Leaving in less then 10 days, still nithing from ABD...

[tiggersam00]

Hi everyone,

Hoping for a little help or a point in the right direction. We leave in 9 days for our first ABD to Germany, and we still have not received anything from ABD. I know we are supposed to get a box with some "gift" and "documents", my TA said it was shipped to them on July 1st from ABD but they have not received it, she called ABD and they said that I would get a box of stuff in Germany. From what I have read on here that is a little odd, and I am not too pumped to have to carry stuff with me all around Germany...

I am mainly concerned with not having emergency contact numbers from ABD in case something goes wrong. My TA said to call the main ABD number, but they are not open when we are flying due to time differences. Can someone please offer me some advice on this, can I contact ABD directly or is there someone who has a local contact number perhaps? Am I worrying over nothing? I like to be prepared just in case when traveling, especially internationally, and my TA said we don't have transfers included from Frankfurt to Heidelberg which worried me as well as I was sure that was included...

Please help me calm my neurotic tendencies lol!

 

[tufbuf]

Hi everyone, Hoping for a little help or a point in the right direction. We leave in 9 days for our first ABD to Germany, and we still have not received anything from ABD. I know we are supposed to get a box with some "gift" and "documents", my TA said it was shipped to them on July 1st from ABD but they have not received it, she called ABD and they said that I would get a box of stuff in Germany. From what I have read on here that is a little odd, and I am not too pumped to have to carry stuff with me all around Germany... I am mainly concerned with not having emergency contact numbers from ABD in case something goes wrong. My TA said to call the main ABD number, but they are not open when we are flying due to time differences. Can someone please offer me some advice on this, can I contact ABD directly or is there someone who has a local contact number perhaps? Am I worrying over nothing? I like to be prepared just in case when traveling, especially internationally, and my TA said we don't have transfers included from Frankfurt to Heidelberg which worried me as well as I was sure that was included... Please help me calm my neurotic tendencies lol!

I would call ABD ASAP. Your box should have arrived 3 weeks ago. The most important item in there is the booklet with all your trip info. Did you book your pre- night stay with ABD? If yes, then transfers should be included. If you booked it separately, then you have to arrange your own airport transfer.

 

[tiggersam00]

I would call ABD ASAP. Your box should have arrived 3 weeks ago. The most important item in there is the booklet with all your trip info. Did you book your pre- night stay with ABD? If yes, then transfers should be included. If you booked it separately, then you have to arrange your own airport transfer.

We are flying into Frankfurt the day of the ABD, pre days are on our own in Iceland. I thought that meant that ABD picked us up... Hmm I should try to figure out how the heck we need to get to Heidelberg ugh!

ABD said I would get everything at the hotel... They won't give me any info without my TA calling.

 

[Tozzie]

Hi everyone,

Hoping for a little help or a point in the right direction. We leave in 9 days for our first ABD to Germany, and we still have not received anything from ABD. I know we are supposed to get a box with some "gift" and "documents", my TA said it was shipped to them on July 1st from ABD but they have not received it, she called ABD and they said that I would get a box of stuff in Germany. From what I have read on here that is a little odd, and I am not too pumped to have to carry stuff with me all around Germany...

I am mainly concerned with not having emergency contact numbers from ABD in case something goes wrong. My TA said to call the main ABD number, but they are not open when we are flying due to time differences. Can someone please offer me some advice on this, can I contact ABD directly or is there someone who has a local contact number perhaps? Am I worrying over nothing? I like to be prepared just in case when traveling, especially internationally, and my TA said we don't have transfers included from Frankfurt to Heidelberg which worried me as well as I was sure that was included...

Please help me calm my neurotic tendencies lol!

I would call Abd directly they will give you the info and while it could happen that abd didnt send the box out until late it doesnt make sense as I got my box for my May 17 trip in early April

 

[Bobo912]

We are flying into Frankfurt the day of the ABD, pre days are on our own in Iceland. I thought that meant that ABD picked us up... Hmm I should try to figure out how the heck we need to get to Heidelberg ugh!

ABD said I would get everything at the hotel... They won't give me any info without my TA calling.

ABD will still pick you up. Your pre-days in Iceland won't affect that. The only time they won't pick you up is if you book pre-night stays in the city where the tour originates and you don't book it through ABD.

Somebody on this forum should be able to give you the emergency number. I would, but I'm at work and don't have the booklet from our recent trip. There is also hotel contact info in the book for you to tear out and leave with your family, housesitter, etc. at home.

I'm not sure why they would tell you you'll get the box in Germany. The guides don't have the gifts that come in the box. Last year our guides didn't even have any extra paper luggage tags or booklets. The guides on our recent trip had a few extra booklets, so maybe they aren't being so stingy with them this year.

