Anyone have their ABD canceled?

So, right now there is just a fear of cancellation, no trips are canceled? We are booked for southern CA in October and there are 10 signed up. It's adults only and starts October 11th. We booked our airfare privately. How can I know if this is guaranteed to go? Our wedding anniversary is October 12 and we picked this trip so it fell over our anniversary.

why are people concerned? Is there some *recent* threat that trips ARE being cancelled? We have never taken an ABD before and are using this as a test run. We booked this trip the day it was available last year. I do not want to have to worry that our once a year vacation could be cancelled last minute. Do I need to have a backup plan? What is the *recent* history? Seems good as far as I can tell. Am I missing some new threat?

White Rose said:

So, right now there is just a fear of cancellation, no trips are canceled? We are booked for southern CA in October and there are 10 signed up. It's adults only and starts October 11th. We booked our airfare privately. How can I know if this is guaranteed to go? Our wedding anniversary is October 12 and we picked this trip so it fell over our anniversary.

why are people concerned? Is there some *recent* threat that trips ARE being cancelled? We have never taken an ABD before and are using this as a test run. We booked this trip the day it was available last year. I do not want to have to worry that our once a year vacation could be cancelled last minute. Do I need to have a backup plan? What is the *recent* history? Seems good as far as I can tell. Am I missing some new threat?

Click to expand...

There is a fear of cancellation because ABD changed their cancellation policy at some point in the not too distant past, but no one on this board (including the TA who posted early on) seems to know WHEN it was changed. The old policy (apparently) was that once the departure date was within about 75 days, the trip was guaranteed from cancellation because of too few guests (obviously, it could be cancelled for other reasons, but not this one). The new policy is that ABD can cancel the trip at ANY TIME, including because there are too few guests. A few posters here have indicated that they are pretty certain that the new policy did not apply to their 2014 trips. My guess is this new policy went into effect on 2015 trips. Since it's only March, there is no data to even speculate on how ABD may be applying this new policy.

My specific issue comes from the fact that in the next week, I owe ABD my final payment, and I still need to buy airline tickets - all in, it's over $10k. I was about to pull the trigger on $3600 worth of airline tickets yesterday when a little voice in my head reminded me of this thread. So, I emailed my TA and asked how many people are on my trip. She replied that ABD told her that there are 14 on my trip, and that ABD will not guarantee the trip at this point, nor will they give any date between now and our departure date after which the trip will be guaranteed to not be cancelled for too few guests. The best ABD would do is say that previous trips have gone with 14 people, and they do not take cancellations lightly and do everything they can to prevent them. Needless to say, this did not put my mind at ease. My TA also offered to purchase my airline tickets through ABD, so that in the event of an ABD cancellation, they will either pay to have them rebooked or will refund the entire cost.

While I do not think ABD will cancel the night before the trip (or even a few weeks before the trip), they could cancel the trip at a point at which I am unable to rebook a COMPARABLE vacation (either with ABD, with another company, or on my own). Basically, there is a chance that my son and I could end up with NO vacation.

Now, there are guaranteed departures for certain trips. The only one for our itinerary that would have worked for us was in August. I've been to Germany in August, and frankly, it would NOT be my first choice in travel time (I also think this trip cost a little more, but I could be wrong on that). However, had I known that trip was a guaranteed departure, I probably would have booked it instead. However, ABD does not indicate which trips are guaranteed on their website, and my TA did not bring this up when I inquired about booking. That August trip is now sold out, so it's not an option. Additionally, if I were to proactively change my trip now to another date/trip that either has more guests booked or has a guaranteed departure, ABD expects me to pay the difference in the price at the time I booked vs the price now.

The bottom line is this new cancellation policy absolutely stinks, and ABD isn't being proactive on their end to inform people about the guaranteed departure trips. Everything I am dealing with now was 100% preventable had ABD been more forthcoming about their policies. Instead, they have put me between a rock and a hard place where the only options to correct the situation in a timely manner will cause me to incur a financial penalty (either lose my $600 deposit or pay more money to book a different ABD trip).

We were cancelled (Italy trip) within the 75 day non-cancel time last year as well as others on this board who were to be on the same trip. No reason was given only " we were not able to offer the true Disney experience" or something close to that. This trip had 36 travelers. We were "screwed" for the fact that we already purchased the airfare. Luckily we were able to book with another company but still cost us $300.00 to change the date to fly. Not too happy a camper.......and not even an apology from ABD.......Like you we need some definite dates to travel and only expect a cancellation for an act of God, natural disaster, or war. Our vacations are too precious to us so we now make back up plans so we have somewhere we can travel that week.

carpenta said:

We were cancelled (Italy trip) within the 75 day non-cancel time last year as well as others on this board who were to be on the same trip. No reason was given only " we were not able to offer the true Disney experience" or something close to that. This trip had 36 travelers. We were "screwed" for the fact that we already purchased the airfare. Luckily we were able to book with another company but still cost us $300.00 to change the date to fly. Not too happy a camper.......and not even an apology from ABD.......Like you we need some definite dates to travel and only expect a cancellation for an act of God, natural disaster, or war. Our vacations are too precious to us so we now make back up plans so we have somewhere we can travel that week.

