ABD has changed their deposit and cancellation policy effective 1/1/16

[DisneyKevin]

Updated Adventures by Disney Cancellation Policy
Effective Jan. 1, 2016, Adventures by Disney® is making the following changes for all new bookings and products:

The deposit amount will change from $300 per person to 10% of the vacation fare.

·The final payment due date will change from 90 days prior to departure to 120 days prior to departure

·The cancellation penalty will change to:

·120+ days = deposit

·90-119 days = 50%

·46-89 days = 75%

·0-45 days = 100%

You will have the existing 14 day window in which to cancel for a full refund. After 14 days, the cancellation penalty window will begin.

Please note that this is the new ABD policy and not that of Dreams Unlimited Travel.

 

[sayhello]

Well *THAT* is certainly going to put a cramp on me booking early any more! A lot more too lose if I have to cancel! At least with deposit and cancellation policies like that for DCL, the whole thing is refundable up until paid in full date. Here, you're committed to 10% of a LOT of money after only 2 weeks.

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Um ... ABD when we were talking about changing the cancellation policy we meant *your* side of the cancellation policy (i.e. more than 60 days out and setting minimums). But seriously, I'm beginning to think they have completely lost touch with their customer base. I have one more trip with ABD this summer (that I would have cancelled if I could have), but after that, I suspect I'm done. For a family of 4 those numbers become pretty astronomical. More chipping away at a product that was once so wonderful. Really sad.

 

[sayhello]

Um ... ABD when we were talking about changing the cancellation policy we meant *your* side of the cancellation policy (i.e. more than 60 days out and setting minimums). But seriously, I'm beginning to think they have completely lost touch with their customer base. I have one more trip with ABD this summer (that I would have cancelled if I could have), but after that, I suspect I'm done. For a family of 4 those numbers become pretty astronomical. More chipping away at a product that was once so wonderful. Really sad.

Yep, I totally agree. I used to be a huge ABD cheerleader, but they're doing everything possible to turn me off! So very sad!

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

Um ... ABD when we were talking about changing the cancellation policy we meant *your* side of the cancellation policy (i.e. more than 60 days out and setting minimums). But seriously, I'm beginning to think they have completely lost touch with their customer base. I have one more trip with ABD this summer (that I would have cancelled if I could have), but after that, I suspect I'm done. For a family of 4 those numbers become pretty astronomical. More chipping away at a product that was once so wonderful. Really sad.

Totally agree. I was done with ABD after our 2014 trip. From personal experience, I know there are companies with itineraries and service that is just as good or better. I would love for ABD to do something to change my mind. Instead they continue to do just the opposite.

 

[OKW Lover]

Very disappointed in the new policy.

 

[carpenta]

I gave them one more chance even after they cancelled the Italy trip with little time and went ahead and tried to book Norway and that was a fiasco..........it is as if the "bosses" are trying to flush a previous great company down the "crapper"......

 

[calypso726]

Well that blows chunks. This makes it less likely that I would book anything right away.

 

[TXTransplant]

Count me in as another who thinks this policy change is terrible! The ONLY thing that could possibly make it palatable is if ABD starts guaranteeing trips when they take your final payment at the 120 day mark. I don't expect that will happen, though. Unless something significant changes, I will be hard pressed to book another ABD after our 2016 trip.

 

[tgeorge]

I am in agreement with everyone else! Now, the longer I wait to book the more expensive it could potentially be. Not a win for anyone (except ABD). I can't even begin to imagine that deposit for an entire family! Plus, the fact that they can cancel your trip at anytime (unless you book a guarantee date). I totally understand that they are a business and one that is in business to make money,but at some point you really have to take a look at your practices to determine if you're losing your customer base.

