Alaska as an ABD vs River Cruise

[Sakura1017]

Since I have a China ABD trip coming up in September, I'm thinking it's definitely going to get canceled. Which would be a better option doing Alaska and adding ABD to it, or going on a river cruise. I was thinking about rhine based on the travel itinerary. What are the chances of doing a rhine, and getting a single occupancy as well?

This would have been my first ABD trip so would a land base be better too? I was thinking between Australia or the italy/switzerland tour as well.

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

We haven’t done a River Cruise but we have done the land ABD for Alaska, Italy/Switzerland and Australia. I would recommend Italy/Switzerland if you’re in the mood for more food experiences and slightly more relaxed pace and Australia if you want a longer, more physical adventure. Both were excellent! We are considering a river cruise in 2021 but if this is your first ABD my advice is to try the traditional format with 2 guides, a land tour and 20-40 people.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've done an ABD land tour and just booked our first Rhine cruise with ABD for this summer. I certainly can't comment on the Rhine cruise yet, but just wanted to let you know that we did book one of our staterooms as a single without issue. The single supplement was 40%.

 

[sayhello]

We've done an ABD land tour and just booked our first Rhine cruise with ABD for this summer. I certainly can't comment on the Rhine cruise yet, but just wanted to let you know that we did book one of our staterooms as a single without issue. The single supplement was 40%.

That's new! The single supplement for the River cruises used to be 100%! That's good to know.

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[DisneyWishes14]

That's new! The single supplement for the River cruises used to be 100%! That's good to know.

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Yes, I was shocked, quite honestly, when they gave me the quote for the single stateroom as I was expecting 100% as well. We were able to book 2, connecting BBs for about the same price as booking an upgraded stateroom that would hold 3 and for less than booking the suite - I was THRILLED!

 

[sayhello]

Yes, I was shocked, quite honestly, when they gave me the quote for the single stateroom as I was expecting 100% as well. We were able to book 2, connecting BBs for about the same price as booking an upgraded stateroom that would hold 3 and for less than booking the suite - I was THRILLED!

That's the way to go. More room, and that extra bathroom! And less to boot. Excellent!

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[lovetotravel]

We've done an ABD land tour and just booked our first Rhine cruise with ABD for this summer. I certainly can't comment on the Rhine cruise yet, but just wanted to let you know that we did book one of our staterooms as a single without issue. The single supplement was 40%.

My single supplement for Danube was about +52%. Was I overcharged or is it different for every cruise?

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My single supplement for Danube was about +52%. Was I overcharged or is it different for every cruise?

It looks like I misspoke earlier. I just did the math on ours and it's a little less than 49%, not 40%, so yours is probably correct. I'm just glad it wasn't 100%!

 

[lovetotravel]

It looks like I misspoke earlier. I just did the math on ours and it's a little less than 49%, not 40%, so yours is probably correct. I'm just glad it wasn't 100%!

I agree! Thanks.

 

[Eastridge]

The river cruises are definitely a different product than the traditional land-based ABD tours. Not worse, just different.

If you need to switch from the China ABD, moving to a different land-based tour will be a more representative example of the ABD experience than doing a river cruise or DCL add on.

 

[Sakura1017]

Yes, I was shocked, quite honestly, when they gave me the quote for the single stateroom as I was expecting 100% as well. We were able to book 2, connecting BBs for about the same price as booking an upgraded stateroom that would hold 3 and for less than booking the suite - I was THRILLED!

Your lucky, the disney agent told me I couldn't book 2 bb unless I wanted to upgrade. So I had to single supplement in CA, while my parents got BB. I don't know how much it was, but I know it was less than 12 or 13k if I would have booked 2 people in CA.

 

[sayhello]

Your lucky, the disney agent told me I couldn't book 2 bb unless I wanted to upgrade. So I had to single supplement in CA, while my parents got BB. I don't know how much it was, but I know it was less than 12 or 13k if I would have booked 2 people in CA.

I don't understand this. What do you mean by "I couldn't book 2 bb unless I wanted to upgrade". Upgrade from what?

Sayhello

 

[Sakura1017]

I don't understand this. What do you mean by "I couldn't book 2 bb unless I wanted to upgrade". Upgrade from what?

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The disney rep said I could book 2 bb categories rooms but she said that's and additional rate. She wanted me to book a room with 3 guests, but I told her it wasn't feasible to have an adult sleep on the sofa bed that's very small. So she told me I would have to book in 2 separate categories. The connecting rooms are more of an uncharge?? Not sure if that's true or not.

Also looking at both rhine and danube, I'm starting to think my family would like more of danube. I think rhine sounded good in the beginning and to get the wish excursion tour, but maybe it might not be worth it? I looked at what you would miss out if you did the wish excursion and I guess there were some things that I might have enjoyed if I didn't do the wish excursions. Sigh this is so hard in terms of booking and planning.

 

[sayhello]

The disney rep said I could book 2 bb categories rooms but she said that's and additional rate. She wanted me to book a room with 3 guests, but I told her it wasn't feasible to have an adult sleep on the sofa bed that's very small. So she told me I would have to book in 2 separate categories. The connecting rooms are more of an uncharge?? Not sure if that's true or not.

Also looking at both rhine and danube, I'm starting to think my family would like more of danube. I think rhine sounded good in the beginning and to get the wish excursion tour, but maybe it might not be worth it? I looked at what you would miss out if you did the wish excursion and I guess there were some things that I might have enjoyed if I didn't do the wish excursions. Sigh this is so hard in terms of booking and planning.

Whether the Wish excursion is worth it or not is something only you can answer. For a lot of people here, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, so totally worth it. I really don't care that much, so it's totally not worth it for me. You have to a) decide if the main reason to take the river cruise is to do the Wish excursion, in which case, go for the Rhine. If it's not, then b) you have to look at the entirety of the itineraries and decide "which one has the activities I more want to do"? I booked the Rhone because there were a *ton* of activities I wanted to do on that trip, and not so much on the Rhine or the Seine. Or is there a particular city you've always wanted to go to?

And connecting cabins do not cost more than non-connecting cabins in the same category for the same departure. There *are* no "Upcharges" for these cruises because there *is* no "Base" cost for the river cruises. The cost of the cruise is based on the Category of the Cabin you choose. So if you want to book a more expensive "BB" Category cabin, then it's going to cost more than a "CA" category because it's a more expensive (larger, better located) cabin. As more people book a particular departure, the prices for that departure can go up, too.

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