A Disney Adventure

Without The Mouse!

When the owner of a Top 10 U.S. travel agency wants to
go on a family vacation, where does she go? Elaine
Osgood consulted her own vacation manager, Karen
McCrink, for ideas that would be an alternative to
Mexico, Florida, the Caribbean… all places that Elaine
has thoroughly enjoyed with her husband and 8-year-old
daughter in the past.
“When Karen suggested one of the Adventures by
Disney,” said Osgood, “I said that we'd already been to
Disney.”
What McCrink explained was the newest Disney
product, an active family vacation without a theme park,
cruise or the characters everyone expects. This was a
new way to travel the world with a special attention to
detail.
“I still wasn't sold,” recalls Osgood. “We love traveling
independently… and this was a group travel experience.
We rarely buy travel packages, because we like to pick
and choose where we'll go and do it at our own pace. I
couldn't see myself on a motor coach traveling from one
destination to another… yet that was part of the
Adventures by Disney model. You might say I went
kicking and screaming.”
Osgood decided she should experience this as the owner
of the travel agency, so she could answer questions of
others considering the Disney trips, so during the

Summer of 2009, the Osgood family headed for

their Grand Canyon Family Vacation -- Southwest
Splendors, an Adventure by Disney that toured the
red rocks of Sedona, the Grand Canyon's South
Rim and the Colorado River in Moab, Utah.
Elaine and her family are Adventure by Disney
converts...
“We loved it,” she reports. “It has that Disney
magic, where you encounter all kinds of
unexpected surprises, but all are true to the region
you are visiting. We had archaeologists with us to
explain the geological wonders we were seeing.
“We took a hike in the Grand Canyon with a
naturalist guide,” she continued. “He showed us
things we never would have found on our own.
They fit more into a week than you ever could
have set up yourself. It was incredible. And we
never saw Mickey or Goofy once.”
In Sedona…
The Osgoods went on a Monument Valley off-
road excursion in a 4x4 jeep with their own
Navajo guide.
In the Grand Canyon…
They hiked off the beaten path of the Grand Canyon's South Rim with a naturalist guide, and experienced
wildlife up close and personal…even tarantulas! They went on an exciting, yet leisurely Colorado River
rafting trip…and got caught in a hail storm (quite an adventure!) Then they camped on the banks of the
Colorado River to have a cowboy cookout…with a real cowboy.
In Utah…
The Osgoods really
loved the surreal
landscape of Arches
National Park in Moab,
Utah, and couldn't
believe the stories of
million-year-old
sandstone arches (there
are 2000 of them in the
park!) They even hiked
to the crown jewel, the
Delicate Arch (well,
Pete and Nika did
anyway), which teeters
on the rim of a
sandstone bowl with the
scenic La Sal
Mountains as a
backdrop.
“I went kicking and
screaming on this trip,”
said Elaine, who had
traveled to most corners
of the world prior to
this vacation. “And I am sold on Adventures by Disney. We will definitely do this again, it is the perfect
way for a family to travel…and they also have trips specifically for adults who would prefer to have the
Adventures without little ones around.”
The Osgoods met good friends on the trip too. “We've already reconnected with a few families,” said
Elaine. “The kids had a great time together in the back of the bus or in the evening by the campfire, while
the parents relaxed and got to know about each other's lives. We swapped addresses before we left and have
already decided we'd like to go on another Adventure by Disney together.”
Safety, comfort and magic…in a way
that only Disney can create it.

What's the next Adventure by Disney

for the Osgoods? Well, there are many
from which to choose: Alaska,
Northern California, Hollywood,
Castles of Germany, Italy, Ireland,
France and England, China, Costa
Rica, Ecuador, Machu Picchu,
Australia, Africa and the list goes on.
The Osgoods are currently planning a
big adventure with some of the alumni
from this trip, destination to be
finalized soon. If you'd like more information about their Southwest trip or might like to join them on their
next Disney Adventure, contact Elaine Osgood or call Karen McCrink at 508-488-1110.