was curious to hear the sounds of Venice in the morning.
The sun sparkled on the water, boats whizzed by, and from below me drifted the sweet sounds of … a group of American tourists waiting for the hotel shuttle boat to take them across the canal. Apparently, our room was right above the shuttle boat queue. I quickly shut the window and the blinds so that we could dress without an audience.
D got ready first and headed downstairs to sign us up for pool time later in the day. Once P and I were ready, we also went downstairs. We passed the pool signup line on the way and joined D as he inched closer to the signup sheet. After securing an afternoon swim time, we set off in search of breakfast, stopping only to say hello to Gabby and Massi. Like the other hotels on this trip, the Hilton had a buffet breakfast that was included in the tour price. But, unlike the other hotels, the Hilton is a large hotel with hundreds of rooms. That increase in hotel size translated directly to an increase in buffet size. The Hilton had the most elaborate buffet breakfast of the trip, with easily triple the selection of the other two hotels.
After our meal, we gathered in the lounge area of the hotel to meet Gabby and Massi. Once our group was assembled, we boarded a private shuttle and made the short journey across the canal. Although it was early, Venice was already thronged with tourists. Fortunately, we had priority access to our first sight of the day: the Doge’s Palace.
(Above: ceilings in Doge's Palace)
The Doge’s Palace was the residence of the doges, Venice’s elected rulers (no relation to the Shiba Inu who appears on certain cryptocurrency). The palace was just a short walk from where the shuttle boat dropped us. But even a 5-minute walk in the heat was long enough for P to enquire hopefully about air conditioning. “Well, we are going inside a building,” I said without confidence.
(Above: paintings of lawyers inside the palace)
Once inside the Doge’s Palace, which is not air-conditioned, we were divided into groups. Adults and teens went on a tour of the palace with our step-on guides, while the youngest of the junior adventurers – including P -- did a scavenger hunt activity with Massi and Gabby. After an interesting tour, we found P (and the other two scavenger hunt participants) happily eating snacks on benches near the café with Massi and Gabby. The kids reported that they were the best behaved and cleverest group to ever participate in the scavenger hunt activity, which checks out as far as I’m concerned. I was grateful to join the kids on the bench for a rest. Although it was another scorching day, I had started to shiver and shake by the end of the palace tour.
(Above: view from Bridge of Sighs)
Once everyone in our group had the opportunity for a break, we set out on foot for our next activity: mask making at Tragicomica. The walk took us on what seemed like a meandering route through Venice’s streets and allies. (Every walk in Venice feels like wandering through a maze). The longer we walked, the worse I felt. By the time we arrived at the mask shop, about 25 minutes after we had set out, I was feeling weak, nauseous, and unsteady. I would love to tell you that – had I known how long the walk was – I would have skipped mask making. But the truth is that I probably would have stubbornly powered through either way. I had been looking forward to my arts and crafts time.
At the shop, there was a quick opportunity to look at the masks on display and select a blank mask to paint. Then, we were herded upstairs to an area that had been set up for mask painting. D, P, and I found 3 seats together and sat down. By now, D realized that I wasn’t doing well, and he was making his best effort to help. Our whispered conversation drew the attention of one of the girls who worked at the shop, and she came over to chastise us for failing to pay attention to the instructions. I was momentarily filled with a middle-aged person’s indignation at being lectured by some young whipper snapper – about a vacation art project, no less. But heat exhaustion won out and I simply said, “Cut me some slack. I’m sick,” and put my head down on the table. Incidentally, if you miss the instructions at the mask painting activity, they are: use a brush to apply paint to your mask.
By this point, Gabby had noticed that I wasn’t doing well, and she came over to check on me. I told her I just needed some water and rest. This was a mistake on my part. There were apparently snacks set up downstairs. I’m willing to bet that Gabby would have let me know about them if I hadn’t been so sure about not needing help. And I’m also willing to bet that a sugar infusion would have been a good thing.
