ABD Scotland, brings back memories!

[aggiedog]

Personally, I love Edinburgh. I've only ever been, twice, during the Fringe Festival though, so maybe that makes a difference, but I love the tall stone buildings, long narrow alleys, and the old town on the hill with the park all around. As a physician, I was also fascinated by Scotland's science contributions. I spent way more time that I even thought I would at the Surgeon's Museum in Edinburgh, and enjoyed all the plaques around St Andrew's describing which famous scientist lived where and what he discovered.

I agree Stirling Castle is amazing. First old castle I've seen reconstructed inside to really look like they did back in the day. Way different than just gray walls!

 

[sayhello]

Are these places we could easily visit on our own? Scotland looks beautiful but I honestly don't know much about it. (I usually research wherever we're going and even take language classes.) However a school trip for DD came up so we both signed up. It only goes to Edinburgh in Scotland so we'd either explore Scotland beforehand on our own or perhaps do the ABD first...

I agree that it would be great to see more of Scotland! It's a gorgeous country. I particularly love the Isle of Skye and the area of the Highlands leading there (like Eilean Donan castle!). I don't know if it matters to you, but remember that they drive on the left side of the road in Scotland just like the rest of the UK. That's a non-starter for me; I just don't want to have to deal with that along with driving in a foreign country. But there are some wonderful day tours you can sign up for that go out of Edinburgh. You could see Stirling Castle and other areas outside of Edinburgh.

Personally, Edinburgh is my favorite European city! It's beautiful, very walkable, has some amazing architecture and natural features to explore. It depends on where your tour will take you, but I would definitely consider a day or two to just wander the city!

Sayhello

 

[Scottishdisneyfan]

Driving in Scotland is fine, just get an automatic car and dont drift over onto the other lane. You’re not going to get traffic tickets or anything for a wee mistake and given you're driving in an English speaking country you’re fine.

 

[AquaDame]

Driving in Scotland is fine, just get an automatic car and dont drift over onto the other lane. You’re not going to get traffic tickets or anything for a wee mistake and given you're driving in an English speaking country you’re fine.

I think the fear is that weary with travel someone might forget to drive on the correct side of the road! When my husband and I drive on the left we remind the other person to keep to the correct side when making turns... just in case we go on autopilot.

 

[sayhello]

Driving in Scotland is fine, just get an automatic car and dont drift over onto the other lane. You’re not going to get traffic tickets or anything for a wee mistake and given you're driving in an English speaking country you’re fine.

Remembering how to make a right hand turn from the left lane, which way to look when you are turning or going through an intersection, which way to park, it's all a lot to remember when you're trying to figure out where you're going, or, as @AquaDame says, tired from a long travel day, etc. An automatic car is not going to help with all that (and I would HAVE to have an automatic car anyways, because I can't drive a manual transmission. Neither can a LOT of Americans!)

I'm sure it's easy for people who are used to it, but a lot of us have trouble just crossing the street safely in the UK!

Sayhello

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

Remembering how to make a right hand turn from the left lane, which way to look when you are turning or going through an intersection, which way to park, it's all a lot to remember when you're trying to figure out where you're going, or, as @AquaDame says, tired from a long travel day, etc. An automatic car is not going to help with all that (and I would HAVE to have an automatic car anyways, because I can't drive a manual transmission. Neither can a LOT of Americans!)

I'm sure it's easy for people who are used to it, but a lot of us have trouble just crossing the street safely in the UK!

Sayhello

Ha, same, I've never driven a manual. I didn't start driving at all until my mid-20s, partly because I lived in Boston and didn't need/couldn't afford a car, but mostly because driving has always scared me (like recurring nightmares every day for more than a decade). DH drives whenever we're in a country where they drive on the left (like NZ).

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

I agree that it would be great to see more of Scotland! It's a gorgeous country. I particularly love the Isle of Skye and the area of the Highlands leading there (like Eilean Donan castle!). I don't know if it matters to you, but remember that they drive on the left side of the road in Scotland just like the rest of the UK. That's a non-starter for me; I just don't want to have to deal with that along with driving in a foreign country. But there are some wonderful day tours you can sign up for that go out of Edinburgh. You could see Stirling Castle and other areas outside of Edinburgh.

