"Is ABD worth the $$$?" Discussion thread

[jimmymc]

ABD London and Paris, July 20 through July 27, 2018
$5,299 per adult x 2 = $10,598

Hotels:

All hotels assume 1 Queen/King or 2 doubles, whichever is cheaper, and double occupancy.

The Landmark London, 3 nights = $1622.19

The Hilton Paris Opera, 4 nights = $1392.53

Hotel Total = $3,014.72

Transportation:

Cab from Heathrow to The Landmark London: $90.31

3 day London Travelcard (all busses and tubes near the city center), x2: $94.79

Premier Economy Eurostar from London to Paris, x2: $310

Unlimited 5 Day Paris Metro Pass, Including Versailles and both airports, x2: $170.74

Transfer from Paris to CDG: $70.75

Transportation Total = $736.59

Meals (all prices are for 2):

Day 1
Welcome Dinner at local pub: $75

Day 2
Breakfast at hotel: $89.54
Lunch at Perkin Reveller: $71
Dinner at Landmark London: $186.64

Day 3
Breakfast at hotel: $89.54
Lunch on your own
Dinner on your own

Day 4
Breakfast at hotel: $89.54
Lunch on your own
Dinner at the Hilton Paris Opera: $70

Day 5
Breakfast at hotel: $68.21
Lunch at La Flotille: $84.67
Dinner on your own

Day 6
Breakfast at hotel: $68.21
Lunch on your own
Dinner on your own

Day 7
Breakfast at hotel: $68.21
Lunch on your own
Dinner at Ladurée: $110

Day 8
Breakfast at hotel: $68.21

Food Total = $1,138.77

Activities (all prices for 2)

Day 1
On your own in London

Day 2
London Bus Tour: $50
Tour of Westminster Abbey: $13.25
Changing of the Guard: Free
Beefeater Meet and Greet: $57
Tower of London Tour: Free
Boat Ride on River Thames: $95.40

Day 3
Archery: $66.25
Scone Making and Tea: $78.18
Windsor Castle and Queen Mary's Dollhouse: $57

Day 4
Bus tour of Paris: $71
Eiffel Tower Behind the Scenes: $127

Day 5
Versailles Tour: $91
Bike Tour: $42.29
Wine tasting at La Bonne Franquette: $44.64
Walking tour of Montmartre: $20 tip

Day 6
Le Marais Walking Food Tour: $209.11
Marche Des Enfants Rouges: Free

Day 7
Notre Dame Tour: $110.42
Water Taxi on the Seine: $40
Louvre Guided Tour: $136.82

Day 8
N/A

Activities Total = $1,309.36

Grand Total = $6,199.44

Price Difference: $10,598 - $6,199.44 = $4,398.56

Things included in ABD but not included in booking on your own:

2 Guides familiar with the area acting as your personal concierge
Luggage service at all hotels and the airport
Private transportation that does not involve driving yourself or any public transit
Several private meals at the restaurants mentioned above
Separate activities for children

Comparing to Italy, both the ABD price and on your own price are both more expensive and result in a similar price difference. The increased price is mainly due to the hotels. Staying in central London and Paris is very expensive. This trip also includes less food experiences than Italy and more meals on your own, which in London and Paris have the potential to be spectacular. There is no stay in rural England or France, although some of the activities take you outside of the city. I think this is a good move, mainly because I prefer to have more food options and nightlife.

This trip seems more worth it to me than the first two I reviewed. First of all, these are two very nice, centrally located hotels. Being walking distance from museums, restaurants, and bars at night is a huge plus. London is also a sprawling city, and riding the tube at rush hour is like a cattle drive. Having a nice, comfortable bus would make a huge difference. The days in London are also jam packed. There's no way I would be able to do all that on my own in the time allotted. I've only been to London briefly and didn't see a lot, so I would probably book pre-nights to see a few things not on the itinerary.