I spent most of the mask making activity with my head on the table trying to recover from my heat exhaustion. In the last few minutes of painting time, I requested some paint and applied it to my mask. Then I requested a second color, applied that, and immediately hated the results. Meanwhile, D and P completed their own masks. (P’s mask is now displayed on my shelf at work. Mine is in a landfill somewhere in Italy. D’s is in our basement). When everyone was done painting, we left the masks at the shop for final touches and ventured back out into the heat.
Our first order of business was to find a place to eat lunch. We stopped at the first pizza shop we saw and requested an indoor table. This was easily the worst meal of the trip, but the restaurant’s air-conditioning did allow me to successfully stave off full blown heat stroke.
After lunch, we continued walking. Our goal now was to get back to the hotel shuttle, which meant that we were following arrows pointing us towards St. Mark’s Square. As we were making our way through a particularly narrow alley, I heard a loud noise behind me and then a scream. The first sound was D falling. (Don’t worry. He caught himself when his head hit the cobblestone.) The second was the sound of P watching his father fall.
“I’m okay,” D said as he picked himself up off the ground.
“I think I’m going to cry,” said P.
“Me too,” came a voice from behind us.
Another family in our group had caught up to us. And while none of them was bloodied, they looked like they were doing about as well in the heat as we were. We all continued in the direction of St. Mark’s Square. When we finally arrived at the hotel shuttle, we were dismayed to find that the shuttle runs hourly – except at midday when there is a 2-hour gap in the shuttle schedule. (Relatedly, I don’t recommend the Hilton Molino Stucky to those on their first visit to Venice). We briefly entertained the idea of finding a café and having a drink, but that seemed like a lot of effort. So, we found a shady alley and sat for a while, staring forlornly at our hotel just across the canal.
Gabby had warned us that the shuttle often fills us, so with 45 minutes to go, we decided to head down the pier to the shuttle waiting dock. Inside, we found Gabby drinking frozen slush. As soon as I saw the slush, I knew I absolutely had to have one. So, D ran top speed up the ramp to procure one. While we waited for D to return, several more families on our tour arrived to board the shuttle.
“I hope your dad gets back in time,” I said to P.
“Don’t worry. He knows what time the boat’s leaving,” one of the new arrivals assured me.
Apparently, D had shouted the shuttle schedule information at them as he ran by in pursuit of frozen beverages. And D did, indeed, make it back in time to catch our boat. The frozen slush was everything I dreamed it would be.
We spent the early part of the afternoon at the Hilton’s rooftop pool. After our swim, we decided on gelato. My attempts to find a gelateria on Giudecca bore no fruit (or dairy), so we dined at the gelato cart in the hotel’s lobby. The gelato was not much by Italian standards, which meant it was still much better than anything we can get back home in the US.
While eating our snack, we all agreed that we were feeling well enough for the final activity of the trip: a farewell cruise. So, after eating, we went upstairs to change and then came back downstairs to board our pirate ship. Then, we set sail with drinks in hand to see the sun set over the islands of Venice.
This was another trip highlight. We had absolutely perfect weather for a sail and everyone in the group was in high spirits eating, drinking, and admiring the views. As the evening progressed (and more prosecco was consumed), the adults in the group turned the main level of the ship into a dance floor. “Cringe,” P pronounced. D and I knew what we had to do. We busted out our most embarrassing parent dance moves and then pointed at P. P responded with his own dance move. Dance off challenge accepted!
Our delight was short-lived. After giving us his best shimmy, P doubled over in pain. He had somehow scraped himself against something sharp and his stomach was now bleeding. If you are keeping track, this completed our family’s punch card. We are now entitled to one free injury on our next ABD! I found the guides, obtained a Band-Aid, and dressed P’s wound. Once P had been assured that Italian pirate ships don’t cause tetanus, we all went back to enjoying the cruise (with a moratorium on dance offs). In a day that had had many lows, we were so glad that we were able to end our time in Venice on a high note.
July 10, 2023
The best feature of the Hilton Molino Stucky is undoubtedly its air conditioning. Even when it is 95 degrees outside, the Hilton’s rooms are cool and comfortable for sleeping. Thus, I woke up well-rested on the final day of our tour. I immediately opened the window, inviting the stifling heat into our room. Our window overlooked the Giudecca Canal, and I was curious to hear the sounds of Venice in the morning.
