Waiting for 2016

[DisneyKevin]

ABD books a certain category of room.

Triples may not be in the right price range.

Suites are available at most hotels, but ABD does not offer them either.

I have had guests book the ABD room and then call the hotel directly and upgrade to a different room category.

I am not guaranteeing that this is possible with all hotels.

 

[carpenta]

Thank you for the info DisneyKevin. It is amazing that ABD (at the high end of per person costs on trips compared to other companies) don't figure into the cost that maybe, just maybe there might be a need for more than two per room. And to charge for two rooms in the single supplement charge is crazy. We travel as a family and want to sleep as a family. We travel with competitors and we have had no problem staying in suites that sleep three and NEVER had to pay more than the standard rate. And the overall costs of similar trips are lees than ABD.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Thank you for the info DisneyKevin. It is amazing that ABD (at the high end of per person costs on trips compared to other companies) don't figure into the cost that maybe, just maybe there might be a need for more than two per room. And to charge for two rooms in the single supplement charge is crazy. We travel as a family and want to sleep as a family. We travel with competitors and we have had no problem staying in suites that sleep three and NEVER had to pay more than the standard rate. And the overall costs of similar trips are lees than ABD.

Disney is priced higher than most competition with almost every product they sell. (WDW, DL, DCL, ABD) and yet hotels sell out, ships sail full and Adventures go on.

We hear this same thing with every product line. It's the cost associated with traveling with Disney.

That being said...there is a certain "mystique" (for lack of a better word) about traveling with Disney.

People in cruise ports that are getting off other ships often have questions about DCL ships and often take photos in front of them.

On almost every Adventure I've been on I've heard guests on other guided tours talk about ABD. They are usually following a guide carrying a broken antennae with a cheap scarf tied around it.

Disney is not a bargain priced product and I don't expect it ever will be.

 

[Cousin Orville]

For those planning on Scotland, just an FYI. It looks like they've taken the day trip to the Isle of Lewis out of the 2016 itinerary. Won't affect me cause we're booking Austria.

Darn it! I really wanted to see that. They just shorted up the whole ABD? Wasn't it 9 or 10 days? That's a major bummer.

 

[sayhello]

Darn it! I really wanted to see that. They just shorted up the whole ABD? Wasn't it 9 or 10 days? That's a major bummer.

I agree with that. Major bummer is putting it mildly. To remove one of the highlights from the trip? Wow. I find that really hard to swallow.

Sayhello

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

Disney is priced higher than most competition with almost every product they sell. (WDW, DL, DCL, ABD) and yet hotels sell out, ships sail full and Adventures go on.

We hear this same thing with every product line. It's the cost associated with traveling with Disney.

That being said...there is a certain "mystique" (for lack of a better word) about traveling with Disney.

People in cruise ports that are getting off other ships often have questions about DCL ships and often take photos in front of them.

On almost every Adventure I've been on I've heard guests on other guided tours talk about ABD. They are usually following a guide carrying a broken antennae with a cheap scarf tied around it.

Disney is not a bargain priced product and I don't expect it ever will be.

I have a girlfriend who was in Costa Rica on a tour this past year and she was at the same hotel as the ABD trip and she said that ABD trip looked like they were having tons of fun and it made her trip seem boring in comparison.

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

Darn it! I really wanted to see that. They just shorted up the whole ABD? Wasn't it 9 or 10 days? That's a major bummer.

In 2015 the trip was 9 days/8 nights. Now it's 8 days/7 nights and missing the Isle of Lewis.

 

[Cousin Orville]

I have a girlfriend who was in Costa Rica on a tour this past year and she was at the same hotel as the ABD trip and she said that ABD trip looked like they were having tons of fun and it made her trip seem boring in comparison.

Haha! I've been in Westminster Abbey and saw a London/Paris ABD group. So jealous!!! I was peaking around corners looking for them...

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

Haha! I've been in Westminster Abbey and saw a London/Paris ABD group. So jealous!!! I was peaking around corners looking for them...

My girlfriend said the ABD group had music, dancing, games etc. Her words were "made my trip look so boring".

 

[carpenta]

......yes the Disney product is not cheap but as others have stated that with the higher price you come to expect a higher quality. WDW is not Six Flags and you pay for the difference. WDW has rooms that sleep xcccmore than 2 people. DCL at least had the idea that families may want to travel together and built cabins that allows multiple passengers in the same cabin, and the pricing lowers on the 3rd and 4th members. I could expect no multiple rooms from a new company but ABD has been at this for a while. Maybe the focus is shifting to adults only trips in the future for they don't make it easy for extended families now.

