Any initial feedback from the first Baltic cruise ABD add-on?

[paddles]

Were the meals at least some place central so folks could take off to shop/look around and get back when the bus was ready to depart? I agree...I don't want to waste 2 hours/day on lunch! ABD - if you're reading this, please speed up the meals!! These add-ons are much too expensive to waste time.

I'm really hoping these add-ons are worth it, but reading this thread has me worried there are no "surprises" or VIP-type inclusions.

 

[evilipoo]

Did you think the value of this add on was worth it, verses the land ABD's?

We've never done a land ABD, but I have to say that no, I did not think that what we got justified $2100pp. That comes out to $500 per day... You can buy a LOT of port adventures for $500 a day, pp. We wanted to avoid the hassle of different currencies, tipping, etc... We did, but it sure was (too) costly.

 

[evilipoo]

I do agree with evilipoo, we did spend a lot of time at lunch. Did we ever sit by you at lunch, evilipoo?

I don't think so... but maybe... Were you at Table 8?

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I'm really hoping these add-ons are worth it, but reading this thread has me worried there are no "surprises" or VIP-type inclusions.

I agree! I'm really surprised and disappointed to hear that there isn't anything extra. I was kind of banking on that.

That comes out to $500 per day... You can buy a LOT of port adventures for $500 a day,

*Exactly!* This is what I kept struggling with. The numbers just didn't add up. I was really close to pulling the plug on it, but decided to gamble and make it a test case. I do think there is going to be a value to the "small group" aspect of it, as well as getting on and off the ship first, but I'm not sure how big of a difference that will make. Not having to worry about PAs was also nice given the stress I had with my first of the two B2B cruises (the Iceland/Norway cruise that I'm not doing with an add-on). I guess I'll have to wait and see. I've done three other ABDs (Ireland, Scotland, and Backstage Magic) so we'll see how it compares. But the add-on itineraries are very bland compared to the "normal" ABDs. IOW not a lot of special things that you can't do on your own. They read like city tour to museum tour to city tour. I was hoping there would be more. The ABBA tour that I was told about was actually a big thing for my kids, so that was a major disappointment to hear that it isn't on there any more.

 

[paddles]

I was really close to pulling the plug on it, but decided to gamble and make it a test case.

I'm right there with you, CaliforniaGirl. I nearly pulled the plug on this, but am giving ABD the benefit of the doubt. That said, I am on the sidelines with ABD in 2016 because I'm struggling with their price vs. value on many of their trips. I feel like they are cutting some corners and trying to save $$ vs. high customer satisfaction.

We leave for our cruise in about a month - and I know we'll have a good time. I don't want to ruin my experience dwelling on this....but I am really disappointed there isn't more to this add-on. I feel like I could have pulled together a better VIP experience by hiring local guides myself and doing certain DCL excursions.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I feel like they are cutting some corners and trying to save $$ vs. high customer satisfaction.

We leave for our cruise in about a month - and I know we'll have a good time. I don't want to ruin my experience dwelling on this....but I am really disappointed there isn't more to this add-on. I feel like I could have pulled together a better VIP experience by hiring local guides myself and doing certain DCL excursions.

I feel exactly the same way re cutting corners. I understand it's a business, but I think they are trying to maximize profit too much at the expense of the product. In the long run I suspect that will be a big mistake. The reason I felt so strongly about ABD is that it is a VIP/luxury product that includes special experiences that can't be replicated elsewhere. Increasingly, that doesn't seem to be the case. The add-on itineraries really are bland (city tours and visits to museums) with very few "special" activities or high end experiences. The change in the Scotland itinerary also this year makes me wonder whether it isn't just the add-ons. I was extremely disappointed to see that change--the Lewis day on the private plane was one of the highlights and a very VIP experience that helped to justify the cost. Backstage magic also seems to be taking a hit. Although not guaranteed Club 33 used to be a possibility and many tours were able to go, they also stopped the visit to Walt's Apartment apparently and the dream suite and no more rides on the Lilly Belle. Access to these is what makes the experience so special. Maybe they are counting on new customers who might not be as savvy about past offerings, but unlike for DCL and the parks, I don't think there is an endless stream of people lining up to take these trips (as can be seen by the low numbers of some of the tours). Cultivating repeat vacationers who are also big marketers for the product (as I have been in the past) should be part of the business plan.