The sun sparkled on the water, boats whizzed by, and from below me drifted the sweet sounds of … a group of American tourists waiting for the hotel shuttle boat to take them across the canal. Apparently, our room was right above the shuttle boat queue. I quickly shut the window and the blinds so that we could dress without an audience.
D got ready first and headed downstairs to sign us up for pool time later in the day. Once P and I were ready, we also went downstairs. We passed the pool signup line on the way and joined D as he inched closer to the signup sheet. After securing an afternoon swim time, we set off in search of breakfast, stopping only to say hello to Gabby and Massi. Like the other hotels on this trip, the Hilton had a buffet breakfast that was included in the tour price. But, unlike the other hotels, the Hilton is a large hotel with hundreds of rooms. That increase in hotel size translated directly to an increase in buffet size. The Hilton had the most elaborate buffet breakfast of the trip, with easily triple the selection of the other two hotels.
After our meal, we gathered in the lounge area of the hotel to meet Gabby and Massi. Once our group was assembled, we boarded a private shuttle and made the short journey across the canal. Although it was early, Venice was already thronged with tourists. Fortunately, we had priority access to our first sight of the day: the Doge’s Palace.
(Above: ceilings in Doge's Palace)
The Doge’s Palace was the residence of the doges, Venice’s elected rulers (no relation to the Shiba Inu who appears on certain cryptocurrency). The palace was just a short walk from where the shuttle boat dropped us. But even a 5-minute walk in the heat was long enough for P to enquire hopefully about air conditioning. “Well, we are going inside a building,” I said without confidence.
(Above: paintings of lawyers inside the palace)
Once inside the Doge’s Palace, which is not air-conditioned, we were divided into groups. Adults and teens went on a tour of the palace with our step-on guides, while the youngest of the junior adventurers – including P -- did a scavenger hunt activity with Massi and Gabby. After an interesting tour, we found P (and the other two scavenger hunt participants) happily eating snacks on benches near the café with Massi and Gabby. The kids reported that they were the best behaved and cleverest group to ever participate in the scavenger hunt activity, which checks out as far as I’m concerned. I was grateful to join the kids on the bench for a rest. Although it was another scorching day, I had started to shiver and shake by the end of the palace tour.
(Above: view from Bridge of Sighs)
Once everyone in our group had the opportunity for a break, we set out on foot for our next activity: mask making at Tragicomica. The walk took us on what seemed like a meandering route through Venice’s streets and allies. (Every walk in Venice feels like wandering through a maze). The longer we walked, the worse I felt. By the time we arrived at the mask shop, about 25 minutes after we had set out, I was feeling weak, nauseous, and unsteady. I would love to tell you that – had I known how long the walk was – I would have skipped mask making. But the truth is that I probably would have stubbornly powered through either way. I had been looking forward to my arts and crafts time.
At the shop, there was a quick opportunity to look at the masks on display and select a blank mask to paint. Then, we were herded upstairs to an area that had been set up for mask painting. D, P, and I found 3 seats together and sat down. By now, D realized that I wasn’t doing well, and he was making his best effort to help. Our whispered conversation drew the attention of one of the girls who worked at the shop, and she came over to chastise us for failing to pay attention to the instructions. I was momentarily filled with a middle-aged person’s indignation at being lectured by some young whipper snapper – about a vacation art project, no less. But heat exhaustion won out and I simply said, “Cut me some slack. I’m sick,” and put my head down on the table. Incidentally, if you miss the instructions at the mask painting activity, they are: use a brush to apply paint to your mask.
By this point, Gabby had noticed that I wasn’t doing well, and she came over to check on me. I told her I just needed some water and rest. This was a mistake on my part. There were apparently snacks set up downstairs. I’m willing to bet that Gabby would have let me know about them if I hadn’t been so sure about not needing help. And I’m also willing to bet that a sugar infusion would have been a good thing.
