Basic ABD info?

[carpenta]

I understand that this is your experience, but I have never had this problem with any of my guests.

Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com

Yes it was. I booked through AAA with my TA. I THOUGHT that AAA was a Disney partner since Walt's time but my TA feels that Disney has been trying to push AAA away as a travel partner. "If it happened once than it can happen again" as the saying goes. I just think people should be aware that it could happen.

 

[White Rose]

Made me nervous, too. I've been told by several people that cancellations are rare. Booking my air through ABD is what put my mind (kind of) at ease...at least I knew I would get a FULL refund if ABD were to cancel. Eventually, ABD will identify specific dates as being guaranteed departures, but they won't do that until the trip is partially filled, which means you are likely to pay more for a guaranteed trip.

Another interesting thing to note...ABD never officially guaranteed our Germany trip. When my final payment was due, I think only 14 people were booked. We wound up with 24 total on the trip, which was a great number, but the situation had me holding my breath. The 2016 trip on essentially the same dates (off by one day) is already so full that the price has jumped by $670 for kids and $710 for adults. Go figure...(maybe my ~stellar~ trip report had something to do with it...LOL!)

We are thinking of doing ABD Germany next year...but we are trying California first! I loved your trip report! We booked our airfare on own own because most of it was paid in points,. Our specific trip has not gone up...when we booked it was one of the most expensive. Since then all the other trips around ours went up in price, and are either equal or higher! Lol!

Our payment is due over the weekend. We will be 90 days out for ABD backstage magic in Oct. the trip is not guaranteed, 17 signed up, as of end of June. 11 "families". I am hoping this is enough...or a few more sign up if not.

 

[laceltris3]

So what kind of trip insurance do you buy? For DCL I usually buy through Allianz so that the kids are free. Would that not cover the flight change fees in the event of a cancellation of a trip?

 

[tgeorge]

I usually buy mine through USAA (travel guard) and I've had very good luck with them. This go around I decided I'd try the ABD insurance. But, yes, as long as your trip insurance has air fare included I would think that it should be covered bin the event of cancellation. I would just read the policy very closely. I've come across a few surprises in the past,however, both times I've had to use it, it has worked great. Just waiting for them to make a decision is always the hard part

 

[carpenta]

The insurance (Alliance) would not cover change fees.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Yes it was. I booked through AAA with my TA. I THOUGHT that AAA was a Disney partner since Walt's time but my TA feels that Disney has been trying to push AAA away as a travel partner. "If it happened once than it can happen again" as the saying goes. I just think people should be aware that it could happen.

Disney has severed ties with AAA.

As I said...I understand that this was your experience.

I have booked many, many guests through ABD and have not experienced this....even when trip cancellations have occurred.

Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com

 

[TXTransplant]

So what kind of trip insurance do you buy? For DCL I usually buy through Allianz so that the kids are free. Would that not cover the flight change fees in the event of a cancellation of a trip?

I hope I don't violate any board rules/guidelines, but I've used Insure My Trip dot com several times. I look through the options until I find one that meets my needs and price point. For our ABD trip, I wanted to be sure we had good lost baggage coverage and that it covered a terrorist attack in a city on the itinerary (seems crazy, but that would likely cause me to cancel). I don't worry so much about medical, since we have no pre-existing conditions.

One thing I noticed on this ABD...I didn't buy trip insurance until I booked airline tickets, which was just a few days before my final payment was due. When I answered the questions that the website asks in order to generate the various plans and options, I had to enter the date that I booked the trip. Since I did not buy insurance within a certain window of time after I booked, some policies excluded the "cancel for any reason" add-on. Those that still had it as an option charged an exorbitant amount for it. I paid $241 for a trip that cost over $11k...I didn't think that was too bad. I don't recall what the quote was from ABD on insurance for the Germany trip, but I just booked the Italy-Amalfi Coast trip for next year, and the insurance quote from ABD on that trip (which is comparable in cost to the Germany trip) was $717.

 

[sayhello]

The only thing about booking your airfare through ABD is they cannot do Awards tickets using miles. You'd need to do that on your own.

Otherwise, it works really well.

