ABD trimming departure dates

[Magnum_PI]

Bummer! I just assumed when I heard about the parade of mummies that they were all headed to the GEM. I guess we will try to plan on the National Museum for our pre-day.

We've booked a pre-day too. I was originally thinking of trying to go to Saqqara, but now I'm kind of considering the NMEC because of the mummies, ha!

 

[Magnum_PI]

Thanks for letting me know. Our trip will probably be cancelled next week. Bummer.

Have you had any updates from ABD about the May 25 Egypt trip? I noticed last week that it wasn't listed on the "Rates and Dates" page, but wondered if they had just closed booking because the departure date was getting close. Is the May 25 departure still a go?

 

[susans]

Have you had any updates from ABD about the May 25 Egypt trip? I noticed last week that it wasn't listed on the "Rates and Dates" page, but wondered if they had just closed booking because the departure date was getting close. Is the May 25 departure still a go?

It was cancelled last Wed I rebooked now on the May 31st trip 2022 but it isn't an adult trip only...

 

[Magnum_PI]

It was cancelled last Wed I rebooked now on the May 31st trip but it isn't an adult trip only...

Dang, sorry to hear that. I hope you get to go, keep us posted! ABD now lists the first available date for booking Egypt as June 8th.

 

[susans]

Dang, sorry to hear that. I hope you get to go, keep us posted! ABD now lists the first available date for booking Egypt as June 8th.

I don't believe Egypt is going this summer or I would have rebooked for July 2021. I really want to see Egypt with ABD and I've had my covid shots.....

 

[CaliKris]

I believe the Nile River Cruise poses a problem with Egypt. I tried to ask ABD whether they were considering chartering their own boat or some other option, but the vacationista I spoke with had no idea. The fact that they keep cancelling Egypt trips one by one makes me think that ABD might think the Egypt trips could be a go versus the itineraries that have had their whole summer cancelled already. Just a guess though...

 

[sayhello]

I believe the Nile River Cruise poses a problem with Egypt. I tried to ask ABD whether they were considering chartering their own boat or some other option, but the vacationista I spoke with had no idea. The fact that they keep cancelling Egypt trips one by one makes me think that ABD might think the Egypt trips could be a go versus the itineraries that have had their whole summer cancelled already. Just a guess though...

Well, Egypt *is* one of the countries that the State Dept moved to a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" on 4/21. So I believe it really depends on how long that lasts.

Sayhello

 

[CrazyZeus1]

ABD is now trimming back departure dates. We are still scheduled to go to Poland in late September 2021 and five of the departure dates on this trip have now disappeared on the website. Ours is still posted. I cross checked the Norway trip. Two departures have disappeared. (Compare the ABD site with the Dreams Unlimited site for date listings). My guess is they are deleting trips without sufficient signups now and the next steps will be COVID based cancellations. My hope is that they are trying not to do to others what they did to us - when COVID cancelled our inaugural Rhone River tour, we willingly moved to another later date, which we discovered had so few people signed up it was not going to go. Once cancelled for lack of people, we moved a third time to yet another date, which was also then cancelled due to lack of people. Each time we had been assured the trip was good to go and each time we booked pre and post days on our own. Not a good time dealing with dealing with the pre and post reschedules/cancellations.

Given what I consider the single minded selfishness of midland America and North Carolina to Texas over simple health protocols which are similar to what ABD has already clearly embraced, we are now not likely to get a timely handle on the pandemic in time to travel again this year either, even in Disney pods. ARRRGH.

Blaming Texas and Middle America for cancelations? Give me a break.

 

[buk110]

Blaming Texas and Middle America for cancelations? Give me a break.

I'm fairly sure the reason for the cancelations has to do with CDC designating 80% of the world an issue, but of course we could just blame it on fly-over states.

 

[Magnum_PI]

Noticed a new ABD banner/notice yesterday. Looks like they're moving away from date-driven, broad cancellations and going toward a destination-driven approach. I do wish they would give more notice on cancellations, though.

