Adventures by Disney | 9 Days 8 Nights Rome, Tuscany, Florence and Venice
WOW
Whimsical
Outstanding
Wonderful
“Wow” doesn’t even begin to describe my trip to Italy. Since it was my first visit, it was even more amazing and a one of a kind experience.
We had the opportunity to explore one of the most fascinating and unique places in the world–Italy. We became active participants in incredible stories, experiences and cultures through immersive activities only Disney can bring to us.
The Adventure guides, Marco and Landon, engulfed us in the Disney balloon from day 1 when they met us at the baggage claim area in Rome until they said Arreviderci at the baggage check in at the Venice airport. According to Marco and Landon, Venice was where the balloon burst, no more Tinker Bell pixie dust, (“parmesano cheese”) to protect us.
We stayed in 5-star hotels, Melia Gran in Rome, Hotel Borgo di Cortefredi in Tuscany and the Luna Hotel Baglioni in Venice. The Melia was a block up the hill from the Tiber River with a view of the Colosseum. The Cortefredi was a villa in Tuscany which was about an hour outside of Florence, so if you aren’t on a guided tour with transportation, you will require a car. The Baglioni was right around the corner from St. Mark’s Square.
We had spectacular dining experiences as most meals were included. We had a medieval themed banquet in a 13th century monastery in Certaldo with folk singers and dancers. Our farewell dinner, where everyone donned our Venetian masks we made, was a magnificent Venetian themed evening with entertainment featuring traditional dancers and musicians and we had to say goodbye to our new friends and adventure guides.
Some of the many highlights of our adventure were:
1. VIP experience at the Colosseum with the underground tour as well as the Roman Forum. We saw what it’s like to be a Roman gladiator as we stepped onto the floor of the Colosseum.
2. Private tour and entrance to the Vatican with an after-hours visit to the Vatican City Museum and Sistine Chapel
3. Private tour of St. Peter’s Basillica and Castel Sant’Angelo
4. Stepping into the kitchen of a working olive farm, participating in Tuscan pasta making class and wine tasting
5. VIP tour of Palazzo Vecchio
6. Private gondola ride in Venice
7. Making of our very own Venetian mask.
Here are additional special treats that were included:
1. Disney rain ponchos (it rained the day we were at the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain)
2. Coins to throw in the fountain
3. Complimentary Gelato near the fountain (YUMMY)
4. Coins for some of the restrooms, etc.
We were given daily complimentary water, snacks, maps, and ideas on what to do in each of the cities on our own time as well as restaurant recommendations in each of our locations.
Everyone was given a lanyard at the beginning of the trip and by the last day, we had 10 special Disney pins to commemorate each of our special visits. Tinker Bell delivered them at unexpected places and times. While in Venice a singing merchant came out of an alley to present them to us.
Our junior adventurers had lots of activities in each of the cities we visited. There were lawn games, swimming, making of bottles of olive oil while we tasted wine, and special junior dinners with a Disney movie following dinner. One day they even had a scavenger hunt.
The personal touches and interaction between the guests and our Adventure guides truly made this an amazing and fun experience. Thank you Marco and Landon!
I would recommend any of the world wide Adventures by Disney tours to guests with and without children. There are adventures for adults only. The cost of these escorted tours might seem more expensive than other 5* tour operators but you definitely “get what you pay for” on a guided tour like this.
Carol Benson | VACATION SPECIALIST
Branch: Sorrento Mesa
9710 Scranton Road, Suite 170 | San Diego, CA | Google Directions
Toll-Free: (800) 683-4074 | Direct Line: (858) 551-4488
E-mail: cbenson@carefreevacations.com
Tags: Adventure, Adventures by Disney, Disney, Europe, Family, Food and wine, Hotel, Italy, Luxury, motorcoach, Resort, Rome, Tour, Tour Guide, Venice
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