Newbie question, why ABD

[dez1978]

Hello. I'm not particularly a seasoned traveler. I've never been outside the states. But we are considering doing a trip to England or Scotland when this mess with Covid is over. What made you choose ABD over another travel package? I've seen lots of packages that include many of the same things but for a lot less $. So I'm just curious why ABD is better?

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Hello. I'm not particularly a seasoned traveler. I've never been outside the states. But we are considering doing a trip to England or Scotland when this mess with Covid is over. What made you choose ABD over another travel package? I've seen lots of packages that include many of the same things but for a lot less $. So I'm just curious why ABD is better?

Honestly I think it really depends on your personality. If you prefer to do a lot of research about your destination and plan everything yourself, do things at your own pace, it may not be the best option.

My wife convinced me to try it for our 10-year anniversary (ended up doing it the following summer when our youngest was six)... the 3 things that won me over:
1) ABD makes it really fun for your kids
2) the hotels/restaurants are at a level of luxury my wife likes
3) they take care of everything = no stress which I like.

The other point is that if you have limited vacation time and want to try and be "efficient", ABD allows you to cover a decent amount in a relatively short period of time without you having to worry about the stress of getting from point A to B to C. For example - when we went to Australia, we flew from Sydney to Ulluru (Ayer's rock), walked around, did star gazing that night, woke up early the next morning for a sunrise camel ride, and flew to Cairnes (Great Barrier Reef) within 24 hours. There is no way we would have done that in less than 3 days on our own.

Some argue ABD just let's you "touch" a place and you really don't get a lot of time to experience a particular destination, which is fair. I think the pre-nights or post-nights are worth doing if that is a concern.

Hope that helps

 

[Mathmagicland]

Hello. I'm not particularly a seasoned traveler. I've never been outside the states. But we are considering doing a trip to England or Scotland when this mess with Covid is over. What made you choose ABD over another travel package? I've seen lots of packages that include many of the same things but for a lot less $. So I'm just curious why ABD is better?

For me, I’ve done tours with AbD and also a tour with another company.

1)As @TravelJunkieHubby notes, AbD goes with luxury Hotels, which is very nice.
2) their tour buses are a lot nicer and more comfortable
3) there are usually some Disney perk like a private or after hours experience at a place that may tend to be really busy or crowded
4) varied experiences - Ie, tours, cooking experiences, hands on experience, etc
5) one of the guides is usually from the country or area being toured so you can get a local perspective
6) Disney tends to hit many of the top cultural spots, maximizing your time during the day
7) agree, they take care of everything including airport transfers
8) Disney has their name on it, so I trust the experience I will receive
9) while you may not know anyone else on your tour, you know the group has a shared love of and interest in Disney, so there’s some level of similarity at the start
10) my experiences is Disney is a lot more organized & can adapt better on the fly when circumstances warrant

When you are researching and comparing, compare everything- what seems a lot more expensive at first glance may not really be the case when you get down to the details like gratuities, hotels, restaurants, experiences, transportation, etc.

 

[Theta]

One thing that impresses me about ABD is that I never feel disappointed. We always seem to get the best seats on the boat, the best seats in the theaters and the best food in the restaurants. Also, they find the best locations for family pictures.

With other tours, I have found they cut corners.

With the cost of airfare combined with my precious time off work, I would gladly spend the ABD upcharge to get a quality product. My husband said he would rather do one ADB than two mediocre tours.

I have always found others on my tours to be great fun and interesting folk.

Did I mention the FOOD?? So good!

 

[buk110]

While I've only been on two, they won me over after the first. Let me count the reasons:
1. I'm very lazy and don't want to plan - and if my wife has to plan everything, that's not fair to her. The guides plan so much to do, every single day and even when you have "on your own time" they have great suggestions
2. The places you stay at are top notch. I'm a hotel snob, I cannot stand the thought of staying in a Motel-6 or All-Star Sport or anything like that. Staying at the Hotel Peninsula Toyko was amazing. Every place you stay you're treated great and the staff knows who you're with and treat you in kind.
3. The guides. Our first trip to London/Paris really showed how great the guides are. When I had an allergic reaction to some food, Frankie & Adam both went out of their way to make sure I wouldn't die. Also, they really get to know you as time goes on. By the time the trip is over, you feel like they've really gotten to know you and know what you're looking for.
4. The people. Once again, small sample size of only two trips but every person on each trip (Both Adult ABDs) were great people.
5. Disney can get away with a lot of things other people can't. So this means getting into places early, or skipping the queue or getting into places no one else can.