I have spent more time in Paris, and I think this tour hits pretty much all the highlights you can expect to hit in 3.5 days. I've already seen Versailles, so I might stay in the city that day and spend some time walking around and trying food. Sacre Coeur is a spectacular place to visit, and the Latin Quarter is great for touring on your own. I would also recommend climbing the Arc de Triomphe. You get a great view of the city and the river. Of the European trips, this one may be the best value I've seen so far, because of how crowded the cities are and the price/quality of the hotels. These should be two bucket list cities for anybody.

 

[disneyphx]

Interesting to see the price breakdown of various trips!
We just did the London/Paris trip in Summer 2017. One of the things we most appreciated about doing it with ABD was that all the entries were purchased and planned - with timed entry at a lot of the poular sights, we would have had a much more stressful trip doing it all independently. As you mentioned, several of the days are jam-packed - having the logistics taken care of is the only way to fit it all in.
A couple of other 'intangibles' that I know just from having recently done the trip:
- there are 'step on' guides in London and Paris - so most days, we actually had 3 guides! And then even more guides where they split up the group into smaller groups - Eiffel Tower, food tour, Westminster Abbey
- the 'how' of some activities was only for ABD (or some other tour company that figures it out.....) - the place we did archery, the company comes from like an hour away to do it there; for the scone making, similar thing
One of the things that is priceless to me is that ABD figures it all out for me! We are going back to London next April (Hamilton!) and I have spent hours looking for the 'perfect' hotel and activities to do each day.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Super interesting! Thanks for breaking it down like that. Seems like a healthy profit for this trip. I suspect there are some trips where they profit margin is higher than others.

 

[Woodview]

ABD London and Paris, July 20 through July 27, 2018
$5,299 per adult x 2 = $10,598

Hotels:

All hotels assume 1 Queen/King or 2 doubles, whichever is cheaper, and double occupancy.

The Landmark London, 3 nights = $1622.19

The Hilton Paris Opera, 4 nights = $1392.53

Hotel Total = $3,014.72

Transportation:

Cab from Heathrow to The Landmark London: $90.31

3 day London Travelcard (all busses and tubes near the city center), x2: $94.79

Premier Economy Eurostar from London to Paris, x2: $310

Unlimited 5 Day Paris Metro Pass, Including Versailles and both airports, x2: $170.74

Transfer from Paris to CDG: $70.75

Transportation Total = $736.59

Meals (all prices are for 2):

Day 1
Welcome Dinner at local pub: $75

Day 2
Breakfast at hotel: $89.54
Lunch at Perkin Reveller: $71
Dinner at Landmark London: $186.64

Day 3
Breakfast at hotel: $89.54
Lunch on your own
Dinner on your own

Day 4
Breakfast at hotel: $89.54
Lunch on your own
Dinner at the Hilton Paris Opera: $70

Day 5
Breakfast at hotel: $68.21
Lunch at La Flotille: $84.67
Dinner on your own

Day 6
Breakfast at hotel: $68.21
Lunch on your own
Dinner on your own

Day 7
Breakfast at hotel: $68.21
Lunch on your own
Dinner at Ladurée: $110

Day 8
Breakfast at hotel: $68.21

Food Total = $1,138.77

Activities (all prices for 2)

Day 1
On your own in London

Day 2
London Bus Tour: $50
Tour of Westminster Abbey: $13.25
Changing of the Guard: Free
Beefeater Meet and Greet: $57
Tower of London Tour: Free
Boat Ride on River Thames: $95.40

Day 3
Archery: $66.25
Scone Making and Tea: $78.18
Windsor Castle and Queen Mary's Dollhouse: $57

Day 4
Bus tour of Paris: $71
Eiffel Tower Behind the Scenes: $127

Day 5
Versailles Tour: $91
Bike Tour: $42.29
Wine tasting at La Bonne Franquette: $44.64
Walking tour of Montmartre: $20 tip

