On Tuesday, I arrived home from work to discover that
Adventures by Disney had sent us a gift in the mail—two tickets to Disney’s new
movie Frozen!Actually, the husband had opened the envelope
and had told me about the surprise via phone on my way home.The surprise was a bright spot in my day!
This isn’t the first time Adventures by Disney has surprised
us with a gift in the mail—click here and here to read more.
We called our local theater to make sure the tickets would
be accepted and got the show times for the next day.
How decadent it is to take in a movie on a week-day
afternoon! (We all had the day off from work and school.)
Now, without spoiling the movie for anyone who has yet to
see it, please know that it is very good.The music, characters, animation, adventure, and story are all top
notch.There was never a “down” or “slow”
part of the movie where kids and adults get restless.Also, references were made to other movies,
such as Indiana Jones.(If you don’t get
that reference let me know and I will fill you in.)
Disney has done it again with Frozen bringing to the screen a version of true love and has chosen
an excellent time to release the film.And, Adventures by Disney has again surprised us with a great treat with
free tickets.Just another reason we
love Disney!
A package arrived in the mail recently addressed to Williams
Family; it was from Adventures By Disney.This was our third package since December.Inside was a beautiful brochure highlighting
all of the Adventures By Disney tours for 2014.
Why do we keep getting packages, even gifts, from Adventures
By Disney?In the summer of 2009, we
took our first Adventures By Disney tour—click here to read more.I say “first” as we would love to take more!
You may not be familiar with Adventures By Disney as
advertising is very limited—a small portion of the Magical Express return trip
video is dedicated to Adventures By Disney, and a channel on the TV in your
resort room or stateroom on a Disney ship is dedicated to Adventures By
Disney.Somehow, Adventures By Disney
gets lumped in with Disney Vacation Club membership advertising so guests make
the assumption that Adventures By Disney is only for members—NOT TRUE!
I would describe Adventures By Disney as a concierge-level
way to see the world—Disney style.There
are 24 world-wide tours for 2014 including all the continents except Antarctica.Want
to see Machu Picchu?Galapagos Islands?Adventures By Disney can get you there.And, they can also give you a world-class
experience at Disneyland or be added to your Disney Cruise if sailing the Mediterranean in 2014.
Here is what you get with an Adventures By Disney tour:
A
group of up to 40 guests and 2 Adventure Guides.
A nice
balance of planned entertainment, experiences, and meals with opportunities
to explore on your own.
Some
of the finest and exclusive accommodations included—without you making the
reservations.Most of the time, you
don’t even have to “check in” as you give a key by your Adventure Guide.
A
welcome and greeting at the destination airport, luggage handling
throughout the tour, and transfers throughout the trip once you have
arrived.
Adult
only and kids only activities—the Adventure Guides typically arrange
activities for the kids for at least one night of the tour.
VIP
access to locations, to experts, and to events.
And,
of course, that Disney service that is known world-wide!
What impressed me most, in addition to our amazing
accommodations and incredible experiences, was the service.Our Adventure Guides were able to anticipate
what we would need before we needed it and had it waiting for us.As mom, a.k.a. vacation planner, I didn’t
have to worry or plan for anything.Just
pack and show up.No trying to reserve a
room on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon 1-2
years ahead.
Adventures By Disney is great for families and yet also
offers whole tours that are reserved just for adults.On our tour, we had a couple celebrating
their anniversary.They were happy to be
with other families.There was a mom
traveling with her three kids and another mom traveling with her daughter and
two moms with their daughter.And, there
was a dad traveling with his adult son who had a mobility disability that was
well accommodated for.So families of
all shapes and sizes made up our tour group.We became an extended family of sorts sharing a wonderful
experience.Just as a note—everyone on
our Adventures By Disney had been to one or more Disney parks AND had sailed at
least once on a Disney cruise ship.
An Adventures By Disney trip must be paid in full within 14
days of booking the tour.This is
different than paid in full expectations for theme park/resort stays and Disney
Cruise Line sailings.Costs for the
tours vary based on number in the party, ages, and time of travel; costs are
per person.
If you would like more information, I recommend contacting
your travel agent or Adventures By Disney.
