What It’s Really Like to Travel with Adventures by Disney: Our Week in Switzerland
I cried twice on my 20th wedding anniversary vacation.
Except, nothing had gone wrong. In fact, it was the opposite. I was standing on a mountainside with my husband in Gruyères, Switzerland, looking out at a view so beautiful that I could not quite process the fact that I was really there. It caught me off guard, and I started crying–twice–in twenty minutes..
That feeling followed me throughout our Adventures by Disney trip. I felt it on the streets of Grindelwald, while kayaking across the glacial waters of Lake Brienz, and while watching the sun rise over the Matterhorn on my morning run. Even the train rides became part of the experience, with waterfalls and mountain villages passing outside our windows.
There is no “Instagram versus reality” in Switzerland. The impossibly green hills, turquoise lakes, snow-covered peaks, and flower-filled villages are simply what the country looks like.
Still, the scenery was only part of what made this vacation so memorable. This was our first Adventures by Disney itinerary, and it gave me a firsthand look at what Disney brings to a destination far beyond its theme parks.
What Is Adventures by Disney?
Adventures by Disney offers guided vacations around the world, including destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America, North America and beyond. Although Disney operates the trips, these are not theme park vacations. Mickey Mouse is not leading the tour, and the itinerary is not built around Disney characters.
Instead, the Disney influence shows up in the way the trip is organized and cared for.
Each adventure is led by two Adventure Guides. On our trip, one guide brought the Disney experience and helped oversee the journey as a whole, while the other was a local destination expert from Switzerland. Together, they managed the details, shared the culture and history of each place, kept the group moving, and made the experience feel personal.
They were also supported by local guides throughout the trip, including museum experts, kayaking guides, and historical interpreters. This meant we were not simply seeing Switzerland. We were learning about it from people who knew the destination deeply.
An Effortless Way to Experience More
Our seven-night itinerary traveled from Zürich to Grindelwald, Zermatt and Lausanne, with additional stops and experiences along the way. It included trains, buses, boats and gondolas, plus several hotel changes.
Planning that journey independently would have required coordinating transportation schedules, moving luggage through train stations, arranging guides and activities, and constantly thinking about what came next.
With Adventures by Disney, we simply enjoyed the experience.
When we changed hotels, our luggage disappeared from our room and reappeared at the next destination. When a train delay affected our original route, our Adventure Guides adjusted the connections and told us where to go. When weather required a change to the schedule, they rearranged the activity.
Even our airport transfers were handled. We were met when we arrived at the Zürich airport, and Adventures by Disney arranged transportation to the Geneva airport at the end of our trip based on our individual travel plans.
That seamlessness is one of the greatest benefits of this style of travel. We covered a remarkable amount of Switzerland without feeling responsible for the complicated logistics that made it possible.
Experiences We Might Never Have Chosen Ourselves
One of the surprises of guided travel was how much I enjoyed experiences I probably would not have selected if I had built the itinerary on my own.
At the Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum, we explored historic homes and farm buildings that had been carefully relocated and reconstructed from different regions of Switzerland. We learned about traditional crafts and ways of life, then painted our own wooden Swiss cows.
Later that day, we kayaked across Lake Brienz, surrounded by mountains and incredibly vivid glacial water. It became one of my favorite experiences of the entire trip.
In Zermatt, we traveled by gondola to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, more than 12,000 feet above sea level, before stopping for lunch and hiking down through the mountains. In Gruyères, we enjoyed raclette at a mountainside restaurant and visited Maison Cailler for a chocolate-making class and an immersive look at the history of Swiss chocolate.
Near Lausanne, we cruised across Lake Geneva, visited a castle and explored the terraced vineyards of the Lavaux region. Our final evening included a private experience and farewell dinner at the Olympic Museum.
These were not simply stops on a sightseeing checklist. The itinerary created opportunities to participate, taste, learn and connect with each destination.
The Disney Touch, Without the Theme Parks
Disney’s presence was often subtle, but it was always there.
Our guides took photos throughout the trip, including candid moments and group pictures that we could download afterward. They remembered celebrations and looked for ways to make them feel special. We received collectible pins connected to our activities, and the guides added games, stories and small surprises throughout the week.
We were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, and that information had been noted on our reservation. From our room placement to a personal note at the farewell dinner, we could tell that care had been taken to recognize it.
The Disney touch was not about adding characters or creating something artificial. It was about storytelling, thoughtful details and helping guests feel cared for.
Group Travel That Became Part of the Experience
Neither my husband nor I had traveled as part of a guided group before, and I was curious about how that dynamic would feel.
Our trip was an Adult Exclusive departure with approximately 38 guests. Many had traveled with Adventures by Disney before, and some had completed an astonishing number of itineraries. One pair of couples had originally met on a previous adventure and now continued to travel together.
That loyalty told me something before our trip had even really begun.
Over the course of the week, we naturally got to know many of our fellow travelers. We talked on trains, laughed during activities, shared meals and ended more than one evening together at the hotel bar or on a terrace. A shared love of Disney gave people an immediate point of connection, even though the vacation itself was not centered on Disney.
It was still very much group travel, and travelers who strongly prefer to explore entirely on their own may not find it to be the right fit. However, the itinerary also included some personal time. We could wander through villages, enjoy a meal on our own, or occasionally opt out of an activity when we wanted a slower pace.
For us, the group became an unexpected and genuinely enjoyable part of the trip.
Was Adventures by Disney Worth It?
For us, yes.
It allowed us to experience more of Switzerland, and experience it more deeply, than we likely would have on our own. We did not have to choose between enjoying the scenery and figuring out the next train. We did not have to drag suitcases between destinations or research every activity. We could simply be present.
That may be the greatest luxury Adventures by Disney provides. It is not only access or convenience. It is the freedom to experience the vacation while someone else carefully holds all the pieces together.
I do not often finish a trip already imagining a return, but Switzerland made that easy. You could get lost in it, on purpose.
And after spending a week traveling with Adventures by Disney, I understand why so many of the guests we met return for another adventure year after year.
If you are curious whether an Adventures by Disney vacation would be right for your family, Be Our Guest Vacations can help you compare destinations, departure types and activity levels, then prepare you for the adventure from the moment you book until it is time to go.
Explore More Adventures by Disney Trips
Curious what this style of travel looks like somewhere else? Read about our agents’ experiences on a family adventure in Costa Rica and a Disneyland Resort and Southern California adventure.
You can also explore Adventures by Disney destinations or check current ABD special offers.