Does anyone have experience with Disney for an Italy trip? We have been impressed with Disney World. ABD seems very expensive, but with two youngish children, I may want some peace of mind with regard to the 'hotels working out, the dining reservations working out, no worry about train availabilty and seating city to city, etc..' Any comments appreciated!

I don't have any experience with this tour group (I didn't even know about it until your post) so I took a look at the Italy itinerary.

WOW! It's very expensive! You're looking at about $20,000 for 7 days PLUS airfare is not included in the tour price.

There's not much sightseeing included, although lots of walking around looking at things. You could do the same type of itinerary with your kids for a fraction of the cost.

Get some guide books from the library, look at trip reports and other posts here. You can easily book hotels and trains on your own. Plus you could even book private tours and ask the company to cater to the interests of your children.

Once you have a preliminary plan with hotels you're interested in then post again asking for comments.

It's really easy to plan your own trip. You simply have to be a bit organized.

Well, if you're comfortable with paying about $15,000 more than you need to and being exposed to the lowest common denominator in cultural experiences, go for it. But you could easily do it yourself.

I'm not sure why you think train availability or seating would be any different for a tour company than just buying train tickets yourself. Same goes for hotels/restaurants.

There are so many little restaurants on any street in Italy where you can probably just go in and sit down that I am not sure why you are worried about reservations. I think after 15 trips to Italy we have maybe made a reservation three times. The only places likely to be booked up are the "must-go" places that are really expensive, and with kids you may not want to do that.

I agree the cost of the Disney tour is astounding. Besides, half the fun of a trip to Italy is the planning. You can do it all by yourself without a travel agent. I suggest you go to SlowTrav.com and look at all the info they have on traveling to Italy.

Be aware that hotel rooms in Italy are, by and large, quite small. And many tour companies put you in hotels that are not in the central areas. If you stay three or more days in a city, you can rent an apartment right in the center of things and have more rooms, and a mini-kitchen to have food on hand and make a simple meal if you wish. There are a ton of apartments for rent in the main tourist destinations, and even in other areas.

I think you are paying a huge amount for the Disney name. Although you have few choices if you want to do a tour with kids, since few tours take anyone under the age of 12 - 16 for some.

But frankly I wouldn;t want to do a tour type trip with 2 kids - but it really depends on their ages and the interests of all of you. I would agree to say just 2 or 3 places in an apartment so you have a little room to move around and easy access to snacks and breakfast without involving room service.

For those who are wondering, here's the tour:

http://abd.disney.go.com/abd/en_US/d...iceLandingPage

I also noted this in the Trip Tips section:
"Adventure Guide Gratuities: Gratuities for your Adventures Guides are not included. If you feel that your Adventure Guides have provided excellent service, we suggest the following discretionary gratuity: Per Guest/Per Adventure Guide/Per Day - $5-$9 USD.
For example:
• For a 9-day adventure, the Adventure Guide gratuity per guest, per Adventure Guide: $45-$81 USD. • For a family of 4 for a 9-day adventure: $180-$324 USD per Adventure Guide. For 2 Guides, this is a total of: $360-$648 USD. Adventure Guides accept local currency, U.S. dollars, and travelers' checks."

I found a review on another site,
http://travelwithkids.about.com/od/d...aly_Disney.htm
the author mentions they had two guides the entire time, so the tip would add up. The author does write glowingly of the tour.

Of all the countries to go with kids and have fun, Italy is one of the easiest. First off, there are lots of interesting things that even pretty young children will enjoy: boats (all kinds), towers to climb, parks, palaces, trains, piazzs and squares with pigeons to feed, markets, little bridges & wonderful places to walk, plus pizza & gelato. There is a series of books written especially for children that you can get: Venice For Kids, Ancient Rome for Kids, and Florence for kids. They have stories, pictures, drawings & maps with suggestions of things to do.

You can find restaurants that will be fine for kids everywhere. If you see one you like while you are out walking around, make a reservation for the evening. Otherwise, just wing it, and you will be fine.
Using trains is easy, plus you can walk around a bit and go whenever you want.
Get advice from people on Fodors and you will be fine with getting your own hotel. Then you can get up when you want, and are not tied to any schedule. That is really good for kids when traveling.
How old are you little ones? Mine were 5 & 7 the first time we went to Italy with them. They loved every minute of it.