And, while an Adventures By Disney tour is most likely not
in the cards for us for 2014, it very well may be in the years to come.I have already told our travel agent that if
anyone is looking for “testers” for tours to sign us up!The husband and boy told me Scotland was on
their wish list.Got it!
Surprise!We got
mail. . . from Adventures by Disney.This personalized letter arrived along with a gift of a Blue-Ray DVD
hinting that a new Adventures by Disney adventure would be announced and
available on May 22, 2013.This our
second gift in just a few months from Adventures by Disney—click here to read more.
Adventures by Disney offers various tours world-wide with up
to 40 guests and 2 adventure guides.The
service is personalized and includes most meals, tours, luggage handling,
etc.Many of the tours are designed for
families, but some dates and tours are just for adults.
We took an Adventures by Disney tour in July 2009 to the
Southwest aptly titled Southwest Splendors.We toured Sedona, Arizona,
the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and Moab,
Utah, with a stop in Monument Valley.From a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon
to white water rafting on the Colorado River, our
adventure helped us make many memories.Click here to read more.
Now Adventures by Disney offers tours in Africa, Asia,
Europe, Australia, and both
North and South America.With the hint in the letter and the
accompanying DVD, I am guessing a new Austria tour is being
announced.Isn’t that where the castle
that inspired Cinderella’s castle at the Magic Kingdom
is located?If so, can you imagine
experiencing that in person?
Adventures by Disney isn’t advertised well and most people
think it is only for those who belong to Disney’s Vacation Club—mostly due to
the video the Magical Express bus returning to the airport when Adventures by
Disney is lumped together with Disney Vacation Club for future Disney
experiences.Anyone can tour with
Adventures by Disney including both members and non members of Disney’s
Vacation Club.
Adventures by Disney has only been around less than 10 years
but continues to add tours to their line-up.
An Adventures by Disney tour is most likely going to be more
expensive than a Walt Disney World stay—depending on your accommodations of
course, or a Disney Cruise unless you are used to Concierge level.Tours are to be paid in full within one week
of booking and to/from airfare can be arranged by your travel agent, Adventures
by Disney, or on your own.Typical air
is arrival at one city and departure from another—for example, we flew into Phoenix but our return flights were out of Grand Junction, Colorado.
When people ask if we ever travel anywhere else besides Disney,
I can answer with a “yes” and we traveled WITH Disney.
It’s official!The
Williams Family Blog had its 3 year Birthday/Anniversary—I can’t decide
which.Birthday?Well, the blog was “born” so to speak;
created, and continues to be a labor of love.Anniversary?Seems I do have a
significant relationship with the blog and a regular date with my computer.So, either way you look at it, we have some
celebrating to do!Celebrating and
reflecting. . .
The Williams Family Blog was created three years ago based a
confluence of events.Our family wanted
some way to share about, what started out as swimming pools and water parks, in
our part of the state.We were thinking
newspaper articles, an e-book, but nothing seemed quite right or immediate
enough.My dad at one point, after rambling
on about Disney, had suggested I write a blog.That was a few months prior and then along came a colleague who gave me
more information—blogging was free and easy.Hence, the Williams Family Blog was born.And, we were able to combine our love for
Disney and all our Disney adventures along with our swimming pool and water
park reviews.That is a marriage!
Components have been added over time, like “Where in the
World. . .” and a comprehensive list of Walt Disney World dining reviews.Parts have been added and then later removed,
reflecting the changeability of the blog and the writer.
As I sit here writing with our cat on my lap, my son
slumbering away in the early morning, and the husband snow blowing the driveway
after the umpteenth snow shower, I am wondering what is next; for the Williams
Family Blog and the Williams family as the reality of our life becomes the life
in the pages and posts on-line.While
2013 and 2014 have some firm plans, 2015 and beyond are blank slates.Will there be another Adventures by Disney
trip in our future?Hope so!What if I make it further in the Disney Mom’s
Panel contest next year?What if the
Williams Family Blog captures the heart of a sponsor?Only time will tell this evolving story.