I spent most of the mask making activity with my head on the table trying to recover from my heat exhaustion. In the last few minutes of painting time, I requested some paint and applied it to my mask. Then I requested a second color, applied that, and immediately hated the results. Meanwhile, D and P completed their own masks. (P’s mask is now displayed on my shelf at work. Mine is in a landfill somewhere in Italy. D’s is in our basement). When everyone was done painting, we left the masks at the shop for final touches and ventured back out into the heat.
Our first order of business was to find a place to eat lunch. We stopped at the first pizza shop we saw and requested an indoor table. This was easily the worst meal of the trip, but the restaurant’s air-conditioning did allow me to successfully stave off full blown heat stroke.
After lunch, we continued walking. Our goal now was to get back to the hotel shuttle, which meant that we were following arrows pointing us towards St. Mark’s Square. As we were making our way through a particularly narrow alley, I heard a loud noise behind me and then a scream. The first sound was D falling. (Don’t worry. He caught himself when his head hit the cobblestone.) The second was the sound of P watching his father fall.
“I’m okay,” D said as he picked himself up off the ground.
“I think I’m going to cry,” said P.
“Me too,” came a voice from behind us.
Another family in our group had caught up to us. And while none of them was bloodied, they looked like they were doing about as well in the heat as we were. We all continued in the direction of St. Mark’s Square. When we finally arrived at the hotel shuttle, we were dismayed to find that the shuttle runs hourly – except at midday when there is a 2-hour gap in the shuttle schedule. (Relatedly, I don’t recommend the Hilton Molino Stucky to those on their first visit to Venice). We briefly entertained the idea of finding a café and having a drink, but that seemed like a lot of effort. So, we found a shady alley and sat for a while, staring forlornly at our hotel just across the canal.
Gabby had warned us that the shuttle often fills us, so with 45 minutes to go, we decided to head down the pier to the shuttle waiting dock. Inside, we found Gabby drinking frozen slush. As soon as I saw the slush, I knew I absolutely had to have one. So, D ran top speed up the ramp to procure one. While we waited for D to return, several more families on our tour arrived to board the shuttle.
“I hope your dad gets back in time,” I said to P.
“Don’t worry. He knows what time the boat’s leaving,” one of the new arrivals assured me.
Apparently, D had shouted the shuttle schedule information at them as he ran by in pursuit of frozen beverages. And D did, indeed, make it back in time to catch our boat. The frozen slush was everything I dreamed it would be.
We spent the early part of the afternoon at the Hilton’s rooftop pool. After our swim, we decided on gelato. My attempts to find a gelateria on Giudecca bore no fruit (or dairy), so we dined at the gelato cart in the hotel’s lobby. The gelato was not much by Italian standards, which meant it was still much better than anything we can get back home in the US.
While eating our snack, we all agreed that we were feeling well enough for the final activity of the trip: a farewell cruise. So, after eating, we went upstairs to change and then came back downstairs to board our pirate ship. Then, we set sail with drinks in hand to see the sun set over the islands of Venice.
This was another trip highlight. We had absolutely perfect weather for a sail and everyone in the group was in high spirits eating, drinking, and admiring the views. As the evening progressed (and more prosecco was consumed), the adults in the group turned the main level of the ship into a dance floor. “Cringe,” P pronounced. D and I knew what we had to do. We busted out our most embarrassing parent dance moves and then pointed at P. P responded with his own dance move. Dance off challenge accepted!
Our delight was short-lived. After giving us his best shimmy, P doubled over in pain. He had somehow scraped himself against something sharp and his stomach was now bleeding. If you are keeping track, this completed our family’s punch card. We are now entitled to one free injury on our next ABD! I found the guides, obtained a Band-Aid, and dressed P’s wound. Once P had been assured that Italian pirate ships don’t cause tetanus, we all went back to enjoying the cruise (with a moratorium on dance offs). In a day that had had many lows, we were so glad that we were able to end our time in Venice on a high note.
Jess_S
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 14, 2015
It was a memorable day. That's for sure. We will need to go back to Venice in a season other than summer, I think. But even if we don't make it back, the farewell cruise was a great opportunity to see more of the city than the heat allowed us to see on foot.