Personally, Edinburgh is my favorite European city! It's beautiful, very walkable, has some amazing architecture and natural features to explore. It depends on where your tour will take you, but I would definitely consider a day or two to just wander the city!

Sayhello

I absolutely want to see more of Scotland! It's somewhere I've always wanted to go, I just didn't think it'd be within the next couple years. We're doing a different school trip (Switzerland & Italy), then the Egypt ABD, then Jordan next year; and in 2025 we're doing at least the Japan ABD and Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea, maybe also the China ABD (perhaps somewhere in SE Asia, and/or Paris/Disneyland Paris if we don't do the China ABD). So I was focused on research for those places when this Scotland & England trip came up.

I'm really not keen on driving myself, especially somewhere that drives on the left. We'd either pay for transfers or do the ABD.

 

[calypso726]

Definitely agree with the idea of exploring Scotland beyond Edinburgh, which is still my favorite city in the world. The original ABD itinerary was pretty amazing and we did it the inaugural year. That trip had me fall in love with Scotland and we’ve been back on our own several times since then. Each time, we explore an area that is new to us. Still have much more to visit and see down the line.

I’m also not a fan of driving on the opposite side of what I am used to and I can drive a stick shift just fine. We hire a private tour guide who is also a historian, a published author and have had amazing trips with him.

 

[pjacobi]

The ABD seems nice enough but some of the places they choose to visit leave me scratching my head its all a bit twee, ‘come make shortbread’ and plays to a false image of Scotland, i mean i dont even own a kilt, it kinda plays up the ‘outlander’ vibe but neglects that Scotland led the world in technology and science from creating phones, tvs, tyres, modern medicine, antibiotics and cloning animals. So i mean i get the romantic notions but its not ALL we are. (I mean its beautiful, its stunning, it is romantic, but its got a lot of substance too).

Absolutely agree! Scotland is beautiful as it is and does not need to be wrapped up in a Disney fairy tale.


-Paul

 

[sayhello]

Absolutely agree! Scotland is beautiful as it is and does not need to be wrapped up in a Disney fairy tale.


-Paul

Some of us would disagree with you! Of course it doesn't *need* it, but the Disney fairy tale (ie, the magic of the Adventures Guides) just enhances what is magical and amazing about Scotland!

Sayhello

 

[Scottishdisneyfan]

Definitely agree with the idea of exploring Scotland beyond Edinburgh, which is still my favorite city in the world. The original ABD itinerary was pretty amazing and we did it the inaugural year. That trip had me fall in love with Scotland and we’ve been back on our own several times since then. Each time, we explore an area that is new to us. Still have much more to visit and see down the line.

I’m also not a fan of driving on the opposite side of what I am used to and I can drive a stick shift just fine. We hire a private tour guide who is also a historian, a published author and have had amazing trips with him.

I studied American and Scottish history at uni, so if anyone wants to hire me for a tour ill do it!haha. No but in all seriousness, if any of you are ever visiting the west coast and schedules align im happy to do a wee tour for folks, i love talking about history and i know some decent distilleries!haha. If anyone is thinking about a first night type stay outside of Edinburgh, i’d recommend Gleneagles in Perthshire (about an hour from Edinburgh airport if youre flying in on the delta flight) or if you’re coming in from London/Glasgow then Cameron house near my birthtown of Balloch is superb (30 min from airport). Both have a kind of outdoor sports/activities, nice walks, good restaurants (gleneagles has a 2 michelin star restaurant) and golf and are near decent (but different distilleries).

 

[Scottishdisneyfan]

Absolutely agree! Scotland is beautiful as it is and does not need to be wrapped up in a Disney fairy tale.


-Paul

There are some brilliant stories that link into Disney stories, Dumbarton my home town has a big castle and legend has it Merlin the magician was a Breton (Dumbarton means fortress of the Britons) and lived in the castle, which is one of the most interesting castles in Scotland. The stories of the kelpies and nessie and banshees. The celts were amazing story tellers, plus i mean our national animal is a unicorn….

