New ABD/DCL Mediterranean Adventure

[sarahgirl]

Thought I would jump on this thread to see what everyone is saying about the ABD add-on for the Med cruises. We are on the August 28th cruise and were debating whether go for it. But sadly we have decided not to add the ABD portion. We have priced all the excursions and private tours that we want to do at each port and the total comes to a bit under $2K with lunches and gratuities included. That is for two adults. That is quite a bit of savings from the $2,399 per person that we were quoted for the ABD add-on. And our tours that we priced include a private tour of Pompeii with the Amalfi Coast in Naples & a private walking tour of Cinque Terre in La Spezia. It was a tough decision. But another consideration that we had was that we did the Viva Italia tour last year. And while we loved Rome, we really wanted to do something else at that port. Maybe we will see some of you on our cruise. Enjoy!

Truthfully I was thinking about it and then I did the math and right now I can't see the value in this addon. Although I would LOVE to do an ABD I can't see myself getting much more value out of this over booking my excursions from DCL. Unless Disney gives some sort of incentive (like giving away a 3-day cruise) I can't see myself adding this on. But we'll see what happens. I'm open as of right now.

 

[Turtlemom]

I looked at this and got very excited. Unfortunately, DH freaked out over the stop in Tunis, Tunisia. Apparently, there are some travel advisories posted about Tunisia due to some tourists being abducted near the Algerian border. And he has the impression that it is open season on american tourists in that part of the world, generally.

Is anyone else concerned about this??? Or is DH just overreacting? Any chance Disney would reconsider that port? Has anyone been there on a previous med cruise and had any impressions--favorable or otherwise?
Just wondering.

 

[sarahgirl]

I looked at this and got very excited. Unfortunately, DH freaked out over the stop in Tunis, Tunisia. Apparently, there are some travel advisories posted about Tunisia due to some tourists being abducted near the Algerian border. And he has the impression that it is open season on american tourists in that part of the world, generally.

Is anyone else concerned about this??? Or is DH just overreacting? Any chance Disney would reconsider that port? Has anyone been there on a previous med cruise and had any impressions--favorable or otherwise?
Just wondering.

I don't see DCL changing their route unless something more substantial happens. They have alot of money invested in going to Tunis and there are alot of people really excited about going there. I think the safest thing to do while there and you are worried about your safety is to travel as a group. I know that I personally have gone to Israel and Jordan but would only go in an organized group. I would not hold back on this trip b/c of that. There are so many opportunities there. DCL will do their best to try to make it as safe as possible for you.

 

[sayhello]

I looked at this and got very excited. Unfortunately, DH freaked out over the stop in Tunis, Tunisia. Apparently, there are some travel advisories posted about Tunisia due to some tourists being abducted near the Algerian border. And he has the impression that it is open season on american tourists in that part of the world, generally.

Is anyone else concerned about this??? Or is DH just overreacting? Any chance Disney would reconsider that port? Has anyone been there on a previous med cruise and had any impressions--favorable or otherwise?
Just wondering.

Everything I've read about Tunisia (and there's not much, warning-wise) happened around the border with Algeria. Tunis and Sidi Jedidi are nowhere near the Algerian border... If they were, I'd be more worried.

Sidi Jedidi apparently is a well-known bird-watching spot...

You *could* always stay on the ship if you wanted... but that would seem like a shame.

I don't see DCL changing their route unless something more substantial happens. They have alot of money invested in going to Tunis and there are alot of people really excited about going there. I think the safest thing to do while there and you are worried about your safety is to travel as a group. I know that I personally have gone to Israel and Jordan but would only go in an organized group. I would not hold back on this trip b/c of that. There are so many opportunities there. DCL will do their best to try to make it as safe as possible for you.

This is one of the big reasons I'm excited about the ABD add-on. This is a part of the world where I would like having 2 guides taking care of me, and be traveling with a group of people who will get to know each other & look out for each other. It's one of the things I like best about ABD. There would be NO WAY I'd do this cruise without ABD.

Sayhello

 

[Jerry@dvcstore]

Great info. Nice Thread.

