ABD Alaska Cruise Package

[sayhello]

sayhello and msnoble ... thanks for your cost comparisions

Based on your numbers, I'm going to have to look at mine again a little more closely. (I wasn't coming up with that big of a differnence, but then again, I was doing a lot of rough estimating instead of working with exact figures.) $810 extra each is a lot .... that's almost our airfare or an upgrade to first class - which, flying cross country is something to consider.

The one thing I keep coming back to though is that it is unlikely that anyone would be able to do as much at each port of call without the ABD add-on. (I think it would be a logistical nightmare to schedule all that stuff into one day and still make it back to the ship on time. Plus, I vaguely recall reading something about if you "miss the boat" in Alaska, you can't just try to make your way to the next port and get back on. Aparently it's against the law or something. )

Disneymath, I *really* do have to agree with you there. In Ketchikan, it took 3 excursions to equal what ABD was doing. In Skagway and Juneau, both took at least 2 excursions. You being able to coordinate that yourself would be iffy. In fact, if they're too close together, the DCL system might not let you do it. If you set up independent excursions on your own, then you do have the issue of getting back to the boat in time. You also would have the issue of "this excursion leaves & returns from here, but the next one leaves from a totally different place The logistics of arranging and executing this *is*, definitely, a big advantage to the ABD add-on.

I've never heard that about the "not just making it to the next port" to rejoin the ship thing. I know it would be difficult, because Juneau is completely cut off from the rest of the Inside passage. The only way in or out is by ship or plane. There are no roads over the mountains that surround it. So you'd have to arrange some sort of flight to get either there from Skagway, or from there to Ketchikan.

We will review everything after the Cruise, logistics is the biggest point-In a once in a life time trip-you do not want to worry about getting back to the ship on time or any other issues-We do really enjoy the small group for dinner and all events

Yep. As I said to disneymath, it *is* the logistics that make the ABD really worth it.

Sayhello

 

[disneymath]

Okay, so I’ve played with the numbers a little bit more and here’s what I come up with – I’ve based this per adult. I’ve tried to match up what ABD is doing with equivalent DCL excursions, I had a bit of trouble in Skagway as so many DCL excursions include the White Pass Rail. I guessed most of the onboard extra values ... if they seem off, please let me know!

Onboard Extras = $457
Welcome Reception = $25
Session with Ship’s Naturalist = $25
Palo with Wine = $40
Animation Lesson = $25
Farewell Reception = $25
Onboard Gratuities = $84
Ashore Gratuities = $100
Photo CD = $133 ($399 split by 3 adults in cabin)
Skagway Excursions = $353
DCL Yukon Suspension Bridge and Klondike Explorer $69 (using $35, transport covered elsewhere)
DCL City Tour, Gardens & Glass $94
DCL Klondike Gold Dredge & White Pass Railway $176
DCL Skagway’s Original Street Car Tour $48
Juneau Excursions = $768
DCL Dog Sled Adventure by Helicopter $569
DCL Best of Juneau (includes Orca Point Lodge & Glacier with Guide) $199
Ketchikan Excursions = $274
DCL Enhanced Lumberjack Show $40
DCL Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary, Raptor Center and Totems $82
DCL Wilderness Exploration & Crab Feast (George Inlet) $152

Total Value = $1852 Cost of ABD = $2299 Difference = $447

One other thing to consider, there is a typically a helicopter surcharge for passengers weighing more than 250 lbs (gear included). I think on read on a thread here that it’s about $169. A DCL manager confirmed for me with ABD that they will not charge quests this surcharge. (This could add value to the ABD for some people.)

About $120 in gratuities is recommended as a gratuity for the ABD Guides ( 2 x $60).

So by my calculations, for and ADULT, it seems like ADB is about $550 more than booking separate excursions.

 

[carpenta]

We will review everything after the Cruise, logistics is the biggest point-In a once in a life time trip-you do not want to worry about getting back to the ship on time or any other issues-We do really enjoy the small group for dinner and all events

I agree with the logic rav4lcrv. We were with DCL in the Med on Corsica and another bus on our similar excursion as us had gotten into a fender bender on the other side of the island. Needless to say "armies" of help were discharged and there was no way the Magic would leave port without the guests aboard. It does give you a sense of confidence and to me that relaxation helps me enjoy the trip even more. Plus the logistics was always flawless.

 

[rav4lcrv]

Anyone else considering adding ABD for this trip?

 

[disneymath]

rav4lcrv ... I started a thread asking this on the DCL board a few days ago. There are a few DISers who have decided to go with ABD. Here's the link:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2658177

 

[csharpwv]

I was on the Wonder last week for the Mexican Riviera and tried to get a quote for the ABD add on - and the Future Cruise Desk couldn't help me - he had no idea about pricing!
Anyone care to share what the pricing is - and what dates are available?

Thanks!

 

[rav4lcrv]

[was on the Wonder last week for the Mexican Riviera and tried to get a quote for the ABD add on - and the Future Cruise Desk couldn't help me - he had no idea about pricing!
Anyone care to share what the pricing is - and what dates are available?




I would suggest calling the Disney Cruise line-we did everything though them for our Med. cruise with ABD and most recently the Alaska cruise in June with ABD

 

[sayhello]

I was on the Wonder last week for the Mexican Riviera and tried to get a quote for the ABD add on - and the Future Cruise Desk couldn't help me - he had no idea about pricing!
Anyone care to share what the pricing is - and what dates are available?