I'm with you though. I'm not going to dwell on it, and go into it with an open mind, but it is a big disappointment to hear that there isn't anything special to round out the otherwise basic itinerary.

 

[sayhello]

This is really sad to hear, because I did the very first ABD cruise add-on ever offered (for my 12-night Med cruise in 2010) and it was such a better value then. The price per day was much better, and a lot of the experiences were taken directly from the land-based ABDs of the same areas, and places where they didn't have ABDs, I felt most of the activities were exceptional. I really felt like between the activities themselves, the VIP on/off the ship, the small numbers on our tours, the excellent local guides, and the on-cruise amenities, it was totally worth the money. It's a shame if it's being diluted down.

Sayhello

 

[aggiedog]

We were waitlisted for the cruise add-on and actually pulled out of the pre-cruise Copenhagen ABD. I couldn't justify the cost for what was advertised. I have to say, we did private tours in Tallinn and SPB, at much cheaper than ABD, and had an absolutely wonderful time. We did DCL PA's for Helsinki and Stockholm and my whole family, parents included, all decided we should have done private tours for those two ports as well. Our time in Copenhagen (3 days on our own prior to the cruise) was fabulous, the hotel was perfect (Scandic Palace), and I wouldn't change a thing.

Not posting to say we did it better, just adding my 2 cents that for those particular ABDs, looking at what was included, it didn't seem worth the price. We did not skimp on hotels or tours and still came out way ahead on cost. We used the money saved and went to Iceland for 2 nights prior to Copenhagen.

We are, however, signed up for the river cruise next summer. So excited about that one, though I'm actually quite worried my kids will be tremendously unimpressed with the "cruise" after having spent time on the Magic.

 

[evilipoo]

aggiedog, I'm interested in knowing how/where you did you research for private tours. Don't want to get too far off topic, so feel free to PM me if you like.

Thanks in advance.

 

[carpenta]

aggiedog, I'm interested in knowing how/where you did you research for private tours. Don't want to get too far off topic, so feel free to PM me if you like.

Thanks in advance.

...you can go to Cruise Critic for reviews of tours.

 

[paddles]

TripAdvisor also has good reviews of tours as well.

I do hope ABD is reading these boards and making some adjustments to the add-ons for the ones coming up in July. The feedback so far on these boards just hasn't been good for the Baltic cruise add-on, so it will probably affect sell through for next year's tours.

I have made some peace with it since we downgraded our room on DCL, and saving over $5k from going from a verandah to an Ocean view room...this helps justify the cost of the ABD. Also, we are spending 2 1/2 days on our own in Stockholm, so I'll get to see that city very thoroughly.

It's a pity they don't have Faberge museum in SPG, or ABBA museum in Stockholm, or the VIP behind the scenes experience in Tivoli...this would have set the ABD add-on apart.

 

[aggiedog]

Trip advisor. I did a "lessons learned" thread on the DCL forum about our trip. You can search that. I contacted several companies and went with the ones that were responsive and willing to adjust for our multigenerational group. It was so worthwhile. We had great experiences. Made the DCL port adventures pale in comparison. Even my kind of stingy dad was wishing we'd done private tours everywhere.

paddles, one thing I decided (after the fact) was a verandah is not a must on this itinerary. For this Texas girl, it was too cold to sit and enjoy the sights. A large porthole would have been just fine. Be at peace with your decision!

 

[paddles]

paddles, one thing I decided (after the fact) was a verandah is not a must on this itinerary. For this Texas girl, it was too cold to sit and enjoy the sights. A large porthole would have been just fine. Be at peace with your decision!

Ha! I agree with you on the verandah...we live in Austin and I'm usually shivering if the temperature drops below 70 degrees. I'm sure my daughter will be out swimming every day (she did so on our Alaska cruise as well) despite the temp!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

This is really sad to hear, because I did the very first ABD cruise add-on ever offered (for my 12-night Med cruise in 2010) and it was such a better value then. The price per day was much better, and a lot of the experiences were taken directly from the land-based ABDs of the same areas, and places where they didn't have ABDs, I felt most of the activities were exceptional. I really felt like between the activities themselves, the VIP on/off the ship, the small numbers on our tours, the excellent local guides, and the on-cruise amenities, it was totally worth the money. It's a shame if it's being diluted down.
Sayhello

That was totally my impression of the early Add-ons as well, but I do think they have whittled away and changed the focus. It started with the huge changes to the add-on in Alaska in 2012 (they took off the helicopter ride, etc.) that they ultimately ended up dropping. It seems you are paying for exclusivity of the tour itself now (i.e. instead of a huge DCL Port Adventure group, you have 45 people per port adventure) rather than the activities themselves. The price per day has become exorbitant and they'd eliminated things that used to be included (ship board gratuities, palo meal, etc.). I'm holding out hope to be wowed though

We are, however, signed up for the river cruise next summer. So excited about that one, though I'm actually quite worried my kids will be tremendously unimpressed with the "cruise" after having spent time on the Magic.

