So, after expanding the options and considering other tour companies, I've narrowed my choices to ABD and Austin Adventures. I love that AA maxes out at 18 people and includes 3 guides, but Arches and Monument Valley have been high on my list of places to visit and AA doesn't include these places. I've gone through some trip reports and it sounds like the Monument Valley stop has been less than great for many folks and I wonder what the overnight on the 2018 itinerary will do for that experience. Also, I've read that ABD discourages (or flat out doesn't allow) kids from taking the hike into the Grand Canyon. Has anyone been able to do this hike with a child as young as 8? The AA itinerary includes a 1.5 mi hike down into the canyon, trail side lunch and a slow 1.5 mi hike back up for everyone who chooses to do it (no age restrictions).
We'll take our first AA trip this June and I'll likely make a final decision on which group to go with after that trip. How quickly do ABD prices tend to increase? If I book the ABD trip on opening day and decide to go with AA, can I move my deposit to another trip or keep it on hold until the 2020 trips come out? Does it make any sense to do this to avoid price increases for a month or two?
Thanks!
Personally, I absolutely *LOVED* the time in Monument Valley! I loved seeing the amazing land formations that all looked so familiar because I'd seen them in dozens of old movies. I can't imagine what people are complaining about! I never heard any complaints, myself. It doesn't *sound* like the itinerary had changed much up until 2019, where you now spend the night there. Although, now that I look again, it *does* now say "climate controlled mini-coach", so maybe that's the problem. It used to be in large jeep with no windows. Maybe being isolated in a climate-controlled mini-bus makes the experience not as fun...
I can't comment specifically on the hike into the Grand Canyon thing because we didn't have any kids on our trip. But hiking into the Canyon is not an included part of the ABD. Those of us who did the hike, did it during the OYO time. (And there's only so far you can go during the OYO time). How can ABD possibly not allow you to take a hike with your kids during on your own time? That makes no sense. I assume you're talking about the Bright Angel Trail? It's not that difficult a hike, although most people don't realize it will take you twice as long to come back up as it does to go down. I also can't imagine why they'd discourage you from doing it, unless they knew you didn't have the proper footwear or enough water. That really just does not make any sense.
Price increase *really* depends on the trip. If it's near a holiday or a newer trip, chances are good the prices will go up pretty quickly. Plus, any early booking discounts they might offer generally get snatched up pretty quickly (they tend to only offer a limited number per departure). You can move your deposit to another trip, but they won't keep it on "hold". You have to apply it to a trip that is on their current schedule. Which does cause people to move it to another trip until the schedule for the trip they want is announced. (And you will lose any early booking discount you may have gotten if you move your trip, unless the new trip still has an early booking discount available. The discount is not transferable. Whether it's worth it or not really depends on whether you can afford to have 10% of the trip price tied up with ABD for a couple of years or not.
ETA: OK, so once again, I re-read the new itinerary, and a hike with the Guides is now an optional activity for the OYO time. I wonder if they keep a really fast pace, since they don't have that much time for the hike? You can always do the hike on your own, but I understand that that's not the same as doing it with an Adventure Guide.
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