Sayhello

 

[carpenta]

I am glad that you have a great relationship with ABD. This is a good advantage for your company in booking future trips with ABD. The experience I have had with Disney booking my flights is that we were traveling to Europe on a Disney trip and they had reserved the last row in economy which as you know does not recline. 8 hours straight up. After that experience we always booked our flights to insure good or at least better seats. As far as insurance I went to the policy and Alliance would only cover $250.00 on change fees. 3tickets at $300.00 a piece I was still out $650.00. All I am trying to do is for people to learn from my experience and DON"T do what I have done and be saddled with expenses not of their own making. I guess I should book with you Kevin for all future travel with Disney.

 

[tgeorge]

While we also don't have pre-existing conditions I have found that the medical has served me well.

My mom was scheduled to go on a cruise and my grandmother fell ill the day she was to leave. She was reimbursed in full for airfare and cruise fare. On our DCL trip this past April, my husband ended up in the medical facility for a respiratory infection. I submitted it to my personal health insurance and they put a portion of it to my deductible, but the remainder was deemed out of network. I submitted to travel insurance and they reimbursed me the full amount I paid.

Also, don't forget that it also includes emergency evacuation (usually up to $1,000,000) if you need to use med evacuation. Most health insurance won't cover that. So, while you may not think you'll ever need the medical portion of it, I would feel much safer with it!

I just don't pay for it until I've made final payment because we don't have pre-existing conditions either.

Just make sure you read the policies and pick the one that will serve you the best. There are a lot of options out there but I wouldn't book a trip (especially out of the US) without it!

 

[sayhello]

If you book your own flights and ABD cancels your trip then you are "screwed".......ABD will not reimburse your exchange fees for those tickets.....believe me I have first hand experience......

There is the possibility this could happen, but it really depends on the situation, and what option you choose to exercise.

When my ABD was cancelled, I switched from the Montana/Canada trip to the Alaska trip, and ABD paid the change fees for my ticket even though I had not booked it through them. It was a bit of a hassle, because I had to make the changes, get charged, submit proof, get reimbursed, etc, whereas if they had booked the airline tickets, they would have just done it all for me and I wouldn't have had to worry about it.

Yes, there can be issues, obviously y

 

[sayhello]

While we also don't have pre-existing conditions I have found that the medical has served me well.

My mom was scheduled to go on a cruise and my grandmother fell ill the day she was to leave. She was reimbursed in full for airfare and cruise fare. On our DCL trip this past April, my husband ended up in the medical facility for a respiratory infection. I submitted it to my personal health insurance and they put a portion of it to my deductible, but the remainder was deemed out of network. I submitted to travel insurance and they reimbursed me the full amount I paid.

Also, don't forget that it also includes emergency evacuation (usually up to $1,000,000) if you need to use med evacuation. Most health insurance won't cover that. So, while you may not think you'll ever need the medical portion of it, I would feel much safer with it!

I just don't pay for it until I've made final payment because we don't have pre-existing conditions either.

Just make sure you read the policies and pick the one that will serve you the best. There are a lot of options out there but I wouldn't book a trip (especially out of the US) without it!

The other thing is, a lot of medical insurance will not cover you if you're out of the country. Even a quick trip to the emergency room can cost a total FORTUNE that possibly would not be covered by your personal health insurance. I've had to use the medical coverage on my insurance a couple of times, and was VERY glad I had it!

Sayhello

 

[carpenta]

Traffic accidents are the #1 issue that travelers will face overseas. I always get the E-vac insurance. Do you really want to be operated on or bones set in any place but a first world hospital?

 

[sayhello]

One thing I noticed on this ABD...I didn't buy trip insurance until I booked airline tickets, which was just a few days before my final payment was due. When I answered the questions that the website asks in order to generate the various plans and options, I had to enter the date that I booked the trip. Since I did not buy insurance within a certain window of time after I booked, some policies excluded the "cancel for any reason" add-on. Those that still had it as an option charged an exorbitant amount for it. I paid $241 for a trip that cost over $11k...I didn't think that was too bad. I don't recall what the quote was from ABD on insurance for the Germany trip, but I just booked the Italy-Amalfi Coast trip for next year, and the insurance quote from ABD on that trip (which is comparable in cost to the Germany trip) was $717.