 

[Calfan]

Totally agree with all the comments from those who have already posted. We had already made somewhat of a turn away from ABD because we prefer a smaller group experience (and my fabulous recent experience with NatGeo with 14 guests and 3 guides helped prove that point), but this change, along with some of the negative itinerary changes and ABD's failure to guarantee many of their trips, pretty much seals the deal for us in terms of future travel being with other companies (NatGeo, Thomson Family Adventures, etc.). We are thinking potentially about Backstage Magic in 2017 which, for obvious reasons, we can't do with another tour company. But this would be in conjunction with a more major trip during the holidays in 2017 that we are very likely to do with a company other than ABD. At some point, the chipping away at the itineraries, the cancellation of trips with not much notice and now this policy change all just leave a bad taste in the mouth about ABD. Sad, because we loved loved loved our Scotland ABD (again, before some very negative itinerary changes, IMO) and really enjoyed Central Europe. I've already said my piece about the Baltics add-on.

This cancellation policy change really does make the benefit that DVC members have of always getting opening day pricing much more significant. (Crossing my fingers that benefit doesn't also get the axe at some point.) At least DVC members can take a wait and see approach before booking and not have to worry about price increases occurring. That issue really puts non-DVC members between a rock and a hard place.

I'm very interested to see if ABD can continue with these negative changes and still fill their trips. Despite a lot of similar griping on the cruise board, the cruises still seem to fill. Unless folks actually vote with their feet, I'm not sure Disney (whether ABD or DCL) will have much incentive to swing the pendulum back toward changes that benefit the traveler.

 

[carpenta]

.............it seems that ABD has gotten a memo from the corporation to cut back and monetize more aspects of it's business. I think ABD is much like ESPN with calls to "slim down" and ESPN is now actually laying a lot of personal off. Disney has skyrocketed into a huge corporation with a need to beat last quarters "numbers" to keep the stock price up.........I guess Star Wars can only carry you so far.

 

[laceltris3]

We may ultimately book BSM, but I am glad that we booked Tauck for 2016. ABD's policies keep getting less and less customer friendly.

 

[carpenta]

We may ultimately book BSM, but I am glad that we booked Tauck for 2016. ABD's policies keep getting less and less customer friendly.

....which Tauck trip? We will do our third Tauck trip next May. Every time they get better and better IMO.

 

[Rapunzellover]

I'd just like to point out that Tauck asks for 600 dollars a person deposit, which is virtually the equivalent of 10 percent.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

These changes have me seriously considering booking with another tour company for our African safari in 2017.

Losing a $300.00 deposit per person is not ideal, but palatable if one has to cancel. Losing 10% of the cost of the trip -- I am left speechless by this change. If I look at our China trip, we would currently be out $600.00 if we had to cancel. With the new changes, we would be out almost $2,000.00. That's a significant difference.

I really like that Thomson has "teen" trips and trips for families with younger children. They have a number of safaris in a few countries (as opposed to just one) and their lodgings sound amazing.

ABD was wonderful while it lasted, but after China we will almost certainly part ways with them.

 

[laceltris3]

....which Tauck trip? We will do our third Tauck trip next May. Every time they get better and better IMO.

We are doing Costa Rica for Spring Break. My youngest is almost 5 and we wanted something that would be fun for him. He's a very good traveler. In any case, the kids preferred the TB itinerary to ABD, and as a family of 5, the longer trip and lower price were nice as well.

 

[RSM]

It seems as though many of the changes have only downside for the customer, with the exception of the new policy around triples. It would be nice if ABD provided some upside options for their customers. For example, if you are willing to pay the entire bill at the time of booking they would give you a 5% discount off the total. Something like this could incent people to pay in advance, and they would be less likely to cancel. Just a thought, I'm sure there are a bunch of other things they could do which would be right for their business, while at least providing the appearance of customer advocacy.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Well this is really too bad. We have our first ABD booked for next August (Alaska), but because of the lack of guarantee and the higher price we came very close to not doing it. In the end however the ABD dates and itinerary worked better for us than the Tauck Alaska trip, so we went with ABD.

I just received from Tauck a box full of brochures for all their trips, and am happily browsing them at night - pretty sure our 2017 big trip will be through them.

 

[carpenta]

We are doing Costa Rica for Spring Break. My youngest is almost 5 and we wanted something that would be fun for him. He's a very good traveler. In any case, the kids preferred the TB itinerary to ABD, and as a family of 5, the longer trip and lower price were nice as well.

We looked at Costa Rica also but over Christmas vacation. We chose California for next year with Tauck. They do a great job with the kids IMO.