Adventures by Disney Tour of Arizona and Utah

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An Adventures by Disney tour of Arizona and Utah left this Traveling Mom teary-eyed. Why? She calls it the “Disney difference.” Find out why this family vacation tour brought her family closer together and created memories they could not have gotten any other way.

Adventures by Disney Family Vacation Tour

On the last night of our Arizona/Utah Adventures by Disney, they hosted a farewell dinner. As my family and I were walking to the dinner, I picked up my camera to start vlogging our experience. As I started talking about our week long Adventures by Disney trip, I started to get teary-eyed. I had to stop filming and compose myself for a second. It dawned on me in that moment, that this trip really moved me.

My family and I travel close to 50,000 miles every year. We home school our kids, so they can travel along with us. For us, each destination is an incredible experience. So why do I get teary eyed about an Adventures by Disney trip to Arizona and Utah? I have been to the Grand Canyon, Arches, and even Sedona. Why did this Adventures by Disney vacation move me more than any of my other travels around the world? I think it comes down to one thing…the Disney difference!

What is the Disney Difference?

The Disney difference is those little touches that Disney provides during an Adventures by Disney vacation. These are opportunities or experiences that you will not get anywhere else. These touches brought us closer together as a family. They also helped us create family memories. I wanted to share some of the Disney differences on our recent Adventures by Disney trip to Arizona/Utah.

Friends More Than Guides

I need to first tell you about the two “magic makers” that enhance the Disney difference. These are the tour guides. With Adventures by Disney, you will always have two Disney Cast Members for your tour guides. You may meet other local guides, but two Disney tour guides will be with you during your whole experience. These guides may start off as strangers, but quickly become friends. They get to know the whole family, not just the adults. They spend just as much time hanging out with the kids! As a regular traveler, this is one of the most amazing differences with Adventures by Disney.

Sunrise in Sedona

On the 2nd day of our Adventures by Disney, we woke up early to hike up a mountain near our resort. Our tour guides took us on a private hike up the mountain to watch the sunrise. Once we got to the top, we all sat sipping on our water watching the glorious sunrise and hot air balloons cascading the sky.

We had been to Sedona before, but this experience was unlike anything I would have done on my own. Thanks to our guides leading us up the mountain, we got to experience this amazing opportunity as a family.

Do You Trust Us?

One of the highlights for many of us  on our Adventures by Disney family vacation tour was the visit to Grand Canyon. We were certainly excited to see the Grand Canyon again, but we had seen it before. We all kinda thought “been there done that!” It is still pretty, so it will be fun.

When we arrived to Grand Canyon, our tour guides told us to line up with our family. They proceeded to tell us all to line up in a single file line with our hand on the shoulder of the family member in front of us. We would close our eyes and the tour guide would take us to the edge of the Grand Canyon. We were to keep our eyes closed until everyone was lined up and then we would open our eyes all together. I kinda chuckled at the idea! However, the kids loved it. They had both been to the Grand Canyon, but this was something new and amazing.

The guides took us all out and then proceeded to count down from 3…2…1. You could hear the gasps all around us. As a family, we got to experience the grandeur of the Grand Canyon all over again!

Date Night? What is That?

Towards the end of the trip, our tour guides announced the kids had an adventure night. They would play games, watch movies, eat kid foods, and have fun with fellow Junior Adventurers (all of the kids). Of course, the kids were thrilled that they got a fun night with just the kids. The guides then announced the adults would have a nice date night. As a family that homeschools, my husband and I laughed…date night…what is that?

Disney surprised us again! My husband and I showed up to the restaurant to find out the whole meal was already pre-paid. We picked our favorite appetizers and entrees. We enjoyed the rippling water of the Colorado River as we talked and dined. It was the perfect night!

When you travel as a family, you travel as a family. It was Disney that realized the kids want to play together and the parents need a break. That is a Disney difference!

These Memories Will Last a Lifetime

Our family tries to spend as much time together as we can, while the kids are still kids. That is why we homeschool our kids and travel. We want to experience all of these moments before they are gone.

Disney wants us to cherish those memories, too.

At our farewell dinner, the guides AirDropped postcards and details on how we can access all of our photos taken by the guides during our Adventures by Disney. We knew the tour guides were snapping a ton of pictures during our trip. Now we know why. We have pictures of the kids being silly, pictures with our new friends, and pictures of the family. Leave it to Disney to capture our memories and touch our hearts.

These are just a few of the Disney differences we experienced on our trip. There are so many more. You can see many of these differences in our vlog on Jones Family Travels. We have a video from every day of our Arizona/Utah Adventures by Disney.

Is Adventures by Disney Worth the Extra Cost?

I know the Adventures by Disney vacations are more expensive than other family vacation tour providers. Try out the weekend Adventures by Disney vacations. They are less expensive and will give you and your family an opportunity to see the Disney difference. Once you go on one Adventures by Disney, you will go again. The Jones Family is already starting to plan our next adventure!

How do you Book an Adventures by Disney 2018 Vacation?

Contact our partners at Destinations in Florida, Disney vacation planning experts for customized help planning your Adventures by Disney vacation. We have an affiliate relationship with Destinations in Florida. If you book through the service, you will help support SheBuysTravel in addition to getting the help you need to book an organized family tour for your next family vacation.

About the Author

Allison Jones is a native Floridian who lives in flip flops!  She loves traveling with her husband TravelingDad Tim Jones, and their kids. She turned her passion of travel into an online travel business called Destinations to Explore.  With more than 200 agents, Destinations to Explore is considered the premier travel company by guests, media, and the destinations themselves.  You can follow Allison and her family’s travel adventures on YouTube at Jones Family Travels. You can also contact Allison at allison@destinationsinflorida.com if you would like the SheBuysTravel travel team to book your next family vacation.