ABD China 2017

[AlixaLock]

Having never done an ABD (or any group tour for that matter) I'm not so worried about the box (but it sounds fun!) . Personally, I'm also not so worried about destination details, since there is so much info online to be discovered. But I would have loved to have known more about the recommended shots, confirmation of transfer details etc... Overall, nothing that has diminished my excitement, but something Disney could for sure look at.

 

[sayhello]

Personal choice of course, but we (me, my husband and my 9 year old) went ahead and did Typhoid (along with Hep A for the adults) and no ill effects a week later.

Same here. I did Hep A, Hep B and Typhoid, and except for a slightly sore arm and some achyness, no problem.

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

OK Now I am in full-blown panic mode. Going to LA tomorrow to see Michael LOL and JUST realized the Chinese consulate has my passport!!!! Apparently, I can't get it out of there without canceling my application and not getting my Visa in time. So I will disappoint my son horribly, miss his film showcase, not help him move or get ready for China trip. Disaster strikes (which could mean the trip will be amazing if all difficulties are faced ahead of time). Oh peril.

Well, that sucks! Do they have any idea when you might get your passport/visa back?

Am I awful if I say I hope this is all the bad luck for the entire trip?

Sayhello

 

[Karen Stevan]

That is what I was thinking, sayhello. Every time the pre-trip phase is a nightmare, the trip has been beyond fabulous. But I will be a quivering, blubbering idiot by the time I step onto that plane with all this freakish drama. Why didn't I just keep my calm solo trip in September?! My option at the moment (just cancelled LA trip...thank you insurance!) is to get to Vancouver on 6:00 AM flight, run to Canadian embassy and try for emergency tempo passport, then book it to LA at premium jacked-up last-minute rates. Quite the little adventure! And I was worried about a tracking number for a gift box this morning

 

[sayhello]

That is what I was thinking, sayhello. Every time the pre-trip phase is a nightmare, the trip has been beyond fabulous. But I will be a quivering, blubbering idiot by the time I step onto that plane with all this freakish drama. Why didn't I just keep my calm solo trip in September?! My option at the moment (just cancelled LA trip...thank you insurance!) is to get to Vancouver on 6:00 AM flight, run to Canadian embassy and try for emergency tempo passport, then book it to LA at premium jacked-up last-minute rates. Quite the little adventure! And I was worried about a tracking number for a gift box this morning

I'll keep good thoughts for you!! Where are you flying out of to get to Hong Kong?

Sayhello

 

[Karen Stevan]

Michael flies from L.A. to Vancouver; I fly from Campbell River to Vancouver. We meet. We hug. We get on plane to Hong Kong. I am holding my passport. I am smiling. This image keeps me going right now. Pre-trip package optional

 

[sayhello]

Michael flies from L.A. to Vancouver; I fly from Campbell River to Vancouver. We meet. We hug. We get on plane to Hong Kong. I am holding my passport. I am smiling. This image keeps me going right now. Pre-trip package optional

Sayhello

 

[Karen Stevan]

Did everyone get the ABD Asia Zika virus warning today? We are supposed to wear long sleeves and pants and spray with DEET.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Duck de Chine was good. I'm not huge fan of Peking Duck (I am not a meat lover), but it was tasty. They also had a lot of other food options which were delicious. You will be happy with this restaurant. The atmosphere was lovely and everyone had a good time here. Someone in our group had a birthday or anniversary and the staff brought out a nice cake which was divided among everyone who wanted a slice. Capital M (in Shanghai) had a special menu for our group which gave us 3 meal choices. However I asked for something that wasn't on the ABD menu and they happily complied.

I have to say the food on our trip was outstanding. I don't think you will be disappointed. My least favorite meal was the farewell dinner at HK Disneyland because it paled in comparison to the food we had on the tour.

I don't give the pre-tour planning much thought either. The box is nice but I could live without it. I have a shelf in one of my walk-in closets that has ABD items on it - backpacks, iPad holders, luggage tags, fleece blankets, etc. I've never used any of them. The one item that I LOVED was the luggage straps and I'd really, really like another set! Just send me the itinerary booklet and I'm good to go. I realize I'm probably in the minority here.

Thanks for the feedback on the restaurants--really looking forward to it. My favorite ABD gifts have been the original adult backpacks we got back in 2007 (leather bottoms), the baseball cap from the same trip, and the luggage straps as well. I think I had two sets of those: blue and orange.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Did everyone get the ABD Asia Zika virus warning today? We are supposed to wear long sleeves and pants and spray with DEET.

No. Didn't get it

 

[Karen Stevan]

Sent to my travel agent:

Important Information About Your Adventure

Reservation #:


Adventure Start Date:

Lead Guest Name:

Karen Stevan

We appreciate you booking an Adventures by Disney vacation for your client.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a travel alert for countries and territories in Latin America and Asia where Zika virus, a mosquito related illness, has been found.

The precautions and guidance recommended by the CDC are similar to those to prevent other mosquito borne illnesses and include wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants and using EPA-registered insect repellent containing and active ingredient such as DEET, picaridan, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 according to the label instructions. While the most common symptoms are usually mild and include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, pregnant women should pay special attention to the travel alert and take necessary precaution to avoid mosquito bites.

Additional information can be found under the Travelers Health and Zika virus update sections of the CDC website at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices andhttp://www.cdc.gov/zika.

Should you have any questions related to your client's adventure, please feel free to call us at 1-877-728-7282.