TL;DR - Do it! Just drop the money because you can't take it with you.

 

[Jmljasmine]

I just want to add a different angle since you specifically mentioned English speaking countries. I went to England, Scotland, Ireland as a first international vacation and planned it myself. 1. Bed and breakfast in those locations are so much better then hotels and an amazingly better deal. 2. Those countries in particular are not too difficult to plan and have decent public transportation and trains that make things easier. 3. Not taking a tour let's you choose what you really want to do and experience the place.

That said, I'd have a hugely different opinion if it were other countries you were talking about.

 

[sayhello]

I just want to add a different angle since you specifically mentioned English speaking countries. I went to England, Scotland, Ireland as a first international vacation and planned it myself. 1. Bed and breakfast in those locations are so much better then hotels and an amazingly better deal. 2. Those countries in particular are not too difficult to plan and have decent public transportation and trains that make things easier. 3. Not taking a tour let's you choose what you really want to do and experience the place.

That said, I'd have a hugely different opinion if it were other countries you were talking about.

While I agree with what you say, I'm going to answer to 3) that taking a tour gets you places you'd never have heard of or planned to go to, and they can turn out to be fabulous. Case in point, the mountain town of Shirakawa-go in Japan. Never, ever heard of it, ABD went there, LOVED it!! It was a highlight of the trip.

Sayhello

 

[AquaDame]

There are a lot of great answers above already... as far as ABD versus another tour provider, I'd have to say because its backed by the Disney corp. I've gone with other tour groups and have had fun but there was just something a little 'extra' with the Disney one.

Our guides weren't just good guides, they were personable. Like, ridiculously so. I friended both of them and I NEVER do that. I've had FANTASTIC guides elsewhere, and amazing accommodations but everything was very business. Hitting things was very cookie cutter; the guides were always checking their watches or just going through the motions. I'm 100% certain Disney does too, but they keep it well hidden, your guides are totally on it. If something needs done one slips away and you never even know if there is a problem until it is already solved.

They are masters at "magic" just like at the parks where you feel special because of "surprise" ice cream that they give you, and doesn't mean squat but it hits at just the right moment. Disney has also been doing this a long time - they have friends in high places and don't start a tour somewhere until they feel like they can run the best version of it. Then they take feedback and change things if its not working (usually this means cutting things from trips, or making substitutions but then people who don't know what they missed come back and still rave about how great the trip was, so... maybe they were right?)

The trips - from what I can tell - hit the main major expected parts of a place, toss in a few very special unqiue culture stops, dumb down some of the restaurant offerings to meet the needs of the many (sorry), allow ample OYO time for more adventurous eaters to get their own meals, and thus can immediately guarantee an 80% happy rating. Toss in a few extra surprises here and there, made possible by the copious amounts of 'secret' stops and 'pixie dust' from each trip that people alude to and you'll make each trip feel special. Put guides in a position of power to go above and beyond when and if something goes wrong (late night runs to a pharmacy, extra allergy friendly snacks, allowing a guide to split from the group to take care of someone who is lost or check on someone who is sick) and you're going to be covering a lot of that last 20%. No matter how special where I was staying was, or how "good" my guides elsewhere were, there was NO WAY they would go out of their way to solve a problem that wasn't their own.

 

[lovetotravel]

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[aggiedog]

Something else not mentioned is luggage. I'm pretty sure ABD takes care of moving all your luggage from one room to the next. I've been on group trips with other companies where each traveler is responsible for getting their luggage down to the bus and then back up to the room at the next stop. For some people, this is a big perk, particularly if you're a large suitcase kind of traveler, or some stairs are involved.

 

[sayhello]

There are a lot of great answers above already... as far as ABD versus another tour provider, I'd have to say because its backed by the Disney corp. I've gone with other tour groups and have had fun but there was just something a little 'extra' with the Disney one.

