Adventures by Disney

Adventures by Disney are professionally planned and guided international family vacations ranging in length from six to thirteen days. Destinations on six of the world's seven continents offer a variety of experiences from historic to scenic, from seascape to mountain peak, from cities to ruins. On Adventures by Disney trips, travelers are adventurers and participants and always Disney's Guests.

Our friend, Denise Stufflebeam, toured Italy this past summer via Adventures by Disney Viva Italia. After reading about her travels, you may want to book a trip too!

MMS: Hi, Denise! Thank you so much for taking time to share your Adventures by Disney experience and expertise with us! Now, you are an employee of our generous sponsor, 3D Travel Company, an Earmarked agency. How long have you worked for 3D travel?
DS: I have been a Disney travel specialist with 3D Travel Company since May 2007. The company was formed in 2005, and we became an Earmarked agency in February 2009. Earmarked agencies are Disney’s top-selling agencies, so it is quite an honor for us, especially since our agency was less than four years old when we received the designation. Before I married and started our family, I was a travel agent for about 12 years, and I am glad to be helping people plan trips again.

MMS: Can you tell me about Adventures by Disney and what benefits it offers versus traveling by your own plans?
DS: Adventures by Disney offers guided trips to destinations all over the world, and they take care of all the details and planning. In several instances, our Adventure Guides had pre-purchased admission tickets so we were able to bypass long lines of tourists waiting to enter. All our transportation was pre-arranged, and we didn’t have to spend time trying to figure out where to go, make sure we were going at the best time possible, etc. Researching and making arrangements for activities overseas is time-consuming, but Disney has taken care of it all. Disney definitely adds their magical touches, and the most we had to worry about was what flavor of gelato to order.

MMS: How does the Adventures by Disney pricing compare to traveling on your own?
DS: Traveling with a group is not for everyone, but it certainly takes the worry out of the trip especially when you are in a non-English-speaking country. If you were to have the same experiences, you might actually pay more if you arranged it all yourself. However, by traveling on your own, you could cut costs by staying in more budget hotels, having lower cost meals, etc., but of course, that would be a different type of experience. Disney makes sure your experiences are the high quality for which Disney is well-known.

MMS: What made you decide to take an Adventures by Disney trip?
DS: Having booked hundreds of clients with Disney, I am familiar with Disney’s commitment to high quality, so I was confident that this would be a good experience. Since I am a Disney Travel Specialist, it seemed logical to try out a product we represent, and I was not eager to travel in Europe on my own. My family agreed that we wanted the safety net of Disney, knowing that any of our needs would be taken care of if anything unusual happened along the way.

MMS: Where did you go?
DS: Our Viva Italia trip started with three nights in Rome, and then we stayed a couple of nights in the Tuscany area outside Florence, and then finished with three nights in Venice.

MMS: Why did you choose the Italy package?
DS: My daughter wanted to go to Rome because she had studied so much about it in high school. It would not have been my first choice, but the trip gave me a wonderful overview of Italy and I now have a totally different impression and appreciation of the country than I did when we first considered going to Italy.

MMS: Were you in a different city or town each day? What did you do at each stop?
DS: We visited three different areas, so we stayed 2-3 nights in each city. Each stop on our trip was filled with things which interest tourists and we were given ample information about what we were seeing. We had some things pre-arranged, but we always had free time to explore on our own.

In Rome, we enjoyed the Coliseum, the Pantheon, the Vatican, and more. A trip to Rome isn’t complete without throwing a coin into Trevi Fountain, so we spent time there as well. Disney includes extra little touches, so they even provided the coin to throw into the fountain! There were other special touches including a delicious treat of gelato—a must-have when visiting Italy.

In the Tuscany area we all enjoyed a pasta-making lesson followed by an afternoon of relaxation. One evening the Junior Adventurers (the children on the trip) enjoyed a Disney movie while the adults got to sample some local wines before our adults-only dinner.

We also had a tour of Florence (including viewing Michelangelo’s David) and free time to shop and explore on our own. While in Venice, we were able to enjoy their unusual water transportation and a tour including important parts of the city. The local tour guides did a great job of explaining things so that the kids could understand without talking down to the adults.

MMS: Would you have chosen those sites and activities if you had traveled on your own/if they had not been part of the package?
DS: Most of the sights we saw are the things which most tourists are interested in, but there were some extras I would not have known about or been able to experience on my own. We were able to enjoy pasta-making at the villa, something that would have been difficult to arrange on my own.

MMS: Are the Cast Member tour guides native to each locale?
DS: The Disney Adventure Guides who accompany Guests on ther entire trip usually include one person from that country and one American. In addition, there is a local expert in each town. All are very knowledgeable about the area.

MMS: How did you travel?
DS: Viva Italia includes a wide variety of transportation. Much of it was on a comfortable motorcoach, but we also rode in a 200 mph train, a gondola, and a vaporetto (similar to a gondola). My favorite was the water taxi which took us and our luggage to the Venice airport—that was quite an exhilarating end to our trip.

MMS: What kinds of places did you stay in?
DS: We stayed in deluxe hotels in Rome and Venice, and in a luxury villa in Tuscany.

MMS: Are dining costs included?
DS: Most meals are included in the trip, but there is time to enjoy meals on your own. It was just the right mix of meals together and on our own. It was great to enjoy meals with the entire group and get to know our fellow Adventurers and two Adventure Guides, but it was also good to have some time with just our family.

MMS: How many were in your group?
DS: Adventures by Disney are limited to 40 guests per trip, and our group had the maximum 40 guests. (Adventures by Disney also offers a few Gateway departures and they allow up to 50 guests for each of those.)

