Southwest Splendors July 5-July 12 Real Time Trip Report

[cindy18]

So we survived the 6 hour coach ride up to Moab. The big thing to report is that it's really fine. The ride is in 3 hour chunks, and the time passed by much more quickly than I had expected. Most of the kids sat together in the back, with the grown-ups taking up the middle and front, so that was pretty nice too.

But to backtrack: we were all up early this morning and on the coach on time at 7:30. The first half of our ride took us past the Grand Canyon again and then onto the Navajo Reservation. It was sad to take last looks at the canyon, but then the landscape changed pretty dramatically on the reservation, so that was very interesting to look at. We watched a movie (a Disney movie, of course), and right around the time the movie ended, we were arriving at Monument Valley and Gouldings Lodge. We had lunch at the Lodge and then set out in two....well, I'm not sure what to call them. Not jeeps, not vans. Sort of pickup trucks with seats in the back. Anyway, we rode out to Monument Valley in the trucks and had a 90 minute tour of the rock formations. We got out a few times to take pictures (at one place there was a particular photo op where we could get on a horse with amazing views in the background) and just took it all in. We were all covered in red dust when the tour was over (this REALLY felt like the desert) but the sights were amazing.

We washed up a bit and got back on the coach for the second 3 hour ride. We watched another movie and played a couple of fun games, and before we knew it, we were in Moab. Again, the scenery changes on the ride were really interesting. In case you guys didn't know this, there are serious mountains in Utah! We arrived at Red Cliffs Lodge at about5:45 (we went forward an hour when we crossed over into Utah from Arizona) and were welcomed to the lodge with water, lemonade and cookies and a brief orientation. The rooms here are terrific: very large and very comfortable, and the views are spectacular. The kids are in heaven because the lodge is a working ranch and there is a beautiful pool plus other neat stuff. Dinner tonight was in a private room, and everyone seems to be in a great mood.

The weather has gotten hot again. I think the Grand Canyon was the coolest it's going to be. The high today in Moab was 101, and the forecast high for tomorrrow is the upper 90s. Again, it's not humid at all, and it cools off a lot at night. As always, we all know to drink lots of water, wear a hat and keep up with the sunscreen.

Some more about the lodge: there's a winery here, and there are wine tastings every afternoon. A bunch of the adults had wine with dinner, and it was pretty good.

Finally, in case I haven't been saying this enough, Tiffany and Geraldine are just terrific. They are always laughing and making us laugh (at 7:40 this morning, as the bus pulled out, they had Rhinestone Cowboy blaring on the coach's speakers and they were dancing up and down the aisles and singing at the top of their lungs), and they are always happy and helpful and determined to make whatever we want happen. I think everyone on this tour has complete confidence in them and is so happy we have them as guides. I know I feel that way, as does the rest of my family. I think one or the other of them will be on most of the tours for the rest of the summer, so those of you who have tours coming up are in for a treat.

Tomorrow is the big hike to Delicate Arch. Once I catch my breath from that one, I'll report in.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks so much for posting your reports, cindy18! It's fun re-running the trip with you as you go. I'm trying to refrain from all the "Just wait until!"'s... I'm so glad you're having such a great time! The Grand Canyon is spectacular, and sharing it with everyone makes it even better.

I realized that I was more relaxed than I had been in months and was having simply a wonderful time.

Isn't that an amazing feeling? That's when you know you're on a great vacation!

Looking forward to more of your report! Remember, it's really only a 3 hour drive, then another 3 hour drive! Not just 6 hours...

sayhello

EDIT: Oh, I posted just as you posted, cindy18! Glad you survived the 6-hour drive. Isn't Monument Valley something else?

Be VERY sure to carry at least a couple of bottles of water each for the hike to Delicate Arch! It's *very* exposed, no cover or shade at all. But it is a spectacular hike, and *SO* worth it when you see what's at the end! Delicate Arch was the highlight of the trip for me.

ENJOY! Although you hardly seem to need my encouragement to do that!