Day 6
Le Marais Walking Food Tour: $209.11
Marche Des Enfants Rouges: Free

Day 7
Notre Dame Tour: $110.42
Water Taxi on the Seine: $40
Louvre Guided Tour: $136.82

Day 8
N/A

Activities Total = $1,309.36

Grand Total = $6,199.44

Price Difference: $10,598 - $6,199.44 = $4,398.56

Things included in ABD but not included in booking on your own:

2 Guides familiar with the area acting as your personal concierge
Luggage service at all hotels and the airport
Private transportation that does not involve driving yourself or any public transit
Several private meals at the restaurants mentioned above
Separate activities for children

Comparing to Italy, both the ABD price and on your own price are both more expensive and result in a similar price difference. The increased price is mainly due to the hotels. Staying in central London and Paris is very expensive. This trip also includes less food experiences than Italy and more meals on your own, which in London and Paris have the potential to be spectacular. There is no stay in rural England or France, although some of the activities take you outside of the city. I think this is a good move, mainly because I prefer to have more food options and nightlife.

This trip seems more worth it to me than the first two I reviewed. First of all, these are two very nice, centrally located hotels. Being walking distance from museums, restaurants, and bars at night is a huge plus. London is also a sprawling city, and riding the tube at rush hour is like a cattle drive. Having a nice, comfortable bus would make a huge difference. The days in London are also jam packed. There's no way I would be able to do all that on my own in the time allotted. I've only been to London briefly and didn't see a lot, so I would probably book pre-nights to see a few things not on the itinerary.

I have spent more time in Paris, and I think this tour hits pretty much all the highlights you can expect to hit in 3.5 days. I've already seen Versailles, so I might stay in the city that day and spend some time walking around and trying food. Sacre Coeur is a spectacular place to visit, and the Latin Quarter is great for touring on your own. I would also recommend climbing the Arc de Triomphe. You get a great view of the city and the river. Of the European trips, this one may be the best value I've seen so far, because of how crowded the cities are and the price/quality of the hotels. These should be two bucket list cities for anybody.

Breakfast Price is way over priced ?

Does it really cost $ 45 per person for a full English or indeed a Buffet Breakfast .

 

[jimmymc]

Breakfast Price is way over priced ?

Does it really cost $ 45 per person for a full English or indeed a Buffet Breakfast .

Yes, this price is for a full buffet and is pretty common for luxury hotels, both in Europe and the US.

 

[jimmymc]

Super interesting! Thanks for breaking it down like that. Seems like a healthy profit for this trip. I suspect there are some trips where they profit margin is higher than others.

It's very hard to tell what the profit is. While the on your own prices don't include guides and luggage service, Disney also gets group discounts on most anything listed here. Even the motorcoach service, when divided among 30 people, is sometimes cheaper than train tickets.

 

[Grifdog22]

Breakfast Price is way over priced ?

Does it really cost $ 45 per person for a full English or indeed a Buffet Breakfast .

On November 27, 2017 Adam Efimoff, who lives in Australia, posted this as a comment on my Australian trip report:

"You know I think Australia is just so expensive. I have paid on more than one occasion more than 150 dollars for a meal for just me. And no just for three courses. I love my food but still. This is all high end places. This is why I laugh when I see Americans talk about 60 dollars being expensive! And the meal included drinks but sans alcohol . Everything in Australia is expensive ."

Works at 3 hat molecular gastronomy venture

Lives In Brisbane Queensland Australia
Disneyland 2005
Disneyland Paris 2001
Walt Disney World 2016
Tokyo Disneyland Do not remember 1998????

I believe it is very difficult to compare costs unilaterally across the board. We have a good restaurant here where I get delicious buffalo wings at 30 cents each; I just paid more than $3.00 each in Norfolk Virginia. My restaurant here is a family style restaurant off the beaten path. Norfolk was downtown.

Can you travel cheaper? If that is the point of Woodview, of course you can. Stay in hostels, pack your meals, etc. But you are not comparing similar things.