Our guides weren't just good guides, they were personable. Like, ridiculously so. I friended both of them and I NEVER do that. I've had FANTASTIC guides elsewhere, and amazing accommodations but everything was very business. Hitting things was very cookie cutter; the guides were always checking their watches or just going through the motions. I'm 100% certain Disney does too, but they keep it well hidden, your guides are totally on it. If something needs done one slips away and you never even know if there is a problem until it is already solved.

They are masters at "magic" just like at the parks where you feel special because of "surprise" ice cream that they give you, and doesn't mean squat but it hits at just the right moment. Disney has also been doing this a long time - they have friends in high places and don't start a tour somewhere until they feel like they can run the best version of it. Then they take feedback and change things if its not working (usually this means cutting things from trips, or making substitutions but then people who don't know what they missed come back and still rave about how great the trip was, so... maybe they were right?)

The trips - from what I can tell - hit the main major expected parts of a place, toss in a few very special unqiue culture stops, dumb down some of the restaurant offerings to meet the needs of the many (sorry), allow ample OYO time for more adventurous eaters to get their own meals, and thus can immediately guarantee an 80% happy rating. Toss in a few extra surprises here and there, made possible by the copious amounts of 'secret' stops and 'pixie dust' from each trip that people alude to and you'll make each trip feel special. Put guides in a position of power to go above and beyond when and if something goes wrong (late night runs to a pharmacy, extra allergy friendly snacks, allowing a guide to split from the group to take care of someone who is lost or check on someone who is sick) and you're going to be covering a lot of that last 20%. No matter how special where I was staying was, or how "good" my guides elsewhere were, there was NO WAY they would go out of their way to solve a problem that wasn't their own.

I totally agree with this. While all the points people brought up are true and great, I think *this*, the Adventure Guides, are what elevates ABD above the rest. For all the reasons you list, but I especially agree with the part I bolded "Put guides in a position of power to go above and beyond when and if something goes wrong (late night runs to a pharmacy, extra allergy friendly snacks, allowing a guide to split from the group to take care of someone who is lost or check on someone who is sick) and you're going to be covering a lot of that last 20%".

Allowing the Adventure Guides to decide what needs to be done in special circumstances, combined with having *two* of them, really makes trips go smoother, and seem more special. I'll tell you, I was eternally grateful to Landon, one of my Adventure Guides in Greece. I told him on the first day that I was recovering from bronchitis (no longer contagious!) and had just discovered the cough medicine my doctor had prescribed me was an Opiate, and was causing me to sleep through the day, so I stopped taking it. When I saw him later in the day, he had non-sleepy cough tablets for me that he had gotten at the local pharmacy. I wouldn't have known where a pharmacy was, I wouldn't have known what to ask for or how to ask for it. And he just did it without my even having to ask. That's the kind of thing they are best at.

Sayhello

 

[Grifdog22]

Say Hello is the matriarch of these boards (but she's not old) and the answers above are all on point. If I may add two observations from trips long ago that sold me as well. We were on the very old (and much longer) South Africa trip (back when if Disney didn't have enough people for a trip they would do a "flash sale" to try to get to the magic number for the trip to go and we bought in). There were multiple in country flights in that trip and we arrived at the airport to find that the plane would be delayed an hour. Disney arranged for an upgrade for all of us to first class, and told us to go explore this huge and fascinating airport, but to be back at the gate no later than 5 minutes before the new departure time. Another family had their elder South Korean grandmother with her. We arrived at the gate about 6 minutes before departure along with this family. The grandmother reached in her pocket and said, oops, I've lost my boarding pass to which the airline said too bad, sorry, you can't board. The Disney guide (who is still actively guiding trips) calmly picked up his phone, and in another minute handed his phone to the gate agent, as a boarding pass replacement was coming across the wire for this lady. They really do work magic. Later in the trip the other guide at Knysna quickly scooped up my daughter on a nature walk when she found a puff adder in the trail, and deposited her firmly and with a smile away from the snake. He made no big deal about it and no one else seemed to know what it was. He refused an early tip from me that evening, as I knew exactly what he had done. (Craig, also still their local South Africa guide).