We are too! LOL, I'm a little worried about the "cruise" part of the equation as well. My son wasn't too happy to hear there wouldn't be characters

 

[sayhello]

We are, however, signed up for the river cruise next summer. So excited about that one, though I'm actually quite worried my kids will be tremendously unimpressed with the "cruise" after having spent time on the Magic.

We are too! LOL, I'm a little worried about the "cruise" part of the equation as well. My son wasn't too happy to hear there wouldn't be characters

Far be it for me to offer parenting advice but I think you'd want to nip that stuff in the bud, because this is going to be *nothing* like a DCL cruise! (Except for being fantastic!) No characters, no big production shows, no rotational dining, no kids' club (although I imagine they'll have some sort of activities for them while not on shore excursions).

It's an ABD on a riverboat.

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Far be it for me to offer parenting advice but I think you'd want to nip that stuff in the bud, because this is going to be *nothing* like a DCL cruise! (Except for being fantastic!) No characters, no big production shows, no rotational dining, no kids' club (although I imagine they'll have some sort of activities for them while not on shore excursions).

It's an ABD on a riverboat.

Sayhello

LOL, no worries, it's totally nipped! They are used to ABDs as well, so they know what to expect.

 

[aggiedog]

Oh, it's been nipped, but that doesn't stop the comparisons. I keep telling them "hotel on the water!"

 

[carpenta]

On the riverboat you are in port most of the day and evening so you really only eat meals. the distance is not very far between ports so the big excitement early morning is going through a lock or two. On our riverboat cruise (with another company) the kids seemed to be pretty worn out spending the day off the boat so they all seemed to turn in early. Our cruise the company did bring aboard local folk singers and dancers to provide some history to the passengers as well as one night they had a talent show where the crew and kids took turns participating. One night the chef had the kids making strudel which seemed to be a lot of fun. I believe ABD will have plenty to keep the kids entertained.

 

[Mickey&JoshNut]

We were on the second Baltic cruise add on and I have done 2 land adventures...I absolutely loved the ABD add on and felt I got my money's worth. I felt that We did the equivalent of between 2 and 4 excursions a day while in port. I also did not feel that meals were overly long, however they may have adjusted times from the first add on - also in Stockholm we could have left as soon as we were finished eating to go shopping but many in our group stayed and talked and then went out for a bit of shopping. We were informed in the terminal by Dusty when we checked in with ABD that all sgutters photos were included and we were even challenged to see who could get the most pictures....I asked about the ABBA museum and they can only take 22 people at a time to go through so it was not included on the intinerary - the same situation as the Fabrege egg museum...they only allow limited # of guests...I guess everyone has a different experiences on the ABD's and my experience was amazing...I loved James and Dusty and can't wait to take another adventure.

 

[sayhello]

We were on the second Baltic cruise add on and I have done 2 land adventures...I absolutely loved the ABD add on and felt I got my money's worth. I felt that We did the equivalent of between 2 and 4 excursions a day while in port. I also did not feel that meals were overly long, however they may have adjusted times from the first add on - also in Stockholm we could have left as soon as we were finished eating to go shopping but many in our group stayed and talked and then went out for a bit of shopping. We were informed in the terminal by Dusty when we checked in with ABD that all sgutters photos were included and we were even challenged to see who could get the most pictures....I asked about the ABBA museum and they can only take 22 people at a time to go through so it was not included on the intinerary - the same situation as the Fabrege egg museum...they only allow limited # of guests...I guess everyone has a different experiences on the ABD's and my experience was amazing...I loved James and Dusty and can't wait to take another adventure.

I'm so glad to hear this. It's possible they tweaked it based on the feedback from the first departure. I know they pay attention to that sort of thing!

Sayhello