Adventures by Disney Wyoming July 2017

BluesTraveler

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 23, 2015
We are home from this amazing trip and I'm in the process of getting pictures uploaded and dealing with re-entry, but wanted to start this trip report before the details begin to fade.

Spoiler alert: it was outstanding. We LOVED this trip, it is the perfect active family trip. We are all going through withdrawal right now, especially our kids (2 boys ages 9 and 12).

Pre-Day 1 (travel day)
The trip officially begins on a Wednesday, but we wanted a couple of extra days to really explore Jackson Hole and to acclimate to the time change (2 hours) and altitude (8,000 feet). We flew out on Monday, and arrived about 9pm (11pm our time). Here we hit a snag - no Disney driver to pick us up. We looked around for about 20 minutes, but if you know the Jackson Hole airport, you know it is tiny and 20 minutes was 18 minutes longer than we needed to confirm no driver. I called the 24 hour line, and unfortunately I got a younger guy who wanted me to continue to wait at the airport while he got in touch with the transportation company. I said we weren't waiting any longer (by this time 11:30pm our time and 13 hours since we left our house - kids are barely upright), that we would take a cab and Disney could reimburse us. His response was that he couldn't guarantee reimbursement. I asked him to please have his manager give me a call back, and hung up. We caught a cab with no problem outside.

His manager did indeed call me back while we were en route, and she couldn't have been more pleasant. She assured us we would be reimbursed, apologized for the inconvenience, and was overall a perfect customer service representative. We did indeed get our money back right away from the guides and it was not a problem at all. Disney really should empower the folks who are answering that 24 hour help number to be more problem solvers on the front end, rather than having to have something as minor as cab fare taken to a manager. But at the end of the day, we were perfectly fine and it all worked out.

Check-in at the Wort Hotel was no problem. The hotel is located right in the center of town and is very charming. It is very Western in look and feel. We had two rooms right across from each other. I read on Tripadvisor that one complaint with this hotel is how loud the AC units in the rooms are, and they are indeed a bit noisy. I had earplugs and was fine. The rest of my family could sleep through a tornado, so they were also fine. But if you are a light sleeper, bring earplugs. I also read on Tripadvisor that live music is a problem noise-wise, but we did not find that to be the case. There was a band 2 of the 4 nights we were there, and we couldn't hear it at all.

Also, we are from the land of Hot and Humid (Georgia), so the dry air was a shock to the system. The Wort Hotel has humidifiers in the closet - I set one up the 2nd night and it made a huge difference to us.

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I am excited for your trip report! Did you ever find out what happened to your driver? That was my fear on our China ABD. I was worried our driver wouldn't show and we would be stuck trying to explain where we wanted to go to a cab driver who doesn't speak English.
 
Thanks for doing this. We are leaving in two days and are so excited. Any tips or suggestions for things to pack, do, avoid, etc?
 


Thanks for doing this. We are leaving in two days and are so excited. Any tips or suggestions for things to pack, do, avoid, etc?
Very quick packing tips - bathing suit, chapstick with sunscreen, face sunscreen, hats, hiking shoes and hiking socks (wool or synthetic blend, but not 100% cotton), ear plugs :), and plenty of layers - the days start and end cool but can be warm when the sun is high. I'm so jealous your trip is just starting - if it is the Sunday start you will have Tiffany and Michelle as your guides, and we are SO homesick for them.
 
I am excited for your trip report! Did you ever find out what happened to your driver? That was my fear on our China ABD. I was worried our driver wouldn't show and we would be stuck trying to explain where we wanted to go to a cab driver who doesn't speak English.
We never did, but I also didn't ask. Cabs are plentiful in JH, so it really was a non-issue, but I agree - in a more stressful location, it would cause some anxiety.
 
Thanks. this great! two other quick question- how strenuous was the hiking? we are going with our daughter's who are 6 and 7 and also my dad who is almost 70. Are the hikes doable for them or are there some we should opt out of?

Also how was the rafting- I assume my younger daughter will be fine- she is pretty adventurous but did a lot of people fall out of the rafts etc without intending too?
 


We had only one group hike and will be totally doable for folks young and older. All other hikes were optional with other activities to choose from. And the rafting was great. There were 2 spots where we had the youngsters move to the center of the raft, but the river guide knew when those spots were coming up and all was fine. No one fell out though plenty jumped out during calm spots!
 
that's great to hear. thanks so much for your help! We are in the sunday group so very excited to meet Tiffany and Michelle!
 