On a trip to Peru, there was severe domestic unrest that began after the trip started. We were blissfully unaware, and locations and activities were changed up a bit. We didn't notice a thing at first, until we were en route to Sol y Luna and our bus was met with an armed blockade in the roadway as it was getting dark. After a few minutes the local guide (Alejandro) left the bus, talked to the people, disappeared out of sight for a few minutes, and then they began moving the blockade and waved us through. Meanwhile the other guide was leading the group in Disney songs and then put on a disney movie with the volume up pretty high while this was going on. After passing the blockade we snuck into the hotel using no headlights on the bus and into a back entrance. Later my daughter asked about the noises she heard that night and the guide smiled sweetly and said "Sweetheart that probably wasn't gunshots, more likely just the sound of fireworks going off to celebrate something wonderful, and we are leaving now to find it." And out of the area we went!

We trust the Disney brand. Period.

 

[sayhello]

Say Hello is the matriarch of these boards (but she's not old)

Nice save!

Sayhello

 

[aggiedog]

I think ultimately, the difference is how much you want everything, including the unexpected, to be taken care of. I have friends that love ABD and are terrified of dealing with anything on their own (they wouldn't even do a Disney Baltic cruise because "too many languages!".) Others aren't terrified, but just like the peace of mind, and the luxury.

So, peace of mind, luxury, added "premium" experiences, traveling with people who are into the same things, someone else makes all the plans, ABD (or other luxury brands.)

If you want peace of mind, with probably fewer guides, and not as luxury hotels, possibly moving your own luggage around, fellow travelers and someone else to make all the plans, then there are several "mid-grade" companies that do excellent jobs. I can't comment on ABD guides, but I've had several great guides who have gone above and beyond on "mid-grade" tours, and I've had a dud or two.

If you are comfortable with dealing with the unexpected, don't need fellow travelers beyond your family, and don't need someone making all the arrangements, then DIY is fine.

I've done it all (not ABD, full disclosure, but another "luxury" brand.) They all have their advantages. I'm the travel planner for our family, and we've had some awesome vacations that were all on me. I also enjoy group travel with a good friend, where I am happy to just show up and go where they tell me.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Years ago I was one of ABDs biggest cheerleaders as some of my early posts on this forum will attest. We took our first trip (Emerald Isle) the second full year they ran adventures (2007). We fell in love with the product, but it wasn't until our Scotland trip in 2013 that I became an ABD evangelist. To this day that Brave Adventure is still one of our favorite family trips ever (calfan and Calypso were also on that trip).

But between then and now over 7 trips, I've definitely lost my ABD fervor, and at times, I feel like I'm in a toxic relationship. Every time I think I'm done (ABD Baltic add-on), something happens to bring me back (I'm looking at you ABD China 2017 and ABD Japan 2019). But the negative feelings returned again last year with the way ABD handled the initial days of the pandemic. (see below)

By far my worst ABD experience was the ABD Baltic Add-on 2015. I still get angry when I think about that trip. Without going into all the details, which I related in my trip report (sticky link above), ABD went well over the recommended number of people on our trip making it feel more like a cattle call than a special experience. I also felt like the "adventures" in that trip completely lacked those special ABD touches and experiences that I ponied up the big bucks for. I felt like I could have had the same experience (and at times better) doing regular DCL excursions or DCL Signature excursions. I felt as if that trip was pretty much a complete rip off, and this saying something for ABD, LOL.

There is a great thread that breaks down some of the costs of an ABD compared to what it would cost on your own--it's worth looking at so you have an idea of the premium you are paying. Most of the time it's "worth it" to us, but the Baltics Add-on was one of those that it absolutely wasn't. After the Baltics experience, I carefully scrutinize the itinerary and look for experiences that I can't replicate or have VIP access. I also look for words like "city tour" (i.e. bus), walking tour, etc. These are all things that can be easily replicated with private guides. I also think about the hassle factor and language barriers. Would this be an easy trip to plan on my own?

[Aside: my other bad experience with ABD pricing was when they tried to eliminate one of the most costly experiences in the ABD Alaska cruise add-on years ago. A few of us wrote letters, and they actually ended up cancelling the add-on. They've brought it back since.]