 

[sayhello]

There are some brilliant stories that link into Disney stories, Dumbarton my home town has a big castle and legend has it Merlin the magician was a Breton (Dumbarton means fortress of the Britons) and lived in the castle, which is one of the most interesting castles in Scotland. The stories of the kelpies and nessie and banshees. The celts were amazing story tellers, plus i mean our national animal is a unicorn….

The original itinerary for the Scotland ABD was tied into the sites that inspired the Disney movie "Brave", which gave a unique continuity and story to the trip. The Isle of Skye and the Quiraing; Dunnottar Castle; the Callanish Stones, the blackhouses and Dun Carloway Broch on the Isle of Lewis; places like that, that were not your typical tourist spots. It was a pretty unique itinerary, and it's a shame they got rid of it. I think the current itinerary is more "typical", but still a good one.

Sayhello

 

[AquaDame]

The original itinerary for the Scotland ABD was tied into the sites that inspired the Disney movie "Brave", which gave a unique continuity and story to the trip. The Isle of Skye and the Quiraing; Dunnottar Castle; the Callanish Stones, the blackhouses and Dun Carloway Broch on the Isle of Lewis; places like that, that were not your typical tourist spots. It was a pretty unique itinerary, and it's a shame they got rid of it. I think the current itinerary is more "typical", but still a good one.

Sayhello

After hearing everyone rave about the old trip it’s one I’d book immediately if it were ever rolled back to it!

 

[sayhello]

After hearing everyone rave about the old trip it’s one I’d book immediately if it were ever rolled back to it!

I think that was the trip that finally convinced many of us that it's better to do trips when they first come out rather than waiting until "they work the bugs out". Because that frequently ends up meaning cutting a bunch of cool stuff out because maybe the logistics are a bit hard or it requires a lot of bus time.

Sayhello

 

[TeeKo]

If anyone is thinking about a first night type stay outside of Edinburgh, i’d recommend Gleneagles in Perthshire (about an hour from Edinburgh airport)

Gleneagles is phenomenal. We preferred it over Waldorf, Ritz, etc
It was a great home base for day trips to historic fishing villages

 

[Scottishdisneyfan]

Gleneagles is phenomenal. We preferred it over Waldorf, Ritz, etc
It was a great home base for day trips to historic fishing villages

Im away up there for a golf club fitting on tuesday, but so many memories of days out and nice meals at Restaurant Fairlie. Fantastic hotel. Very close to two excellent distilleries too which both do great tours.

 

[tgeorge]

Hello friends

Question for those of you who have done this trip- given the current itinerary, would you consider it? I'm looking at possibly doing Scotland before we do Japan and I'm trying to decide if we should look at ABD, another tour group (Tauck is what I'm considering) or just do it on our own.

Japan we're definitely doing a tour group, but curious what your thoughts are on the current ABD. I know it isn't even close to what it was when a lot of you did it, but any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[sayhello]

Hello friends

Question for those of you who have done this trip- given the current itinerary, would you consider it? I'm looking at possibly doing Scotland before we do Japan and I'm trying to decide if we should look at ABD, another tour group (Tauck is what I'm considering) or just do it on our own.

Japan we're definitely doing a tour group, but curious what your thoughts are on the current ABD. I know it isn't even close to what it was when a lot of you did it, but any thoughts would be appreciated.

OK, so first, Scotland. I just took a look at the current Scotland trip. For the most part, it bears VERY little resemblance to the original Scotland trip, and hasn't for a while. There are a few elements in Edinburgh that are the same (tour of the castle, HolyroodHouse) but it's missing the storytelling activity, and the weaving lesson. But still a good day in Edinburgh. I *do* like that they added in the Royal Yacht Brittania.

The trip to Eilean Donan Castle and the hike of the Quirang on the Isle of Skye are missing, which were definite highlights to me. This trip for the most part sticks to the center of Scotland, whereas the original took in areas of the Highlands in Western Scotland, and eventually made it's way to the East Coast of Scotland. I like that it includes the Culloden Battlefield. I and a few others added that on during our OYO time in Inverness, and enjoyed it.