 

[3happydancers]

Hi 3happydancers,

Anyone can book an Adventure by Disney trip. Ownership in DVC is not a requirement. The trips and schedules for 2009 should be available on the website sometime next month.

Thanks a bunch for the info! I'll look out for the upcoming info.

 

[erin1998]

Hi Cindy18....
I am really enjoying your trip report! This is something that I am seriously considering doing. I know my son would love it, he has always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon. Just a quick question though....I am a single mom so it would just be myself and my son (10 years old), would we feel comfortable/safe on this tour?
I am glad you are enjoying yourself....I am enjoying reading about your trip!
Thank you
Erin

 

[sayhello]

Just a quick question though....I am a single mom so it would just be myself and my son (10 years old), would we feel comfortable/safe on this tour?

Absolutely! The only questionable piece might be the Amara Resort, where some of the rooms were pretty far away & rather isolated because of how the building was set up (you had to go in & out of the building and along a couple of long corridors to get to the rooms). I think if you make it clear to ABD you want to be in a central location, near the others, you'll do just great.

It's a *fabulous* trip!

sayhello

 

[cindy18]

Erin 1998, I agree with Say Hello. You and your son would have a blast on this trip, and you would be very much a part of the group. Our rooms at the Amara were just past the pool, and we felt very safe and comfortable there. We weren't out and about late (Sedona closes down kind of early). At the Grand Canyon, we were all pretty much together in the evenings, even the evening that was "on our own", and here in Moab, the nights are all at the Lodge. It feels very, very safe and comfortable. I think you guys would really enjoy yourselves.

And thanks for all the comments Say Hello. Reading your trip report shortly before we left helped us understand better what was to come, and I know we are experiencing many of the same things you did on that trip (apart from the snow...).

 

[cindy18]

OK, here's the report on the hike to Delicate Arch:

First, a bit of background. I am a city girl, and I don't hike. I do workout twice a week and do yoga once a week, but I mostly do weights, and I hate cardiovascular stuff. The weather was well into the 80s by the time we set out this morning, after a very good breakfast with very amazing views, and after picking up our park guide Preston right before we arrived at Arches National Park. Everyone had backpacks to carry water bottles, everyone was wearing a hat and loose clothing, everyone was wearing shoes with good tread (no flip flips, and generally no sneakers without tread) and everyone had on lots of sunscreen.

You drive through the park for awhile before you get to the start of the hike. Everyone had the option either to do the hike (3 miles round-trip, with some real elevation) or stay on the coach and take a tour of the park with Preston, stopping for some easy hiking and views of some arches. After some back and forth, absolutely everyone in our group opted to do the hike. Tiffany said that in all her Southwest Splendor tours, she thinks she could count on one hand the numnber of times that's happened. So we were psyched. Tiffany took the front and Geraldine and Preston (who came along because there was no one to show the rest of the park to and who, for the record, was wearing jeans and cowboy boots) took the rear, and everyone went at his or her own pace. There is almost no shade on this hike, but we found what shade there was, and we stopped I think 4 times on our way to Delicate Arch. The stops were well-timed, because at all but the first one, I was really breathing very hard, and I sat down and took several minutes to catch my breath completely. In other words, the stops helped a lot. The early part of the hike is not too bad, and then it starts to get a little steep. For me, the hardest part was the slick face rock portion, which was pretty much all up. The good news is that the rock isn't slippery at all. My Merrills gripped it well. But it was pretty hard on the legs and also on my lungs. One of the rest stops was towards the top of the slick rock, and that was a very big one for me. For other people, the hardest part was right before you get to the arch itself. You need to go pretty much single file around a bend with a fairly steep drop off, and a few people got pretty tense about that. For me that wasn't too hard, I think because it wasn't uphill!

But all of it was so completely worth it when we came around that last bend and saw Delicate Arch. It really is spectacular. We all stood there for awhile and savored the fruit of our labors, as it were, and then we did family photo shots with the arch in the background. We were given some free time after that, and pretty much everyone decided to make there way around so that they could actually stand under the arch. This looked a lot easier than it was, as the rock sloped off more steeply than it first appeared, and there was quite a drop. Also, standing in the middle of the arch is a bit overwhelming, because there is a major drop on either side. But again, it was all well worth it to see this amazing arch up close and personal.

