Welcome to Mouse Guides
Welcome to Mouse Guides, your guide to Adventures by Disney. We are a full service travel agency, specializing in only one thing, Adventures by Disney. We look forward to helping you plan what will be the best vacation your family has ever experienced.
You have a couple of ways you can start planning your Adventure by Disney. If you are not familiar with them, I suggest checking out all of the currently available Adventures. They are listed to the left, just over there.
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Feel free to poke around the site, we have plenty of important Disney news and information that you might be interested in. Adventures by Disney discounts too!
You can also:
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2010 Adventures by Disney
Disney has released their 2010 Adventures by Disney calendar. Disney did not add any new adventures for 2010, though 4 adventures from 2009 are no longer available.
- Beantown & the Big Apple
- Flavors of France
- Once Upon a Fairtale
- Treasures of Spain
No word has been given if these adventures will return during 2010, or at anytime in the future.
In addition to four adventures being left off the agenda for 2010, all Adventures by Disney had cutbacks on available tour dates. Many tours saw more than a 50% reduction in the number of tours compared to what was offered during 2009. Disney has announced that if available dates do fill up, additional dates will/may be added in the future.
If you are considering an Adventure by Disney, we would suggest you book early, not only to get the best rate, but to ensure you can get the date and Adventure you want.
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Early Booking Rate
Everyone loves a discount, and by far the best way to get a discount on your Adventure by Disney is to book early, and get the Early Booking Rate. There are a few requirements to get the Early Booking Rate:
- You must book at least 90 days before the start date of the Adventure
- There must be availability at the discounted rate (subject to availability)
The first one is easy to understand, book 90 days in advance, you have a pretty decent shot at getting a cheaper rate. The second one is a bit more vague. Each adventure group is pretty small, between 30 and 50 depending on the tour. Disney allows a set number of guests, the first to book, to get the discount, and once it is full at the cheaper rate, you no longer are able to get it on that tour. Make sure to check the week before and after, if you can travel those dates, it still may be available.
One other thing to note is that once you start getting closer to the travel date, the rates can go up pretty quickly. The process is very similar to the Disney Cruise or just about any airline. The first to book get the best rate, the last to book pay twice as much (or more). The lesson learned here is to book early!
The Early Booking Rate will save you between $200 and $400 per person off of the regular rates, depending on the Adventure.
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Adventures by Disney Gratuities
During your Adventure, most gratuities and tips are included, so you don’t have to worry about tipping each porter or waiter, it is all taken care of for you. One exception is when you are on your own, then you are in charge of your own gratuities.
The one gratuity that is not included is tips for your Adventures Guides. These are typically at guest discretion, but Disney does provide some guidelines for estimating what those tips should be:
If a Guest feels the Adventure Guides have provided excellent service, the following gratuity is suggested: Per Guest/Per Adventure guide/Per Day – $5-$8 USD.
So, For example:
- For a 10-day adventure, the gratuity per guest, per guide: $50 – $80 USD.
- So, for a family of 4 for on a 10-day adventure: $200-$320 USD per Adventure Guide. For 2 Guides, this is a total of: $400-$640 USD.
Please remember in your calculations that you will have 2 guides with you, so you will need to figure gratuities for 2. From our experience, many Adventures guests tip more than the suggested amount due to excellent service, but please base your gratuities on the service you receive.
Gratuities are paid on your final day to the Adventure Guides in a sealed envelope, so other guests will not know what you are tipping. This is also a good way to get rid of any local currency you may have remaining that you will not need on the return home, as the Adventure Guides accept any local currency or USD.
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What’s included in your Adventure by Disney
So, you think you want to go on an Adventure by Disney with the family, and you have already contact us for a price quote (or saw one somewhere else online), and you were wondering exactly what is included, and what is not. Well, here is the list:
Included in each Adventure by Disney
- The services of two Adventure Guides
- Accommodations for each night of your stay
- Local experts
- Scheduled meals, activities, and entertainment*
- National & Regional Park entrance fees (where applicable)
- Luggage service
- Transfers – are only available from the specified arrival and departure airport/train station for each departure*
- Gratuities for porters, housekeepers, drivers, activity providers, local experts, and dining room staff for meals included in the adventure
- Taxes, including airport departure taxes (where applicable)
Not included in your Adventure by Disney
- Transportation between residence and the departing home airport
- Round-trip air or other transportation between home airport and vacation destination
- Arrival/departure transfers to/from airports and hotels, train stations, or other locations not specifically described for each departure*
- Meals, activities and transportation not specifically set forth in the applicable itinerary
- Gratuities for Adventure Guides
- Customs and immigration fees
- Passport and visa fees
- Travel protection insurance (optional)
- Baggage fees, excess baggage fees and other airport/airline fees
- Laundry, telephone, alcohol (unless noted as included), and all other items of a personal nature
- Additional taxes may apply which are not included in the vacation package
* These items are specified before departure in the itinerary to your Adventure.
For most people, you have to figure in round trip flights to the destination city, a few meals during times you are on your own and tips, the other not included items may come in to play, but for most people, they do not. Just keep them all in mind during your planning.
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Adventures by Disney Cancellation Policy
Adventures by Disney has a very strict, very expensive cancellation policy, so it is best to be fully aware of it prior to making your reservation. At the time of booking, you will be required to pay a $300 deposit per person. You cannot hold a reservation, you must pay when booking.
- 14 days from booking: full refund of all money paid
- 90 days or more before travel: $300 USD per person
- 60-89 days before travel: 25% of the land package price
- 30-59 days before travel: 50% of the land package price
- 0-29 days before travel: 100% of the land package price
No refunds will be made in the event of interruption or cancellation by the Guest after the vacation start date.