I can't wait to read the rest of your trip report. Thanks for taking the time to write this up.
 
Pre-day 2

Breakfast was included in our pre-day hotel reservation. We ate in the Silver Dollar restaurant, attached to the Wort Hotel. Breakfasts were very good, and service was great. The coffee, however, is not so great, so I recommend walking across the street to JH Coffee Roasters and getting your caffeine fix there. Best Americano I've ever had.
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We needed to burn off some energy for our kids, so we walked to Snow King Mountain Resort. It's a nice walk and a little under a mile. That resort has a lot of outdoor activities - alpine slide, roller coaster, treetop course, maze, putt-putt.
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We spent a couple hours there, and then walked back to the main part of town. We walked around the square and poked around some of the shops and let the kids pick out a few souvenirs. A quick note on Jackson Hole shopping - if Prana, Merrell, Teva, and Patagonia are some of your favorite brands, then you have come to the Promised Land. The shopping is great for hiking clothes, outdoor shoes, etc.

After a little bit of souvenir shopping, we had lunch at Caldera. Highly recommend. We had salads and pizza, and everything was fresh and tasty.
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At this point our kids were really dragging. The combination of the time change and the high altitude was affecting them. I still wanted to look around the shops and galleries, so I tossed them their iPads back at the hotel, and DH and I went back out for a couple hours. By 3pm it was raining pretty hard, and we decided to take the boys to see the new Spider-Man movie. There is a movie theater right in town but it wasn't showing Spider-Man, so we took a cab to a movie theater a bit further out.

When we came out of the movie the sun was shining again, and we went to Hatch for dinner, diagonally across the street from the Wort Hotel. EXCELLENT. You must put this on your list. Everyone enjoyed their food and drinks. We were able to eat outside and it was such a lovely evening.
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Edit! In reviewing pictures I remembered that after dinner we walked to Moo's for ice cream. It's an easy walk - as everything in Jackson Hole is. The kids LOVED it. The line is long, but once you're at the front you need to be ready to order quickly. So scope out the flavors before you get in line. A nice way to enjoy the evening.
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After that we took the boys to the small fitness center in the hotel where we all soaked in the hot tubs for a few minutes, then bed.
 
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Pre-Day 3 and Day 1 of ABD

DH and I got up a little early this morning and went for a run. I thought it was going to be a great run because the temperatures were so cool and crisp compared to home. But the altitude really got me - after 2 miles I was sucking wind. DH was fine, but at 3 miles I was ready to stop (a normal run for me is 4 -5 miles, which tells you something about how much I was bothered!). To the runners out there - Jackson is not the best town to run in. Sidewalks are somewhat uneven, and there was a ton of traffic even a little before 7am. If I were to do this trip again I wouldn't bother planning to run and would just bring good clothes for hiking.

We then got the kids up and had another good breakfast at the Silver Dollar restaurant. After breakfast we headed to Teton Village. This was another taxi ride, about 30 minutes, or you can take the bus. At Teton Village we took the tram up to Rendezvous Peak. The views are gorgeous, and there's a little snack shop that sells hot chocolate, sodas, and a selection of waffles.
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The scenery is stunning, and I'm glad we did it. Unfortunately, I didn't last too long because I started to get an altitude headache. Luckily the tram runs every 15 minutes. We stayed up there for about 45 minutes total, shared a waffle and got some hot chocolate, then rode the tram down. After a bottle of water and a couple of ibuprofen my headache was fine. I really had no idea altitude would affect me this much. However, this was the last day I had any trouble with it, and after that I was completely fine. If you think you may be sensitive to changes in altitude, you might want to give yourself a couple days to adjust.

Teton Village has a lot of activities. The boys wanted to do the bungee trampoline, the rock wall, and the ropes course, and I wanted to eat lunch there. We got as far as the bungee trampoline when the skies completely opened up and it absolutely poured.
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We decided to abandon ship, and caught a cab back to Jackson, where lucky for us it wasn't raining at all. We had lunch at Liberty Burger (good), and then hit the Jackson Hole History museum. The museum is tiny but interesting. Definitely worth the $5 admission.
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After the museum, I think it was about 3pm and we were worn out. We all went back to the hotel and hung out - pretty sure we all fell asleep for about 45 minutes.