We did several group shots with the arch in the background before it was time to start heading down. On the way back to the coach, we did not stop at all, and people were much more spread out than on the way up. The general rule of thumb was to drink a bottle of water on the way up and a bottle of water on the way back. I think most people stuck to that, and a lot of people were also pouring water on their heads to cool off. I did that a few times and it helped a lot. We got Adventures by Disney "cooldanas", which are bandanas that can be put on ice and then wrapped around your neck or forehead. A lot of people (including me) were wearing those too. The walk back was much easier than the walk up, but because we didn't stop, because it was the second half of a three mile hike and because the temperature was probably approaching the upper 90s, we were all completely exhausted by the time we got back to the coach. Freddy had the air-conditioning blasting, and one by one we staggered in, sat down and looked at each other's red faces. We were sweaty, smelly and exhausted, but every single person in our group felt a real sense of accomplishment. Also, everyone was pretty into the arch.

We drove back to Moab, said thanks and goodbye to Preston and then explored the town for a few hours, picking among several restaurants for lunch. Our family went to the Moab Diner, which is as basic and old-fashioned as it sounds, with excellent ice cream, and then we checked out some of the shops.

The hike itself took, I think about 2 hours and 15 minutes. We got back to the lodge at 3. We have the afternoon free, but lots of people signed up for activities (horseback riding, ATVs and hummer rides, for example). Our family is grateful to be doing none of those things and instead is resting. I sense a dip in the pool later on, but for now we're just drinking more water and relaxing.

Everyone who is taking this tour, do the hike. My kids really don't hike at all, and neither one of them had any trouble. They both were hot and tired at the end, but neither of them complained, and DD 12 said it was not as hard as she had thought it would be. Everyone encouraged each other and cheered each other on. When one person thought my face looked too red, he just took my hat off and poured some of his own water on my head. Everyone shared small fans (which we also got, along with the cooldanas, at the start of the tour) and water spritzing bottles, and everyone looked after everyone else's kids. What you see when you get there is so spectacular and sort of incredible, and it's really worth it. Promise.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Great report. I love that you are doing it in real time.
Sounds AMAZING.
Will you be posting some pictures when you get back?

 

[sayhello]

Oh, cindy18, I am *SO* glad you did the hike, survived it, and enjoyed it! The Arch is just so unlike anything else I've ever seen, and, as you said, completing the hike gives you such a sense of accomplishment! I'm amazed that your *entire* tour did the hike! That's fabulous. We had 14 people, and 4 of them didn't do the hike...

I am so enjoying your report! I'll be gone for the weekend, so I guess I'll be reading the rest after you get home! Enjoy the river rafting!

Sayhello

 

[cindy18]

Thanks Disneygrl 36, glad you're enjoying it. It's actually fun to post in real time because it's like reliving the events of the day and almost like trying to make sense of them. Some of the sights are so awe inspiring that it's almost too much to take in, and only when you reflect on them afterwards do you appreciate their full majesty and the extraordinary geological history of the places we've been (and where we are right now).

I think we'll put up some pictures, if someone teaches me how to do it. Between DH and me, I think we're going to wind up with something like 1300 pictures, so it may take awhile to sort through them. Tiffany and Geraldine have been taking tons of pictures too, and if I understand correctly, those pictures will also be available for us to view online (and purchase).

Thanks for the support, Say Hello! The guides were also really surprised that every single person on our tour (that's 29) did the hike. The tour has gelled so well that maybe it's not so surprising. The kids all hang out together regularly now, notwithstanding the differences in ages. And the grown-ups do the same. After dinner last night, all the kids were in the pool until 10 while the grown-ups just hung out talking and laughing. And it's the same way on the coach too. It's great.

DD 10 said to me today, as we were in the middle of the hike, no less, that she wanted to take a different tour with this exact group every week. When I asked her how come, she said that she really liked everyone in our group and LOVED our guides. You can't really ask for more than that.