Now for some celebrating!Three years, some 800 posts, over 200,000 page views (we started out
slow—I can remember the first external hits—it blew me away), and now we get
350-500 hits daily with comments and questions.Many follow us by email and some just drop by.We have readers from across the continent
and across the globe.Some readers say
they “stumbled” upon the blog; we are happy for that trip and fall!The Williams Family Blog has been referenced
by others in newspaper articles, message boards, and by travel agents.
I bumped into someone planning a Disney trip in the grocery
store the other day and the mere sight of me prompted them to tell me about
their upcoming trip and recall that we had a blog that featured all things
Disney.The person then inquired about
why I do this; is it a labor of love?Yes, definitely, a labor of love and also a way to maintain sanity.With having so many wonderful experiences,
getting them on “paper” gets them out of my head.Yet, the most important reason is for you,
the reader.I write for you with
information and in a style that I would want.When I take my family to an unfamiliar place, be it 30 miles away or
3000, I want to have some information—what is it like, what would be helpful to
know before I get there, where is the bathroom!So, I write for me and for you.Win-win in my opinion!
I wonder if there will be a time in my future when I don’t
appreciate Disney and all it has to offer but I’m not sensing it is
likely.In addition to efficiency, the
Disney pillar of service keeps pulling me back as there is no other service
like Disney and we have multiple examples including one just recently.
When we opened the mail this week, there was a package from
Adventures by Disney (we traveled with them in 2009).Inside the box was a gift, a DVD of Disney’s
Brave, appropriately wrapped in ribbon of Scottish plaid.There was also a card wishing us happy
holidays.
I was floored, as was the husband.The boy was excited as while we had seen
Brave, we didn’t have the DVD, so it was readily added to our collection.What was so amazing was the unexpectedness of
the gift. . . the surprise, and the thoughtfulness.
But that is what Disney does.They go beyond what might be expected and
raise the bar of service.If any company
has “made my day” it is Disney and numerous times.And, for that, I am always extremely grateful.
The other side of the coin is that we do expect a Disney
level of service and yet are truly surprised when the service goes beyond. . .
rather than expecting the “upgrade” so to speak.We have seen and heard people demand the
increased level of service with some luck but no magic. . . guests demanding to
be let into a park early because they were told they could go in before
opening, guests demanding that their child be allowed to wear diapers in the
Mickey pool on a ship even though clearly posted signs indicate otherwise,
guests demanding that their small child be allowed to ride the Aqua Duck
because they were promised, etc.Most
likely we have all seen and heard these instances.And, while Disney will do whatever they can,
within reason, to make situations right, they won’t forgo safety, as that would
infringe on another Disney operational pillar.
So, as we venture off on our next Disney vacation, we take a
bit of pixie dust with us that arrived via mail and look forward to the
possibility of magical experiences that may come our way.We will keep you posted!
We, the Williams Family, wish you and yours a happy,
healthy, and safe holiday!
The husband celebrating his 40th on the Disney Wonder.
We’ve been asked about how we first got started, and
eventually hooked, on Disney vacations.
It actually started with a Disney cruise. . .
Let’s turn back time about 9 years or so to when the boy was
little. He would get his nightly bottle
and rock to sleep in our living room with the Travel Channel telling us about
all the places in the world to visit.
The deep, lulling voice on the TV would help put the boy to sleep. So much so that we videotaped several hours
worth to take with us on a trip when he was 18 months old just in case where we
were headed didn’t have the Travel Channel or we were in desperate need of
helping him get to sleep in a new location.
We spent many hours watching exciting vacation destinations
flash before us and dreamed of someday visiting ourselves. This included many shows about Walt Disney
World and Disney Cruise Line. You know
the one, where they interview kids and parents, show the pools, entertainment
areas, even the engine room. Yep, I
still have it DVR’d and watched a bit of it just the other day!
Now, let’s add on the fact that the boy’s first flight was
at three weeks old. We traveled to Houston to see family for
Thanksgiving. We learned a lot that trip
about traveling with a child. We
continued to fly to Houston
when the boy was an infant, toddler, and preschooler. He had lots of frequent flier miles by the
time he was 3 and was a great traveler.
And, we were pretty seasoned travelers, too.