It still has the day at Loch Ness, including the Loch Ness Center, the boat ride on Loch Ness AND the canoeing on Loch Ness. So that day seems like a good one.

The day a Rothiemurchus looks pretty much the same except it adds in a hike, which I think is good, because this trip so far didn't seem to include as much hiking. The horseback riding is gone, but that's not a surprise, as it was for Junior Adventurers only due to the size of the estate's ponies.

The Waldorf Astoria looks very nice (we stayed at the Balmoral) and the Kingsmill *is* a nice hotel. It *is* nice that you only change hotels once.

All-in-all, it looks like a good, fairly typical Scotland tour, with a few extra ABD bits like canoeing on Loch Ness. But it used to be a fantastically unique Scotland tour, with the itinerary based on places that inspired the movie "Brave". It visited a lot of off-the-beaten-path places that most tours don't go to.

I looked at Tauck's "equivalent" 8-day "A Week In... Scotland" trip, and while they both look pretty good, I honestly like ABD's itinerary better. But that's just me.

HOWEVER, if you have more time, Tauck's 11-day "Legendary Scottish Isles, Edinburgh & Glasgow" Scotland small ship cruise looks really cool. I need to look at it in more detail, but it looks to visit more of the outlying areas such as the Shetland Islands, Orkney, and the Isles of Lewis and of Skye which both were on the original ABD itinerary. It also offers multiple really nice days in Edinburgh, plus Glasgow. I'm actually going to be giving this trip a serious look-see.

As for the ABD Japan trip, although some of the elements of the original itinerary are gone, I think the itinerary is still wonderful. Most of the days up through the time in Takayama are pretty similar to what they were originally (although you do miss out on visiting the Big Buddha in Nara). Also the boat ride is gone, but they were closed most of this summer after they had a tragic accident on one of the boats a year and a half ago. They've since re-opened, but ABD may have just decided not to add it back in.

The start of the ABD with the rickshaw tour through the Bamboo Forest is one of the best first days of an ABD ever! Totally enchanting, and a lot of the people around us looked at us quite jealously!

The whole day to Hiroshima & Miyajima Island is wonderful, as is the Shinkansen train and the Okonomiyaki dinner.

The visit to the Sumo Experience is very unique and very fun!

The days in Takayama are pretty much the same. I thought the trip to Shirakawa-go, which I'd never heard of, and the bike ride were both stellar activities.

The travel days from Takayama to Tokyo are different now, which cuts out the very fun CupNoodles museum and the amazing Hakone Open-Air Museum. I do think the loss of those two activities is too bad. You also miss the drive along the coast and the visit to the Great Buddha of Kamakura, which were nice but not highlights. But the travel time there was shortened by a day, because the drive from Takayama to Tokyo took a day and a half with the stops, and the Shinkansen train now takes an afternoon.

The time in Tokyo is different, but ABD has struggled with the Tokyo days since the trip started. It was a lot of shrines, and a river cruise that most people did not seem to care for. The current itinerary looks good to me, and I like the addition of the Tokyo Sky Tree and the Kintsugi Experience. Both sound amazing.

So, all-in-all, though parts of the trip have changed, I still think it is VERY worth doing! Still a magnificent trip.

Sayhello

 

[tgeorge]

OK, so first, Scotland. I just took a look at the current Scotland trip. For the most part, it bears VERY little resemblance to the original Scotland trip, and hasn't for a while. There are a few elements in Edinburgh that are the same (tour of the castle, HolyroodHouse) but it's missing the storytelling activity, and the weaving lesson. But still a good day in Edinburgh. I *do* like that they added in the Royal Yacht Brittania.

The trip to Eilean Donan Castle and the hike of the Quirang on the Isle of Skye are missing, which were definite highlights to me. This trip for the most part sticks to the center of Scotland, whereas the original took in areas of the Highlands in Western Scotland, and eventually made it's way to the East Coast of Scotland. I like that it includes the Culloden Battlefield. I and a few others added that on during our OYO time in Inverness, and enjoyed it.

