That’s such a bummer, on both fronts. While it’s nice ABD is being proactive, it sucks that you really can’t count on a booked ABD going being a sure thing now. When I called ABD a couple months ago to see if my December NZ ABD was going, the vacationista said all the 2022 trips (with a couple of exceptions) were going regardless of size. I wonder how much this decision is impacting the 2023 itineraries and how many people who may have booked a 2023 ABD have rethought that decision given that Covid is still alive and kicking.
Unfortunately, for those of us who always buy
travel insurance you find out that it really doesn’t cover much when a trip is cancelled. I cancelled a cruise I planned to take this year because I wasn’t comfortable cruising with the Covid numbers at the time. Fortunately, I had only put down a small deposit and had not paid in full. However, when I called the travel insurance to see what they would cover if I paid in full, they said nothing would be covered as long as the cruise line gave me a credit. If I had purchased CFAR, it would only cover 75% of the cost as long as the cruise line didn’t give me a credit. If they did, insurance wouldn’t cover anything. Same thing with airline tickets—credit from company, no insurance, no option for a refund.
For those of us who are used to planning way ahead, it looks like we’re going to have to start booking only fully refundable options or waiting until the last minute to book—which would throw my OCD and Type A personality in a tizzy. I have three ABDs (NZ, Danube River Cruise, Egypt) booked currently between 2022 and 2023. Whether or not they go as planned will determine how long I’ll wait until I try to book another ABD.