Is anyone else disappointed?

[glassslipper2004]

RSM, I'm in a similar position. If anyone has suggestions for a France experience, please let me know.

 

[tickledtink33]

Tauck does a Paris and Provence tour. It is not one of the Tauck Bridges tours, it is one of the Tauck World Discovery tours. www.tauck.com Families with children are welcome on these tours but they are not specifically geared for families with children as the Bridges tours are. Also 2010 dates and prices are not listed yet. I have not yet taken one of their tours but have heard good things. I have been looking at their tours for a couple of years now but haven't taken the plunge as I am always at WDW or a cruise (yes sometines Disney) or ABDing.

 

[whiteside61]

Wow. I am so disappointed. We just returned from our first ABD trip feeling so excited and ready to book our next trip and suddenly it seems that ABD has lost its entire loyal fan base. What a shame. Are they nuts? are they even listening to us? I don't see how they will be able to survive in this economic climate with this kind of press among their greatest fans.

 

[rkdahl]

We were on the edge too for a 2010 tour but with no EBD and the increased rates we are definitely out.

We had a Dec 2008 ABD tour get cancelled on us, our 2009 tour is coming up in 6 weeks (hopefully!) and a 2010 tour was in our tentative plans but we are regrouping now and will look at other vacation ideas instead. To me with no EBD and the increased 2010 costs, ABD just isn't the value it once was.

And especially with todays economy, they just can't keep increasing prices like it's a planned annual theme park ticket increase.

 

[CarolynElizabeth]

We are disappointed with little to no changes on the ABD web site. We really had expected better from Disney..total letdown.

We have 3000 points to use, and planned on booking an ABD trip. Looks like we will be doing the cruise instead.

Here is a recommendation for a tour company-these guys are impressive and worth a look:

Geographic Expeditions
(Won't let me post a link..it's geoex.com)

 

[crashbb]

I became frustrated because there appears to be only 2 companies that use decent hotel accommodations -- Disney and Austin Lehman. I am a fanatic about hotels, so this may be just me. But it seems as if the majority of people on these boards are also hotel afficionados, for lack of a better term. So please, please just look at the fine details before you get all excited and start booking with other operators under the guise that it is cheaper - because we ALL know that you get what you pay for. If a tour operator is able to offer a comparable tour for $1,000 less, there has got to be reason why. And it is usually reflected in the quality of the accommodations and the food. I know that Austin Lehman has not come out with the 2010 dates and rates, but I am going with either of these two because I have done the research and I know that I cannot accept less-than-stellar hotels.

I'm not sure where you are searching, but I just compared a few trips between ABD and Tauck. Much of the time, if they are in the same city they are using the same hotel (San Juan, Dublin, Dromoland Castle, Grand Canyon). Where they stay in different hotels, it seems pretty divided between which tour's is better if you check Trip Advisor, Fodors, and Frommers.

 

[tp1830]

Since they got rid of EBD (which i'm totally heart broken...i really planned and saved my vacation club points for a trip this year)...do you think that they may offer a discount through the travel agencies? I mean, there were no discounts available through any agents last year...maybe with charging people an arm and leg, maybe they'll give the discount through other outlets.
Is disney out of their minds? I understand that they pay more with hotel rates, salaries, etc., but why would they do this?
Are there any disney agents that can shed any light on this?

 

[beansf]

Which activities did they cut? We were booked for Australia this year and our date was cancelled and we ended up in Alaska. We decided on the Galapogos for 2010, but I was planning on Australia and Alpine Magic for the following two years. We'll probably book with somebody else this year and unless ABD offers some discounts next year, we probably won't be able to do Australia with them either.

The skyrail over the rainforest canopy and the butterfly sanctuary in Kuranda were also included in the trip.
In Sydney, we had dinner at an upscale revolving restaurant, The Summit (rather than at Nick's).

 

[Bobo912]

The skyrail over the rainforest canopy and the butterfly sanctuary in Kuranda were also included in the trip.
In Sydney, we had dinner at an upscale revolving restaurant, The Summit (rather than at Nick's).

That's disappointing. But unless they reinstate the EBD next year, we probably won't be able to go with ABD anyway.

 

[TDC Nala]

The skyrail over the rainforest canopy and the butterfly sanctuary in Kuranda were also included in the trip.
In Sydney, we had dinner at an upscale revolving restaurant, The Summit (rather than at Nick's).

The official line on the skyrail and Kuranda tour was that most guests considered it a "waste of time" and wanted more time on their own in North Queensland. I do not think that was the consensus on my tour, which was the last group to have it included.

Don't know how the camel ride at Uluru wound up removed.

I also understand a recent ABD tour in Sydney in the past month ate at the Summit restaurant.

 

[beansf]

The official line on the skyrail and Kuranda tour was that most guests considered it a "waste of time" and wanted more time on their own in North Queensland. I do not think that was the consensus on my tour, which was the last group to have it included.

Don't know how the camel ride at Uluru wound up removed.

