Jaunted

I hate to use business buzzwords, but Disney is clearly leveraging its trusted brand on this one. If prices are competitive, they'll probably chip away at existing tour companies' business by virtue of their dominance, relationships, and marketing power. But I think the larger market will be found among those who rarely travel outside the U.S. at all. After all, only about 27% of Americans currently hold passports. If Disney can guarantee safe, hassle-free, supervised "adventures" to places they've seen on TV but never felt comfortable visiting before, I believe the lines at the passport office might start getting longer. Seen from that perspective, it might be good for the travel market overall if Disney creates a whole new group of globe-trotters that didn't exist before. They'll take their first overseas trips with Disney, and might strike out on their own later once their travel confidence gets a boost.

It's probably not for us, though. It's not fear or lack of information that keeps us from traveling as much as we'd like. It's usually just a matter of scarce time and money. But I will admit, as much as we like to consider ourselves fearless travelers, the idea of letting someone else sweat all the details is somewhat compelling, as long as the experience is still cool.

As for the adventures themselves, early reports are positive: everything runs smoothly, and there's not a costumed character in sight. Disney offers tours of Australia, China, South Africa, Peru, Ireland, Germany, Boston and NYC. Wait a second, what the hell? Disney is offering tours of New York City? People, let's talk. If you're young-ish, open-minded, and not afraid to see the inside of a pub, I can guarantee you a grand NYC adventure for half of what they're charging you. The sofa bed is kind of lumpy, though.

[Photo: Disney]

Related Stories:
· Adventures by Disney [Official Site]
· Disney Ventures Far from the Parks [The New York Times]
· Disney Vacations Coverage [Jaunted]