 

[cmcgardner]

We are looking at the Germany Adult Only trip in 2016. Has anyone noticed any differences between this trip and past Germany trips? Also, does anyone know why there is a $560 price difference between the Sept 16, 2016 departure and the September 23, 2016 departure?

 

[paddles]

We are looking at the Germany Adult Only trip in 2016. Has anyone noticed any differences between this trip and past Germany trips? Also, does anyone know why there is a $560 price difference between the Sept 16, 2016 departure and the September 23, 2016 departure?

The Germany itinerary looks the same as past trips. It's a really good one (with great guides!). The one in later Sept may be more expensive since it's closer to Oktoberfest and Munich hotels may be more.

On another note - I need to chime in on Scotland. I'm surprised they changed the itinerary (and not for the better). That trip was one of their best sellers and ABD is charging much more than when it was first released in 2013, and it still seemed to sell out. So why fix something that ain't broke? This move will hurt the bottom line - definitely not help!

And regarding the Norway trip not having rooms that accommodate 3 people...that's crazy! If a company is positioning themselves as a "family friendly" company, then it needs to deliver - especially when there is such a big premium.

I love Disney, but I need the price/value equation to make sense for me to book a trip. There will be plenty of folks who will still book, but I'm putting myself on the sidelines in 2016 because I'm planning trips on my own that are pretty amazing and half the cost. I'm interested in a River Cruise, but would like to hear feedback before I book (maybe in 2017).

 

[patches07]

Following along

 

[sayhello]

I have a girlfriend who was in Costa Rica on a tour this past year and she was at the same hotel as the ABD trip and she said that ABD trip looked like they were having tons of fun and it made her trip seem boring in comparison.

Haha! I've been in Westminster Abbey and saw a London/Paris ABD group. So jealous!!! I was peaking around corners looking for them...

When I did my London/Paris ABD, folks at the Tower of London were walking away from their Beefeater tour groups, and inching over to where our magnificent local guide Stephen was telling us all about the history of the place in an amazingly animated, fascinating fashion.

Sayhello

 

[kristilew]

So sad...we had been ready to pull the trigger on the Amazon/Galapagos "Christmas" trip for next year but when the dates came out today they are "off" from previous years. The trip now leaves a couple days after Christmas and doesn't end until the weekend college kids go back. A no-go for our DD who will be a freshman by then. I'm sure these dates are even worse for high school or middle school kids, who usually return to school right after New Year's. So disappointing as we have planned our 2016 travel around the hope of this trip. We are on the waitlist for the 2015 departure, but can't imagine that we will get on.

I suppose there is a perfectly good reason for the change, but at this moment of let down it just feels like they don't want families on that particular departure.

 

[Cousin Orville]

So sad...we had been ready to pull the trigger on the Amazon/Galapagos "Christmas" trip for next year but when the dates came out today they are "off" from previous years. The trip now leaves a couple days after Christmas and doesn't end until the weekend college kids go back. A no-go for our DD who will be a freshman by then. I'm sure these dates are even worse for high school or middle school kids, who usually return to school right after New Year's. So disappointing as we have planned our 2016 travel around the hope of this trip. We are on the waitlist for the 2015 departure, but can't imagine that we will get on.

I suppose there is a perfectly good reason for the change, but at this moment of let down it just feels like they don't want families on that particular departure.

Sorry to hear that. The Amazon/Galapagos does look like a very cool trip.

 

[calypso726]

I was also quite shocked as I posted in the other thread to see Isle of Lewis gone from the Scotland itinerary.

Well we did book today for Winter in Wyoming December 28, 2016 - Jan 1, 2017. Anyone else on this adventure? Sayhello, can you add me and W@LL-E to the meets thread for that ABD? Thank you

 

[sayhello]

I was also quite shocked as I posted in the other thread to see Isle of Lewis gone from the Scotland itinerary.

Well we did book today for Winter in Wyoming December 28, 2016 - Jan 1, 2017. Anyone else on this adventure? Sayhello, can you add me and W@LL-E to the meets thread for that ABD? Thank you

Done!

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I was also quite shocked as I posted in the other thread to see Isle of Lewis gone from the Scotland itinerary.

Well we did book today for Winter in Wyoming December 28, 2016 - Jan 1, 2017. Anyone else on this adventure? Sayhello, can you add me and W@LL-E to the meets thread for that ABD? Thank you

Calfan and I have eyed that trip for a while now! I'd love to be able to do it at some point. You'll have to take great notes

 

[tufbuf]

In 2015 the trip was 9 days/8 nights. Now it's 8 days/7 nights and missing the Isle of Lewis.

I had to look back and see what's in the Isle of Lewis... It included the black house, the broch and the Callanish stones. That IS a bummer! All those attractions are only found in Scotland, I wonder why they removed it.