Future ABD Trips: Pure Speculation

[WeLoveABD]

Here's my thought on where ABD is going...

1. ABD and the Disney Cruise Line are under the same top management now
2. The Disney Magic is likely to be doing other med cruises (and Baltic)
3. The ABD add-on for the med cruises this year was reportedly a success (no add on for Baltic as no ABD guides give tours in that area)
4. Likely there will be an eastern med cruise for the Magic in the years to come (Greece, Turkey, Eygpt)
5. For 2011, ABD has introduced Eygpt--and Cairo is a common stop (bus from port to city) for med cruises
6. SO...I predict in the short years to come we will see ABD trips to Greece (not 2011 while the Greek economy is in the tank), maybe Turkey...and then tie-ins between an Eastern Med Cruise and ABD.

Just a thought!

 

[sayhello]

I agree with your logic, WeLoveABD!

I'm totally convinced they will have ABD's in Hawaii after the Aulani opens.

I also think they will go to Japan if they can get the logistics worked out.

I still think a tie-in to the Alaska cruises will appear before they start sailing in 2011.

Sayhello

 

[HappyGrumpy]

You guys are blowing my mind!! Greece would be AMAZING!

 

[Bobo912]

I would sign up for a trip to Greece.

 

[WeLoveABD]

I know they have been looking at Japan for a couple of years (especially with the Tokyo Disneyland property there)--but suspect it is still too expensive. But then, I would not have guessed Eygpt!

Imagine having some sort of ABD tour of the ancients--Athens, the Greek Islands and Ephesus, Turkey...!

(I would also be very interested in some sort of Alaska package--the problem I have with the Disney cruise is that you do see the inside passage area but not much of the main part of Alaska--and ABD goes to the main part of the state but not the inland passage)

My concern with Hawaii: getting there! That is a loooong time at sea (although I do like the Disney ships--but two straight days at sea during the Baltic was enough for me--can't imagine having 4 or 5 days in a row). On the other hand, catching the ship in Hawaii and sailing to the different islands--maybe with a few prenights at their hotel property--would be nice...

Nice to dream a bit!

 

[sayhello]

I know they have been looking at Japan for a couple of years (especially with the Tokyo Disneyland property there)--but suspect it is still too expensive. But then, I would not have guessed Eygpt!

Imagine having some sort of ABD tour of the ancients--Athens, the Greek Islands and Ephesus, Turkey...!

(I would also be very interested in some sort of Alaska package--the problem I have with the Disney cruise is that you do see the inside passage area but not much of the main part of Alaska--and ABD goes to the main part of the state but not the inland passage)

My concern with Hawaii: getting there! That is a loooong time at sea (although I do like the Disney ships--but two straight days at sea during the Baltic was enough for me--can't imagine having 4 or 5 days in a row). On the other hand, catching the ship in Hawaii and sailing to the different islands--maybe with a few prenights at their hotel property--would be nice...

Nice to dream a bit!

I agree with you about Alaska. If they do a tie-in with the cruise, it would have to be a whole new itinerary. They couldn't use the existing one. If the cruise were a one-way rather than the round-trip, they could do a cruisetour land/sea combo with the existing ABD before or after the cruise. I think that would be an excellent combo, but I don't think there's much chance of them changing the itineraries to one-way. We shall see!

There is no way I'd do a Hawaii cruise on DCL, because they would need to be one-ways from either Mexico or Canada (the dreaded law that says that foreign registered ships must call at a foreign port for each cruise.) Hawaii is the US. So it doesn't count. Some cruiselines used to go to the Fanning Islands (2 days there, 2 days back) but I don't see any who do that any more. And you're not allowed to just "catch" the cruise in Hawaii. I forget the exact reason, but that's not allowed, either. And even if you *could* do that, you'd still have to pay for the 5 days you weren't on the ship! NCL is the only line that has ships registered in the US, so they're the only ones that can sail Hawaii without doing a foriegn port. Unfortunately, it also means that they have American crews and American hiring practices and American turnover, so the service has been somewhat lacking... But I would LOVE to do an ABD in Hawaii. I figure around a week at Aulani with ABD, and then a week on Maui on my own (or maybe the other way around). That would be quite a vacation!

Sayhello

 

[beachbunny]

The law is the Jones Act. So if DCL decides to visit Hawaii, they'll have to stop at Fanning Island (more like atoll since its population is only 200) or some other atoll in the Pacific since they're not US flagged. Cruise ships have been doing that forever, so that's no biggie.

Aulani is located about 1 1/2 hours from Honolulu harbor which drive is only made longer by the really bad traffic coming in from that side of the island. Ko Olina, where Aulani is located, could be transformed from a small boat harbor into a nice port, but the infrastructure to berth a large cruise ship is not there and the state is certainly not going to put up that kind of money in this economy. I don't think Disney would be willing to pay for the upgrades unless, of course, DCL runs year-round like it does for Disney World in a resort/cruise combination. That would be nice.

 

[gayleaboone]

My daughter and I would definitely consider Greece and Turkey!!!!!

And, ps, we leave for Peru in 2 days------yay!!!!!!!!

 

[sayhello]

My daughter and I would definitely consider Greece and Turkey!!!!!

And, ps, we leave for Peru in 2 days------yay!!!!!!!!

Have a *wonderful* time in Peru! I can hardly wait to hear about your trip!

Sayhello

 

[HappyGrumpy]

Imagine having some sort of ABD tour of the ancients--Athens, the Greek Islands and Ephesus, Turkey...!

I am so on that trip! The more I think about the Egypt thing I am find myself wanting to do Cali/Italy/Alps or even South Africa first. But the minute Greece or Ephesus is brought into the picture I am so there!

And, ps, we leave for Peru in 2 days------yay!!!!!!!!

Have a great time!

 

[Sharkbyte]

I hope you are right! I would love to see ABD do an Egypt, Turkey Greece or a Egypt, Turkey, Israel trip! I just hope the prices don't go up alot in the future. I would be more likely to take more ABD trips if they had specials and early bird specials,