Going over early and meeting with tour

[mog]

Has anyone ever gone on your own a couple of days before the tour and if so how did you meet up with your group on the first day? I know they will meet you at the airport and transport you to the hotel, but what if you are not flying in on that day?
We have friends who live in Germany and will probably try to go a few days early to visit them. How would we get with our group? Would we just go to the airport on that day and be met as if we were flying in or would we have to get to the hotel on our own? Has anyone done this yet?

 

[PatriciaH]

There is usually a welcome dinner the first night of the tour (some of the 2009 tours have no dinner but a welcome breakfast the next morning I noticed.) They give you the time in your final document booklet. You just meet at the hotel (ours says in the lobby.) People will be flying in at all different times and days, so it is not like everyone meets at the airport.

 

[sayhello]

It seems the only time they'll let you meet them back at the airport, if you arrive early on your own, is if there's only one mass transfer happening during the day (like in Phoenix for the Southwest Splendors tour.) In those cases, it's usually a far trip to the first hotel from the airport, and they load everyone up at once into the motorcoach & head out to the first hotel all together.

In the cases where the hotel is relatively nearby, and they normally run transfers throughout the day, if you fly in early, you're on your own to get to the hotel for the first night of the tour.

Sayhello

ETA: Apparently I'm wrong about that second part! See better replies below!

 

[krdisneybound]

On the Germany trip, several families came in a day or eve two days early and they were picked up when they arrived. It was not left up to each family to find their way to the hotel.

My flight arrived several hours before two other families and I was picked up alone and the other two families were brought in together. I didn't have to wait on their arrival. I also had a private Town Car pick me up, not the bus. The hotel in Heidelburg was about an hour away also.

Perhaps some arrangements are done differently.

 

[Bobo912]

On the Costa Rica trip we were picked up at the airport alone - no other families. We met at the hotel for the welcome breakfast the next morning. I asked ABD about pre/post days on the Australia trip I booked for 2009 and they told me all airport transfer were still included. When in doubt, call ABD and ask. I've always found them happy to answer any of my questions.

 

[KLondon]

We had this situation on a Knights&Lights tour last Summer. The details are in my trip report (see links below), but basically we went to England a week early. The arrangement was that we'd meet up with an ABD driver at Heathrow. It would be just like we were flying into Heathrow on the proper tour day, except we'd actually be dropping off our rental car at the airport and then meeting the ABD driver at Heathrow's Arrivals area.

Long story short, we confirmed this arrangement 3 times with ABD, only to find that no driver showed up and the ABD Guides did not have us on their pickup list. ABD made it all right, however, by having us take a cab from Heathrow and paying the fare. An annoying situation actually turned out to be a pretty good Customer Service story (the cab was actually a fun experience).

 

[Carol]

We are planning to go two days before our tour of Alpine Magic. We are flying to Venice and spending 2 days there. On our itinerary we are to fly into Milan. Since we will be on our own, we have to find our way to meet with the others on our tour. It will be easier to take a train from Venice to meet up for our introduction dinner at the hotel, than to go back to the airport in Milan. This all looks great on paper, sure hope it works out as well in real time. ABD told me the web site to look at so I could arrange for the train schedule. They've been wonderful answering all my questions.

 

[kristilew]

Am I right in understanding that it would be important for the Southwest Splendors tour to meet at the airport? Don't they take the whole group somewhere between the airport and the hotel?

We will go several days early and stay with friends in Sedona, so it would be easier not to have to drive to Phoenix then turn right around and drive back to Sedona. But worth it if there's bonding and adventure on the ABD portion of the drive.

 

[sayhello]

Am I right in understanding that it would be important for the Southwest Splendors tour to meet at the airport? Don't they take the whole group somewhere between the airport and the hotel?

We will go several days early and stay with friends in Sedona, so it would be easier not to have to drive to Phoenix then turn right around and drive back to Sedona. But worth it if there's bonding and adventure on the ABD portion of the drive.

For Southwest Splendors, everyone meets up at the airport, gets on the motorcoach, and heads out towards Sedona. On the way there, they stop for a tour of Montezuma's Castle, a Sinaquan Indian cliff dwelling, which is really pretty cool. And yes, there is some "bonding" going on on the bus (at least hopefully so!). At the least, you might want to investigate meeting up with the group at Montezuma's Castle. I'd give ABD a call & see what they think. At least, that way, you'd get the tour, and half the trip, without having to deal with the horrendous traffic in Phoenix.

Sayhello

 

[mog]

Thanks for all the information. I guess I will contact ABD and see what they say. It sounds like it works differently depending on the tour. Also, someone mentioned that the Heidelburg hotel was about an hour from the arrival airport. Since the friends we are visiting are in another town altogether, it sounds like it would make more sense to just get to the hotel on our own instead of going all the way back to the airport!
I'm sure I'll be asking a lot more questions of all you experts!