ABD Italy June 2023 Trip Report - Disappointed

[4traveling]

For those thinking about booking...

I had really high expectations for this trip and that may be why I/we were so disappointed. I went in thinking I would be booking an ABD every year. Maybe even twice a year. Now I don’t think I will ever go on another ABD trip. Below are the reasons why.
1) Tour group size was way too big! There were 41 of us and the only enjoyable tour was the Vatican. All other tours felt as if we were cattle being herded. Rome, Florence and Venice were too crowded for such a big group. The group should have been split into groups of 12 max. People got lost, crossing the streets was a nightmare. We were walking in single file due to crowds and street sizes so when we had to cross it took forever. Cars got upset. There was a screaming match. I was upset. In fact the whole group was frustrated. I can’t express how disappointing it was. The groups MUST be smaller. A terrible experience.
2) A lot of the group felt like we could not drink water because bathroom availability was so limited. If the groups were smaller this could have been avoided.
3) We were not allowed to stop and grab water. It was hot and water was needed especially for the kids. A few people stopped anyway and got lost. If the groups were smaller, more frequent stops could have been managed.
4) On the tours when we stopped at landmarks it was beyond difficult to corral 41 people for pictures, etc. Miserable.
5) It was difficult for some families to sit together at planned lunches while on the tours. A couple of people got really angry.
6) Breakfast at the Vatican restaurant was disappointing. We were only allowed 1 or 2 very small pancakes. No extras. Staff at the restaurant made us feel unwanted. Not ABD's fault, just an FYI.
7) My family included younger kids. We requested adjoining rooms. In Rome our rooms were 4 away from each other and down a ramp. Other families with older kids had adjoining rooms.
8) Room types varied at locations a little too much. Some had balconies others did not.
9) Overall my family was really disappointed with the experience. Tours became miserable due to the large number of people. We were not the only ones that felt this way. A few families that had been on previous trips said this was the worst one they had been on. This was because of the group size. For the price I thought the trip would have been much more curated. I truly felt like I was being herded the entire time. The whole experience made me/us sad. If the group size was smaller I would be writing a completely different review.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

For those thinking about booking...

I had really high expectations for this trip and that may be why I/we were so disappointed. I went in thinking I would be booking an ABD every year. Maybe even twice a year. Now I don’t think I will ever go on another ABD trip. Below are the reasons why.
1) Tour group size was way too big! There were 41 of us and the only enjoyable tour was the Vatican. All other tours felt as if we were cattle being herded. Rome, Florence and Venice were too crowded for such a big group. The group should have been split into groups of 12 max. People got lost, crossing the streets was a nightmare. We were walking in single file due to crowds and street sizes so when we had to cross it took forever. Cars got upset. There was a screaming match. I was upset. In fact the whole group was frustrated. I can’t express how disappointing it was. The groups MUST be smaller. A terrible experience.
2) A lot of the group felt like we could not drink water because bathroom availability was so limited. If the groups were smaller this could have been avoided.
3) We were not allowed to stop and grab water. It was hot and water was needed especially for the kids. A few people stopped anyway and got lost. If the groups were smaller, more frequent stops could have been managed.
4) On the tours when we stopped at landmarks it was beyond difficult to corral 41 people for pictures, etc. Miserable.
5) It was difficult for some families to sit together at planned lunches while on the tours. A couple of people got really angry.
6) Breakfast at the Vatican restaurant was disappointing. We were only allowed 1 or 2 very small pancakes. No extras. Staff at the restaurant made us feel unwanted. Not ABD's fault, just an FYI.
7) My family included 2 kids, 10 & 13. We requested adjoining rooms. In Rome our rooms were 4 away from each other and down a ramp. Other families with older kids had adjoining rooms.
8) Room types varied at locations a little too much. Some had balconies others did not.
9) Overall my family was really disappointed with the experience. Tours became miserable due to the large number of people. We were not the only ones that felt this way. A few families that had been on previous trips said this was the worst one they had been on. This was because of the group size. For the price I thought the trip would have been much more curated. I truly felt like I was being herded the entire time. The whole experience made me/us sad. If the group size was smaller I would be writing a completely different review.

I'm so sorry you had this experience. We had the misfortune of having one of the biggest ABD groups ever for our Baltic Add-on (I can't remember whether it was 51 with or without the guides)--they let a big family join the trip last minute. That experience really gave me a bad taste for a while with ABD so I get it. I did have the benefit of prior trips that had been amazing. I'm really surprised they didn't break the group up more. I know in other trips that is what they've done. I wonder if that is common for this trip (which I think is one of the most popular?). I'm sad for you, and I really understand the disappointment of spending all that money for something special only to have it not be

 

[hilarys]

I am so sorry you had a disappointing trip - it is no fun when a trip that is of this price level does not live up to expectations.