The husband was about to be 40 in March of 2007. So, in June of 2006, I phoned, what is now
our favorite travel agent, and inquired about a Disney Cruise for March of 2007—during
Spring Break. She set us up with a
reasonably priced 4 night cruise on board the Disney Wonder. We were very excited! We got our Passports, booked our flights,
etc. We spent hours pouring over the
Disney Cruise Line vacation planning CD.
Then, a sort of sinking feeling came over us. Would a Disney cruise be as magical as we had
hoped when we hadn’t yet visited the parks?
Would the boy understand the characters and have a sense of Disney when
we had not been to Walt Disney World?
Hmm. . . This was a dilemma.
We eventually solved the dilemma by giving in to our
questions and planning a trip to Walt Disney World for November of 2006! The boy had just turned 4. Traveling with him was much easier at this
point as he could use the bathroom (I think we were still using Pull-ups at
night at this point), use a fork, and sleep in a regular bed.
We fell in love with Walt Disney World and our visit added
that much more excitement to our Disney cruise coming in the months ahead.
We enjoyed visits to Walt Disney World in September of 2007,
September 2008, March 2009, November 2009, March 2010, November 2010, and July
2011.
We regretted two things from our first Disney cruise: Not purchasing pictures, and not rebooking on
board. We spent the next few months upon
our return, dreaming of another Disney cruise.
That’s when I made a call to our travel agent. Could we swing a Disney cruise in July of
2008, for our anniversary?
Yes, we could. A 7
night aboard the Disney Magic sailing its Mexican Riviera itinerary out of San Pedro, California—our
2nd Disney cruise! There were
no regrets from this trip. We purchased
a photo package and rebooked our next cruise on board.
Our 3rd sailing was 18 months later on board the
Disney Magic for New Years in December of 2009.
What a relaxing voyage! Again, we
rebooked on board for 19 months later, or our most recent cruise, a 5 night
voyage on the Disney Dream this past July.
The boy will be 10 for our next cruise scheduled for December of 2012.
We discovered that all of the 40 guests on our Adventures by Disney tour had also cruised with Disney.
That was interesting. Seems that
once people travel with Disney they want to continue traveling with Disney but
not just to the parks and resorts. Disney
has capitalized on this and is now offering their guests, literally, the world
with various Adventures by Disney tours as well as Disney cruises.
We are smitten with Disney travel. And, it all began while watching the Travel
Channel when rocking our sweet boy to sleep each night. We are only limited by time and money. We are able to visit the World more often, as
this is the least expensive travel option.
A cruise is the next expensive option.
(Note: This is due to the times
we can travel—school vacations and holidays.
There are less expensive itineraries other times of the year.) Adventures by Disney, which is more
personalized and limited to 40 guests per tour, is the most expensive for us a
family. We will keep saving our pennies!
And, while it is important to remember that it all started
with a mouse, for us, it all started with the dream of a Disney Cruise!
This past week, I was dealing with a situation of trying to get one company to communicate with another company in a timely manner. It took several phone calls and e-mails, but by Friday at 4:30 pm, the matter was settled. There were a few moments that were stressful and the husband was a bit worried. We had a great conversation and what came up was that there is only 1 thing that takes me away from the cares and worries of real world and that is a Disney vacation!
The total immersion of a Disney vacation is an escape from the real world, the potential daily worries and strife (isn’t that a Disney song?). When we are at Walt Disney World, on a Disney Cruise, or an Adventures by Disney vacation, we don’t watch the news—just the weather, if we watch TV at all and we don’t read the newspaper.
I’m sure other vacation destinations could be similar in that feeling of being removed, disconnected, on vacation! It’s just for us, it’s Disney.
Our Disney vacation begins the minute we hit the car to drive to the airport. I tell the husband it is like we enter a vacation cocoon with just the 3 of us. The only intrusion at that point might be the cell phone. Once we hit the plane, the cell phone is off and it is just us—for the rest of our vacation. Good-bye real world, hello Disney!
Since we rely on Disney transportation and stay on property while we are visiting Walt Disney World, we truly are immersed in another world. Cruising is the same. While there can be some access to national news at ports via newspapers or via television while on the ship, we are typically so busy that we aren’t paying attention. And, while I don’t mean to sound uncompassionate, we don’t want to know. We are on vacation. All of that news will be waiting for us when we return home.