Another thing about buying your insurance through ABD is if you do pre- or post- days that are not booked through ABD, there's a good chance that they won't be covered. And your airfare, if not booked through ABD would only be covered if you fly to the airport where the ABD starts, and fly home from the airport where the ABD finishes.

This is another advantage of booking your airfare through ABD if you buy their insurance.

The big advantage I've seen in the past to buying ABD's insurance (don't know if it's still true) is that they don't price the policy according to how old you are, so those of us getting up in years can sometimes fare much better price-wise using ABD's insurance. Turns out it wasn't true for the River cruise, but I always price out both to see which is priced better.

Sayhello

 

[DisneyKevin]

I am glad that you have a great relationship with ABD. This is a good advantage for your company in booking future trips with ABD. The experience I have had with Disney booking my flights is that we were traveling to Europe on a Disney trip and they had reserved the last row in economy which as you know does not recline. 8 hours straight up. After that experience we always booked our flights to insure good or at least better seats. As far as insurance I went to the policy and Alliance would only cover $250.00 on change fees. 3tickets at $300.00 a piece I was still out $650.00. All I am trying to do is for people to learn from my experience and DON"T do what I have done and be saddled with expenses not of their own making. I guess I should book with you Kevin for all future travel with Disney.

When booking through ABD air, guests have complete control over their airline reservation.

I am traveling to Ireland with ABD at the end of August and I have booked my air through ABD Air.

I have since gone to the airline website and changed my seat choices, added my loyalty numbesr and added my known traveler numbers.

This may have not been the case when you traveled. There have been many changes since ABD moved from California to Celebration.

Booking air is one of the things that has seen a drastic improvement since the move east.

I am sorry that you had this issue. I would have gone to battle for you.

Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com

 

[TXTransplant]

Just to clarify, that $240 plan DID have medical coverage...up to $50k for medical expenses and $500k for an emergency medical evacuation. It also had a cancel for work reasons clause, and the cancellation benefit covered cancellation for medical reasons. I just didn't have to scrutinize the plan re covering pre-existing medical conditions (because we don't have any).

There are lots of options out there for customizing your trip insurance so that you are not paying extra for things you don't need (and to make sure the things you do need covered are covered). It's definitely worth shopping around, especially if ANY part of your trip (airfare, pre-days, post-days) is NOT booked through ABD.

 

[laceltris3]

The insurance (Alliance) would not cover change fees.

I was pretty sure that it did. We usually do buy insurance early because of my sons food allergies even though it may not be considered pre-existing since he hasn't been treated for it in a while. I took a look at the policy I usually buy and it does cover change fees of up to $250 per person, which is more than we would be charged by our usual carrier.

 

[Birdie dog]

Question- when do you know your trip is guaranteed to go? How do you find out this info? I plan on booking as close as possible to opening day so it seems there's a little gamble between saving $$ and your trip actually happening.

 

[TXTransplant]

Question- when do you know your trip is guaranteed to go? How do you find out this info? I plan on booking as close as possible to opening day so it seems there's a little gamble between saving $$ and your trip actually happening.

My Germany trip was never "officially" guaranteed by ABD. Someone can correct me if this is wrong, I think if they send you the box, then the trip will go.

 

[sayhello]

Question- when do you know your trip is guaranteed to go? How do you find out this info? I plan on booking as close as possible to opening day so it seems there's a little gamble between saving $$ and your trip actually happening.

My Germany trip was never "officially" guaranteed by ABD. Someone can correct me if this is wrong, I think if they send you the box, then the trip will go.

Technically, according to ABD's policy, they can cancel a trip at any time up until the day the trip starts. So when you're standing there, and your Guide says "Hello!" it's guaranteed.

*Some* trips do get designated as "guaranteed", but there's no indication of it on ABD's site, it's something you have to ask ABD about. But there doesn't seem to be any visible rhyme or reason as to which trips get designated as guaranteed, or when they get that designation.

My guess would be if they send out your box, then they intend for it to go. But that's just a guess. And still not a guarantee.

Sayhello