Is anyone else disappointed?

[kjd469]

Well...the day a lot of us have been waiting for is finally here. However, I feel like it didn't quite live up to the thrill I was expecting. Nothing new, in fact fewer destinations, far fewer dates, and no EBD. I was all set to book 2 ABD's for next year - now, I'm not so sure. The Backstage Magic trip has drastically reduced dates, and when I wanted to go, early May, is not even being offered :-(. And what's up with listing a date, then putting NA for the cost, and saying "call for details"??? I'm afraid ABD is shooting themselves in the foot by not offerening an EBD or past guest discount...what incentive do I have to book today...none!! Also strange how most of the trips have dates that extend into 2011...guess there's nothing new coming for quite a while.

Anyone else feel the same letdown today?

 

[TimeForTea]

I'm soooooooo disappointed. I counted on the EBD. It looks like another cruise for us.......

 

[Traveling Tinkerbell]

We are very disappointed as well! I understand cutting back on the number of trips and times offered but not extending EBD or returning guest discounts is hard to understand. Maybe ABD has hit a wall on their offerings because of the many rebooking and cancellation events of 2009 that occurred and is trying to regroup. But they need to take a page out of the DCL people about offers for returning guests.

 

[abbyjt]

I don't know what's wrong with me. I see some changes on the website, but I can't find the 2010 dates

 

[lilyteen]

I suppose I can also relate somewhat to this post as well. I have not yet been on an ABD, however I am certainly going to do so this upcoming year. I woke up today on the premise that I would be receiving an early discount for booking as soon as possible. Well, boy was that wrong! I just got off the phone with one of Disney's ABD reps who said that the early booking is not available per se. Also, I noticed that the trip itineraries have not changed any that I've noticed, yet the price has increased alot! I was looking at either Costa Rica or SWS, now I don't know what to do. I may just book with another company. I was told you need $300 per person to book and also the cost of the insurance in order for it to be effective immediately. You also do not have any time to pay the deposit - must be done with a c/c right away. Checks not accepted either for those of you who don't have a cc.

 

[Bobo912]

I am extremely disapointed. I was planning to book the Galapogos trip today, but not anymore. Don't really have an incentive to book early and may not be booking at all. If there is a discount offered later, maybe I'll book something. If the trips or dates I'm interested in fill up, so be it. I've taken two ABD trips, up until this morning I was certain I was going to take a third one, and I've told everyone who would listen how great ABD is. I feel that ABD has really let me down.

 

[jenbadeaux]

Abbyjt,
There is nothing wrong with you. The dates and rates were up for 2010 and at 9am they pulled them all off the site. No clue what that is about.

 

[Bobo912]

Abbyjt,
There is nothing wrong with you. The dates and rates were up for 2010 and at 9am they pulled them all off the site. No clue what that is about.

I can still the the 2010/2011 dates. Wonder why some of the trips/dates have "Call for details" instead of a price. Wonder if there is a discount for those dates. Unfortunately, there aren't any of those for the trip I want.

 

[HappyGrumpy]

So everything looks the same to me as well? We leave on the 25th for our first ABD but I was excited about seeing what the new offerings would be on the table..bummer

 

[jenbadeaux]

Bobo912,
Tauck Bridges has their pricing and dates up for Galapagos Islands. The 2010 prices have remained the same or dropped for their vacations. In 2009, Galapagos was $3390/person, for 2010 it has gone up $10 to $3400/person. Nothing has been cut from the itinerary. That is about $1500-$2000 less per person than Disney. I, like you, woke up this morning assured that I was booking my 3rd ABD as my first two experiences have been wonderful. Instead, my ta is on the phone with Tauck Bridges booking my trip to Costa Rica with them instead. It is a day longer than ABD and $1900/person instead of $3400/person which is the rate that was up for 2010 this morning before they pulled the rates off. Same itinerary--pineapple plantation, coffee plantation, raft trip, ziplining, horses--35 people max. She says hotel in San Jose is same as ABD, other hotels are a step above. All meals included except one dinner. Tips to guide included as well. Last client she sent spent $300 total over the week and that was on souveniers. In this economy, this just makes more sense to me. My husband makes a great living, and I am blessed, but it is my job to be a good steward of the money he brings home. I hope I won't be disappointed, and I think Disney made a huge miscalculation. We are loyal to Disney, but we all have a breaking point. Increasing the cost of the trip and cutting the EBD was mine.