Thanks!

My understanding is that the ABD add-on is available for all but the first couple of Alaska cruises. The cost is:

Adult $2299
Child $2069

Sayhello

 

[disneymath]

My understanding is that the ABD add-on is available for all but the first couple of Alaska cruises. The cost is:

Adult $2299
Child $2069

Sayhello

The adult price is what we are paying for our ABD Alaska add-on in August - we are 3 adults in one cabin and each paying this rate. Not sure about the child rate as there are no children in our cruise party.

 

[pmotto2222]

Great insight! Thanks!

 

[caniac27]

Ok, the first Alaska cruise ABD'ers are off the ship! Reports please!

Oops, my mistake, I think they just boarded. Was the 7th the first group of ABD? It's late, brain not functioning...

 

[sayhello]

Ok, the first Alaska cruise ABD'ers are off the ship! Reports please!

Oops, my mistake, I think they just boarded. Was the 7th the first group of ABD? It's late, brain not functioning...

Yes, June 7th is the first Alaska cruise to include the ABD add-on. They just left today. I'm really looking forward to hearing their reports!

Sayhello

 

[jilljill]

Let's hope there are some ABD'ers onboard that are also on DIS to hear reports.

 

[sayhello]

Let's hope there are some ABD'ers onboard that are also on DIS to hear reports.

Exactly!!

Sayhello

 

[pjc4925]

Just got off the boat and checked into a Vancouver airport for post cruise relaxation day. We did do the ABD add on and never having experienced that portion of Disney before, I can tell you it was excellent. Unfortunately I missed meeting up with other DIS'ers. The ABD add on was with one other family. They also had three other guides join us with our two official guides. The cruise was everything we expected. This was my third Disney cruise, but first time to Alaska. My wife and two daughters were with me. My youngest daughter was too young to do the ABD so we brought my sister, mother, and in laws with us to help keep an eye on here while we went off the boat. Since the group was so small they had no problem including the rest of our family in the onboard events (except Palo, which we skipped anyways as it fell on formal night). The two guides were Landon and Robyn. They were genuinely concerned about us and making sure we had a good time throughout. The helicopter and dog sled events was absolutely breath taking. I liked the lumberjack show as a fun way to spend the day with my 8 year old daughter. The rainforest sacuntuary was a special treat as we were able to get about 10-15 feet away from a bald eagle that had perched on a railing. Skagway was my least favorite part of the trip. I think there could have been a better gold panning destination as the one we went too did not appeare to be popular with visitors. However the tour of Jewel Gardens and the lunch afterwards was very relaxing. The train was nice as I have never done it before with this being my first trip to Alaska. I would have liked to have had more planned events while we were at sea. I will place a lot of that blame on myself though as we wanted early dining and the rest of the group had late dining and probably hung out more either at dinner or after. The four events that we attended on board; welcome resception, naturalist presentation, animators demonstration, and farewell reception were done vith a lot of class and fun. I will look for future ABD trips to take and would likely do an addon for a Mediteranean cruise. The Alaska add on was certeainly worth doing and I have no regrets, but if I were to take another Alaska cruise (which I'm not necessarily sold on doing again) I would likely pass on the ABD portion. Please do not misunderstand that statement as I think it was an excellent value and we had a fabulous time. Getting the pictures at the end from both Shutters and the guides will certainly be icing on the cake!! If there are any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks for reporting in, pjc4925!! You're the first person we've heard back from who did the ABD add-on for Alaska. It's interesting that they didn't cancel it with so few people. That's a good sign! We had Robyn on the Med cruise ABD add-on last year, and I just loved her!

I'm glad that you enjoyed it. You definitely should check out ABD's other trips. I'm sure you'd find one (or two, or three!) that you'd like to do! Be careful! They are addictive!

Here's a link to ABD's website: http://abd.disney.go.com/abd/en_US/index?name=HomePage

Thanks again!
Sayhello

 

[kgsmith]

Thank you for your report! We are anxiously awaiting our August cruise. While I don't want to know everything (I'd still like to be surprised about a few things!), I have a few questions for you.

Did your 8 year old enjoy the ABD activities? My 9 year old is very excited about the helicopter ride and dog sledding. (My husband isn't quite as excited about the helicopter part )

Was there any time for shopping in the three ports?

Here's a logistical question -- About what time are the onboard activities like the animation lesson and farewell reception held? I've made some spa reservations and I'm wondering whether I should move them around a bit.

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip!

 

[pjc4925]

My 8 yeard old had a great time. The guides were very kid friendly (as is everything on Disney). She is very outgoing and meshed well with the guides. There were two other kids in our group (age 12 and 16) and they had a really good time as well. I do not think you will be disappointed.

There was time to shop in Skagway for about an hour. You could go into Juneau at 7 if you wanted to and the bus picked them up in town at 9. However there were only a few shops open at 7 and they mostly opened up at 9. There was no time for shopping in Ketchikan except for a few gift shops at the events we visited.

The receptions were held right around 4-6 in the evening. The animators and naturalist presentation were around noon. Embarkation day was the welcome reception. You should be able to make any spa appointments before noon and should be fine to make all the events. You could get away with booking a spa on Ketchikan day because you don't port until around 1:00 that afternoon.

 

[kgsmith]

Thank you for answering my questions!

 

[Stitch#1]

Thanks for the info. We did the ABD add on for the July 12th cruise and we can't wait!