As you can see, it is very strict, so please be sure you are going before making a commitment. We also strongly recommend the Adventures by Disney Vacation Protection Plan (otherwise known as trip insurance). It covers cancellation fees in case of medical reasons or trip interruption, as well as lost luggage, emergencies, etc. The cost of the trip insurance varies depending on the Adventure, the shorter domestic ones are cheaper, the longer international ones are more expensive. Currently, the insurance runs between $139 and $249 per person. Everyone in the group must have the insurance if you wish to get it, and everyone pays the same price, there is no discount for kids.
If you want more information, you can download the current Adventures by Disney Protection Plan brochure here:
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Adventures by Disney Returning Guest Offer
As a special thank you, past Adventures by Disney Guests are eligible to receive a $100 credit per person when booking a 2009 season Adventures by Disney vacation by November 30, 2009. Your shouldn’t miss this chance to share a world filled with wonder, enchantment and remarkable stories, with 23 itineraries at some of the planet’s most spectacular destinations.
A credit of US $100 per previous Adventures by Disney Guest (eligibility determined upon booking) is applied toward their purchase of one 2009 season Adventures by Disney land package booked between August 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009. Eligible past Guest must travel on land package booked. Valid on new bookings only. Bookings must be made through Adventures by Disney Travel Services, Inc. Not transferable or redeemable for cash in whole or in part. Cannot be sold or transferred for commercial use. Void where prohibited. Offer subject to change without notice. Terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Cannot be combined with any offers or promotions.
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Adventures by Disney $500 Airfare Offer
Adventures by Disney is offer a great special for a few of their tours for 2008 and 2009, a $500 credit per person on your airfare costs.
Book a select Adventures by Disney vacation before Sept. 30, 2008 and you will receive a $500 USD* airfare credit per person when air travel is booked as part of your Adventures by Disney package. Make sure to book soon before this offer flies away!
*A credit of $500 USD per person is applied only to airfare booked between June 16, 2008 and September 30, 2008 through Adventures by Disney Travel Services, Inc in connection with a valid new booking on any of the following 2008 season Adventures By Disney vacations and departure dates:
- Sacred Valleys 8/12, 10/11
- Emerald Isle7/27, 8/3, 8/7, 8/14, 8/21
- Knights & Lights 8/29, 9/5, 9/12, 9/25, 12/29
- Flavors of France 9/7, 10/5
- Once Upon a Fairytale 8/8, 9/19, 9/26, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18
- Roma La Costa Bella 8/16, 8/21, 9/20, 9/27
- Viva Italia 9/25, 10/2, 10/19
- Discovery Down Under 8/24, 10/11, 11/16, 11/30, 12/17, 1/24/09, 2/14/09, 3/22/09, 4/4/09
- Enchanted China 9/1.
Credit must be requested at time of booking. Credit valid on new bookings only on select airlines subject to availability and from U.S. departure cities only. Credit will be in an amount equal to the lesser of the actual retail value of the airfare (including ticket, associated taxes and fuel surcharges but excluding baggage and excess weight fees, airport fees, departure tax and other similar fees payable directly to the airport and/or airline) or $500 USD, and may not be redeemed for cash. No compensation will be given for any unused portion of the airfare credit. Cannot be combined with any other offer or sold or transferred for commercial use. Subject to conditions, restrictions and change without notice.
Based on our experience, the airfare sold as part of the Adventures by Disney package is very competitive, often times less than you can find on your own.
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Privacy Policy
Mouse Guide’s privacy policy is pretty simple, and based on one small fact:
We hate spam!
We spend all day online, mostly working with email, and spam is the biggest problem we face each day. We will never do anything to propagate the problem, so you can feel secure that any information you provide to us, will stay with us, forever.
During the inquiry and reservation process, we will gather some information from you, such as your email address, phone number, etc. That information stays with us. We will not call you, unless you ask us to, all contact will be via email, unless the situation requires a phone call, in which case, we will usually ask you to call us.
If you decide not to book an Adventure by Disney with Mouse Guides, we will hold onto your info, but we will not share that information with anyone for any reason, and under most circumstances, you will not receive anything from us in the future.
If you do book an Adventure by Disney, we will share appropriate information with Disney, but only what is required for you to have an excellent adventure.
See, pretty simple! We don’t want our info spread out the internet, so we won’t spread yours.
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About Mouse Guides
Mouse Guides was born out of need. While technically a part of Mouseketrips, a fantastic Disney Travel Agency if we must say so, it really did not fit in with Mouseketrips’ identity. You see, Mouseketrips only does Disney travel, so Walt Disney World, Disneyland and the Disney Cruise. When Disney announced Adventures by Disney, we figured it was just another Disney product (it has Disney in the name after all). What we have found out is that it really isn’t. Yes, it took us 2 years to figure it out, but we finally did. A family looking for a Disneyland vacation isn’t suddenly apt to spend 10 times as much to take their family to Europe on a guided tour.
Mouseketrips has been in business for over 7 years now, and is recognized as an “Authorized Disney Vacation Planner”. We are one of Disney Travel’s brightest young stars, the Zac Efron of Disney Travel if you wish.
In the end, we felt that Adventures by Disney was worthy of it’s own website, as well as it’s own agency, of sorts. You will work with the same great people over at Mouseketrips, but all the information you need on Adventures by Disney is here, in it’s own place, none of that Mickey Mouse stuff getting in the way.
We love Adventures by Disney, and have personally been on several of them. We hope to see more in our near future. We are extremely familiar with Adventures by Disney through personal experience and feedback from past clients who have booked with Mouseketrips. We have been to almost all the cities Adventures visits, either on an Adventure or through our own travels. Please feel free to ask us any questions you might have, we are always happy to help.
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