Adventures by Disney has unveiled new vacation options based on their research that shows families want more and more “deep dive” experiential travel—a growing trend that hotels and tour operators are leveraging to inspire travel sales.
At a elaborately produced media event in New York, Adventures by Disney’s Senior Vice President and General Manger, Ken Potrock said that “bucket lists” are still moving people to travel and that travelers are increasingly looking for “deep dive” trips where they can meet and interact with cultures and people in a more meaningful way.
Two new Adventures by Disney's Long Weekends, New York and San Francisco, will now be available for Disney Vacation Club Members and for 2015 booking for non-members. The weekends are being offered to address vacationing families needs for shorter and more budget-friendly “breaks” rather than long and expensive traditional vacations.
The SF trip, which includes wine making for the adults and olive oil infusion crafting for kids in the Napa Valley as well as a trip to Lucasfilm’s 23-acre campus (including life size Star Wars replicas of Darth Vadar and a Yoda Fountain) starts at $2,599 for four days and 3 nights (not including airfare). Children up to 12 pay $2,469.
The New York adventure (same price) gets you behind-the-scenes at Good Morning America and lets you and your kids put your talent on display in a Broadway musical dance workshop for the same price point. It also includes a visit to the Tenement Museum, including one-on-one meetings with characters from the time period. So instead of meeting Mickey, kids will meet the matriarch of an immigrant family, or an Irish laborer who is seeking the American dream.
Disney has also debuted what they say is one of their most “adventurous” trips ever: a 12-day, 11-night Amazon and Galapagos Islands vacation. The trip includes cooking classes with local chefs in Ecuador’s capital of Quito, rare and endangered animal quests in the Galapagos Islands and an entirely new Amazon cruise add on, on a vessel called the Anakonda (don't watch the JLo film of the same name before you travel!). Prices for the new adventure start at $7,599 and includes internal air but not international flights.
Disney executives also told us that the Four Day adventures rolled out of a test case with an intial Wyoming trip and that more U.S.-based shorter trips will be in the offing if the NY and San Francisco long weekend jaunts do well.
Image: Adventures by Disney
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