MMS: Have you kept in touch with any fellow travelers?
DS: We felt like we were truly family after our Adventure and we are keeping in touch with some of them. If the opportunity arose, we would enjoy traveling with some of them again.

MMS: Did family members travel with you?
DS: My mother offered to take my daughter on a trip for high school graduation, and they invited me to go with them. We had a great time together and made special memories we will treasure forever.

MMS: What did they think about the trip?
DS: We all agreed that it was a wonderful trip in every way…just the right length, the right amount of planned and free time, the size of the group, etc.

MMS: What made the trip uniquely Disney? How does it differ from other travel experiences?
DS: Disney has a unique way of catering to every age all at the same time, so the Junior Adventurers (on our trip this was seven kids aged 5-10) enjoyed it as much as the teens, adults, and seniors. One special touch that is uniquely Disney is the trading pins received each day—these are anticipated and enjoyed by young and old alike and make for unique souvenirs. Some Adventures also include a visit from a surprise guest but since it’s a surprise, you’ll just have to go on a trip to find out about it! Our Adventure Guides also took photos throughout the trip. On our final evening, we viewed a wonderful slide show and were given a PhotoPass CD of those photos.

MMS: What was your most memorable experience?
DS: You mean I have to narrow it down to just one? I really enjoyed the pasta making at the villa in Tuscany.

MMS: Would you take another Adventure by Disney? If so, which one?
DS: I would gladly take another Adventure, but I don’t have a specific one picked out yet. With Adventures offered on every continent except Antarctica, and over 20 different itineraries offered to a wide variety of exciting places, it will be hard to choose my next Adventure. I would love to travel overseas again but might choose one of the six North America Adventures next.

MMS: As an Earmarked travel agent, have you sold any Adventures by Disney?
DS: As a Disney Travel Specialist with an Earmarked travel agency, I would love to eventually sell every Disney destination, but so far, our clientele has not included any Adventurers other than my family. Now that I have experienced an Adventure and know firsthand how great they are, I am eager for my clients to experience the same thing. Some of my clients are considering an Adventure in the future, but none are ready quite yet.

MMS: Have you had any feedback from Adventures by Disney Guests?
DS: Since I have not had the opportunity to book clients on an Adventure yet, the only feedback I have had is from my fellow Adventurers—my Italian family. We all enjoyed our trip and truly felt like family by the end of the trip.

MMS: Would you change anything about your experience?
DS: The only thing I would change is that I would read up on the destinations more before I go. My daughter had an advantage as she had recently learned a lot about Rome and its influence in history. Having a deeper knowledge of each town would have enhanced my experience.

MMS: Denise, that sounds like an amazing trip! It looks like Disney takes all the stress out so Guests can just enjoy themselves.
DS: Yes! I had been to Rome on my own in 1985, and I really had no desire to return. Falling in love with Italy and having such wonderful experiences on this trip was really unexpected. I knew Disney would do all they could to make it a great trip, but I just didn’t think I would enjoy it much. To my great surprise, I got a totally different impression of Rome than in my previous trip. I think the big difference was having input from the Adventure Guides and local guides. They shared the richness of the area, and I think this is something you normally won’t get it you do it on your own. The contrast of my two trips to Rome is quite stark. I really didn’t want to go back to Italy after doing it on my own, but going with Adventures by Disney has left me with a desire to return to Italy and learn more about the country. This was education at its best, as we were right in the heart of historical places.

[Note: If you are interested in arranging an Adventures by Disney vacation, you may contact Denise at 214-592-4256. You can also find her at the Stufflebeam Kingdom page of 3D Travel Company's website or on Facebook at Magical Memories Headquarters.]

Today's Takeaway:
In honor of one of Denise's favorite memories, let's make pasta! The Learning Channel (TLC) website says, "...there are more than 150 shapes of dried pasta alone...Long or short, smooth or ridged, thick or thin, with or without curves and crevices." Pasta is shaped specifically to capture and absorb sauce in certain ways. Basically, "The flatter and longer shapes combine well with olive oil and cream sauces; sturdier shapes work well with chunkier and more assertively flavored sauces. Classic marinara and simple cream and butter sauces go well with basically all pasta."

It is easy to make homemade pasta, even if you don't have a pasta-making machine. All you need are a few simple ingredients and a some simple kitchen tools. Follow the directions here for TLC's How to Make Homemade Pasta by Hand: 
#1 Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt on pastry board, culling board, or countertop; make well in center. Whisk 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon milk, and1 teaspoon olive oil in small bowl until well blended; gradually pour into well in flour mixture while mixing with fork or fingertips to form ball of dough.

#2 Place dough on lightly floured surface; flatten slightly. To knead dough, fold dough in half toward you and press dough away from you with heels of hands. Give dough a quarter turn and continue folding, pushing, and turning. Continue kneading 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding more flour to prevent sticking if necessary. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; let stand 15 minutes.

#3 Unwrap dough and knead briefly (as described in step 2) on lightly floured surface. Using lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/8-inch-thick circle on lightly floured surface. Gently pick up dough circle with both hands. Hold it up to the light to check for places where dough is too thick. Return to board; even out any thick spots. Let rest until dough is slightly dry but can be handled without breaking.

#4 Lightly flour dough circle; roll loosely on rolling pin.

#5 Slide rolling pin out; press dough roll gently with hand and cut into strips of desired width with sharp knife. Carefully unfold strips.

#6 Pasta can be dried and stored at this point. Hang strips over pasta rack or clean broom handle covered with plastic wrap and propped between two chairs. Dry at least 3 hours; store in airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days. To serve, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water 3 to 4 minutes just until al dente. Drain well.

Serve with your favorite sauce and enjoy!

SCHOOL SUBJECT: Home Economics
SKILL LEVEL: Middle Grades, or varied by your child's abilities 

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