Question for those who got a refund after PIF - can you request that they mail you a check? I'd hate to have the full trip balance get refunded to a credit card intuit situation.

-----

May 6, 2021
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[CaliKris]

Question for those who got a refund after PIF - can you request that they mail you a check? I'd hate to have the full trip balance get refunded to a credit card intuit situation.

We have received two full refunds due to trip cancellations. ABD is adament about refunding to the original form of payment. We have had no problem receiving refunds to our credit card both times (even when the cc number had changed since booking). This has created a problem for people who pay with Disney gift cards and have thrown out the cards since original payment. I would recommend to anyone paying with gift cards to save the gift card #'s until the trip goes.

 

[Mathmagicland]

Question for those who got a refund after PIF - can you request that they mail you a check? I'd hate to have the full trip balance get refunded to a credit card intuit situation.

Adding to @CaliKris - I too have had large refunds go back to credit cards. Since I didn’t want to carry that large credit balance on my cards, I contacted the card company and they sent the excess credits from current balance due back through to my bank account without any problems at all.

 

[Magnum_PI]

Thank you both! @CaliKris @Mathmagicland

 

[sayhello]

Adding to @CaliKris - I too have had large refunds go back to credit cards. Since I didn’t want to carry that large credit balance on my cards, I contacted the card company and they sent the excess credits from current balance due back through to my bank account without any problems at all.

I feel incredibly silly that that never occurred to me. I just carried the balance on my credit card until it was used up. D'oh!!

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I feel incredibly silly that that never occurred to me. I just carried the balance on my credit card until it was used up. D'oh!!

Sayhello

You aren't alone! Never occurred to me either. Great idea. I'm planning to play chicken with them on my October River Cruise and fully intend to PIF. I hope it goes, but I think it's a long shot at this point. The US needs to get something going on vaccination card proof other than the paper version. The EU is going to open to vaccinated travelers, but we need a centralized way to prove it. The whole resistance to so-called vaccine passports infuriates me. If people want to stay in the stone ages, let them. But the rest of us are ready to move on and get on with life.

 

[CaliKris]

You aren't alone! Never occurred to me either. Great idea. I'm planning to play chicken with them on my October River Cruise and fully intend to PIF. I hope it goes, but I think it's a long shot at this point. The US needs to get something going on vaccination card proof other than the paper version. The EU is going to open to vaccinated travelers, but we need a centralized way to prove it. The whole resistance to so-called vaccine passports infuriates me. If people want to stay in the stone ages, let them. But the rest of us are ready to move on and get on with life.

I feel the exact same way! We have a Portugal/Spain ABD in Sept 2021. Portugal is getting ready to open to US travelers, but we must have a way to prove we are fully vacinated. I am fully ready and willing to give my info in order to be able to travel again. Also, Portugal is still a Level 4--Do not Travel--country according to the state department. This is supposedly due to their COVID numbers. However, their numbers are much lower than ours. Makes no sense!

We need both of these things to change before our trip will be a go. Crossing our fingers!

We have played chicken twice with ABD and received full refunds. Not sure I am willing to do it again! So stressful! I wish they would communicate and be more transparent with their information!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I feel the exact same way! We have a Portugal/Spain ABD in Sept 2021. Portugal is getting ready to open to US travelers, but we must have a way to prove we are fully vacinated. I am fully ready and willing to give my info in order to be able to travel again. Also, Portugal is still a Level 4--Do not Travel--country according to the state department. This is supposedly due to their COVID numbers. However, their numbers are much lower than ours. Makes no sense!

We need both of these things to change before our trip will be a go. Crossing our fingers!

We have played chicken twice with ABD and received full refunds. Not sure I am willing to do it again! So stressful! I wish they would communicate and be more transparent with their information!

Me, too, it is VERY disappointing, and gives me pause about booking more trips with ABD in the future. They are waiting way too long to tell people whether their trips are going. We have flights in place fo the cruise, but we can either use them (we are flying in and out of London) or cancel last minute as they are award bookings.

