Guaranteed trips 2016

[TXTransplant]

It looks like ABD has guaranteed quite a few more of the upcoming 2016 trips. I just visited the Dreams Unlimited website, and it is showing quite a few of the trips as being guaranteed, including our Italy trip. I think it's odd that ABD doesn't share that info directly with guests who are booked on those itineraries, but at least the info is available. To see if your trip is guaranteed, you have to click on the specific itinerary. When you get to the page that lists all of the trips currently available (with dates), there is an asterisk by the dates that are guaranteed.

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I'd be interested to know what Disney considers enough people to guarantee the trip? When I asked how many people were on my trip in January, I was told 22. I did Backstage Magic with 24. So does that mean my trip is guaranteed or not?

 

[TXTransplant]

I'd be interested to know what Disney considers enough people to guarantee the trip? When I asked how many people were on my trip in January, I was told 22. I did Backstage Magic with 24. So does that mean my trip is guaranteed or not?

I'm not sure number of people is their ~only~ criteria. When I booked our plane tickets about six weeks ago, there were 31 on our trip, but ABD didn't say the trip was guaranteed at that point. I'm not sure when Dreams Unlimited updated their website. Our Germany trip last year (that went with 24) was, to my knowledge, never "officially" guaranteed.

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I'm not sure number of people is their ~only~ criteria. When I booked our plane tickets about six weeks ago, there were 31 on our trip, but ABD didn't say the trip was guaranteed at that point. I'm not sure when Dreams Unlimited updated their website. Our Germany trip last year (that went with 24) was, to my knowledge, never "officially" guaranteed.

I'm not too concerned if they do cancel my trip. We would just take the refunded money and visit Prague and Vienna on our own. It would just be nice to know if the trip is going or not.

 

[DizMagic]

I agree. I think it is incredibly annoying that ABD doesn't let booked parties know when the trip is Guaranteed. I only found out by calling them directly and inquiring. It would be nice if they were proactive.

 

[TXTransplant]

I think it's weird that the only place you can get the info on the guaranteed trips is the DU website. ABD doesn't even update their own website! And the other TAs don't seem to have this info either (I know the TA I work with has to call ABD to ask if a specific trip is guaranteed). Why release this info to DU and not any other TAs, or just put it on the ABD website?

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I would just like to know so that I can plan accordingly. Like I said before, we would still go to Central Europe, especially since we already have our flights, but it would be nice to know if I should be looking at planning our own trip or if my ABD is definitely going to go and I only need to worry about free time activities. Prague and Vienna are easy to do on our own but it would be nice to have more than just a few weeks to plan something.

 

[sayhello]

I would just like to know so that I can plan accordingly. Like I said before, we would still go to Central Europe, especially since we already have our flights, but it would be nice to know if I should be looking at planning our own trip or if my ABD is definitely going to go and I only need to worry about free time activities. Prague and Vienna are easy to do on our own but it would be nice to have more than just a few weeks to plan something.

I know it's small comfort, but *in general*, ABD tends to cancel trips several months in advance. Occasionally they haven't, but that's what I've seen in general.

Sayhello

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I know it's small comfort, but *in general*, ABD tends to cancel trips several months in advance. Occasionally they haven't, but that's what I've seen in general.

Sayhello

We're currently 6 months out.

 

[Bobo912]

I'd be interested to know what Disney considers enough people to guarantee the trip? When I asked how many people were on my trip in January, I was told 22. I did Backstage Magic with 24. So does that mean my trip is guaranteed or not?

Our Arizona/Utah trip (not an adults only) went with 16.

 

[DCPhotoGal]

I'm still waiting to hear about my May Peru trip. I looked at the Dreams Unlimited website and not only is it not a guaranteed departure, it's also marked adult exclusive (which it shouldn't be--they booked my family with 11- and 12-year olds). So odd. When I have asked the vacationistas about how many people the tour needs to go, they said that the general rule was 40% of the capacity for the trip to go.

 

[sayhello]

I'm still waiting to hear about my May Peru trip. I looked at the Dreams Unlimited website and not only is it not a guaranteed departure, it's also marked adult exclusive (which it shouldn't be--they booked my family with 11- and 12-year olds). So odd. When I have asked the vacationistas about how many people the tour needs to go, they said that the general rule was 40% of the capacity for the trip to go.

Your May trip is not listed as Adult Exclusive on the ABD website, so I'd have to assume that's an error on Dreams' part. Also, if you pull the trip up on Dreams' Quote page, it's not listed as Adult Exclusive there, either.

Sayhello

 

[DisneyKevin]

I'm still waiting to hear about my May Peru trip. I looked at the Dreams Unlimited website and not only is it not a guaranteed departure, it's also marked adult exclusive (which it shouldn't be--they booked my family with 11- and 12-year olds). So odd. When I have asked the vacationistas about how many people the tour needs to go, they said that the general rule was 40% of the capacity for the trip to go.

Your May trip is not listed as Adult Exclusive on the ABD website, so I'd have to assume that's an error on Dreams' part. Also, if you pull the trip up on Dreams' Quote page, it's not listed as Adult Exclusive there, either.

Sayhello

This is going to be corrected.

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

When I have asked the vacationistas about how many people the tour needs to go, they said that the general rule was 40% of the capacity for the trip to go.

See this is where Disney doesn't make sense. If they require 40% capacity for a trip to go, which is 16 people, then why isn't a trip with 22 people, which is 55% capacity, guaranteed to go?

 

[DisneyKevin]

See this is where Disney doesn't make sense.

Please don't wait for this to happen. You could grow old waiting for Disney to make sense.

ABD uses metrics that they will not explain.

The 40% percent idea is something a Vacationista has stated and at best, it's a guess.

It seems like a better answer than "who knows".

For a very long time, the Danube River Cruises were completely sold out and none were in "guarantee" status.

I do this all day, every day and I can not explain why/how/when ABD guarantees trips.

Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

Please don't wait for this to happen. You could grow old waiting for Disney to make sense.

Don't worry, I'm not sitting here waiting for Disney to make sense. I'm starting to think they've lost all logic and sense anyway. After this upcoming trip to Disneyland on top of our ABD, we are taking a break from Disney for awhile and any future trips will be to Disneyland. We've lost our desire to go to WDW now.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Don't worry, I'm not sitting here waiting for Disney to make sense. I'm starting to think they've lost all logic and sense anyway. After this upcoming trip to Disneyland on top of our ABD, we are taking a break from Disney for awhile and any future trips will be to Disneyland. We've lost our desire to go to WDW now.

I understand and didn't mean to suggest that you are sitting around waiting.

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I understand and didn't mean to suggest that you are sitting around waiting.

Didn't think you were.

 

[carpenta]

In my opinion Disney is reaching my "tipping point" and the experience is not worth the cost. It seems to me the corporate head office has lost it's way and does not represent Walt Disney's original vision.

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

In my opinion Disney is reaching my "tipping point" and the experience is not worth the cost. It seems to me the corporate head office has lost it's way and does not represent Walt Disney's original vision.

ABD and WDW have both reached our tipping point. I'm not saying we won't travel with ABD or visit WDW again but for ABD, it will be totally dependent on the itinerary and for WDW it will only be for short weekend stays and only visiting 2 parks, not our usual week long stays with hitting all 4 parks (nothing is left at DHS and AK has been destroyed from what it was originally meant to be IMO). After this year, I think most of our trips to Disney will be to Disneyland. Which is really sad since I'm such a Disney geek but I just feel like the value for the money isn't there and when you take into consideration I have to pay an exchange rate on top of it, makes it really not a value for the $$$.