 

[sayhello]

I think we'll put up some pictures, if someone teaches me how to do it. Between DH and me, I think we're going to wind up with something like 1300 pictures, so it may take awhile to sort through them. Tiffany and Geraldine have been taking tons of pictures too, and if I understand correctly, those pictures will also be available for us to view online (and purchase).

1300 pics! You definitely beat my 850! I can help walk you through how to post pics... there are a few options. Let me know when you're ready. The guide's pics will be available on PhotoPass. You'll get a letter with the details on how to access them. They're available online for 30 days after you first access them. Unfortunately, they are VERY expensive if you want the digital pics ($125 for the CD) and individual prints aren't cheap either... Although apparently there are ways to get around it, like having everyone on the trip put all their pics on one account, have one person order the CD (you get all the pics on the account no matter how many there are, apparently), and then split the cost and reproduce (you get the rights to the pictures when you order the CD). I haven't tried this, but since you all get on so well, it might work for you...

Thanks for the support, Say Hello! The guides were also really surprised that every single person on our tour (that's 29) did the hike. The tour has gelled so well that maybe it's not so surprising. The kids all hang out together regularly now, notwithstanding the differences in ages. And the grown-ups do the same. After dinner last night, all the kids were in the pool until 10 while the grown-ups just hung out talking and laughing. And it's the same way on the coach too. It's great.

DD 10 said to me today, as we were in the middle of the hike, no less, that she wanted to take a different tour with this exact group every week. When I asked her how come, she said that she really liked everyone in our group and LOVED our guides. You can't really ask for more than that.

That's really very cool. We all got on well on our tour, but there wasn't nearly the level of camaraderie that you describe. That's really, really wonderful. Congrats!

Sayhello

 

[cindy18]

Let me pick up where I left off, resting yesterday afternoon, after the hike to Delicate Arch. A lot of people signed up for horseback rides, hummer rides or ATVs, and they came back with great reports from those activities. The ATVs in particular were a huge hit. Last night was junior adventurer night, which means that Tiffany and Geraldine took all the kids for dinner and a Disney movie, and the grown-ups were able to eat by themselves. This was really nice. The kids had pizza and ice cream, played some games and watched the movie (with popcorn of course), while the grown-ups enjoyed a fairly romantic dinner at Red Cliffs Lodge, looking out over spectacular views as the sun went down. The kids were done at about 10:15. What struck me was how well they all played together. The age range, as I think I've said before, is something like 7-15. There are more boys than girls, but not by much. And they all hang out together. It's great!

A lot of people hung out talking last night. There is already much discussion about doing another Adventure by Disney tour, perhaps as a group. The current tour under discussion is Quest for the West, which seems like a good follow-up to this tour. We've also agreed to keep in touch. My kids were already getting very sad when they thought about today being our last day. DH and I are too.

This morning was very unusual on the tour, in that there were no scheduled activities. People who wanted to do horseback riding or ATVs, etc., who didn't get a chance to on Thursday had another opportunity this morning. So I was up and at breakfast in time for my 8:30 horseback ride. DH kept me company at breakfast, but both DDs slept in, and I think a lot of other kids and grown-ups on the tour did the same thing. The horseback ride was very nice. It was all walking, up and down and around a fairly narrow, somewhat complicated trail. Beautiful scenery. The horses were very good and very cooperative, and the guides were a lot of fun, knew a lot about the area and had great senses of humor. We had to wear long pants, so by the time it was over at 11:30, we were all pretty hot, but I was really glad I did it.

