Adventures by Disney Wyoming: Hot Takes, Honest Opinions, and Tips You Actually Need (Part 2 of 2)

If you read Part 1, you already know this trip surprised me. The rainstorm horseback ride. Frog the horse with the hidden Mickey. Brooks Lake Lodge stealing my whole heart. The magic was absolutely real.

But I promised you honesty. And as a travel advisor who has now taken three Adventures by Disney trips and helps families plan them regularly, I think the most valuable thing I can give you is the full picture.

So here it is.

My Yellowstone Hot Take

I'll just say it: Yellowstone is a one and done for me.

I am genuinely glad I went. Old Faithful is as dramatic as advertised. The geysers, the mud pots, the sheer geological spectacle of the place... it earns its reputation. And having ABD handle the logistics of touring Yellowstone, including navigating parking situations that would otherwise take significant time and patience, made the experience far smoother than it would have been independently.

But Yellowstone in peak summer is crowded. More crowded than I expected, and I expected crowds. The long stretches between stops, up to 45 minutes between some points with winding roads and stop-and-go traffic, made some of those touring hours feel like a grind. Add in one night at Old Faithful Inn with no air conditioning in July heat and you have the portion of this trip I'd quietly restructure if I could.

Here's what I want you to take away from this: not every day on an Adventures by Disney trip will be your favorite day. Yellowstone was important and worth experiencing. Brooks Lake Lodge was transcendent. Those two things can both be true.

Is Adventures by Disney Wyoming Right for Your Family?

This is the honest conversation I wish more travel content would have, so let's have it.

🔹 This trip is a wonderful fit if your family:

• Loves being active and outdoors. Every day on this itinerary involves physical activity, biking, hiking, rafting, horseback riding, and walking through park terrain. If your family is energized by that kind of day, Wyoming will feel like it was built for you.

• Enjoys a guided group experience. You are traveling with other families, 29 people in our group, and that is genuinely part of what makes it special. The connections formed over shared experiences are real. Some of the families we traveled with are people we're still talking with weeks later. But if your family prefers solo travel or finds group dynamics stressful, that's worth knowing upfront.

• Has kids who can keep pace. Disney lists this trip as ages 8 and up. My honest recommendation is older. Our group included a first grader and a fourth grader who had some genuinely hard moments keeping up with the pace of the days. Early mornings, longer activity windows, elevation, bus rides on winding roads... this is an active, schedule-driven trip. Tweens and teens thrive here. Younger kids can struggle.

• Values the ABD format. Set departure times. Group meals. A schedule that is planned for you and moves whether you're ready or not. For families who love the freedom of independent travel, that structure can feel restrictive. For families who want everything handled so they can just show up and experience, it is absolutely liberating.

🔹This trip may not be the right fit if:

• You don't like waking up early. Some mornings started very early to beat crowds or catch the best light.

• You prefer flexibility over a set itinerary. ABD guides are wonderful at accommodating individual needs within the group experience, but the framework of the day is set. There is some free/flex time built in to most days, but overall you are not going to wander off on your own agenda.

• Altitude is a genuine concern for your family. Elevations on this trip range from roughly 6,000 to 11,000 feet. Altitude sickness is real. My Apple Watch flagged elevated nighttime heart rate and lower blood oxygen every single day we were there, which is completely normal at elevation and everything returned to normal once we were home. But hydration is not optional here. Water, water, and more water from the moment you arrive.

Practical Tips I Wish I'd Had

These are the things nobody tells you until you're already there:

Pack pants. I cannot stress this enough. Horseback riding, cooler mornings, evening temperatures at elevation... pants are not optional. Pack them even if July feels like a shorts-only situation in your brain.

Bring a sunglasses strap holder for rafting. You will get wet on the Snake River. Anything not secured is at risk.

Start motion sickness medication the day before winding road days and stay consistent. Don't wait until you feel carsick. The roads between destinations are beautiful and winding and will work against you if you're not prepared.

Old Faithful Inn in summer: set your expectations. It is worth seeing once. The history and architecture are genuinely remarkable and it is worth knowing that the design inspired Disney's Wilderness Lodge in Orlando. But the "newer" wing built around 1929 has no air conditioning. Bring a fan and plan for a warm night.

Service throughout the trip runs at a relaxed pace. Especially in Wyoming, where the culture is unhurried and meals take time. Build that expectation in from day one and it becomes part of the charm rather than a source of frustration.

The Nat Geo Junior Ranger book is a wonderful activity for younger kids on longer travel days. Worth grabbing before you leave.

JAC, Jackson Hole Airport, has no flights after 11pm and sits inside a National Park. Plan your departures accordingly and give yourself a relaxed morning on your final day.

Would I Do It Again?

Yes. Without question.

I would return to Jackson Hole and stay at the Wort Hotel again. I would return to Brooks Lake Lodge in a completely different season and experience it in a new way. I would skip the night at Old Faithful Inn if I had the choice.

And I would still choose Adventures by Disney to take me there, because the guides make the whole thing work in a way that independent travel simply cannot replicate. Jen and Eileen were extraordinary. The logistics were seamless. The moments that mattered most, Frog's hidden Mickey, the archery session that ran long because nobody wanted to stop, the rainstorm ride on the last day, happened because we were in the right place at the right time with people who knew exactly how to hold the space for them.

That is the ABD difference. And Wyoming delivered it in full.

Thinking About This Trip?

Adventures by Disney Wyoming reserves well in advance, and the Brooks Lake Lodge portion of the trip is a significant part of why. ABD buys out the entire property for most of the summer, and availability moves quickly.

If this itinerary is calling to you, I'd love to help you think through whether it's the right fit for your family, which departure date makes sense, and what to expect at every stage of the trip. I just came back. There is very little I can't answer right now.

Reach out and let's talk Wyoming or another ABD itinerary that calls to you.

The mountains are waiting. And so is Frog.