Click to expand...

I wonder if the situation with y'all's trip is what led them to officially change the policy?

The current policy also states that ABD will possibly refund/pay change fees for airfare not purchased through ABD (I asked for the policy from my TA last night). The "ifs" include if the airfare was a reasonable cost to begin with and if the customer does everything possible to minimize the change fees. I'm assuming these ifs are to give ABD an out for passengers who book really expensive airfare, like first class. But I really don't understand why ABD wasn't willing to help you out with your airfare costs when they cancelled your trip.

TXTransplant said:

I'm assuming these ifs are to give ABD an out for passengers who book really expensive airfare, like first class. But I really don't understand why ABD wasn't willing to help you out with your airfare costs when they cancelled your trip.

Click to expand...

We are going first class because my hubby uses his miles to get the upgrades. He is a business traveler. I think it is reasonable - if for some reason - *Disney cancels the trip*, that they would reimburse us in some way, no matter if we went first class or coach. I'm very nervous about booking an over-seas ABD though. We've been on Disney and non-Disney cruises and overseas trips and never had to worry about them being 'canceled'. (Well, except one flight to the west coast where our flight was cancelled - but not the whole trip!)

I think that should be taken into consideration when cancelling the trip, that they would have to somehow reimburse anyone who booked air fare: first class, coach class or business class.

White Rose said:

We are going first class because my hubby uses his miles to get the upgrades. He is a business traveler. I think it is reasonable - if for some reason - *Disney cancels the trip*, that they would reimburse us in some way, no matter if we went first class or coach. I'm very nervous about booking an over-seas ABD though. We've been on Disney and non-Disney cruises and overseas trips and never had to worry about them being 'canceled'. (Well, except one flight to the west coast where our flight was cancelled - but not the whole trip!)

I think that should be taken into consideration when cancelling the trip, that they would have to somehow reimburse anyone who booked air fare: first class, coach class or business class.

Click to expand...

Generally, with points, you pay a "restocking fee" for the points to revert back. But the wording still says "a reasonable cancellation service fee". "Reasonable" is, unfortunately, pretty subjective.

But it's untrue to say that you don't have to worry about Disney cruises being cancelled. I know folks who were booked on back-to-back cruises, one the last Med cruise of the season, and then the re-positioning cruise. The first cruise was taken over by a private party of some sort, and they lost their reservation for that cruise. They were offered to move the reservation to another cruise, or get a refund, but it screwed up the whole back-to-back bit, because there wasn't another Med cruise adjacent to the Trans-atlantic. I've seen that sort of thing happen more than once.

carpenta said:

We were cancelled (Italy trip) within the 75 day non-cancel time last year as well as others on this board who were to be on the same trip. No reason was given only " we were not able to offer the true Disney experience" or something close to that. This trip had 36 travelers. We were "screwed" for the fact that we already purchased the airfare. Luckily we were able to book with another company but still cost us $300.00 to change the date to fly. Not too happy a camper.......and not even an apology from ABD.......Like you we need some definite dates to travel and only expect a cancellation for an act of God, natural disaster, or war. Our vacations are too precious to us so we now make back up plans so we have somewhere we can travel that week.

Click to expand...

TXTransplant said:

I wonder if the situation with y'all's trip is what led them to officially change the policy?

The current policy also states that ABD will possibly refund/pay change fees for airfare not purchased through ABD (I asked for the policy from my TA last night). The "ifs" include if the airfare was a reasonable cost to begin with and if the customer does everything possible to minimize the change fees. I'm assuming these ifs are to give ABD an out for passengers who book really expensive airfare, like first class. But I really don't understand why ABD wasn't willing to help you out with your airfare costs when they cancelled your trip.

Click to expand...

I think I found the wording that "justifies" what ABD did. (NOT that I agree with their policy or justification AT ALL!!!!)

The FAQ says,

If we cancel your trip prior to its commencement because there are too few Guests: (i) we will attempt to re-book you on another departure of the same itinerary, subject to availability, and we will bear any reasonable airline re-booking charges; however, if we are unable to rebook you, we will issue a full refund of your land package price and Plan (unless you have filed a claim); and (ii) if you booked airfare through us, we will issue a full refund of your airfare; and (iii) if you did not book airfare through us, we will reimburse you for your reasonable out-of-pocket (subject to proof) airline cancellation charges or, in the case of bookings using frequent flier miles, a reasonable cancellation service fee, provided you have exercised best efforts to mitigate such charges/fees; and (iv) the aforesaid payments and/or rebooking by us shall constitute a full settlement.