 

[HappyGrumpy]

is it me or is SA Sig no longer being offered? Would all the "elders" who have been on an ABD put a list of "changes" they see so that us newbies can get a better idea! That would be AWESOME!

 

[Bobo912]

Bobo912,
Tauck Bridges has their pricing and dates up for Galapagos Islands. The 2010 prices have remained the same or dropped for their vacations. In 2009, Galapagos was $3390/person, for 2010 it has gone up $10 to $3400/person. Nothing has been cut from the itinerary. That is about $1500-$2000 less per person than Disney. I, like you, woke up this morning assured that I was booking my 3rd ABD as my first two experiences have been wonderful. Instead, my ta is on the phone with Tauck Bridges booking my trip to Costa Rica with them instead. It is a day longer than ABD and $1900/person instead of $3400/person which is the rate that was up for 2010 this morning before they pulled the rates off. Same itinerary--pineapple plantation, coffee plantation, raft trip, ziplining, horses--35 people max. She says hotel in San Jose is same as ABD, other hotels are a step above. All meals included except one dinner. Tips to guide included as well. Last client she sent spent $300 total over the week and that was on souveniers. In this economy, this just makes more sense to me. My husband makes a great living, and I am blessed, but it is my job to be a good steward of the money he brings home. I hope I won't be disappointed, and I think Disney made a huge miscalculation. We are loyal to Disney, but we all have a breaking point. Increasing the cost of the trip and cutting the EBD was mine.

Thanks for the info! I will definitely be checking out the Tauck Bridges Galapogos trip.

 

[Tozzie]

is it me or is SA Sig no longer being offered? Would all the "elders" who have been on an ABD put a list of "changes" they see so that us newbies can get a better idea! That would be AWESOME!

Last year the signature trips weren't posted on the website until about a week after the new itineraries were.

 

[jenbadeaux]

Bobo912,
It can be a little difficult to find 2010 prices for Tauck Bridges. They are only out for Costa Rica, Galapagos, and Africa. This is the link:
http://family-travel.tauck.com/
Scroll to bottom of page and you can see itineraries and pricing for Galapagos side by side.

 

[tarak]

I had pretty much decided that a second disney trip made more sense financially than the ABD trip, as much as I'd like to do it. Not having an EBD has sealed the deal. For about 1/5 what the Ireland trip would have cost, I can take my mom and daughters to the World for a week this fall. I have had that trip planned for a few weeks now, but the Ireland trip is definitely off the table.

 

[Bobo912]

Bobo912,
It can be a little difficult to find 2010 prices for Tauck Bridges. They are only out for Costa Rica, Galapagos, and Africa. This is the link:
http://family-travel.tauck.com/
Scroll to bottom of page and you can see itineraries and pricing for Galapagos side by side.

Thanks jenbadeaux! I have a 9-year-old, so it's another $350 off the price for him. And his school is over last week of May, so we could do the Jun 6 trip which is another $200 off per person. The trip is a little shorter than ABD, but it was the wildlife part of the trip DS was interested in, so I don't think he would miss Ecuador part. Or we could do a couple of days on our own. This is definitely something to consider.

 

[abbyjt]

I am now able to find all the 2010 info. I called and the agent told me they are giving the guest loyalty discount of $100 pp thru November. We are going to seriously consider other tour companies. No EBD, why book early at all.

 

[lilyteen]

Not to rain on anyone's parade -- but just wanted to mention that I have spent countless hours in the last month researching the myriad tour companies out there. I went from the most recent 2009 list of top tour companies in the world and went line-by-line through their itineraries and hotel accommodations and compared theirs to that of Disney's. I can say this truthfully -- I was immediately dissuaded by the other tour companies because I found that the hotel accommodations that they select for their trips are certainly not high-end or anywhere near that. I spent the exhausting time to research each and every hotel used in the itineraries of various companies and found that there were problems with many of them. 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.

 

[CarolynElizabeth]

It's 11:20 here in Florida and I am still only seeing the 2009 dates. Maybe they are not finished updating?

 

[fivebyfive]

I have a feeling that ABD knows exactly what they are doing.

Did they cut back the number of tours? Sure, but they had to CANCEL a boatload of them in 2009 because they didn't have enough participants. So it only makes economical sense that they cut back for 2010.

I am trying to book the Backstage Magic for April/May 2010. Rates just came out this morning - correct? Well guess what - all 3 dates in those months are waitlist only!

April 13th - 18th - waitlist
April 20th - 25th - waitlist
May 18th - 23rd - waitlist

Hopefully if this continues, they will add tours.