 

[hilarys]

Yes, this price is for a full buffet and is pretty common for luxury hotels, both in Europe and the US.

And what an amazing buffet it was. We were all very sad when we switched over to the Hilton Paris Opera and had a very standard hotel buffet.

 

[ldo]

IMHO, I price items that I would actually pay for OOP when comparing--such as tours, comparable hotel, etc. For breakfast, I would say that if pricing for DIY, I might have gotten a package deal at the hotel including breakfast or used that $100/PP to eat in another very nice restaurant, or had my own continental in the room or bakery and then used that $ for a very nice early lunch. Although not apples to apples, it's likely something that many would not pay OOP if it was not included. Kinda like DDP at WDW; we would never get dessert if OOP after a large table service meal.
I would love the ambiance of ABD, meeting fellow travelers, and having everything taken care of--but it really starts to add up when you travel with a family. IMHO, we found DCL to be a much better value in Europe for a family and then just added some days DIY pre and post. I also agree about the hours spent planning--unless you enjoy playing jr travel agent, it's almost overwhelming planning a DIY land trip.

 

[jimmymc]

IMHO, I price items that I would actually pay for OOP when comparing--such as tours, comparable hotel, etc. For breakfast, I would say that if pricing for DIY, I might have gotten a package deal at the hotel including breakfast or used that $100/PP to eat in another very nice restaurant, or had my own continental in the room or bakery and then used that $ for a very nice early lunch. Although not apples to apples, it's likely something that many would not pay OOP if it was not included. Kinda like DDP at WDW; we would never get dessert if OOP after a large table service meal.
I would love the ambiance of ABD, meeting fellow travelers, and having everything taken care of--but it really starts to add up when you travel with a family. IMHO, we found DCL to be a much better value in Europe for a family and then just added some days DIY pre and post. I also agree about the hours spent planning--unless you enjoy playing jr travel agent, it's almost overwhelming planning a DIY land trip.

I personally agree, if I were doing these on my own there's no way I'd pay $100 for breakfast, but that's what the hotel charges so I wanted to make it a fair comparison. The packages hotels offer usually don't save you that much, but there's plenty of options to eat a large or small breakfast for half the price just down the street from most of these places if breakfast isn't already included.

I personally have never done an ABD trip or European cruise, but I have taken trips on my own and had a lot of fun. European cities are pretty easy to plan, I imagine somewhere like China or South Africa would be more difficult.

 

[SingingMom]

I personally agree, if I were doing these on my own there's no way I'd pay $100 for breakfast, but that's what the hotel charges so I wanted to make it a fair comparison. The packages hotels offer usually don't save you that much, but there's plenty of options to eat a large or small breakfast for half the price just down the street from most of these places if breakfast isn't already included.

I personally have never done an ABD trip or European cruise, but I have taken trips on my own and had a lot of fun. European cities are pretty easy to plan, I imagine somewhere like China or South Africa would be more difficult.

If you aren't a "confident" traveler, I think ABD is worth the money. I was very nervous about going to Europe - language, local travel, etc... After 4 ABD's, I feel like a pro - but I STILL rather travel with them and have them do the planning/thinking for me..

 

[Jess_S]

I personally agree, if I were doing these on my own there's no way I'd pay $100 for breakfast, but that's what the hotel charges so I wanted to make it a fair comparison. The packages hotels offer usually don't save you that much, but there's plenty of options to eat a large or small breakfast for half the price just down the street from most of these places if breakfast isn't already included.

I personally have never done an ABD trip or European cruise, but I have taken trips on my own and had a lot of fun. European cities are pretty easy to plan, I imagine somewhere like China or South Africa would be more difficult.

I think your apples to apples comparison is the fairest way to compare costs. There are lots of things included in ABD that I wouldn't do if I was travelling on my own (including tour guides every day, number of activities, etc.) But since you are getting those things with ABD, they need to be included if you are doing a cost comparison.