 

[Turtlemom]

FYI--I did speak to a DCL rep yesterday, just to check out pricing, etc, for the Med Cruise with the ABD add-on. I know there was some discussion on cancellation policies. The information on cancellation policies that I received were that (for an August cruise), I could cancel up to the time of final payment without penalty. From 89 to 54 days out, the penalty is $300 per person, from 44-14 days out, the penalty is 50% cost of trip, and cancellation within 14 days--no refund. As for the ABD part, I was told that if ABD cancelled, I would receive a full refund for the entire trip, or be re-booked on a comperable trip. Hope that helps. . . .

 

[sayhello]

FYI--I did speak to a DCL rep yesterday, just to check out pricing, etc, for the Med Cruise with the ABD add-on. I know there was some discussion on cancellation policies. The information on cancellation policies that I received were that (for an August cruise), I could cancel up to the time of final payment without penalty. From 89 to 54 days out, the penalty is $300 per person, from 44-14 days out, the penalty is 50% cost of trip, and cancellation within 14 days--no refund. As for the ABD part, I was told that if ABD cancelled, I would receive a full refund for the entire trip, or be re-booked on a comperable trip. Hope that helps. . . .

Thanks. That sort of jibes with what I was told, although they made it clear (at least to me) that the ABD cancellation/refund was only for the ABD add-on. That it would not be a refund/rebook of the entire cruise. So I'm still uncertain what would happen if they cancelled the ABD add-on at 90 days. I could still get a full refund of the cruise (and airfare if booked through them) at 90 days, and a full refund of the ABD portion or rebook of the ABD add-on, but no-one gave any indication that there would be any sort of assistance with or compensation for re-booking the cruise OR the airfare. I.e., if I wanted, say, to book one of the other Med cruises that has the ABD add-on, and the price of the cruise was higher than it was when I booked the old cruise, I'd be SOL and have to book at the higher rate. And nobody is talking about what would happen if I booked my airfare myself. I think it's time to call DCL & ABD and see if they've made any clarifications on that since I called last...

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

So I talked to both DCL and ABD, and they confirmed what I'd been told before. As of now, the policy is: If ABD cancels the Med Add-on, it will be no later than 90 days before the cruise. At that point, even though we've already paid in full, we can get a full 100% refund of both the ABD add-on and the cruise, and any airfare booked through DCL. Beyond that, there is nothing. There is always a chance that they might change that policy, or do things differently on a case-by-case basis, but the official stance is: Full refund, and any re-booking is based on availability and current pricing, just like any new reservation. And be sure to have trip insurance, as they won't be helping at all with any airfare you purchase on your own. This was confirmed by both DCL (I went up to a Supervisor) and by the ABD rep (whom I've talked to before. She's great, and laughed & told me I'm the 3rd person who has told her they have no interest in taking the cruise without the ABD add-on...)

So I *could* conceivably find myself at 90 days out with no vacation plans. I think I'd best have a contingency plan in place.

But both ABD and DCL say that the add-on has been selling very well, but nobody had any numbers for me. They are both going to try & see what they can find out. The ABD rep is also trying to find out for me what sort of communication will be possible to give special requests/concerns to the ABD guides, as they don't have the same process in place for that as they do for normal ABD's. This is all really booked & run under DCL's system, and not ABD's.

I'm hoping they may decide to change some of these policies, but currently, DCL really only sees this as an add-on to your cruise, and NOT as an ABD at sea, like I, at least, see it.

Sayhello

 

[sarahgirl]

So I talked to both DCL and ABD, and they confirmed what I'd been told before. As of now, the policy is: If ABD cancels the Med Add-on, it will be no later than 90 days before the cruise. At that point, even though we've already paid in full, we can get a full 100% refund of both the ABD add-on and the cruise, and any airfare booked through DCL. Beyond that, there is nothing. There is always a chance that they might change that policy, or do things differently on a case-by-case basis, but the official stance is: Full refund, and any re-booking is based on availability and current pricing, just like any new reservation. And be sure to have trip insurance, as they won't be helping at all with any airfare you purchase on your own. This was confirmed by both DCL (I went up to a Supervisor) and by the ABD rep (whom I've talked to before. She's great, and laughed & told me I'm the 3rd person who has told her they have no interest in taking the cruise without the ABD add-on...)