When we took our Adventures by Disney tour, that same feeling was there, even though we were traveling to various places in the Southwest United States. And, while Sedona, Arizona, and Moab, Utah, are not isolated locations, the Grand Canyon, even with its millions of visitors each year, felt rustic, rugged, and isolated. It’s a National Park; it should feel that way! Again, our only access to information was newspapers or local TV. We didn’t watch much TV—way too busy!
I can recall that feeling of transitioning back into the real world at the airport after our vacation. The news is broadcast on the televisions scattered throughout the terminals and newspapers are showing headlines in the airport stores. Funny—I don’t see or hear these things in the airport terminals before our vacations, but I do see and hear them at the end of our vacations. The real world hits a bit upon re-entry. I can also remember thinking that a whole lot of stuff happened while we were gone.
Then there’s the stack of newspapers waiting for us when we get back home, filled with local and national news. I skim through them one at a time before going to bed the night we return. Then, they all go into the recycling bin. I’m thinking that I don’t want to return to that pile of newspapers when we return from our next trip. Our local newspaper has the option of stopping your newspaper service temporarily and donating your paper to another organization. A good deed and a decrease in potential information overload when returning home. Win-win!
Sometimes when we return home from a Disney vacation, we try to extend that feeling of the family vacation cocoon or bubble by not interacting with others outside our home for a while. We might order pizza and try to catch the last few morsels of that vacation feeling before it is back to work or school and the regular daily routines.
As you can tell, we travel relatively light when it comes to connectivity. We don’t travel with a laptop or fancy phone that does everything. It is just us and a couple of cell phones. No mobile apps to tell us what attraction to visit next. Just a park map and plan. That lack of connectivity also helps us focus on our vacation. It helps us stay in our vacation cocoon where we laugh, talk to each other and people nearby, and make incredible memories.
Will your next family vacation take you away from the real world? Ours will. I know it, as it is a Disney vacation!
Are Adventures By Disney only available to Disney Vacation Club members? NO! Just like Deluxe Villas are not just for Disney Vacation Club members only at the Walt Disney World Resort. This is a question we get asked often when folks find out that we have one Adventures By Disney adventure under our belts. We are not Disney Vacation Club members and we enjoyed an awesome Adventures By Disney tour to the Southwest--officially titled Southwest Splendors.
Adventures By Disney began by field testing tours with guests and Adventure Guides in 2005. By 2006, Adventures By Disney became more well known and today, the Adventures are advertised throughout the media, including the video that guests see while using Disney’s Magical Express to get to and from Orlando International Airport.
As soon as I learned about Adventures By Disney, I began calling my travel agent. Ok, how much for. . .? What is the age limit for. . .? We were ready to book and take our first Adventure by the summer of 2009.
Adventures By Disney are known for many things, so let me highlight just a few.
Service: Adventures By Disney is known as a concierge level experience. And, while we have yet to stay at concierge level accommodations at Walt Disney World, we now can imagine the level of service those guests receive.
We were greeted at the airport—in Phoenix, Arizona—by two representatives of Adventures By Disney—not our tour guides—yet. One person greeted us with the Adventures By Disney sign, while the other looked for, grabbed, and loaded our bags at the baggage carousel. We didn’t see our bags again until we were in our resort room in Sedona. The other person took us via bus to the airport terminal where we would meet up with the rest of our travel party. Note: She didn’t send us or provide us with directions, she went with us; walked with us; checked to see if we needed to stop for food, water, or a restroom break. She hand delivered us to our guides who were waiting with the rest of our group. (An Adventures By Disney group usually consists of 40 guests (max.), 2 Adventures Guides, and in our case, one motor coach driver.
That level of service continued throughout our tour. Our guides made sure we were well taken care of and anticipated our needs. There were snacks and water on the motor coach for whenever we needed something. Our luggage was magically transported from one hotel to another as we made our way through the Southwest. One day there was a bit of rain and ponchos magically appeared from the guides’ backpacks. The day we white water rafted on the Colorado River, snacks, towels, and water to rinse off our feet before entering the motor coach were ready available. I’m telling you, they thought of everything! Yet, the level of service never kept us from experiencing an authentic Southwest adventure.