On the plus side, I felt like we really got our money's worth in Venice. We've had stomach bugs and altitude sickness on trips before. Knowing that I'm the one who needs to reschedule transfers and extend hotel stays if anyone is too sick to travel really compounds the stress of that type of thing. So, even though we didn't ultimately need Gabby and Massi to help, just having them available made the day less stressful.
sayhello
Have Camera, Will Travel
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
That makes a huge amount of sense, and definitely figures in as one of those "intangible" benefits of doing a trip like an ABD that's hard to put a dollar value on.
Sayhello
drizzt117
Disney Doctor
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2003
Jess, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your trip report. My wife and I will be doing this trip in early June. Quick question - are you allowed to bring a sling backpack with you on the tour, or are there any locations where backpacks are prohibited?
We're looking for a smallish backpack that can hold a water bottle, is RFID blocking and slash-resistant strap if anyone has any suggestions. Thanks.
Thomas
We're looking for a smallish backpack that can hold a water bottle, is RFID blocking and slash-resistant strap if anyone has any suggestions. Thanks.
Thomas
Last edited:
sayhello
Have Camera, Will Travel
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
When you say "smallish", I don't know just how small you mean, but I've been using this backpack by Waterfly, and I *really* love it. They make others in different sizes, too. They do have one that's RFID protected, but it's smaller and doesn't appear to hold a water bottle. Just thought I'd throw it out there, because it's worked great for me.
https://www.amazon.com/Waterfly-Crossbody-Backpack-Travel-Daypack/dp/B07WNM894Y?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1
Sayhello
Jess_S
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 14, 2015
There were people in our group who carried the backpack we got from ABD (a standard size backpack) and I don't think they had a problem. I'm sure it was fine to carry a bag on the Venice day and Florence day because we did. I'm less sure about Rome because we didn't personally have a bag.
I go full tourist when I travel. LOL. I have a small-ish Pacsafe purse, which holds a small water bottle, small umbrella, and a few necessities, along with my phone and travel wallet. I wear that cross body, purse in front of me. I have a small backpack that I hike with that I use for anything larger and less valuable, that I wear on my back. It's not usually too full, and let's me purchase something, or throw a rain coat or hat in my bag but still keep my valuables in front where they're safer.
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2010
When its hot I don't want to carry a bottle of water long... I want COLD water, which unfortunately means buying it when I need it. For a smaller bag I used this in Greece last summer and it worked great for my essentials. I didn't want to carry a bag on my back in Athens. There are slots for cards but I have a thin wallet anyway so I had that, my iPhone, a 3oz thing of sunblock, some chapstick, a small bottle of medicine (I always have pain meds & my migraine abortive), an inhaler, coins for the bathroom, the rental carkeys, and my sunglasses tucked in it. I hung some sanitizer too from it so I was really well covered! Only thing I did not bring that I normally would in my Fjallraven Kanken is a metal water bottle and my large brush. I could have gotten a thin comb if that was a deal breaker but i just went without.
https://www.amazon.com/Travelon-Ant...efix=hip+pack+travel+cut+proof,aps,135&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/Travelon-Ant...efix=hip+pack+travel+cut+proof,aps,135&sr=8-2
Jess_S
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 14, 2015
I don't know what the trip gift will be in future years, but the water bottles we got this year kept our water cold all day. It was kind of mind blowing. When we got home, we donated all the water bottles we had in our cabinets because the ABD ones are all we use now.
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2010
Oh in 90 degree weather lasting more than an hour or two isn't a worry! I did refill my plastic one a couple times when we were in areas I couldn't buy a new one but the water wasn't cold, and there weren't too many places to do that anyway.
When possible, we fill our water bottles with ice cubes from the hotel. The ice melts and it keeps things cooler for longer.
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2010
We do that when we take our camelbak to the parks and then refill with ice water from QS. When its hot out keeping it cool long enough isn't the worry... it's where do I get more cold water. Maybe I just drink more water than y'all...? One bottle is not going to last me all day!
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