 

[sayhello]

We are flying into Frankfurt the day of the ABD, pre days are on our own in Iceland. I thought that meant that ABD picked us up... Hmm I should try to figure out how the heck we need to get to Heidelberg ugh!

ABD said I would get everything at the hotel... They won't give me any info without my TA calling.

I would also say that if you aren't getting satisfactory information from your TA, try calling ABD. Everything is *supposed* to go through your TA, but there's a point at which enough is enough!

I had an issue one time where I did not get the booklet with my package, and ABD emailed me a pdf version of it. That was several years ago, but it couldn't hurt to ask. I also think it's odd that they'd tell you you'd get all your stuff at the hotel.

Sayhello

 

[tiggersam00]

I ended up calling ABD and they gave me a 407 number for emergencies, so I can at least check that off! They said I would get my "gifts and booklet" in Germany though... I thought the point of these things was to get you excited for the trip, so this is strange. Does anyone know if the "gifts" will be a pain to carry or are they just the little bags I have seen on here?

 

[tiggersam00]

I would also say that if you aren't getting satisfactory information from your TA, try calling ABD. Everything is *supposed* to go through your TA, but there's a point at which enough is enough! I had an issue one time where I did not get the booklet with my package, and ABD emailed me a pdf version of it. That was several years ago, but it couldn't hurt to ask. I also think it's odd that they'd tell you you'd get all your stuff at the hotel. Sayhello

ABD said they have gone paperless for many things, but they do not have a PDF of anything to email...not sure they understand what paperless means...

Truthfully, luggage tags and a little bag are not going to make or break my trip, I would love the booklet though to get excited and enjoy...

 

[tiggersam00]

ABD will still pick you up. Your pre-days in Iceland won't affect that. The only time they won't pick you up is if you book pre-night stays in the city where the tour originates and you don't book it through ABD. Somebody on this forum should be able to give you the emergency number. I would, but I'm at work and don't have the booklet from our recent trip. There is also hotel contact info in the book for you to tear out and leave with your family, housesitter, etc. at home. I'm not sure why they would tell you you'll get the box in Germany. The guides don't have the gifts that come in the box. Last year our guides didn't even have any extra paper luggage tags or booklets. The guides on our recent trip had a few extra booklets, so maybe they aren't being so stingy with them this year.

Thanks, I called ABD and again was told they couldn't help, ugh! I am relieved to hear that transfers are covered though.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks, I called ABD and again was told they couldn't help, ugh! I am relieved to hear that transfers are covered though.

Did ABD tell you that your transfers are covered? If your TA told them you didn't need transfers, they may not be set up. I'd definitely call them back and confirm with them. Once you're in Frankfurt, it's a bit late to find out it wasn't set up!

Sayhello

 

[hilarys]

We had 9 hours of flight delays on our trip that started 2 weeks ago so I have the emergency number in my phone's recent call log.

I see 407-828-7117 (I think this is the official emergency number) and 407-827-1500 in my call log. The first one is what is listed in the little card in the lanyard given to us on Day 1.

Your transfers from Frankfurt should be included but double check that they have you down for a pick-up (if there is confusion I would also call the emergency number when you leave Iceland and double check that they have the right time for your flights etc).

With all of our delays we ended up getting in at 11 pm rather than 1 pm and hour guides went above and beyond and picked us up personally. It was the perfect start to our trip and an end to the bad travel day to see Jennae and Betti's smiling faces to greet us.

Hilary

 

[Bobo912]

Sorry, I missed the part where your TA said the transfers weren't included. That is odd though because your stopover in Iceland shouldn't affect your transfers in Frankfurt, unless your TA told ABD you don't need the transfer. I just did something similar. I spent 5 pre-days in Edinburgh prior to the Ireland ABD and I had no problem with the transfers once I reached Dublin. Threre was never any question of whether they were included or not. ABD didn't care if I was flying in from the US or was visiting somewhere else first.

 

[kristilew]

I agree with Say Hello. You are getting terrible service from your TA. I'm thinking he/she must not specialize in Disney and not have the contacts.

You should have a contract from when you booked the trip. This will say if you have pick up at the airport. (At least mine always says it.)

As for the gifts, I wonder if they are thinking of the welcome gifts and adventure booklet you do get when you arrive?

At this point, I would ask your TA to call ABD and put a note on your account that it's ok for them to talk to you directly, then to tell you when he/she has accomplished that. Then, you call ABD back and ask for clarification of 1) your being met at the airport (say this phrase instead of "transfers" - someone might be confused based on your Iceland leg) and 2) your adventure box. You could also just keep calling back to ABD and asking for a supervisor, as different people there have different interpretations of the "can't talk to you" rule. I've had ABD folks call me even when my TA asked them NOT to do so.

Please let us know what happens, and do know that even with these early glitches, once you arrive all will be handled for you and there will be no problems!

