Arizona/Utah May 2016 Trip Report: Completed 5/26/17

Day 3 on this year's trip is a little different. After leaving Sedona we stopped at Bearizona. It was late morning and we did what was essentially a drive through safari on a bus without windows. We had Bearizona guides on board who pointed out the animals. There were a number of different areas but I think everyone liked the bears the most. After that we had lunch on site (another buffet with barbecued pulled pork and chicken and some salads) and then we had some time to look around an area with walking paths to see more animals.

We then made the same stop in Williams but didn't make the pizza/IMAX stop in Tusayan. The Grand Canyon reveal was the same but it was more complicated with 38 people. It was difficult to find space for all of us at the railing because there were so many other people around.

We stayed at the Thunderbird lodge which is right on the rim. The bedroom area was updated recently and was good sized. The bathroom was quite small. I had more need for heat than air conditioning and that worked fine. I was just as happy staying there as I would have been at the El Tovar since all my free time was spent outside as we were just steps from the rim. Our GC arrival dinner was just upstairs at the Thunderbird and it appears to have been in the same room as Chirples'. There was an outside patio from which to watch the sunset.
 
Our day was the same. I had an appetizer on the porch of the El Tovar Lounge for lunch because I just wanted something small since we'd been eating such big meals and had snacks on the bus. The porch is in the shade and has a view of the canyon.

He was previously a script writer in Los Angeles and had tired of the daily grind.

For Brady Bunch fans: I asked Andrew about the episodes that took place in the Grand Canyon. He said he'd watched them recently to see where they'd filmed. I already knew that the ghost town scenes were shot on a backlot in Hollywood. He thinks the mule ride was filmed on Bright Angel Trail and that they had to go down far enough to get to a place they could turn around. He thinks the camping scenes that were supposed to take place at the bottom of the canyon might have been filmed in LA near the Batcave (60's TV version of Batman).

Earlier in the day, Casey had taken an opportunity to make dinner reservations for the adults at El Tovar.

Casey and Doug were only able to get a few reservations for 4:30 (and possibly 9:00). At least one couple took one of the 4:30 reservations and enjoyed their experience. I and another couple had made reservations 30 days in advance. I would suggest doing that if you want to eat there because ABD can only get what's available when we arrive and there's not much. I enjoyed my dinner there and it was nice to have something other than a buffet.
 
Layers on top, jeans, shorts, a bathing suit, and clothing you don't mind getting dirty for day time activities. The only time I would have needed something dressier was if we had eaten at El Tovar, and I did wear that one outfit for our last evening.

I don't think you would have needed anything dressier for El Tovar. I saw people dressed in jeans and t-shirts. Plus, it's dark in the dining room.
 
We leave at the end of June. Our brochure says Bearizona Park for lunch after Mather Point instead of the IMAX? Has anyone heard anything about this wildlife park?

Everything I saw before I left, including the booklet we got with our (little) box, had this out of order. Bearizona is the first stop after Sedona, before Williams, and before Mather Point.
 


After riding around in the valley, we returned to Goulding's restaurant for lunch.

We had lunch out in the Valley, at the turnaround point. It was a structure with one open side and we had Navajo tacos that were made under the enclosure. I heard then that this was the first year they're doing that. I enjoyed it.
 
This may be dumb, but I'm wondering about the rafting portion of the trip. Would someone who doesn't know how to swim be comfortable with the rafting? What about someone who gets motion sick? I know there are different levels of rafting, but not sure what is offered...

Everyone has to wear life jackets (which are checked for fit before boarding the rafts) and I can say that they work. Our rafting guide said that the water was at such a level (not low or high) where one of the rapids (even though it's only class II-ish) would flip the boat over so they avoid it. We could have also avoided the rapid right before it. For a number of reasons we didn't hit the first rapid correctly and three of us ended up in the water. I'm a strong swimmer but it's not really swimming when the life jacket keeps you afloat. Doug was in our boat and pulled one person in and the (very small) raft guide took care of the rest of us. We spent the rest of the trip laughing about it. If you're concerned, tell your adventure guides and they'll make sure you're in a boat that will have a leisurely float down the river.
 