This evening was the Welcome Dinner, held at the hotel. We were in for a treat. We didn't know it yet, but we had the BEST group and the BEST guides. I'm not kidding- if ANY ONE from our group showed up again on one of our ABDs, I think I would cry happy tears (friends, are you reading? #Iceland2018!!). On the guides - our Alaska guides were very good, but I've read on this board how much people value the guides and I couldn't quite figure it out. Forget that - now I get it. Our two guides, Tiffany and Michelle, were amazing. They were energetic, knowledgeable, engaged with kids and parents, and just so much fun to be around. I can't say enough good things about them.

The Welcome Dinner was fun, and the food was great. Lots of vegetables - grilled veggies and a couple different salads, salmon, beef - plenty of options. The guides had some good introductions and there was great music. It set a fabulous tone for the rest of the trip.

After the Welcome Dinner we had intended to have an early night. We went out to stretch our legs, when we realized the fair was going on, and was probably within walking distance. So we decided to try to find it. And find it we did! It was about a 15 minute walk away, and was SO FUN. If you are able to schedule your trip to overlap with the fair, do so. Great live music, a petting zoo area, fun rides, and of course, funnel cake. What else do you need?
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Thanks again -- I am loving this report! I have to book this for us. my boys would love it.
 
Another great report! We loved Caldera Pizza. We went as a recommendation from this board. We also went to Skinny Ski's every day to shop. Love Jackson Hole! Brings back great memories.
 
ABD Day 2

Before I start day 2, let me mention our group details. We were 30 in all, 12 kids. 8 girls, 4 boys. All ages 8 - 15, with most 12 - 15. It was such a great group, and the kids were fabulous. They all had so much fun together and were buddies right from the beginning. A couple of the girls I wanted to pack in my suitcase and take home with me, they were so sweet. 30 was a nice sized group.

On this day we met in the lobby at 10:15. (Note: lunch is on the early side today, so you should eat a light breakfast or a very early breakfast, or both.) We did a walk around town, and took pictures in the square. Then we went to the Jackson Playhouse. This is a totally kitschy outing, but very interesting to hear about the history of the playhouse and Jackson. We took a bunch of goofy pictures, and then had lunch around 11:15. The food was very good and the actors/singers kept everyone laughing. In fact, as I was looking at the ABD pictures today, one thing that really struck me was how much people are laughing, especially the kids, in all the pictures throughout the entire trip.
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After lunch we had an hour before we needed to meet to go whitewater rafting. My kids put on bathing suit shorts and quick-dry athletic shirt. I put on hiking pants, because those are quick-dry, and a Nike running top, also quick dry. I had my bathing suit on underneath. You will definitely get wet, but then the sun is so strong you dry faster than you think you will before you hit the next waves. Then, because the day was just a touch chilly, we also all got zip-up wetsuit jackets from the rafting company (no extra charge - you will see prices posted and it will give you hesitation, but then the ABD guides tell you Disney pays for it so you think Heck Yes I need that). A lot of people wore keens for shoes. I discovered I'd forgotten to pack mine (grrr) so had resigned myself to just getting my running shoes wet. But it turns out you can also get booties from the rafting company (also no extra charge), and those were perfect. If you are planning to pack water shoes just for this part of the trip, don't bother (that said, Keens in general are good to have on this trip and if I could rewind time they would be in my suitcase). I put the booties on and left my shoes/socks on the bus, and my feet were fine. You will also be required to wear a helmet.

After our group was all set with jackets, booties, and helmets we got on the bus to go to the launch site and...waited...and waited...and waited. This was the ONE slip by Disney on the whole trip, and I'm sure they heard about it from everyone on the survey. It turns out the bus taking us was also taking another group to the launch site, and that group was running late. We had to wait a full 40 minutes, which was annoying in itself. But the worst part was that it set the entire rafting excursion back so much that we all missed the Shoot-out on the Square that evening, which is a highlight of Jackson and our entire group had been planning to go. That was a real disappointment. It didn't help that our rafting company driver then started to make jokes about turning a beer can into a bong right in front of all the kids. Not funny dude. Thankfully Michelle shut that one down right away. Why Disney didn't have this be an exclusive excursion I don't know, but it's a mistake. Also, once the other group joined us on the bus, it was weird. Our group had been talking and laughing, with kids sitting together and families spread out all over the bus, and then there wasn't quite room for this other group (there were maybe 10 of them). So we ended up having to scoot over and share seats with these folks that got on the bus - right as we'd all been starting to click as a group, and it was just awkward.

