I'm glad you enjoyed my trip report.
My husband's boss, who travels a lot, recommended Tauck to us originally. Their tour does compare well with ABD, and I think the Tauck Bridges Tour is the closest family Tour that I found. ABD Viva Italia had one more day for about the same price. I also liked that ABD stayed in Tuscany, which was an experience I wanted, vs Tauck in Florence. They both had some meals and excursions included, and special activities. When I looked at the less expensive companies, these are the differences I found: when staying in Rome, they stayed in a nice hotel, but OUTSIDE the center, many excursions were optional, and they didn't have the unique activities like ABD such as the pasta making and mask making, that really added to the experience. I also realized the value of having a selected expert guide for each city that ABD contracts with to take you on the various excursions in the cities. Their knowledge and ethusiasm for their city and it's treasures added immensely to the tour. We did avoid lines at the Vatican and Colosseum with our tour group.