 

[sayhello]

I agree with Say Hello. You are getting terrible service from your TA. I'm thinking he/she must not specialize in Disney and not have the contacts.

You should have a contract from when you booked the trip. This will say if you have pick up at the airport. (At least mine always says it.)

As for the gifts, I wonder if they are thinking of the welcome gifts and adventure booklet you do get when you arrive?

At this point, I would ask your TA to call ABD and put a note on your account that it's ok for them to talk to you directly, then to tell you when he/she has accomplished that. Then, you call ABD back and ask for clarification of 1) your being met at the airport (say this phrase instead of "transfers" - someone might be confused based on your Iceland leg) and 2) your adventure box. You could also just keep calling back to ABD and asking for a supervisor, as different people there have different interpretations of the "can't talk to you" rule. I've had ABD folks call me even when my TA asked them NOT to do so.

Please let us know what happens, and do know that even with these early glitches, once you arrive all will be handled for you and there will be no problems!

Actually, unless things have changed back this year, they have done away with the welcome gifts (we only got the duffle bag, which is wonderful, but nothing else) and you only get one booklet (the one that is *supposed* to arrive with your box pre-departure). No high-level book with the box and a more detailed one once you arrive, just a detailed book in the box that you are expected to bring with you.

And I also agree that once they arrive, all should be well. The things that are under the control of the Adventure Guides seem to work seemlessly 99.9% of the time!

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

Actually, unless things have changed back this year, they have done away with the welcome gifts (we only got the duffle bag, which is wonderful, but nothing else) and you only get one booklet (the one that is *supposed* to arrive with your box pre-departure). No high-level book with the box and a more detailed one once you arrive, just a detailed book in the box that you are expected to bring with you.

And I also agree that once they arrive, all should be well. The things that are under the control of the Adventure Guides seem to work seemlessly 99.9% of the time!

Sayhello

Nothing new this year. All you get upon arrival is the duffle. And you're still expected to bring the booklet with you.

 

[disneyphx]

ABD has somewhat recently switched their call center - and maybe other things to - from CA to FL. So you may be getting new people who are not familiar with what you are asking about or for......not much of a help, but maybe say "Everyone gets a package prior to departure AND at the hotel." Or ideally your travel agent can do that!
I just called about a 2015 trip and had a terrible time trying to get info about things that a year ago were really simple.
Good luck!

 

[sayhello]

Nothing new this year. All you get upon arrival is the duffle. And you're still expected to bring the booklet with you.

Good to know! Thanks!

Sayhello

 

[DisFan10]

ABD said they have gone paperless for many things, but they do not have a PDF of anything to email...not sure they understand what paperless means...

Truthfully, luggage tags and a little bag are not going to make or break my trip, I would love the booklet though to get excited and enjoy...

We encountered the same problem on our last AbD (no box with 2 weeks to departure). So we contacted our fantastic travel agent and she went back and forth with AbD to try and resolve this problem. AbD finally sent our box of gift items via UPS Next Day Air and we received it the day before we left for the trip.

However, they were unable to include the booklet due to some production problem with the vendor. We were told that they would ship the booklet to Saigon, which didn't make any sense. When we met the Adventure Guides at the hotel, they had no idea what we were talking about. Fortunately, they had a lot of extra booklets with them.

I would suggest having your travel agent contact AbD again and request that they ship your box via UPS Next Day Air.

 

[tiggersam00]

We encountered the same problem on our last AbD (no box with 2 weeks to departure). So we contacted our fantastic travel agent and she went back and forth with AbD to try and resolve this problem. AbD finally sent our box of gift items via UPS Next Day Air and we received it the day before we left for the trip.

However, they were unable to include the booklet due to some production problem with the vendor. We were told that they would ship the booklet to Saigon, which didn't make any sense. When we met the Adventure Guides at the hotel, they had no idea what we were talking about. Fortunately, they had a lot of extra booklets with them.

I would suggest having your travel agent contact AbD again and request that they ship your box via UPS Next Day Air.

I contacted my travel agent (who is great, but has not booked a lot of ABD's in the past, we went through our AAA membership and found her a while back) anyways, I asked if she could please call ABD and ask them to overnight a booklet for us, since we leave Monday, she went above and beyond getting in touch with various levels of management of ABD and they are sending us a new kit overnight, it will be shipped tomorrow so hopefully by Wed or Thu we will have it
Thanks for all the help and advice on this everyone! Once again the DisBoards to the rescue

 

[tiggersam00]

Just a quick update for those interested, or who may be experiencing similar

We received our ABD box today, complete with boooklet, luggage tags, mini-messenger bag and tote

We leave in just a few days and will be doing a little trip report upon our return as well But I just wanted to thank you again for all the advice and help, you are all wonderful, thanks!