The service also included photography. Our Adventure Guides—Tiffany and Diana—were also responsible for taking photos of us throughout the adventure. Those photos were then uploaded into a Disney Photopass Account that we could access to purchase photo prints or downloads. The photography and Photopass service were a surprise for us—something we hadn’t expected.
Unparalleled Guest Access: Disney is a big name and because of it, we were allowed access to local expert at every turn. Personal guides took us to Red Rock State Park, Box Canyon, Arches National Park, the Grand Canyon, and white water rafting on the Colorado River.
We were also granted access to the grounds of El Tovar, the Granddaddy of hotels on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon as we were guests at the Thunderbird Lodge, just next door. We have watched our son play tag on the grass at the “back door” of El Tovar, swung on a porch swing overlooking the Grand Canyon, and watched Elk roam freely beside us while they ate breakfast. We woke up two mornings and opened the curtains at our hotel to view the majestic Grand Canyon while staying at Thunderbird Lodge. While we dined we learned how to lasso, enjoyed Native American singing and dancing, and learned about snakes and tarantulas.
A Helicopter Ride Over the Grand Canyon!
While not included in the Adventure, it was an
extra we loved!
Magic: This is Disney and they are going to put as much magic and pixie dust into the experience as possible. And, boy, did they! We received a large box in the mail about 3 weeks before our adventure. It contained backpacks for the three of us, one especially designed for the boy. We also received a personalized. . . that’s right, it included our names. . . itinerary, including what to do when we arrived in Phoenix. All the directions were specific and clear. Our box also included special luggage tags to make identifying our luggage at the airport easier.
Then there were the little surprises throughout our adventure. Picture postcards, pins and lanyards, an evening just for the adults while the Adventure Guides fed and entertained the kids, double rainbows over the Colorado River during dinner, music, and starry nights.
The only thing missing was Mickey. I asked if he was coming. No, not this trip.
If your family is considering an Adventures By Disney tour, go for it!
Adventures By Disney tours, like I said earlier, are a concierge level experience, and can be a bit pricier than touring the parks. Most of the guests on our tour were seasoned park visitors and Disney Cruise Line cruisers. In fact, we bumped into a family that was on our tour at Walt Disney World last March. They were headed to Italy on an Adventures By Disney tour for the summer.
But before you dismiss the idea due to price, consider that lodging, most meals, transportation from one stop to another, experiences, and admissions are included. For our week long adventure, we were on our own for 3 lunches and 2 suppers. And, even then, the guides were helpful in selecting a place for us to go and making it accessible. (We ate at Burger King for one of the lunches!)
Another thing to consider before booking an Adventures By Disney tour is the age of the children that will be accompanying you. Adventures By Disney will provide age recommendations for specific tours, but be mindful that certain experiences within the tour may have age/height restrictions.
Right now, Adventures By Disney offers 19 tours across the world. Disney can take you to Australia, Alaska, China, Costa Rica, London and Paris, South Africa, Egypt (this one is new!), or the Galapagos Islands. There are also several Adventures By Disney tours in the U.S. and North America.
After 7 trips to Walt Disney World, people sometimes ask why we don’t go other places on vacation. Our response is that we do, we just let Disney take us there!
Enjoy this video and a taste of what Adventures By Disney has to offer:
It was hard to believe that our last full day of our Adventures By Disney tour was upon us. You know what they say. . . save the best for last, except that it had been "the best" almost every day. That's Disney!
Our day began with a leisurely breakfast at the restaurant at Red Cliffs Lodge. The rafting was in the afternoon, so we slept a bit later than usual and then ate breakfast. The husband and boy went for a hike in the hills across from the lodge to look for arrowheads, so I could get a head start on packing, etc. They found an arrowhead! And then we had some pool time before lunch and white water rafting.
Lunch was on a special deck beside the river. Then we loaded the motor coach to ride to our launch site on the Colorado River.
Here we are ready to got. There were 5 rafts and our group was divided amongst the rafts. I remember that 3 of the group chose not to participate in the rafting.