So I *could* conceivably find myself at 90 days out with no vacation plans. I think I'd best have a contingency plan in place.

But both ABD and DCL say that the add-on has been selling very well, but nobody had any numbers for me. They are both going to try & see what they can find out. The ABD rep is also trying to find out for me what sort of communication will be possible to give special requests/concerns to the ABD guides, as they don't have the same process in place for that as they do for normal ABD's. This is all really booked & run under DCL's system, and not ABD's.

I'm hoping they may decide to change some of these policies, but currently, DCL really only sees this as an add-on to your cruise, and NOT as an ABD at sea, like I, at least, see it.

Sayhello

This jives with what I have been told by ABD and DCL, that almost everything is being run by DCL, and that this is just an addon and that ABD is getting most of their direction from DCL including what type of shore excursions they are doing. Since they are run by the same parent corporation this does not surprise me.

 

[sayhello]

This jives with what I have been told by ABD and DCL, that almost everything is being run by DCL, and that this is just an addon and that ABD is getting most of their direction from DCL including what type of shore excursions they are doing. Since they are run by the same parent corporation this does not surprise me.

I guess it *does* surprise me, because ABD just has such better policies when it comes to things like how they treat you if they cancel a trip (even though they are owned by the same parent company). The only change to policy that seemed to take place after the merger *was* a change for the better -- ABD *used* to say they could cancel a trip up to the day it leaves, and now they've added a policy more like DCL's where they won't cancel after 85 days prior to the trip. But the deposit policies are still the same as before for ABD -- non-refundable after 14 days.

But in this case, DCL has been around longer, and is probably more profitable, and they can probably use that as clout & push ABD around. I guess I was *hoping* for some sort of merging of the policies.

Sayhello

 

[sarahgirl]

I guess it *does* surprise me, because ABD just has such better policies when it comes to things like how they treat you if they cancel a trip (even though they are owned by the same parent company). The only change to policy that seemed to take place after the merger *was* a change for the better -- ABD *used* to say they could cancel a trip up to the day it leaves, and now they've added a policy more like DCL's where they won't cancel after 85 days prior to the trip. But the deposit policies are still the same as before for ABD -- non-refundable after 14 days.

But in this case, DCL has been around longer, and is probably more profitable, and they can probably use that as clout & push ABD around. I guess I was *hoping* for some sort of merging of the policies.

Sayhello

I don't know if it is DCL pushing ABD around or if it is just that ABD is taking their direction from DCL b/c they are the ones that have spent the time and effort into this itinerary and the ABD experience seems to be sort of put together very quickly. So they are using a lot of the research and planning that DCL has already done. In fact if you look at the itineraries proposed by
ABD and those of the shore excursions for the various ports they do look very similar and many of them look like they are the same thing that other shore excursions are doing. Like I said I'm still in the research phase but it does seem like ABD defers to DCL an awful lot.

 

[HappyGrumpy]

Originally Posted by sayhello
I guess it *does* surprise me, because ABD just has such better policies when it comes to things like how they treat you if they cancel a trip (even though they are owned by the same parent company). The only change to policy that seemed to take place after the merger *was* a change for the better -- ABD *used* to say they could cancel a trip up to the day it leaves, and now they've added a policy more like DCL's where they won't cancel after 85 days prior to the trip. But the deposit policies are still the same as before for ABD -- non-refundable after 14 days.

But in this case, DCL has been around longer, and is probably more profitable, and they can probably use that as clout & push ABD around. I guess I was *hoping* for some sort of merging of the policies.

Sayhello

Wow,

if you go though with this you trip are certainly going to be the"guinea pig" for the group! I REALLY wish we could do this this year but the timing is just not right. I am living through you right now SayHello!

