Viva Italia Adventures By Disney®

I consider myself a fairly well-traveled person, but I have never had the opportunity or possibly the nerve to travel abroad. I’ve been all over the United States and the Caribbean but a trip to a foreign country where the language is different, a place where I am unsure of the currency or even how to get from place to place, always seemed daunting. That is until I heard about Adventures by Disney_®.

Adventures by Disney offers comprehensive guided vacations of over 20 locations around the world where every aspect of your vacation from accommodations to dining, transportation to experiences are completely planned for you. This form of travel seemed very intriguing to me, so when Disney invited me to experience the Viva Italia trip I jumped at the chance.

From the very start Adventures by Disney went above and beyond to make my trip perfect and stress-free. I was able to book my airfare through my Adventures by Disney Vacationista and, not only did it simplify the process, but their air department was able to save me over $600 per ticket.

On arrival in Rome, my husband and I were met by our Adventure Guide, Marco, who immediately took our luggage and, without hassle, had us off to our beautiful Resort in Rome. From the time we landed until we said our sad goodbyes our luggage was “magically moved with pixie dust” as only Disney can do!

Our trip began with a welcome reception and dinner where we had the chance to become acquainted with our Adventure Guides, Marco and Landon, as well as the other guests traveling as part of our group. From the start Disney took care of all the details, providing us with an in-depth overview of Italy. It was a journey that took us through Rome, Tuscany, Florence, and Venice along with special gifts and treats to enjoy throughout our time there.

Our Adventure Guides, along with our local experts, made this trip truly spectacular with their knowledge, experience, and passion for Italy. Adventures by Disney provided unprecedented access to the most popular sites, minus the wait in long lines, for such sights as St. Peter’s Basilica and Michelangelo’s David in Florence. We simply zipped past the long lines and walked straight into the attractions. There were even planned “snack” breaks with treats like gelato along the way!

For me, the absolute highlight of the tour was our exclusive, after-hours tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. It was truly the experience of a lifetime to wander through the Vatican Museum without the crush of thousands of other tourists and to have the opportunity to stand in reverent awe of the Sistine Chapel as our guide, Stefano, brought the story of Michelangelo’s work to life.

After leaving Rome, we traveled through the beautiful Tuscan countryside via luxury motor coach complete with Wi-Fi for uploading photos and beautiful Italian music in the background. We stopped for lunch at a bed and breakfast situated on a hillside where we were served a delicious lunch under the Tuscan sun. Our hosts brought out course after course of delicious Italian cuisine and, while the adults relaxed and indulged, the Junior Adventures took a dip in the pool giving their parents the opportunity to relax and take in the stunning vistas.

My husband and I traveled without our children on this trip, but there were some families who brought theirs along. These Junior Adventurers had many fun experiences planned for them so their parents could enjoy the sites of Italy and relax knowing that their “Juniors” were seeing and experiencing it at their own level.

Adventures by Disney did an amazing job planning our daily itinerary. With a nice balance of group touring and free time to explore on our own, we felt like we really got to see and experience everything we wanted to do at each stop. Several nights throughout the trip we were on our own for dinner, and our Adventure Guides would wait in the lobby to serve as our personal concierge. They made restaurant suggestions and reservations for us and provided us with maps and directions. They truly thought of everything.

Our trip culminated in Venice. Our last night featured a Carnivale celebration and farewell dinner. It was emotional saying goodbye to one another. To end the evening our Adventure Guides entertained us with a photo slide show of all the images they captured during our trip. There were many laughs and even a few tears as we relived the experiences we had shared.

I was completely blown away by this experience and the quality of the Adventures by Disney guided tour. The entire trip was carefree and truly magical. You often hear people describe their vacations as a trip of a lifetime… with Adventures by Disney you are guaranteed that type of experience!

Jennifer Kozlow is a Gold Key Advisor with Glass Slipper Concierge®, offering concierge-style service and meticulously-planned Disney vacations.