Thanks for starting this thread. The Florida trip looks amazing and curious if any of you have thoughts as to why it's expensive relative to a number of the other ABD trips. Far more costly than BSM, for example, and about the same as many of the European trips (airfare aside). Sweetie and I are interested in this trip but man it's hard when for similar $$$ we could go to Ireland!
The WDW trip costs equivalent to what we paid for Central Europe for September 2016. If you look at where you're staying, that's where the cost is coming from. You are staying in the bungalows at the Polynesian.
Parties of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 booked as a single, double, triple, quad and quint, respectively, are accommodated in 1 room with 1 queen bed, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, and 1 twin-size pull down bed. Connecting rooms may be requested but are not always available
The WDW trip costs equivalent to what we paid for Central Europe for September 2016. If you look at where you're staying, that's where the cost is coming from. You are staying in the bungalows at the Polynesian.
I don't think the cost is coming from that because it seems the guests are not staying in the over the water bungalows. From the description below it looks like folks will be booked in the Poly DVC Studio villas.
I think ABD listed out the full official name of the Polynesian's DVC Resort - "Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows". But I'm guessing you're staying in a studio villa rather than a bungalow. Nevertheless, I'm sure you're right that the hotel costs (and park tickets) are responsible for the higher cost of this trip. I would guess it will be specifically a garden view, studio.
When you look at the cost of that room, it starts at $470 a night in low season. over 6 nights that's almost $3000. To me that's not worth it. I could do a similar trip on my own, taking all the required backstage tours that are reflected here for a whole lot less.
True, if you pay rack rate but most people don't pay rack rate at WDW. There always seems be some type of discount code or offer.
When you look at the cost of that room, it starts at $470 a night in low season. over 6 nights that's almost $3000. To me that's not worth it. I could do a similar trip on my own, taking all the required backstage tours that are reflected here for a whole lot less.
Ticket cost and some meals would have to be added to that, but in general I tend to agree. I did the BSM tour and it was awesome. It was also less expensive, you toured Muppet Studios, Disney Studios, Imagineering, and saw a lot of areas of Disneyland that are next to impossible to see. Part of me wants to do the WDW ABD as that's my home park, but there's really not a lot you do that is exclusive to ABD. The Animal Kingdom tour with an Imagineer sounds good, but that's about it as far as exclusive tours. Most of the other backstage areas and lounges I've seen.
I agree. And when you sit down and look at the backstage tours that WDW already offers, you can pretty much do this on your own.
"Walking tour of Main Street" = Keys to the Kingdom
"Private African Safari" = Wild Africa Trek
"Wild Design" = Wild by Design
"Top of the Seas" = Dolphins in Depth or Seas Aqua Tour
"Seas VIP Lounge" = Undiscovered Future World
"Behind the Scenes Look at American Adventure" = Backstage Magic All Day Tour
And many of the other "behind the scenes" looks can be covered by the all day Backstage Magic Tour.
We have done each of the tours listed above so what can Adventures by Disney show me that I haven't already seen?
Nice breakdown of the tours. I suppose this ABD still may be a fine option for guests who have never done any of those tours. Certainly it will be arranged nicely with the ABD guides and there's a good value in that. However, for WDW veterans like us, there's just no strong exclusive draws as there are in the Disneyland BSM.
Ticket cost and some meals would have to be added to that, but in general I tend to agree. I did the BSM tour and it was awesome. It was also less expensive, you toured Muppet Studios, Disney Studios, Imagineering, and saw a lot of areas of Disneyland that are next to impossible to see. Part of me wants to do the WDW ABD as that's my home park, but there's really not a lot you do that is exclusive to ABD. The Animal Kingdom tour with an Imagineer sounds good, but that's about it as far as exclusive tours. Most of the other backstage areas and lounges I've seen.
I agree. And when you sit down and look at the backstage tours that WDW already offers, you can pretty much do this on your own.
"Walking tour of Main Street" = Keys to the Kingdom
"Private African Safari" = Wild Africa Trek
"Wild Design" = Wild by Design
"Top of the Seas" = Dolphins in Depth or Seas Aqua Tour
"Seas VIP Lounge" = Undiscovered Future World
"Behind the Scenes Look at American Adventure" = Backstage Magic All Day Tour
And many of the other "behind the scenes" looks can be covered by the all day Backstage Magic Tour.
We have done each of the tours listed above so what can Adventures by Disney show me that I haven't already seen?
There are some non-WDW VIP tours in this tour. The Behind the Scenes of Rivers of Light isn't going to be part of a normal tour at this point in time. Realizing a lot of other things in it that are on other tours does dissuade me from booking it.
We'll be going on the October 2 through October 8 adult exclusive of this trip. Interested to hear if anyone else will be going with us!