Lunch this afternoon was at a pavillion at the lodge overlooking the Colorado River. Hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, that kind of thing. Afterwards, we put bathing suits on under shorts and t-shirts and took a short coach ride to the Colorado River for our long-awaited white water rafting trip. What fun!!! We were in 4 different boat, and our boat had Tiffany in it too. Each boat got a guide. We all wore life jackets, and the guides gave us some straightforward but comprehensive instructions and safety tips. All in, we went 7 miles down river, looking for the other boats so we could have some pretty major water fights and otherwise hoping for rapids. Most of the rapids were pretty gentle, but we had one set of rapids just past the lodge that were borderline Class 3, and they were amazing. We got really wet going through them and hung on for dear life while always rowing forward. Our guide said after we got through them that that was one of the best rides through those rapids she had ever had, and Tiffany said the same thing, so we were all really proud of ourselves. The ride ended much too soon, and after the kids played around a bit in the river, it was back on the bus for the ride back to the lodge.

We got back to the lodge at around 4 and pretty much every kid ran for the pool. Almost all the grown-ups hung out there too, talking and exchanging address and email information and trying not to think too hard about the fact that the next day we'd be going our separate ways and saying goodbye to this magical week. Tonight is our last dinner and a campfire. I think people are actually so sorry the tour is ending that they are almost not looking forward to it.

 

[tammydel]

I got up thinking - did she post? did she post? Yes! She posted! Again thanks so much for doing this. We are about month away and your live day by day has helped us get little "feel" for our week to come.

Question: I see that one afternoon and then the next AM you had oppertunities for horsebackriding/ATV/hummer tour. There will be some difference of opinion in my family which to do. Did anyone do 2 of these, one each day? Do you think it would be too exhusting? Do you happen to know the $$$?

Silly Question: Does breakfast ever include ham? My son is not bacon or sausage guy. For that matter he is not an eggs, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, etc... kind of guy. Bottom line is brekfast is always a hard meal for him to eat out. The best we usually do is ham, toast and some fruit. Is there ever anywhere we could purchase a little something for him if breakfast doesn't work out for him?

Have a magical last morning!
Tammy

 

[cindy18]

Tammy: First, there were people who did more than one activity. Several people did the ATV on Thursday afternoon and the horseback riding on Friday morning, or visa-versa. I don't think it's too tiring, although we were sufficiently wiped from the hike that it would have been hard for us to get back to the lodge Thursday afternoon and start another activity right away, although many people did and were very happy to do so. So yes, you can definitely do more than one.

On breakfast, I do not remember ham at all in the mornings. For what it's worth, I don't do big breakfasts and never ate eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes or any of that stuff. There was always fruit, there were always muffins and most places there was also toast and bagels. There were cereal options, and at the Grand and Red Cliffs, also hot cereal options. At Red Cliffs there was yogurt too. So hopefully your son will find enough. In terms of alternatives, certainly at the Grand you could leave the hotel and walk to a fast-food type place (or a diner) to try to find breakfast for him. That may be an option at the Amara too. I don't know when the cafes and restaurants near the hotel opened or if they served breakfast. That won't be an option at Red Cliffs. Also, most mornings, departures are kind of early, so I'm not sure how much time you'd comfortable have. At least at the Grand and Red Cliffs, we ate the same breakfast that was offered to all guests. It may be that the Amara has more breakfast options then what they put out for us.

Hope that helps! I'll post about last night and this morning later today.

 

[tammydel]

Thanks Cindy. From what you've listed he'll manage. I tell him all the time he has to find a "regular" breakfast food he likes.

Can't wait to hear about your last night.

Safe trip home.

Tammy

 

[cindy18]

Hello from Denver, where we are spending the night before flying home. The tour is over, and there is real sadness all around about that.

But first, back to last night. We had dinner as a group outside on the patio of the lodge, with the spectacular red cliffs and the Colorado River in the background. A 16-year old named Devon, who has a great voice and his own CD out, sang songs for us while we ate. It was a great dinner, freshly grilled steak and chicken and all the appropriate side dishes. And for once, the wine was on Disney instead of on us, and that was pretty nice too! As has become the custom, the kids sat together at two tables and the grown-ups sat together at two tables, and there was lots of picture taking and laughing. We passed around a sheet of paper and exchanged addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Geraldine made a terrific toast, and we were all toasting each other at all the tables.