How many are in your travel party? It seems like singles and those who are couples get the river view (king beds) while families and groups who need more than one bed are on the corral side. I'm sure you could make the request if you only need a king-sized bed.

Almost everyone in my group (including me) got the corral side even though most were couples and me a single. I would have loved the river view but one morning I went outside to check the temperature and heard/saw a horse making its way across the creek up to the fence. I followed him along the fence for a while. He was eating grass but I suspect he was expecting an apple from me.
 


Thanks for the updates, @DollyM! Your feedback is greatly appreciated, especially since I am relying on my old memory.

We also ate at the Barking Frog. I liked the food; but you are right in that there were a lot of buffet meals. For someone like my husband who likes to eat, this was a good thing.

I was in a training class today so no time to gather my final thoughts. I will spend some time on it tomorrow. Being our first ABD and organized tour, I don't have any comparisons to make.
 
Thanks for this trip report, Chirpie! After years of following this board, your TR finally got me to pull the trigger -- we are on the May 30, 2017 adventure. Can't wait!
 
There were differences on Day 6 as well. After our trip to Arches NP (where only 7 of us hiked up to Delicate Arch along with the guides) we had about 2 hours in Moab for lunch on our own and shopping. There was no jet boat ride or dinosaur park. Dinner that night was paid for by ABD but not a group dinner. The night we arrived we were told to make reservations since the restaurant can be crowded.
 
One was a tour on an ATV, and the other was horseback riding. I've done the latter, and it didn't really appeal to me. My husband hadn't ever been, but he wasn't interested either. The ATV ride did get our interest so we put our names down for single rider vehicles. The mother-daughter duo also signed up; they chose a double-seated vehicle. The family decided on horseback riding. The grandparents hung out at the pool.

We had the option of horseback rides both on the evening of day 6 and on the morning of day 7. A number of people did the evening horseback ride and the morning ATV ride. I skipped the horseback ride because I wanted to relax by the pool. For the ATV ride we weren't given the option of the single rider vehicle. Fortunately there were other adventurers who just wanted to be passengers and I got to drive the whole time.

Since this was junior adventure time and Casey was whisking away the triplets, ABD provided the adults with a wine and cheese tasting. I'm not much of a drinker, but this was lovely. The 8 of us all sat together and chatted, an opportunity that didn't really present itself prior to this moment.

We didn't have a wine and cheese tasting but we also didn't have junior adventurers. A lot of people made it over to the winery for wine tastings on their own.
 
Thanks! I noticed that the 2018 itinerary has changed. Instead of the 3 hour-Monument Valley stop-3 hour-Moab day, they are now spending a night in Monument Valley. However, this means they are sacrificing one night in Moab. I mentioned this to my husband, and we both agreed that we would have loved an overnight in Monument Valley without giving up the third night at the Red Cliffs Lodge.

I was surprised about the change for 2018. I had already done two 2-night stays before the adventure started and was looking forward to having two nights in a row where I didn't have to pack. I also didn't mind the long drive because it was broken into two parts and there were fun and games on the bus. Plus, the scenery was interesting to an easterner like myself.
 
Dolly thank you for your reviews and advice. I am happy they didn't change this years trip to add another hotel. While I think I would love a night at Monument valley I am looking forward to 3 solid nights at Moab. Unless they extend it to 8 nights then I prefer to leave it as is.
 
Thanks for this trip report, Chirpie! After years of following this board, your TR finally got me to pull the trigger -- we are on the May 30, 2017 adventure. Can't wait!

I'm guessing you mean 2018, but I'm so glad that you booked this trip!
 
