Japan June 2022

[TXTransplant]

Has anyone booked on a May or June 2022 Japan ABD heard if these trips are cancelled? We are booked in July but hoping it gets cancelled before the PIF date.

Last contact with my TA and there was no word. They are still pretending this trip is moving forward. There was another poster booked on an earlier trip, and their PIF date should have been last week.

Our PIF date is April 1. I haven't even bought plane tickets. I just can't bring myself to spend the money.

 

[sayhello]

Has anyone booked on a May or June 2022 Japan ABD heard if these trips are cancelled? We are booked in July but hoping it gets cancelled before the PIF date.

Last contact with my TA and there was no word. They are still pretending this trip is moving forward. There was another poster booked on an earlier trip, and their PIF date should have been last week.

Our PIF date is April 1. I haven't even bought plane tickets. I just can't bring myself to spend the money.

My goodness, that's some serious denial ABD is in! Japan just opened to business travelers and students the start of March, but there's no indication that they have any plans to open to tourists any time soon. May seems HIGHLY unlikely, *maybe* June, but even that is doubtful. So sorry they are dragging you guys through this. It's such an amazing trip, but you want to get the full experience. I can't see how ABD can offer you that.

Sayhello

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Boy do I feel awful for folks booked on summer, 2022 Japan trips. As @sayhello mentioned, May seems very unlikely, June extremely optimistic. For folks booked, travel operators have to realize that if these trips don't go, their customers will want to make alternative arrangements. If they're going to cancel, they need to do it now so people can make plans accordingly. I am so glad that our next few trips have been put together and executed by my favorite trip planner (me !). I can pull the plug on our plans with 24 hours notice and don't have any deposits on hotels or bookings (except for a half day zookeeper experience at the Edinburgh Zoo for us and I hired a photographer through Flytographer for dd's 20th birthday pics in Edinburgh). I really love planning our own trips, though would still consider a tour operator for logistically complicated trips (like ABD Japan, China, Peru, etc.).

 

[TXTransplant]

Boy do I feel awful for folks booked on summer, 2022 Japan trips. As @sayhello mentioned, May seems very unlikely, June extremely optimistic. For folks booked, travel operators have to realize that if these trips don't go, their customers will want to make alternative arrangements. If they're going to cancel, they need to do it now so people can make plans accordingly. I am so glad that our next few trips have been put together and executed by my favorite trip planner (me !). I can pull the plug on our plans with 24 hours notice and don't have any deposits on hotels or bookings (except for a half day zookeeper experience at the Edinburgh Zoo for us and I hired a photographer through Flytographer for dd's 20th birthday pics in Edinburgh). I really love planning our own trips, though would still consider a tour operator for logistically complicated trips (like ABD Japan, China, Peru, etc.).

This is my biggest complaint. Our backup plan is a trip to the Azores. I have a refundable hotel room booked, but I still need to buy plane tickets and book a rental car. I just can't bring myself to do that without an official cancellation of the Japan trip because the dates would overlap.

To get to the Azores we would have to fly to Boston on United and then catch another flight on Azores Airlines. That was a <$400 ticket a few weeks ago. Now that ticket to Boston is $600-$700. The flight to the Azores is now $1200 instead of $700. I can only imagine what it's going to cost by the time I am able to book. Thank goodness the Azores is an otherwise affordable destination.

 

[TXTransplant]

The more I think about this, the more adamant I am that ABD should provide a CONFIRMED itinerary to guests when final payment is due. If they cannot provide that, then you should be allowed to cancel and receive your deposit back. The fact that they want $17k from me but can't even provide basic details about the trip (because the country isn't even open) really aggravates me.

 

[sayhello]

The more I think about this, the more adamant I am that ABD should provide a CONFIRMED itinerary to guests when final payment is due. If they cannot provide that, then you should be allowed to cancel and receive your deposit back. The fact that they want $17k from me but can't even provide basic details about the trip (because the country isn't even open) really aggravates me.

I totally agree, but unfortunately this has actually been ABD's policy for *years*. Granted, pre-pandemic, cancellations were rare, but they always reserved the right to cancel at any time up until departure, and only confirmed trips if they felt like it. I've had multiple trips that were never officially confirmed.

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

I totally agree, but unfortunately this has actually been ABD's policy for *years*. Granted, pre-pandemic, cancellations were rare, but they always reserved the right to cancel at any time up until departure, and only confirmed trips if they felt like it. I've had multiple trips that were never officially confirmed.

Sayhello

This issue I have is, Japan has been closed for two years. I would like to see some documentation that ABD is providing the product I was sold before I cough up $17k. Pre-pandemic this wasn't really an issue because substitutions were readily available. Who knows what's going to be available/open when Japan finally agrees to allow tourists in. IMO, a 2+ year gap in trips is a huge issue when it comes to providing a product that matches with what we were sold.

