Should You See the World with Adventures by Disney? 

When we tell people we’ve traveled to Scotland or Switzerland with Adventures by Disney, we often get a cocked head and quizzical look in return. 

“Disney? Really?”

Yes, really. And there isn’t a costumed character in sight. 

People who are Disney fans tend to feel like they’re in good hands with this company, whether they’re visiting Walt Disney World or going to the movies. It turns out that’s also true if you’re seeing the world. 

Disney offers high-end, carefully curated group tours across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific through its Adventures by Disney (ABD) brand. Disney also owns National Geographic, which offers more adventurous itineraries, but we have only traveled with ABD.

What’s it like traveling the world with Disney? It feels like a true vacation, the kind of trip where you don’t have to worry about anything—not what activity to schedule or where to find your next meal or what to do if it rains. If you want to visit Switzerland, all you have to do is show up and let your adventure guides take over. 

What’s included 

ABD offers a few types of trips — 8- to 12-day land adventures; 8-day European river cruises; and 3- to 4-day escapes. ABD tours are designed with “junior Adventurers” in mind, but there are usually one or two trips a year that are exclusively for adults. 

Costs vary, but a typical 8-day land adventure generally runs between $6,000 and $10,000 per person, based on double occupancy; prices for kids are about $500 less. 

What do you get for the price? 

• Two top-notch “adventure guides,” one of whom is a local guide. 
• Posh accommodations, often in historic properties or luxury boutique hotels.
• Most meals, including daily breakfast. 
• Daily activities, including local cooking and crafts, as well as outdoor activities.
• Private experiences you may not be able to arrange on your own, such as a guided tour of the Sistine Chapel before it opens to the public. 
• Transfers between the airport and your hotels, as well as transportation during the trip, are typically by buses or trains.
• Luggage handling, so all you need to do when you’re heading to a new location is get your luggage together by the designated time. 

What’s not included? Airfare, a few “on your own” meals, and tips for your adventure guides. 

What’s so Disney about all this? 

At Disney, storytelling is everything. If you’re visiting a Disney theme park, there’s a narrative behind every land, every attraction, even every gift shop and restroom. That emphasis on storytelling is also key to an AbD tour. 

Sure, some of those stories might be Disney-related, like visiting the Matterhorn, which inspired Walt Disney to build his own mountain at Disneyland, or trying your hand at archery in Scotland, land of “Brave” Princess Merida. But more of them are simply designed to help you understand and appreciate the area you’re visiting more deeply. 

There is one more very Disney touch to these tours—each day you get a pin to commemorate the day’s activities. 

The DIY option 

When I’m investigating someplace new, I like to look at the itineraries for ABD and other posh travel companies to see where they go, where they stay, and what activities they do. It helps me narrow down the choices in a place as vast as, say, Alaska. 

You can come pretty close to duplicating an ABD itinerary if you want to, minus some of the exclusive activities. 

How does the cost compare? I asked Google’s Gemini AI tool to look at the itinerary for ABD’s 2027 Alaska adventure and estimate costs for a DIY version. Here’s what it came up with for a per-person cost, based on a party of 2: 

Expense category	Estimated per person cost	ABD package
Luxury and premium lodging	$1,650 – $2,000	Included
First-Class Rail & Shuttles (or Rental SUV)	$600 – $850	Included
Curated Guided Excursions & Entry Fees	$660 – $680	Included
16 Premium Meals & Local Tastings	$700 – $800	Included
Total Tangible Out-of-Pocket Cost	$3,610 – $4,330	$7,099

Note that the ABD cost here includes an early-booking discount of $500 per person. If you book later, the cost could be higher. 

It also matters to the math if you’re traveling with more than 2 people. If you have a family of 5 and you rent an SUV for $1,800 for the week and pile everyone into one hotel room, the per person cost is a lot lower and the premium is a lot steeper.  

What does the premium buy you? 

So what do you get for the extra $3,000 (or more) per person? 

To start off with, you don’t have to drive or arrange your own transportation. I know my husband—almost always the designated driver in our family—would consider it a huge gift if he didn’t have to ferry us around on a 500-mile road trip. (He appreciates this the way I appreciate not having to think about where our next meal is coming from.) Your adventure guides also help pass the time on the bus or train, sharing local history and geography, leading games, or passing out snacks. 

You also don’t have to schlep your bags around. For the most part, you just have to have your bags packed and at your hotel room door by a designated time, and they are whisked away to meet you in your next room. 

Your adventure guides also make your daily activities smoother. Disney schedules private blocks or dedicated guides so you aren’t fighting a crowd; it’s just you and your 30 fellow adventurers.  And if the weather wrecks your outdoor plans, your adventure guides are prepared to pivot to a backup plan.

If you’re traveling with your kids, there are typically “junior adventurer” nights when the kiddos have their own supervised dinner and activity and the adults have a dinner on their own.

Mostly, this boils down to a hassle-free vacation. Whether it’s “worth it” will be different for everyone. 

ABD might not be for you if …

This kind of highly structured, fast-paced travel definitely isn’t for everyone. It might not be for you if: 

• You’re a planner: If you get a lot of joy out of researching the best restaurants, shops and activities, you might miss taking on this role. But I’ve still spent a lot of time researching the itinerary of ABD trips, as well as where to go during our “on your own” time. There’s still plenty for you to do! 
• You’re an explorer: If you want to venture out into the city or the wilderness for hours at a time, you might not get enough time to scratch that itch on these tours. One option: Stay a couple of days longer, either before or after the tour, so you can spend some time exploring. 
• You’re a foodie: The food on the ABD tours we’ve taken has been … fine. Menus are typically quite limited, and you’ll be asked early in the trip to choose what you’d like to eat for several meals later in the journey. If you really want a great meal, you’ll need to focus on finding something where you have on your own time.  
• You love a relaxing resort day: ABD often stays at hotels with beautiful spas, but good luck finding enough time to indulge in a few spa treatments. There typically just isn’t enough time in the itinerary. 
• You’re an introvert: There is a lot of group time during these tours, and a lot of meals where you’re thrown together with other adventurers. This can be great—we’ve made wonderful new friends on ABD trips—but it can also be a lot of work. I’ve written about traveling with ABD as an introvert, because it’s challenging. But I absolutely believe you can have a great time with ABD even if groups drain you.   

If you fit any of these descriptions, there are ways to tweak an ABD tour to be more to your liking. There is “on your own” time to explore and find restaurants to try, and you can opt out of any activity or group meal that doesn’t appeal to you. You can also plan to arrive a day early and/or stay a day late to explore on your own. 

If you have thoughts or questions about traveling with ABD, let us know. We’d love to hear from you.