I also understand a recent ABD tour in Sydney in the past month ate at the Summit restaurant.

Oh, did the camel ride get cut, too? I had forgotten that. I liked the skyrail, personally. Although, it was SUPER-windy the day we went on it and they had to run it at about 1/2 speed. At one point, it even stopped for a few minutes (which was a bit nerve-inducing!).Also, due to the slowness of the skyrail, we got to Kuranda rather late. So, after we got done with the Butterfly Sanctuary, all the stores in Kuranda were pretty much closed. That part wasn't very fun. I also enjoyed the Butterfly Sanctuary. If I was going to cut anything, it would be the bike ride in Sydney. Out of 12 people on my tour, only 4 people went.

 

[Bobo912]

The official line on the skyrail and Kuranda tour was that most guests considered it a "waste of time" and wanted more time on their own in North Queensland. I do not think that was the consensus on my tour, which was the last group to have it included.

Don't know how the camel ride at Uluru wound up removed.

I also understand a recent ABD tour in Sydney in the past month ate at the Summit restaurant.

No camel ride either! That was a very appealing activity for my 9-year-old son. I hope they are still making boomerangs. That was another activity that he was really interested in.

 

[kristilew]

Since they got rid of EBD (which i'm totally heart broken...i really planned and saved my vacation club points for a trip this year)...do you think that they may offer a discount through the travel agencies? I mean, there were no discounts available through any agents last year...maybe with charging people an arm and leg, maybe they'll give the discount through other outlets.
Is disney out of their minds? I understand that they pay more with hotel rates, salaries, etc., but why would they do this?
Are there any disney agents that can shed any light on this?

My TA offers $200 in Disney dollars for booking an ABD with her. You can also get a Costco gift card if you book with costco. But I have in the past used this in conjunction with the EBD and the loyalty discount to bring the trip cost down.

 

[jjb52]

Can anyone tell me how much Costco gives you for booking with them? Is it 5% of the trip total or is there so much given on a cash card depending on the amount spent on the trip?

 

[TheEvilQueen]

No email with a discount for me either...

I know that a lot of you are saying that you have not gotten the e-mail yet, telling you about the repeat guest discount. From what I understand, you should be getting them soon, if you have not gotten it yet.

Either way, you do not need the e-mail or that code. The e-mail was just a way to get the word out there that the discount exsists. All you have to do is tell the agent on the phone that you traveled with AbD before (and anyone else that traveled before), and they will give a $100.00 pp discount to anyone who has traveled. They have all of your past travel information in their system, so you don't even need the code.

Hope this helps some of you ...

 

[Bobo912]

Can anyone tell me how much Costco gives you for booking with them? Is it 5% of the trip total or is there so much given on a cash card depending on the amount spent on the trip?

I got $250 for 2 people to Costa Rica and $300 for two people to Alaska. I think it is around 5%.

 

[TheEvilQueen]

Can anyone tell me how much Costco gives you for booking with them? Is it 5% of the trip total or is there so much given on a cash card depending on the amount spent on the trip?

Not sure. Since each year it changes, you might want to call an agent at AbD to see for sure. They might not even know yet, since the new year just started ...

 

[TheEvilQueen]

No camel ride either! That was a very appealing activity for my 9-year-old son. I hope they are still making boomerangs. That was another activity that he was really interested in.

I heard, and now this is just a rumor, that the reason the camels were pulled was because the company that owned them didn't have enough camels. Sometimes they'd have 5 camels available for one tour group and sometimes they would have less. Since it wasn't consistent if there would be enough camels, they took it out.

If that is the real reason they took it out, then I think that AbD made the right decision. Could you imagine how upset people would be if they showed up and there weren't enough camels for everyone?

 

[Tozzie]

I heard, and now this is just a rumor, that the reason the camels were pulled was because the company that owned them didn't have enough camels. Sometimes they'd have 5 camels available for one tour group and sometimes they would have less. Since it wasn't consistent if there would be enough camels, they took it out.

If that is the real reason they took it out, then I think that AbD made the right decision. Could you imagine how upset people would be if they showed up and there weren't enough camels for everyone?

They may have taken out the camel ride for valid reasons but they didn't add anything but they reaised the costs. So you end up getting even less for more money not a good trade off.

 

[ADVMOM]

If by chance I research other tour groups and still feel like ABD is my best choice... What would all you experts say is the best trip to go on? I was planning Italy next summer until they stopped the EBD. I finally talked my husband into a tour group vacation and now he's appalled by the price hike and lack of discounts for early bookers compared to the 2009 catalogue.

My only ABD vac was Backstage Magic with my son last year. I came home and couldn't say enough about the quality and ease. I've talked two other couples into wanting to go with us next year but now I don't know if Italy is worth the price. I told them it was worth the extra cost (that was 2009 prices) now if I talk them into this I want the best trip for the money. I'm looking for fun, active, as little crowds as poss and Disney ease. Please give me your expert opinions.