Sincerely,

The Cast and Guides
Adventures by Disney

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[Karen Stevan]

Thanks for the feedback on the restaurants--really looking forward to it. My favorite ABD gifts have been the original adult backpacks we got back in 2007 (leather bottoms), the baseball cap from the same trip, and the luggage straps as well. I think I had two sets of those: blue and orange.

My favourite part of the pre-trip package was the adventure book describing the daily activity (and a peek at the pins), and the 30-day countdown. I have enough backpacks and swag and don't care as much about that, but the little book was a highlight and would be worth it for Disney to continue, as seeing what we're specifically looking forward to laid out in a creative way really generates that extra bit of excitement.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Did everyone get the ABD Asia Zika virus warning today? We are supposed to wear long sleeves and pants and spray with DEET.

I don't see any areas on the CDC list that the ABD China trip visits.

I never saw a single mosquito in any of the cities that we visited. Personally I wouldn't even give it a second thought.

 

[AlixaLock]

I don't see any areas on the CDC list that the ABD China trip visits.

I never saw a single mosquito in any of the cities that we visited. Personally I wouldn't even give it a second thought.

It is interesting, because I couldn't find any real reports of Zika in China. Parts of South East Asia for sure, but nothing in China. My doctor did say that Dengue Fever is a concern in China and we should protect against mosquito bites when outside of the city...

 

[Cousin Orville]

I don't see any areas on the CDC list that the ABD China trip visits.

I never saw a single mosquito in any of the cities that we visited. Personally I wouldn't even give it a second thought.

That's my experience, too. I wouldn't worry about it. I can't imagine wearing long sleeve shirts and pants in Hong Kong in the Summer. Literally hotter than WDW in the summer.

 

[sayhello]

I don't see any areas on the CDC list that the ABD China trip visits.

I never saw a single mosquito in any of the cities that we visited. Personally I wouldn't even give it a second thought.

That's my experience, too. I wouldn't worry about it. I can't imagine wearing long sleeve shirts and pants in Hong Kong in the Summer. Literally hotter than WDW in the summer.

Oh, thanks, you two. That's a relief. Long sleeves & pants was just not sounding good at all!!

Sayhello

 

[Calfan]

That's my experience, too. I wouldn't worry about it. I can't imagine wearing long sleeve shirts and pants in Hong Kong in the Summer. Literally hotter than WDW in the summer.

Confirming mosquitoes weren't an issue for us at all last July either. Can't imagine wearing long sleeves and pants in that heat!

 

[Calfan]

25-30 guests would be ideal. But I agree, I don't see them doing this any time soon.

Regarding food, my preference would be both quantity and quality. I don't mind a meal or two on our own, but it seems like the meals on your own have been going too far in the other direction. In Greece there were a ton, and I hated having to figure out where we were going to eat all the time. That's one of the reasons I go with a tour company. Nat Geo covered all the meals except for one dinner, and the food was excellent. Calfan can jog my memory, but I remember one so-so meal in our first guest house. There wasn't much else around though so I don't think they had much to choose from. I can't wait for the Peking Duck!!! All four of us are looking forward to trying it.

More pre-planning would be so easy for them to do. Nat Geo has most of it on their website. They send out a trip specific link after you sign up, and there's tons of information about the trips, cities, currency, what to pack, etc. And if you have any questions, there's your specific person to contact. I can't remember when the box came, but I think it was a month or two out. It had a hat, water bottle, gear bag, luggage tags, book about where we were going, maps, etc. Very nice.

Yes, all but one dinner included on NatGeo (both England Coast to Coast and Ireland hiking) and agree that all were excellent on our England trip other than the average first-night meal.

Personally, I don't like to have more than one or maybe two at the most on your own meals on a group tour. I don't like having to plan meals on my own and think that for the price of these types of trips, meals should be included. It seems like ABD keeps increasing the number of on your own meals in their itineraries, which is definitely a negative for me.

 

[Calfan]

I was wondering what the makeup of our group was. Thanks for the info!

My husband just called and got our Royal Banquet Hall reservations. They did ask if we were staying at the hotel, but it was not a problem that we weren't. She tried to sell us park admission tickets, but it is too early. She said to call back when we have them so she can link them to our dining reservation. I am not sure why. Also, she wanted my husband's passport number. I have heard that you need your passports when entering the park.

We did the VIP private tour at Shanghai DL. I had to provide passport numbers when I booked and was told we would need to show our passports to our tour guide at the beginning of the tour. Our Thomson guide was quite concerned when I told him this, so he called SHDL for us and confirmed we would in fact need them. I don't recall needing to show them to gain park entry, but our tour guide definitely asked for them. I would heed any direction provided by the booking agent for dining, tours, etc. on the passport issue.

 

[CaliKris]

We did the VIP private tour at Shanghai DL. I had to provide passport numbers when I booked and was told we would need to show our passports to our tour guide at the beginning of the tour. Our Thomson guide was quite concerned when I told him this, so he called SHDL for us and confirmed we would in fact need them. I don't recall needing to show them to gain park entry, but our tour guide definitely asked for them. I would heed any direction provided by the booking agent for dining, tours, etc. on the passport issue.

Thanks, @Calfan! Everything I have read says you need your passport to gain park entry. I am sure the ABD guides will let us know when we go with them to Shanghai DL. I am not sure what would happen if someone doesn't have their passport. I don't want to find out, so we will just carry them in a safe place.