It still has the day at Loch Ness, including the Loch Ness Center, the boat ride on Loch Ness AND the canoeing on Loch Ness. So that day seems like a good one.

The day a Rothiemurchus looks pretty much the same except it adds in a hike, which I think is good, because this trip so far didn't seem to include as much hiking. The horseback riding is gone, but that's not a surprise, as it was for Junior Adventurers only due to the size of the estate's ponies.

The Waldorf Astoria looks very nice (we stayed at the Balmoral) and the Kingsmill *is* a nice hotel. It *is* nice that you only change hotels once.

All-in-all, it looks like a good, fairly typical Scotland tour, with a few extra ABD bits like canoeing on Loch Ness. But it used to be a fantastically unique Scotland tour, with the itinerary based on places that inspired the movie "Brave". It visited a lot of off-the-beaten-path places that most tours don't go to.

I looked at Tauck's "equivalent" 8-day "A Week In... Scotland" trip, and while they both look pretty good, I honestly like ABD's itinerary better. But that's just me.

HOWEVER, if you have more time, Tauck's 11-day "Legendary Scottish Isles, Edinburgh & Glasgow" Scotland small ship cruise looks really cool. I need to look at it in more detail, but it looks to visit more of the outlying areas such as the Shetland Islands, Orkney, and the Isles of Lewis and of Skye which both were on the original ABD itinerary. It also offers multiple really nice days in Edinburgh, plus Glasgow. I'm actually going to be giving this trip a serious look-see.

As for the ABD Japan trip, although some of the elements of the original itinerary are gone, I think the itinerary is still wonderful. Most of the days up through the time in Takayama are pretty similar to what they were originally (although you do miss out on visiting the Big Buddha in Nara). Also the boat ride is gone, but they were closed most of this summer after they had a tragic accident on one of the boats a year and a half ago. They've since re-opened, but ABD may have just decided not to add it back in.

The start of the ABD with the rickshaw tour through the Bamboo Forest is one of the best first days of an ABD ever! Totally enchanting, and a lot of the people around us looked at us quite jealously!

The whole day to Hiroshima & Miyajima Island is wonderful, as is the Shinkansen train and the Okonomiyaki dinner.

The visit to the Sumo Experience is very unique and very fun!

The days in Takayama are pretty much the same. I thought the trip to Shirakawa-go, which I'd never heard of, and the bike ride were both stellar activities.

The travel days from Takayama to Tokyo are different now, which cuts out the very fun CupNoodles museum and the amazing Hakone Open-Air Museum. I do think the loss of those two activities is too bad. You also miss the drive along the coast and the visit to the Great Buddha of Kamakura, which were nice but not highlights. But the travel time there was shortened by a day, because the drive from Takayama to Tokyo took a day and a half with the stops, and the Shinkansen train now takes an afternoon.

The time in Tokyo is different, but ABD has struggled with the Tokyo days since the trip started. It was a lot of shrines, and a river cruise that most people did not seem to care for. The current itinerary looks good to me, and I like the addition of the Tokyo Sky Tree and the Kintsugi Experience. Both sound amazing.

So, all-in-all, though parts of the trip have changed, I still think it is VERY worth doing! Still a magnificent trip.

Sayhello

Sayhello

THANK YOU so much for the detailed info! It's funny you mention the Tauck cruise because I was looking at it last night and thought 'hmmm....this may be the way to go'. So, I'm actually really glad you pointed that out in particular because I was very intrigued by it and your insight definitely makes me feel like this is the way we should go.


I also very much appreciate the info on Japan. This one is a little more complicated for me as I'm looking at ABD, Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent. My husband thinks we should do a cruise (Celebrity or Regent), but I'm not really sold on a cruise to Japan. He really doesn't want to change hotels multiple times, so we'll see. All I know for sure if I'll definitely be going to Tokyo Disney and Disney Sea at the end of our trip

I have a little bit to decide, but I'm very much looking forward to this trip. I've wanted to go to Japan for as long as I can remember so we'll be doing it for an upcoming big birthday .