Everyone has a different interpretation and experience based on dynamics within their specific trip. I haven't written up a trip report because this one has had so many in the past however maybe I should.

We went on the trip in early June, my family (me, DH, DS 20 and DD 18) were just declaring at dinner last night that it was the best of our 5 ABDs.

We also had a large group - I think 42. And Rome and Venice were really crowded but of all the ABD trips we have been on this had to have been the group of travelers that got along the best and was the most easy going. Our guides were also masterful at managing the crowds, heat, our group size and a big change in itinerary due to activities at the Vatican (we ended up with more time in Rome and only a morning in Florence).

Again, I am sorry your trip was challenging and disappointing to your family. I would be happy to share my experiences with others interested in this trip as I would highly recommend it.

 

[sayhello]

I have absolutely no argument against the fact that ABD allows their trips to get too large. Frequently way more people than the locales can accommodate. I'm so sorry this spoiled your trip.

Sayhello

 

[aggiedog]

I'm sorry you were disappointed. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that for the money you will be treated a bit more exclusively. Over the years I've decided I hate traveling in large groups. If we fill up a regular tour bus, it's too many. If you're there to see the country, the extra ABD perks don't really bolster the rest of the experience it seems.

 

[Donalyn]

I'm sorry that your trip wasn't what you were hoping for.

We did this trip in 2019 and it was great. I do note that the itinerary has changed some (fewer ABD perks and timing is different for things). I also wonder how much of the issues were a combo of post-COVID revenge travel (Europe more packed than normal) with the size of your group. We were a group of 35 and I think that always worked pretty well (didn't have the our group is too big issue) most of the time (other than in Venice, with the walk ways, etc - where it is a lot more congested generally.

I noted on our river cruise last month ABD stretched the rules on minimum ages to accommodate some larger family groups. While it didn't impact us during the trip (putting aside a few times when some seemingly very young kids were not behaving very well in a group setting), it seems to get to a company trying to make up for a lot of losses over the past three years or so. Just like larger group sizes.

 

[starry_solo]

I hadn't realized ABD groups were that large. I figured they would be smaller for the price point too!

 

[jimmymc]

I hadn't realized ABD groups were that large. I figured they would be smaller for the price point too!

Typically 40 is the max, although obviously they will sometimes go over. And I agree with OP that trying to get 40 people through an average Florence street is tough, let alone into museums and the Vatican.

 

[WeLoveABD]

It's a tough business-- I am sure we'd all love a smaller group, but it can't be at the expense of a tour company going under. Vantage is now in bankruptcy and selling off its river cruise ships.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

It's a tough business-- I am sure we'd all love a smaller group, but it can't be at the expense of a tour company going under. Vantage is now in bankruptcy and selling off its river cruise ships.

My mom is a creditor But I don't think the two things are related. You can definitely have small groups and succeed--it's more about cost, profit, and proper management.
P.S. Edited to add ... I suspect Disney has a high profit margin in its equation.

 

[aggiedog]

Oh yes, no way ABD is running on a narrow margin! Tauck charges extra to do small group tours.

 

[Eastridge]

Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience on the Italy trip. I hope you filled in the survey and told ABD about the problems.

Italy was our first ABD trip. I think it has changed a little since we went. My family still considers it their favorite ABD, even ranking it over the New Zealand 2022 trip. That might be because it was the first, but I think another factor is this trip has many special experiences and little surprises. I appreciated how they handled the logistics and the private tour of the Sistine Chapel. The best plate of pasta I've ever had was at Fattoria Poggio Alloro on this trip.

As I remember, our group had 43 people. But we didn't run into the problems you did. Some possibilities why:

• We effectively had 3 guides, not two. There was a third trainee and this was his last test before becoming a full Adventure Guide
• We went in early June. Rome was hot (in the 80's) but Florence and Venice were comfortable. So water and bathroom breaks weren't a problem for our group.
• All three cities were crowded when we went, but I've been reading that this summer many popular European tourist sites are being overwhelmed. I recently read about long lines at the Acropolis, for example. So maybe the summer crowds have reached the point where maneuvering an ABD group becomes challenging.

The New Zealand trip often broke our group into smaller, more manageable subgroups.

 

[richflour]

How did you like Italy ?

 

[Jess_S]

I just started my trip report for the same trip but different dates. We had a similar group size and did not have these issues. (I 100 percent agree that group size should be smaller, but we didn't feel it impacted our enjoyment for this trip). I am sorry about your experience and curious to know who your guides were.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

When we were in Lima, we took a flight out the first morning of the trip. When we were all gathered in the baggage claim area we were split into 2 groups and stayed in the 2 groups for the entire trip (the guides alternated days with groups). This had to do with the small buses we used, but it worked SO well. It's a shame they haven't adopted this strategy in other places. Both groups had meals together, but we tended to stay with our groups even though we were all at the same venue.