As a Disney cast-member in Florida I have access to a few perks. We get complimentary admission to the theme parks and can experience new rides and attractions before the general public. But one perk that I had never experienced is the opportunity to be in the dress rehearsal for Adventures by Disney, the newly created tour arm that is targeted for families. Of course, to be chosen for the dress rehearsals it helps to be within the profile of the Guests that will buy the tours in the future. For this reason we submitted our family for the dress rehearsal for the very first ABD trip to China.
I have never been on a formal tour in the past. Our family tends to wing our vacations and having set times to get up and meet a group of people has never been appealing. Heck, just getting up early on a vacation becomes a challenge; however, for a two week trip to China we agreed that we needed help to understand the country and the customs. We also knew that Disney would do it right so my wife, 16 year old daughter and 24 year old son agreed to change our vacation habits and participate in the tour. As dress rehearsal participants we agreed to go to every event and give our honest feedback so that the program can be tweaked and improved for future Guests.
After a long 13 hour flight from Chicago (and 2.5 hours from Orlando), we arrived in Beijing and were escorted to the Peninsula Hotel. Since we are only four months from the Olympic Games, the US Women's Basketball Team was on our flight. Upon arrival my wife and daughter took a nap, which gave me an opportunity to explore. Only a couple a blocks from the hotel I found a large outdoor Mall. During my walk I found that Tsing Tao beer is a good deal at around $2.50 for a 16 oz bottle. I also experienced solicitation from young, attractive Chineese women who wanted to practice their English with me over coffee. Fortunately, I had read the guide books and knew that a cup of coffee and good conversation could easily cost me a $1000 or more. After some interesting picture opportunities I went back to the hotel and took my own nap.
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