Happily, we had a gorgeous day for rafting, and that outing could not have been more fun. We had class II and III rapids - just enough to be exciting, not so much you got scared. There were also calm spots where the kids could jump out and swim. And the scenery is stunning. Wyoming is truly beautiful, I'm so thankful to have seen it. Our river guide was excellent. Funny, knowledgeable, safety conscious. It really was a perfect excursion. It took roughly 2 hours (? maybe longer, I'm already starting to forget details). The rafting really is a highlight of this trip.
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At the end of the raft trip you have a slight hike back to the bus, where the awkwardness of the other group set in again. Michelle and Tiffany had towels and water for us, but had to make sure they weren't used/taken by the other group. And on the bus ride back the other group was so obnoxious - kids bickering and yelling, parents snapping at them, while we all just sat and drank our waters.

We got back to the hotel, quickly changed and went to the Snake River Brewing Company for dinner. I totally fell down on picture taking here, but it was a GREAT place for dinner. Outside seating, fire pit, corn hole, great food, and DH reports great beer (I can confirm the wine was delicious). Then, back to the hotel to get organized for an early bag pull the next morning.
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How odd and yucky to have that other group. :( I wonder why that was? Just seems like a bad choice!

Glad your time was great otherwise!

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ABD Day 3

On this day our itinerary deviated quite a bit from the posted itinerary. In the morning we were supposed to do a ferry ride across Jenny Lake, then hike to the Hidden Falls waterfall. However, the entire Jackson Hole/Yellowstone area received record amounts of snowfall this year, and the trails were apparently damaged. And here's why I love ABD. Our guide Michelle told me that she knew folks would be a bit bummed about not being able to do this, so she hiked it herself to see - was it just a little damaged, and groups could still get through, or was it genuinely not an option as an activity. As it turns out, the trails are all under construction and it's genuinely not an option. So, while I was sad we couldn't do it, I was thankful to ABD for really researching it, and of course, coming up with alternative activities.

Instead of Jenny Lake/Hidden Falls, we spent the morning in Grand Teton national park. The guides mapped out several stops in the part, and we had a GREAT step-on guide, Tim, from Scenic Safaris. Tim had a very interesting narrative as we drove through the park, talking about animals, nature, the history of the parks, etc.

We had 2 morning stops. First, to Moulton Barn, where the scenery was so stunningly beautiful - it just makes you appreciate what an amazing place our country is with all of its geographical diversity. Second stop was to the Craig Thomas Visitor Center, which had tons of interesting information, good bathrooms, and some beautiful walking trails. Both places we spent plenty of time outside, and bus rides were only 30 - 45 minutes tops.
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My pictures don't do it justice. But we spent a lot of time outside at both stops, Step-on guide Tim and ABD guides Michelle and Tiffany were constantly talking to the kids (and adults, of course) about the Grand Tetons, nature around us, etc., and we felt like we really got the flavor of Grand Teton national park.
We then drove to Jackson Lake for a picnic lunch - sandwiches, cookies, apple, chips. Nothing fancy but it was good and an absolutely beautiful setting. One of the things we really loved about this trip is the fact that you are outside all of the time.
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After lunch it was goodbye Grand Teton National Park, Hello Yellowstone! Seeing Yellowstone has been on my list for a long time, and it was incredibly satisfying to be here, especially on such a beautiful day and with such a fun group of people. We made several stops in the park - one to see a waterfall, one to see West Thumb Geyser Basin, and they were all interesting with plenty of opportunity for walking around. I was a smidgen concerned my kids were going to get bored this day, but they didn't. It's just all so interesting and beautiful to see. We loved it. At West Thumb Geyser Basin there is a boardwalk that makes a full circle, and you'll have time to do the whole thing.
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We then went on to the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Let me say upfront - this hotel was the one that had me a little concerned about the trip - no A/C in the rooms. And yes, it was a little stuffy that night. But truly it was fine. The lobby is cute with a big fireplace, the setting right by Old Faithful is PERFECT, the food was good, and the rooms were incredibly clean. For some reason I was picturing the youth hostels of my backpack-around-Europe-days, but it really is a very nice hotel.

We pulled up to the hotel 15 minute before Old Faithful was supposed to go off, and all walked out to see her. It was just beautiful. And then, lucky us, the geyser right next to her went off as well (called the Beehive), which felt so extraordinarily lucky. That one goes off very unpredictably so you can't schedule your time to see it like you can with Old Faithful. And it was amazing - huge and impressive. Words can't describe how lucky I felt this day to see so much natural beauty.
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After the geysers it was right around 5pm the guides wanted to take the kids for 30 minutes to do some geyser activities. 30 minutes turned into an hour...the parents congregated by the bar, and every once in a while someone would go out to check to see if the guides needed relieving, but they were all laughing and having a good time. It was a magical happy hour!

