Taking the Kids
Disney program offers unique family adventures
VIENNA –There’s nothing like a little time travel to get the day started. We’ve zipped back to the 18th century at Schoenbrunn Palace ( www.schoenbrunn.at/en ) in Vienna to check out what life was like for the 16 children of Empress Maria Theresa, as well as the children who were their servants. The nine 21st-century kids (ages 6 to 12), two guides and me make our way through the Palace Kindermuseum. We try on 18th-century clothes (really heavy!) and wigs that kids wore (itchy!), play with 18th-century toys (no video games!) and practice bows and curtsies. Their parents, meanwhile, are taking a decidedly adult tour of the fantastic 1,441-room palace.
We sniff the strong perfume that even kids used, since they bathed so infrequently (servants just once a year) and learn that even though royal children had servants to do everything for them (even brush their teeth), they didn’t have a lot of time to play because they were expected at court (sitting quietly for hours).
The hourlong immersion into 18th-century kids’ world proved an ideal way to engage young American visitors. Later, we were treated to a special marionette show where the kids got to try their hand at working the puppets (not so easy) at the palace’s Schonbrunner Schloss-Marionettentheater, an apple strudel-making demonstration (with samples, of course) and an after- hours tour of the world’s oldest zoo, dating back to 1752.
Sound good? Well, this is just the first day of an Adventures by Disney ( www.adventuresbydisney.com ) trip designed to de-stress family travel and provide unique experiences families would be hard-pressed to duplicate on their own. Local guides join us at each stop. “And no one has to wear mouse ears!” jokes David Andrews, who is from San Diego and traveling with his wife and four kids, ages 6 to 15.
I’m traveling with my 17-year-old daughter, Melanie, and her friend, Hayley Jacobs. I worried this trip would be too young for them but they’re having every bit as much fun as the 6-year-olds, thanks in part to our two capable and always upbeat guides, 30-year-old Alex Kemper, who gave up law to lead trips, and 23-year-old Trevor Enderby, a Disney veteran.
Kemper and Enderby check us in and out of hotels, deliver luggage to our rooms, mark maps, if we want to venture out on our own and make dinner reservations.
The big thing for Elaine Moore and David Bauer was not having to entertain their 8-year-old daughter Katherine “24/7.” They were so taken by the concept that they signed up for a second week in Germany immediately following this trip. By the middle of the week, some of the other families were talking about where they would like to go next year.
They’ve got plenty of choices as Adventures by Disney announced it is adding eight new itineraries next year –from a Northern California trip to a Safari in South Africa, from a Boston to New York tour to Alaska and the Alps. There are trips to Costa Rica, Peru, Italy, Ireland and Australia, as well as others within the United States. Certainly any family or couple (there are also adult-only departures) could follow a similar itinerary on their own for less money (these trips average more than $10,000, plus airfare for a family of four. Check out the early booking deals!) But, said David Andrews, “It’s excellent value for what you get.” He noted that hotels, ground transportation, most meals and tickets to venues and museums were included.
Our final dinner was a medieval banquet in Prague where a jester welcomed the kids at the door. There was swordplay, music, a fire-eater, and even a visit from “King Charles IV.” The food kept coming. The wine, beer and Sprite flowed freely. Adults were as wowed as the kids.
For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com .