When we were done, we went into another room for some reminiscences. On the first night, we had to introduce ourselves and say what we were most looking forward to. On our last night, we went around talking about what had turned out to be the best thing for each of us about the trip. There were some very neat answers from both the kids and the grown-ups. It was hard for me to come up with something, because pretty much everything was so great. Someone said that each day seemed better than the day before, and in some fundamental way that was true. It wasn't because the activities or the sights got better, they just got different. It was because we were having more fun doing things together. So when it was my turn I said that my favorite thing was the dinner at We Cook Pizza and Pasta, after sunset at the Grand Canyon, because to me it was the night when we started being friends instead of friendly acquaintances.

There were some other neat things that happened in that room, but I won't tell because it's worth waiting for the surprise.

Afterwards, we went down by the river and had a cookout with smores and singing. For once, we had a surprise for Tiffany, Geraldine and Freddy. While we were sitting around at the pool before dinner, we realized that we wanted to find some way to show our gratitude to them for everything they did to make the week so special. It would have been logistically impossible to buy them presents, and anyway we never would have agreed on what to get them. So we wrote a song to the tune of Rhinestone Cowboy that mentioned some of the highlights of the week. And with the help of Devon, who had come down from dinner to the campfire, the grown-ups all stood there singing to Tiffany, Geraldine and Freddy. We were totally off tune and only barely in time with the music, but I think they really liked it, and I even think the kids got a kick out of it. After that, we just took a ton of pictures and hung out talking until pretty late while the kids ran around the lodge playing games and laughing. It was a great night.

But ultimately we realized that we all had to pack and get to bed, so we left the campfire. Bag pick-up was at 7:30 this morning, and the coach departure was at 8:30. Everyone was taking the coach to Grand Junction except for one family who had a late afternoon flight and had arranged to stay at the lodge and get a cab to take them to the airport. The coach ride was pretty sad. Tiffany told us some funny stories and we watched a cute Pixar short film, but people were pretty quiet. When we got to the airport, they put Rhinestone Cowboy on one last time, and everyone sang. Then we got out and stood around, taking final pictures and hugging. There were lots of tears.

And that was that. Our family walked over to the Hertz counter, picked up our rental car and drove to Denver. We were the only ones who did that. Most people flew back to Phoenix to get connecting flights home, and a few flew to Denver to do the same. Because the tour ended on a Saturday, we thought it would be nice to extend the vacation one more day and see some of Colorado, so we drove straight across the state to Denver. It was a great idea, because the drive is spectacular, even though it's on an interstate highway. We drove through some magnificent mountain ranges and ski resort towns and stopped in Vail for lunch, which was a lot of fun and very pretty. We got to Denver in the late afternoon, explored some fun areas, had a nice dinner and are now relaxing in the hotel room. Our flight home is tomorrow morning.

A word about the airport at Grand Junction. There's pretty much nothing to do there except sit around. It looked like it was working out ok for our group because so many families were on the same plane and they were just hanging out talking. But try to schedule your flights as early as you can. The longer your wait, the more bored you might be.

So, that's the tour. I think I'm going to write one more post, maybe tomorrow from home, summarizing some thoughts that I've had about it for the past few days. In the meantime, keep those questions coming. I'm going to be more than happy to talk about any aspect of the tour that you guys are interested in. And one thought for now: if you're at all interested in this tour, take it!!!!

 

[tammydel]

We had the same idea. We are going to rent a car and drive to Denver. We are spending one night in Glenwoood Springs and then 3 nights in Denver. We live in New York and thought we may as well take advantage of being out there and see a little more before we come home. Wish Disney was in charge of planning that part for me.

I can only hope our trip is as great as yours! I have really enjoyed your report, thank you againfor keeping it up the whole week.

Tammy

 

[wii fit mama]

Thanks so much for posting all this information, it was awesome! Looking forward to next month when they'll open up reservations for next year.

 

[Disneygrl36]

It really sounds like you had a wonderful trip & that you bonded with all the other travelers.........now that is Disney Magic.
I am looking forward to your final thoughts & some pictures when you get time.

 

[tammydel]

Waiting to see your pictures now!
Tammy