You had the option of eating dinner there at the Snow Lodge, or the guides would make you later reservations at the Old Faithful Inn. We decided to eat there at the Snow Lodge, and it was very good. If you don't eat at the Inn, it's worth walking over to it just to see the inside. Around Old Faithful there is a boardwalk that makes a full circle, and that's worth doing. I heard the next day there is a hike to an observation tower close by (?) but I didn't know about it ahead of time or else we would have done it. If you do this trip do a little research on that, one family who did it was glad they did. As it was, I had over 20,000 steps for the day according to my watch, and we were all TIRED! I think we turned out the lights around 9:15.
 
ABD Day 3

On this day our itinerary deviated quite a bit from the posted itinerary. In the morning we were supposed to do a ferry ride across Jenny Lake, then hike to the Hidden Falls waterfall. However, the entire Jackson Hole/Yellowstone area received record amounts of snowfall this year, and the trails were apparently damaged. And here's why I love ABD. Our guide Michelle told me that she knew folks would be a bit bummed about not being able to do this, so she hiked it herself to see - was it just a little damaged, and groups could still get through, or was it genuinely not an option as an activity. As it turns out, the trails are all under construction and it's genuinely not an option. So, while I was sad we couldn't do it, I was thankful to ABD for really researching it, and of course, coming up with alternative activities.

Instead of Jenny Lake/Hidden Falls, we spent the morning in Grand Teton national park. The guides mapped out several stops in the part, and we had a GREAT step-on guide, Tim, from Scenic Safaris. Tim had a very interesting narrative as we drove through the park, talking about animals, nature, the history of the parks, etc.
And... THIS is definitely one of the reasons I travel with ABD. Imagine if you got there on your own & found out your activity wasn't possible? Or started the hike only to have to turn back? And then scrounge around trying to find something else to do... I love leaving those kinds of issues to the Adventure Guides!!

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Day 4
This day was a pretty early bag pull although I didn't write it down. Might have been as early as 7am? We all ate breakfast in the Snow Lodge's restaurant, and it was fine but nothing to write home about. Service could not have been nicer, though.

We spent the whole day in Yellowstone. One aspect of this trip I really liked is the organization of the itinerary. Assuming you come in one day early you get 2 full days in Jackson, 2 full days in the national parks, and 2 full days at Brooks Lake Lodge. The 2 full days in the parks left me feeling like I had really seen an experienced them, not just done a drive by.

We had a park employee as our step on guide today, and he was great. Incredibly nice, so passionate about his job, loves the park. We all enjoyed listening to him. We hit some Yellowstone highlights, but then he also took us to a few more isolated areas where there were no crowds and we could walk around and marvel at the beauty.

First stops were the Grand Prismatic and the Fountain Paint Pot. Pictures will never do it justice, but I'll post them anyway. The ABD guides had a radar gun you could use to check the temperature of the water in the various spots. My youngest DS was fascinated with this.
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There are boardwalks to walk around all of these places, and Edward, our step on guide would lead and provide information for those who were interested. But a lot of the kids just went at their own pace, and that was fine too. We had plenty of time at each spot.

Lunch was at a cafeteria in the park - sandwiches, salad, fried chicken.

After lunch we went to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and it is indeed beautiful. There is a nice hike here to a waterfall (lower falls), and it was challenging enough to get some good exercise but not so hard anyone complained. Again, the stunning scenery just blew us away. (I know I sound like a broken record.)
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After this was when our park guide took us to some of his favorite but lesser-known spots. What I loved about this day (and the previous day) was that we really got to get outside and walk around in the scenery. It wasn't just drive-by-and-look-at-it.
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At this point it was 4:00ish, and time to head to Brooks Lake Lodge. This was the only long drive of the entire trip, and it was right around 2.5 hours. It went by pretty quickly. We pulled up about 6:30, to what is now one of my favorite places in the world.

Brooks Lake Lodge is like summer camp for families, in the best possible sense. It is a combination of cabins and lodge rooms. We had a large cabin for the 4 of us - 2 bedrooms plus a loft. The cabins are rustic but luxurious at the same time - not fancy furnishings, but great towels, tons of hot water with good water pressure, comfortable beds and good linens. There's one large dining room where everyone eats together, and a bunch of activities. You can completely turn the kids loose - they were running all over the place with each other. Most importantly, the staff is so incredibly nice, to adults and especially to the kids.

Do not miss the huckleberry margaritas.
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