Here we are on our raft. The guide spent some time with us before we launched so we knew safety precautions, signals and commands. He also told us about "smile breaks" in the river. Believe it or not, there was a cooler on each raft with water and snacks. Again, Disney!
We encountered Class I and II rapids, which were wild enough for me! We also had water fights between the rafts and had an unofficial race to the "finish." No raft overturned and we all made it to the end.
One of my favorite memories of the day is when the boy got out of the raft. Yes, it was OK. And there he was floating on his back with his shoes sticking out of the water in front of him confident as ever in the middle of the Colorado River. The husband and I were still in the raft, but had him close in our sights. I marveled at this moment! A short time later, we were all in the cool water and most of us floated to the sight where we pulled the rafts out.
Ok, here is where more Disney magic occurred. Since we had just been in the "drink" of the mighty Colorado River, we were a bit. . . sandy, and of course wet. So, as we loaded back into the motor coach, out guides had jugs of clean water for us to rinse our feet and shoes and of course thick towels for us to use to dry off. Only Disney!
Since we were still "high" from our rafting experience and all had on water gear, the gang headed to the pool for a diving contest. Judges were picked, categories of adults and kids, and points awarded for style as well as splash. What a great way to spend our last afternoon.
All too soon, it was time to get ready for our last dinner. We were gathering on the patio of the restaurant for a BBQ. The food was yummy!
Here we are just after dinner. Check out the river, the red cliffs, and the smiles!
The boy with our Adventures by Disney guides--Tiffany on the left and Diana on the right.
After dinner, we all went into a meeting room just off the patio and shared about highlights from our trip. You see, on our first night in Sedona, as each person or family introduced themselves, they told what they were most looking forward to on the adventure. Most people said the Grand Canyon or the white water rafting. So, here we were on our last night recapping the highlights. The guides then surprised us with a slide show presentation of our adventure. Photos of our time together along with music gave us all smiles, goosebumps, and some tears.
You would think that would be the end of our evening, but no, there was more. We all made our way to the campfire for smores, stories, and cowboy songs. At dinner, two cowboy musicians had joined us to provide music during our meal. The cowboys then brought their guitars to our campfire to play songs while we gathered around the campfire. The last song, as if on cue, was a compilation of Disney melodies. We all sang along. The last melody was "When You Wish Upon a Star." And, there we were looking up at a clear starry night with moonlight peering over the cliffs in Moab, Utah, with the Colorado River nearby. Magical!
We all said goodnight and made our way back to our rooms. Then next morning it was breakfast and the last of our magical luggage. We all then road the motor coach to Grand Junction, Colorado, where everyone few to their final destinations.
Wow! We made it up and back on the trail to delicate arch in Arches National Park. (Click here to read about our hike.) Next we headed into the town of Moab for lunch and exploring. One thing you see in Moab is a greenish/blueish soil which is radioactive soil due to the uranium. So, we found it funny to find this sign in downtown Moab. For lunch, we went to Maxx's restaurant which had great pizza! Of course we purchased a Christmas tree ornament. It is hand painted.
After lunch and shopping, we went back to Red Cliffs Lodge for some time in in the pool. Aah! In the photo above you can see why the lodge is called Red Cliffs. The lodge itself sits on a bend in the Colorado River and the red cliffs are across the river and across the road from the lodge. It is as if the lodge is located in this little oasis.
For dinner, our guides took all the kids for dinner and a movie while the adults had reservations in the restaurant at Red Cliffs--dinner was on Disney!
Here is the husband enjoying a beverage on the outside dining deck of the restaurant at Red Cliffs. The Colorado River was beside us. We were enjoying a marvelous dinner for two with great food, great service, and a great view when almost on cue the sun went over the mountains and right in front of us spanning the Colorado River and the red cliffs was a double rainbow. I tried to capture it in the photo below. . .
Disney Magic? Possibly. Definitely mother nature at her finest!
We live in the midwest, so views and vistas such as these are not a part of our landscape. We still are in awe of the majesty of the area.
Anyway, we had a great dinner, enjoying each other's company and soon it was time to retrieve the boy from the festivities and call it a night. Hard to imagine, but we have an even bigger adventure in store for tomorrow!
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