ABD AZ/UT 2016 Final Thoughts


As you can see from @DollyM’s comments, some things in the itinerary have changed between 2016 and 2017. I tried to touch on all of the “bigger” things during the trip because we were on this adventure exactly one year ago. Life kind of creeps back into your daily thoughts.


The Good

Our Team

Casey and Courtney--Casey has so much enthusiasm and has such a big heart, but she’s no pushover. We admire her strength and her giving nature. I adore her love of life. Courtney has a really sarcastic sense of humor, and she always made us feel safe getting us from one location to the next.

Lodging

Red Cliffs Lodge was by far our favorite location. The Enchantment Resort had that overall spa feel, and the geography was amazing, but there was something about Red Cliffs that took our breath away. The Maswik Lodge at the Grand Canyon was fine for our basic needs. No complaints regarding any of them.

Food

Nothing fancy but we are not “fancy” people, meaning we like good food but do not label ourselves that trendy term “foodies”. There was enough to satisfy us, and the on-your-own meals were no issue; and I think that has to do with the more remote location vs. being in a city with lots of options.

Itinerary

Perfect. Unless we planned a hike further into the Grand Canyon, our time there was enough to meet our goal. Starting at a relaxing place like the Enchantment Resort and then building up to the more robust activities provided a nice flow.

Weather

Hey, Mother Nature calls all of the shots here so what one group experienced during their adventure might not necessarily be the same for the group going the same time the following year. Our weather was pretty much perfect. I think we only had a tiny bit of rain after we were done with our Grand Canyon hike.

Activities

I liked that they varied between locations and were optional for someone like my husband. Before making the commitment to this ABD, I went over @sayhello’s trip report with him and asked a lot of questions in this forum regarding heights. I’ve seen the guy have a full-blown panic attack in a caged Ferris wheel. It’s not pretty. He knew that the rafting ride was optional, but he was a trouper and pushed through it.

The Bad

It ended. We have the ABD bug.


All kidding aside, I knew that I was going to be writing about experiences that others did not have (Moab Giants, wine and cheese tasting) which is why I added my initial disclaimer. I’m not sure if we had these extras thrown in because we were a small group (wine and cheese) and because we had only a few kids (Moab Giants). I don’t know ABD’s thought process, but they were truly surprises for us. Accept the itinerary as stated; anything else is a bonus.
 
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This is a lot of wonderful information. Between Chirple's Trip Report and Dolly M's timely updates we have a good picture of what should/might be happening. Not sure I want to share everything with my family before we go. Just very excited about our upcoming trip. Thanks again to Chirple and Dolly M.
 
This is a lot of wonderful information. Between Chirple's Trip Report and Dolly M's timely updates we have a good picture of what should/might be happening. Not sure I want to share everything with my family before we go. Just very excited about our upcoming trip. Thanks again to Chirple and Dolly M.

I agree. I want to know but I don't want it to spoil the surprises either. LOL
 
You're welcome! It was my pleasure. If I get the opportunity to book another ABD, I will make an effort to maintain notes.
 
I'm guessing you mean 2018, but I'm so glad that you booked this trip!

You're right! We have a year to wait. Grand Canyon was always the trip that interested me most but I would have been distracted by Iceland -- except that we are DIYing it this summer.
 
Thanks for the updates, @DollyM! Your feedback is greatly appreciated, especially since I am relying on my old memory.

You're welcome! Your report made it a lot easier for me since I didn't have to start from scratch.

This is a lot of wonderful information. Between Chirple's Trip Report and Dolly M's timely updates we have a good picture of what should/might be happening. Not sure I want to share everything with my family before we go. Just very excited about our upcoming trip. Thanks again to Chirple and Dolly M.
Dolly thank you for your reviews and advice. I am happy they didn't change this years trip to add another hotel. While I think I would love a night at Monument valley I am looking forward to 3 solid nights at Moab. Unless they extend it to 8 nights then I prefer to leave it as is.

You're welcome! Enjoy your trips!
 

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