The level 4 countries make no sense at all. UK is better than us, too. Although California (where I live) is right up there with them. According to local news articles, we are doing so well in the Bay Area that we may reach herd immunity in the next couple weeks. Our vaccine rate is really high--over 70%+ with one shot for over 16s. Pretty amazing. Shows what happens when the majority of your population believes in science, LOL!

 

[Calfan]

Our PIF date for our July 15, 2021 Rhine River cruise was today. Despite our TA's best efforts to escalate, ABD wouldn't back down and admit this trip either isn't going to go or will have to be altered so much to make it work for COVID that they will have to offer refunds. So in our continuing game of chicken with ABD, we are now paid in full for our river cruise that almost certainly won't happen. Such a joke! But there is no way I was going to agree to move our deposit to another trip. Pretty sure we are done with ABD going forward. If the river cruise goes without significant COVID changes, then we will go and enjoy our first ever river cruise on our "farewell ABD" trip. Haven't bought air for either direction of this trip and still need a hotel in Basel if this thing goes. But I refuse to make those plans for at least another month or so...

 

[AquaDame]

Our PIF date for our July 15, 2021 Rhine River cruise was today. Despite our TA's best efforts to escalate, ABD wouldn't back down and admit this trip either isn't going to go or will have to be altered so much to make it work for COVID that they will have to offer refunds. So in our continuing game of chicken with ABD, we are now paid in full for our river cruise that almost certainly won't happen. Such a joke! But there is no way I was going to agree to move our deposit to another trip. Pretty sure we are done with ABD going forward. If the river cruise goes without significant COVID changes, then we will go and enjoy our first ever river cruise on our "farewell ABD" trip. Haven't bought air for either direction of this trip and still need a hotel in Basel if this thing goes. But I refuse to make those plans for at least another month or so...

This is really disappointing to hear. I'm still very grateful that "not enough people" were booked on ours so that it was cancelled far enough in advance. The sour taste still has not left me... I do want to book again, I have a couple trips in mind, but I just can't pull the plug with nonrefundable deposits again. Not yet anyway. I also feel its a safe bet they a refund will be coming to you... we'll see.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Our PIF date for our July 15, 2021 Rhine River cruise was today. Despite our TA's best efforts to escalate, ABD wouldn't back down and admit this trip either isn't going to go or will have to be altered so much to make it work for COVID that they will have to offer refunds. So in our continuing game of chicken with ABD, we are now paid in full for our river cruise that almost certainly won't happen. Such a joke! But there is no way I was going to agree to move our deposit to another trip. Pretty sure we are done with ABD going forward. If the river cruise goes without significant COVID changes, then we will go and enjoy our first ever river cruise on our "farewell ABD" trip. Haven't bought air for either direction of this trip and still need a hotel in Basel if this thing goes. But I refuse to make those plans for at least another month or so...

Wow, what a joke!! I can't believe they made you PIF while acknowledging that this trip would likely not go and/or they'd have to offer refunds anyway. It really makes you wonder what the person in charge of these decisions is thinking. ABD is acting very un-Disney and very small/insolvent travel company.

I keep going back to the fabulous service I have from another luxury tour provider (one that is much smaller) that i was supposed to do base camp in Nepal with in Oct 2020. Way back in May they gave me the option of holding the deposit while they were figuring out whether the tour would go OR offered a complete refund of deposits given the uncertainty of travel during the pandemic. They eventually cancelled the trip well before and refunded all deposits automatically. IMO ABD should be offering all their customers complete refunds of any deposits for any trips booked through 2021 given the uncertainty of travel--this should have been done from the beginning. They could offer a travel bonus to those who keep their deposits with them. Forcing their customers to play chicken with them to get deposits back is ridiculous and reflects very poorly on the company. Makes me wonder about its solvency. Can they not afford to give people their money back?

I'm in the same boat (LOL!) with our River Cruise. If I have to PIF for a cruise that is not going, I will probably be done with ABD. I haven't made any plans for Basel or even our short-haul flights. I can do those on BA and cancel for nothing, but I'm still holding off.