Adventures by Disney- Greece

We did our Greece ABD in 2017 and they've since tweaked the itinerary a little (and added some awesome things!) but I thought I'd share why we loved visiting Greece! 

 

Acropolis Tour It was amazing to visit the ancient citadel high above Athens that is home to historic ruins, including the famed Parthenon.  As always, having a local Greek guide that was full of information made the visit that much more meaningful and educational.  I'll never forget the awe in standing out, looking at Mars Hill, where Paul spoke to the Areopagus. It was an extremely hot day when we visited and the guides made sure everyone had plenty of water... Guide Kacey even had a mister bottle she walked around cooling anyone off that wanted it.  How's that for service?

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• Delphi Another amazing historical stop! We learned more Greek history at the mystical home to the Delphic Oracle and the Temple of Apollo.  The local guide talked us through everything we were seeing and, as usual, I learned SO much more than if I had just been wandering on our own!
  
• Volcano Hike This  “lava walk” on Santorini went to the volcano’s rim and it was an exhilarating hike for sure!  Our local guide taught us all about the formation, volcanic activity, fumeroles, etc and it was worth every step up to be rewarded with the amazing views from the top. 
• Aegean Sea Swim & Natural Springs Everyone loved the dip in the sea!  Some of us spread the mineral mud from the bottom of the natural springs... some of us would rather watch.  But all had fun!
  
• Volcan Winery Great family-owned winery at the base of a mountain.  Delicious wines and a fabulous meal!  They also had a cute underground museum teaching about the history of wine making in the region.  I love that ABD always plans kid-friendly activities during wine tastings as well so adults can listen and enjoy, and the kids get to do their own fun thing!  
  
• Oia Exploration Ahhhh... the iconic Greek town of Oia!  Exploring this small town that offered a cityscape of white and blue-domed houses was everything I had seen in pictures.  The ABD guides knew *just* the right spot for the best photo ops as well and they made sure every family had their iconic visit captured perfectly!
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• Spinalonga Fortress  Beautiful medieval ghost town & fortress that we got to explore at first with a guide, and then more on our own.  This former leper colony is steeped in history and stories, and taking kids here is such a powerful learning opportunity!
• Tsaziki-making We always love a cooking class with ABD!  Making this yogurt-and-cucumber dip was easy to learn and SO good to eat.  
• Kombolói-making Of course, what trip would be complete unless you got to make a cultural craft! We made your own kombolói, or “worry beads” in a private class.  Lots of beautiful beads to choose from and I always love how each of our family members makes the perfect craft that represents their personality.
• Cretan Mountain Village Walk This was probably our favorite activity, and I had totally ignored what the visit to Crete even was!  We got to stroll through the olive groves and see the sights of this rustic village in the Cretan mountains.  The sights, the people, the FOOD... Crete is definitely some place we would visit again. 
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  By: Heather Williams
  Jo@traveltimetravel.com

  
  Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!
  

  
  
  
  

Adventures by Disney- Central Europe

Our Central Europe ABD was one of the greatest metropolitan adventures we've ever done!  Prague was a beautiful city to explore with so much history to learn.  We had some AMAZING food experiences throughout the trip, but one of my favorites was our walking food tour through Prague.  Never have I had so many authentic, delicious bites and I'm really missing the sausages right about now.  

Salzburg was probably my favorite city with beautiful scenery everywhere.  Salzburg was also my favorite stop because our Sound of Music tour was out of this world!  So many movie moments and even a special treat at the gazebo (shhh... can't tell but maybe you can figure it out from the pics!).  We truly enjoyed our dinner at St. Peter Stiftskeller restaurant and loved getting to know our trip mates even better.  One of our Salzburg days, we had to option of hiking to the Ice Cave, or going to a local farm for a cheese making class.  We chose the cheese making and it was the BEST morning ever!  We toured the small family farm, learned how to make cheeses from the farmer's wife, and had an amazing cheese tasting time.  I love that ABD incorporates alternate activities if there's something that might need one.  We chose the cheese making since we had been in Norway and Iceland prior and were ready to not be around ice. Ha! 

Another day in Salzburg was spent in the salt mine (super fun!) and at a local brewery for beer tasting!  If you don't drink, no worries... ABD always makes sure everyone is covered and they offered a number of non-alcoholic drinks including a local lemonade made with hops.  It was delicious!  

We made our way to Vienna for the last few days of our trip. We started our time with a tour of Shonbrunn Palace and a strudel making demonstration.  Absolutely yummy! An evening private after-hours  tour of the Vienna Zoo was really fun, as was the dinner inside the zoo under the Emperor's Pavillion.   The next day was full of more fun with time at the Spanish Riding School (we went inside the stables while everyone else had to watch from behind the glass walls), and a private waltz class with a great teacher.  I was SO proud of my husband and 15yo son for taking part and rocking the waltz!  Definitely will always treasure the memory of waltzing with my hubby in Vienna... and we would have NEVER done that without ABD! 

Something we really appreciated on this particular trip was the amount of on your own time given, especially in Vienna.  There are SO many choices of things to do, or you can just take it easy and take a nap.  YOU get to decide your pace for free time!  We've learned to really value that free time built in.  We've found that when ABD gives you on-your-own time, it's because there's interesting things to see, do, and eat in your location.

By: Heather Williams

Jo@traveltimetravel.com

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!