Click to expand...

Note the two bolded parts. If you reschedule your ABD, they'll pay your airfare re-booking charges. If you cancel the ABD, they'll pay your airfare cancellation charges. The version that's missing is if you cancel their trip, but don't cancel the airfare. No-where do they mention paying the change fees if you cancel the ABD, then change the ticket to travel either on your own or with another company. I think that's a ridiculous distinction to make, but maybe that means what you need to do is look into cancelling your ticket, getting a refund, then actually re-booking a new ticket for the other dates. It seems ridiculous, and would have to be evaluated based on which one would cost you more. It seems it would be so much easier and cheaper for ABD just to pay the change fees whether you cancel or change the ticket. Either way, they caused the expense...

Sayhello

sayhello said:

I think I found the wording that "justifies" what ABD did. (NOT that I agree with their policy or justification AT ALL!!!!)

The FAQ says,
Note the two bolded parts. If you reschedule your ABD, they'll pay your airfare re-booking charges. If you cancel the ABD, they'll pay your airfare cancellation charges. The version that's missing is if you cancel their trip, but don't cancel the airfare. No-where do they mention paying the change fees if you cancel the ABD, then change the ticket to travel either on your own or with another company. I think that's a ridiculous distinction to make, but maybe that means what you need to do is look into cancelling your ticket, getting a refund, then actually re-booking a new ticket for the other dates. It seems ridiculous, and would have to be evaluated based on which one would cost you more. It seems it would be so much easier and cheaper for ABD just to pay the change fees whether you cancel or change the ticket. Either way, they caused the expense...

Sayhello

Click to expand...

I was sent info yesterday (from ABD via my TA) with wording that is just slightly different...I've copied and pasted what I was sent below directly from ABD's email. I am not sure what an airline "cancellation fee" is...is this the entire cost of the ticket, or simply some extra fee the airlines charge (above and beyond the price of the ticket(s)) if you cancel? Do airlines even charge a "cancellation fee"? I thought they just kept whatever non-refundable fare you paid when you booked. I can't imagine them being allowed to charge an additional cancellation fee when they are already keeping the money you paid for the tickets.

I tried to book airfare through ABD today, however, I am uncertain as to whether our passports have our first and last names or our first, middle, and last names, or our first name, middle initial, and last name. I was told that if the ticket doesn't match the passport EXACTLY (including middle name or middle initial), the airline won't honor the ticket. I think this is odd, because I fly domestic all the time and even though my DL has my first, middle, and last name, I am allowed to fly with a ticket that only has my first and last name. I haven't flown internationally in almost 15 years, so maybe things are different. As a side note, ABD is able to give me the same airfare that I found on the airline's website.


Below is what the policy would be for a reservation that is canceled by Adventures by Disney:

In the event that an Adventure is canceled, Guests currently booked on the Adventure (or travel agents, if booked through a travel agency) will be contacted. Typically, the options provided are as follows:

• First option is to rebook the Guests on another departure of the same itinerary (based on availability) and Adventures by Disney will handle any reasonable airline rebooking charges.
• If Adventures by Disney is unable to rebook the Guests on another departure, Guests will receive a full refund of the land package price (Adventure and pre- or post-night hotel stay) and the cost of the Vacation Protection Plan.

• • If the Guest has already filed a claim through the Vacation Protection Plan, the premium is non-refundable.
  • If airfare is booked through Adventures by Disney, the Guest will be issued a full refund of the air cost.

If airfare is not booked through Adventures by Disney, the Guest will be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket airline cancellation fees (provided the Guest has exercised their best efforts to reduce the cancellation fees).

• The Guest will need to make the changes to their air directly through the air carrier or air provider.
• Once the changes are completed and paid for, the Guest will need to send the following information to Guest Communications:

• • Original ticket price per Guest
  • Proof of payment
  • Price of new tickets
  • Confirmation of new ticket purchase

• Attachments via e-mail can only be 2MB or less in size.
• Once the required documentation have been submitted, Guest Communications will contact the Guest directly to discuss next steps.

I agree with you Sayhello that to save face ABD should reimburse the $300.00 especially today where social media is king. We bought non-refundable tickets so to cancel was not a choice. It seems a billion dollar parent company should take notice of something that is not a positive for their company. Who knows?

Well, that part of the wording is for airfare NOT booked through ABD. So if you book with ABD, you shouldn't have a problem.

I don't have anything to add to the cancellation discussion but can confirm that your passport must match your ticket for international flights now. What usually happens is they call passengers to the desk at the gate and check this well before boarding. Occasionally our passports are checked at our home airport, but always at the connecting one from which our international flight departs.