Whether all of the things included in ABD have value to a particular traveler is a separate question. I'm counting down the days until my June trip so that I can give a definitive answer on that. I'm a person who wouldn't think twice about doing Europe on my own, so I need to actually experience ABD to know whether things like the guides and being part of a group will have value to me.

 

[tink1970]

After 4 ABD's, I feel like a pro - but I STILL rather travel with them and have them do the planning/thinking for me..

Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I am fairly confident alone or with my daughter in Europe but throw in my parents or DH and I am out of vacation mode and into planner/executor/tour director mode which then makes it not a vacation for me. This is why I can't accurately put a "price" on that x factor. How much do you value not wanting to strangle beloved family member 10 times a day? While I don't always travel with ABD, if I'm taking my mother or husband on a trip, even if it's somewhere with which I am familiar, I pay for a tour. Enjoying a vacation and not feeling resentful to me is priceless.

 

[acndis]

Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I am fairly confident alone or with my daughter in Europe but throw in my parents or DH and I am out of vacation mode and into planner/executor/tour director mode which then makes it not a vacation for me. This is why I can't accurately put a "price" on that x factor. How much do you value not wanting to strangle beloved family member 10 times a day? While I don't always travel with ABD, if I'm taking my mother or husband on a trip, even if it's somewhere with which I am familiar, I pay for a tour. Enjoying a vacation and not feeling resentful to me is priceless.

Yes! This is it for me, too. We are leaving for Australia next week and our 3 pre-days is New Zealand has me completely stressed out. We are going to have to purchase an international plan for our phone so we can have maps and contact the tour providers we've booked to confirm. We have to arrange transportation everywhere, etc. We have no idea where anything is or how far everything is. It's tons of research just to make it work for 3-days. I miss the guides and we are not even there yet. Ugh!

I am definitely not looking to break even when I book an ABD vs. traveling on my own. And, I can arrange all these things myself but you do get spoiled when someone does it for you (and does it so well). The price you pay to not have to worry after you see the orange sign at the airport is so worth it to me!

 

[OhanaCuz]

We are going to have to purchase an international plan for our phone so we can have maps and contact the tour providers we've booked to confirm.

What's worked for me when I'm over there is AT&T International Day Pass (Verizon has something similar). Ten bucks a day and I use my phone like I would back home. I loved it.

For calling Europe for trip planning I bought minutes from Google Voice and it's dirt cheap to call.

 

[Cousin Orville]

What's worked for me when I'm over there is AT&T International Day Pass (Verizon has something similar). Ten bucks a day and I use my phone like I would back home. I loved it.

I’ve used this a few times this year and agree it works very well. $10/day for unlimited data as far as I can tell. Doesn’t work in every country like South Africa, but works in most.

 

[OhanaCuz]

I’ve used this a few times this year and agree it works very well. $10/day for unlimited data as far as I can tell. Doesn’t work in every country like South Africa, but works in most.

I had to switch to a different unlimited plan to use it but I thought it was worth the hassle. I also liked that it didn't matter if you switched to a different country during your $10/24-hour period.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

compared to what?
luxury tours
budget tours
fishing tours?

 

[sayhello]

compared to what?
luxury tours
budget tours
fishing tours?

Nobody said "Is ABD worth it as much as [fill in the blank]". They just asked if it's worth it (ie, is what you get worth what you pay?). You're the one who added the "compared to" part.

Sayhello

 

[calypso726]

compared to what?
luxury tours
budget tours
fishing tours?

Ok, I’ll state my opinion on these.

luxury tours:

Yes. Luxury tours sound like they’d be stuffy and require one to give up their sense of fun. No thanks.

budget tours

Yes. Budget tours sound like they are going to require me to give up depth of quality. No thanks.

fishing tours?

Yes. Fishing tours sound boring and I’d sooner find more entertainment staring at a popcorn ceiling and discover hidden designs in the patterns.