 

[sayhello]

This issue I have is, Japan has been closed for two years. I would like to see some documentation that ABD is providing the product I was sold before I cough up $17k. Pre-pandemic this wasn't really an issue because substitution's were readily available. Who knows what's going to be available/open when Japan finally agrees to allow tourists in. IMO, a 2+ year gap in trips is a huge issue when it comes to providing a product that matches with what we were sold.

Well, that makes absolute sense! I definitely think you need to talk to ABD and tell them that. I think knowing what's going on with the itinerary under these circumstances before PIF is a completely reasonable ask!

Sayhello

 

[Mathmagicland]

I’ve been seeing where Japan is getting ready to remove some travel restrictions. Looks like an announcement may be coming later today.

https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/tr...es-removal-of-covid-19-restrictions-on-tokyo/

 

[sayhello]

I’ve been seeing where Japan is getting ready to remove some travel restrictions. Looks like an announcement may be coming later today.

https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/tr...es-removal-of-covid-19-restrictions-on-tokyo/

Interesting. But as the title of the article is "Japan set to announce the removal of COVID-19 restrictions on Tokyo and 17 other prefectures", I wonder which prefectures are in the "17 other". I looked, and there are 47 prefectures in Japan, so it seems a large part of the country will still have restrictions. But at least it's a start!

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

Thanks to the other thread where people said they were offered cancellations with a refund of the deposit after the vaccine mandate email was pushed out by ABD yesterday, I contacted my TA. My trip has been cancelled, and I will be given a full refund of the deposit. It's been confirmed. For anyone else who wants to cancel, just ASK!

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

So I called yesterday and was told only the May 15 japan ABD has been cancelled and they are making decisions prior to PIF day for each of the 2022 japan trips.

I therefore, won’t know for sure until the first week of May (for July 10th ABD) .

A couple interesting points:
1. My vacationista was able to pre-emptively get approval to move my deposit one more time (if we get the crunch time and ABD for some reason doesn’t cancel by PIF day). We can move it to 2023 and not lose $ if we just don’t want to take a chance on a last minute cancellation. This gives me some peace of mind to go ahead and make other plans this summer without worrying about losing my deposit.

2. I asked when 2023 land adventures would be announced- she said it likely would be announced in early May but bookings may not open up by the time I need, so I could move my deposit to a placeholder status again.

Hope that helps anyone in a similar situation

 

[TXTransplant]

So I called yesterday and was told only the May 15 japan ABD has been cancelled and they are making decisions prior to PIF day for each of the 2022 japan trips.

I therefore, won’t know for sure until the first week of May (for July 10th ABD) .

A couple interesting points:
1. My vacationista was able to pre-emptively get approval to move my deposit one more time (if we get the crunch time and ABD for some reason doesn’t cancel by PIF day). We can move it to 2023 and not lose $ if we just don’t want to take a chance on a last minute cancellation. This gives me some peace of mind to go ahead and make other plans this summer without worrying about losing my deposit.

2. I asked when 2023 land adventures would be announced- she said it likely would be announced in early May but bookings may not open up by the time I need, so I could move my deposit to a placeholder status again.

Hope that helps anyone in a similar situation

We were on the June 4 trip. Just to clarify, I asked to cancel, and ABD allowed it and agreed to refund my deposit. But what you posted about the May trip tells me that they are expecting to officially cancel our trip, too.

Our PIF date was the first week of April. Those two weeks may not mean much to ABD, but they are everything to me since I’m putting together an alternate trip for the same dates we were booked for Japan.

 

[DJJimmy9]

I am seeing good news that Japan is starting to open things up.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...d-restrictions-new-infections-ebb-2022-03-16/

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Anyone booked on the May 30 trip? Looks like that is no longer available for booking so I presume it’s been cancelled officially or unofficially?

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Anyone booked on the May 30 trip? Looks like that is no longer available for booking so I presume it’s been cancelled officially or unofficially?

Now June 5th... assume people are getting notifications?

 

[DJJimmy9]

I am August, so I have not gotten anything yet. But this NY Times article makes it sound like the entire summer will be canceled.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/02/travel/japan-covid-tourism-border.html

 

[808flyer]

Haven’t heard anything good about reopening. My speculation is they’ll wait until next Spring (2023) to allow tourists back in, as far away as that seems.

 

[808flyer]

Haven’t heard anything good about reopening. My speculation is they’ll wait until next Spring (2023) to allow tourists back in, as far away as that seems.

In contrast, nearly 19,000 Japanese tourists visited the US (Mainland, Hawaii, & Guam) in January 2022 alone, and the number is certainly higher now. Starting to feel like this is a one-way deal, reminiscent of the Edo/Tokugawa period.

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Looks like the dominos are starting to fall... Jun 12 and Jun 19 dates are "no longer available for booking."