 

[sayhello]

Well, I got a call from the DCL supervisor I'd spoken to about the cancellation policies, and he told me that 16 people have signed up for the ABD add-on (well, actually, what he said was "24 spots are left" ) for the May 15 Med cruise. That's very encouraging, as both of my previous ABD's went with less people than that. He kept saying that they are really trying NOT to cancel these, they really want them to be successful. He also said several additional people had expressed interest, but were waiting until after they got their tax refunds to commit. Fingers & toes crossed. I haven't heard anything back from Dotti on the Knights & Lights trip... I'm not too optimistic about that option. She kept saying she was hoping to have it all settled & finalized by Christmas. I think I'm *almost* over feeling guilty...

Sayhello

 

[Christyvoltron]

My husband and I just took two of the 24 remaining spaces. Wow what a wonderful trip! The woman at the Disney Cruise Line that took our reservation said now you won't have to stand in lines. That will save our feet somewhat. We are so looking forward to this.

 

[sayhello]

My husband and I just took two of the 24 remaining spaces. Wow what a wonderful trip! The woman at the Disney Cruise Line that took our reservation said now you won't have to stand in lines. That will save our feet somewhat. We are so looking forward to this.

Glad to hear it! It really is a fabulous trip. ABD really knows how to do these trips right, and getting ABD service and know-how in the Med just sounds ideal! I like the idea of not struggling over excursion choices, worrying if they'll be available or not, re-thinking if what I want is not available, do I do private or through DCL, etc, etc. This is a low-stress, fun-filled option as far as I'm concerned!

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

Whoops, double post!

Sayhello

 

[wdwsos]

I haven't heard anything back from Dotti on the Knights & Lights trip... I'm not too optimistic about that option. She kept saying she was hoping to have it all settled & finalized by Christmas. I think I'm *almost* over feeling guilty...

Sayhello

LOL.. you should never feel guilty with me anyway. I'm about as easy going as they come.

I was hoping to contact my "group" today with some news because my AbD marketing contact was gone all of last week and we haven't been able to touch base. Unfortunately, today didn't work out any better. I spoke with most of the other folks on my trip and they're all ready to pay deposits, but since four dropped out due to medical reasons, we only have 12 of the 14 I need to make this a guaranteed departure. It's really too bad -- the rates on my 6/11 trip are $500.00 less per person than for the week after, so a family of four can save $2,000.00. Most of the AbDs I've booked in the last week have been either to Germany or Italy, and have been in July and August. I think that 6/11 date is tough since many families still have kids in school.

Of course, if we weren't going to Lebanon in July I'd have the whole family with me and we wouldn't even be having this discussion!

So, that's a long way to say that I don't blame you at all for making this decision! This *should* have been all wrapped up by Christmas, so your gain is definitely my loss! I hope we can still do an AbD sometime together because I still have a few I want to try.

Dotti

 

[sayhello]

LOL.. you should never feel guilty with me anyway. I'm about as easy going as they come.

I was hoping to contact my "group" today with some news because my AbD marketing contact was gone all of last week and we haven't been able to touch base. Unfortunately, today didn't work out any better. I spoke with most of the other folks on my trip and they're all ready to pay deposits, but since four dropped out due to medical reasons, we only have 12 of the 14 I need to make this a guaranteed departure. It's really too bad -- the rates on my 6/11 trip are $500.00 less per person than for the week after, so a family of four can save $2,000.00. Most of the AbDs I've booked in the last week have been either to Germany or Italy, and have been in July and August. I think that 6/11 date is tough since many families still have kids in school.

Of course, if we weren't going to Lebanon in July I'd have the whole family with me and we wouldn't even be having this discussion!

So, that's a long way to say that I don't blame you at all for making this decision! This *should* have been all wrapped up by Christmas, so your gain is definitely my loss! I hope we can still do an AbD sometime together because I still have a few I want to try.

Dotti

Thanks, Dotti! I'm *still* going to feel guilty, but thanks. You *know* that if your trip was already a go I wouldn't have pulled out after the fact. And I ABSOLUTELY am still interested in doing an ABD with you & your friends & family! PLEASE keep me in mind. There's still a few I'm interested in doing, too!

*hugs a bunch*
Sayhello

 

[Turtlemom]

Dotti--
I just PM'd you with a question. (Never did the PM thing before, so I hope it worked!) I would love to chat with you directly if you get a chance! Let me know.

Turtlemom.