When I book an ABD with my TA, she always confirms our passport details for her files, which she then shares with Disney. It sounds like you called ABD directly about your flights, but if the problem is that you don't have immediate access to your passports (I know some people keep them at a safe deposit box at a bank), perhaps you TA has the wording of names and could let Disney know?

My husband is a "jr" and there was a time when we were a little sloppy about getting that onto flight reservations and, while were able to adjust it at the airport going out, it was much more difficult at the foreign airport trying to get home. We ended up losing our reserved seats because the system kicked out the reservation. We weren't kept from flying, but it was a hassle and now we are super careful to get things exactly right.

kristilew said:

I don't have anything to add to the cancellation discussion but can confirm that your passport must match your ticket for international flights now. What usually happens is they call passengers to the desk at the gate and check this well before boarding. Occasionally our passports are checked at our home airport, but always at the connecting one from which our international flight departs.

When I book an ABD with my TA, she always confirms our passport details for her files, which she then shares with Disney. It sounds like you called ABD directly about your flights, but if the problem is that you don't have immediate access to your passports (I know some people keep them at a safe deposit box at a bank), perhaps you TA has the wording of names and could let Disney know?

My husband is a "jr" and there was a time when we were a little sloppy about getting that onto flight reservations and, while were able to adjust it at the airport going out, it was much more difficult at the foreign airport trying to get home. We ended up losing our reserved seats because the system kicked out the reservation. We weren't kept from flying, but it was a hassle and now we are super careful to get things exactly right.

Click to expand...

Good to know. My TA is working with ABD to get our flights. She does have our names and passport numbers, but she doesn't have a copy of the actual passport. I would have to look at them to know for sure how are names are listed. She won't book the flight until I confirm because she doesn't want to run the risk of having problems down the road. I appreciate her looking out for us. This is just one more hurdle in what has become an extremely challenge process to "finalize" this trip.

I will just chime in to say that we tried to add air through ABD last year, and were told that we wouldn't be able to pick seats and that they would be assigned by the carrier. As a family with two children and myself and my husband both well over 6' tall, seat selection is essential. Now, I just took this information and booked it myself, I don't know if we could have gone back to the airline and added seats before our departure. However, for our flight to Rome this summer, I wasn't willing to risk it so I just booked directly again and added our own trip insurance.

Diane0977 said:

I will just chime in to say that we tried to add air through ABD last year, and were told that we wouldn't be able to pick seats and that they would be assigned by the carrier. As a family with two children and myself and my husband both well over 6' tall, seat selection is essential. Now, I just took this information and booked it myself, I don't know if we could have gone back to the airline and added seats before our departure. However, for our flight to Rome this summer, I wasn't willing to risk it so I just booked directly again and added our own trip insurance.

Click to expand...

I finally got our air booked today through ABD via my TA. She sent me an itinerary to preview before purchasing, and it did have seat assignments (this was on United). I had already looked online to see what seats were available, and I requested that she change our seats for the outgoing flight (the seats on the flight home were fine). She was able to switch the seats without any problem. Maybe it helps because we are only a party of two? I know our flights are on planes with configurations that will not allow four people to sit together. Also, I had the option to book a United flight or a United code-share flight with Lufthansa. The Lufthansa code-share flight would not allow you to book seats, even on the United website (there was a message saying seats would be assigned at a later date). So maybe it also depends on the airline?

Diane0977 said:

I will just chime in to say that we tried to add air through ABD last year, and were told that we wouldn't be able to pick seats and that they would be assigned by the carrier. As a family with two children and myself and my husband both well over 6' tall, seat selection is essential. Now, I just took this information and booked it myself, I don't know if we could have gone back to the airline and added seats before our departure. However, for our flight to Rome this summer, I wasn't willing to risk it so I just booked directly again and added our own trip insurance.

Click to expand...

I've booked my flights through ABD multiple times, and they generally don't do seat assignments, nor can they upgrade to say, Economy Plus on United. But once ABD booked the tickets, I got a normal reservation number, and was able to go onto the airline's website and choose the seats myself. As TXTransplant says, the exception to that is some foreign airline codeshares. But you wouldn't be able to do choose the seats on the foreign airline codeshare even if you booked it yourself. I've had to either go to the foreign airline's website to choose them, or sometimes I've had to call them. But I've *ALWAYS* gotten the seat assignments I wanted. The exception to this would be airlines like British Airways, which doesn't let *anyone* pick seats prior to 24 hours before your flight (unless you pay a lot of extra money for the privilege).

Sayhello

Those responses help! I hadn't thought of going through the airline itself after the booking is completed. We may consider that next time, as it is already too late for our flights this summer.

I made the final payment on our trip the other day, and when our agent ran my CC, she said the guest count is up to 18. I'm hoping that's enough to keep the trip from being cancelled for having too few guests (although I know it can be cancelled for any other reason).