ABD also has some very frustrating and unfriendly customer policies that I really wish they would change (search "policies" in this forum). The biggest of these is leaving people hanging for way too long on whether a trip is confirmed or not. Unlike other companies, which will give you a hard number or guidelines on whether a trip will go or not, ABD acts like it's the recipe for KFC, and its guidelines are a closely guarded secret. It has led to some very frustrating experiences for people on this forum.

Group size can also be an issue. I wish they would limit to no more than 30-35. Their maxes are way too big IMO.

I also despise the dynamic pricing model that ABD uses to get people to book early and then hold their deposit or force you to move it to another trip. Most other companies that I've looked at have a fixed prices, which makes for more rational decision-making.

I was extremely disappointed with the way they handled the initial COVID outbreak. ABD was extremely slow to respond and allowed at least two trips to "go" even when it was clear those trips should be canceled. I know some people think that given the circumstances they responded with the info they had, but I totally disagree. I trust Disney to be proactive in these situations, and they absolutely were not. You can read back through the "travel changes" thread from this time and see the details, but they didn't cancel a London/Paris trip and a Australia trip even when it was clear they should be canceled. Instead they forced those travelers to go on the trip or lose their deposit and canceled the trips when they arrived.

I'd actually booked an ABD River Cruise for this fall before the pandemic. I probably wouldn't have booked it after given the way they've handled things. I don't like being in a position of having to play chicken with my deposit, and other high end travel experiences I had booked have been much more flexible with canceling and returning deposits. I have no idea whether this trip will go, but I expect that ABD will wait as long as possible to cancel.

So I won't say I'm through with ABD--I suspect they'll dream up something fantastic that will bring me back and we've had some great experiences--but I'm much more careful about what I'd book with them and I definitely check out other companies.

Yet when they succeed, they really succeed. With ABD Scotland (original itinerary), ABD China, and ABD Japan they really knocked it out of the park for me. These are the kinds of trips that keep me coming back.

What else? As others have said, the guides are fantastic although I've had equally fantastic guides on other trips as well (Nat Geo). I love the luxury hotels on some of the trips (The Peninsula Tokyo was an event in itself). And some of the special touches and surprises can be incredible (Club 33 Shanghai for our farewell dinner was AMAZING and such a highlight). We've also met some fabulous people on these trips, and when my kids were younger it was great to have some tailored-to-kids activities. The corollary of that was that we've also had a couple "problem" children that made for some awkward moments.

See what I mean? Toxic! LOL

Here is my general order (note that some of these trips are very different now):

ABD China & ABD Scotland (Don't ask me to choose, LOL!)
ABD Japan
ABD Greece
ABD Backstage Magic
ABD Ireland (it was so long ago, I don't really remember it well)
ABD Baltic Add-on (way behind the others)

 

[TXTransplant]

We've done two ABDs and are booked on a third. I was hooked seeing the promotional videos on the Magical Express when traveling to/from WDW and MCO.

ABD is the only travel company we've used for a guided trip. We tried to take a Nat Geo trip to Alaska last year, but obviously that didn't happen. I rebooked for this year, but because they couldn't guarantee the trip would go, I worked with another agency to create an itinerary for just the two of us.

I used ABD for the first two trips (Germany and Italy/Amalfi Coast) specifically for the itineraries - I liked what ABD was offering the best. I did not book Alaska with ABD because the dates of their trips didn't work for us and I like the Nat Geo itinerary better. My son was also a lot younger on those two ABD trips, and I really do think international travel with a company like ABD is easier and more valuable when you have young kids (I'm also a single mom, and that plays a role, too).

We opted to book with ABD for Japan 2022 for similar reasons - their dates of travel worked the best for us and I do really like the ABD itinerary.

Sometimes budget also plays a role. I initially wanted to book ABD or Tauck for a trip to the Canadian Rockies, but I just couldn't justify the cost. Ultimately, I wound up booking a trip on my own that was several days longer and much less expensive. The downside was that I had to do all the driving, but in Canada, that's not a huge deal. Planning this trip also took a fair amount of my time and attention.

I think our upcoming trip to Alaska is going to be even better than what Nat Geo or ABD offers simply because I was able to book some fantastic accommodations and excursions that simply weren't offered with either provider. This is sort of the best of both worlds because I was able to get a custom itinerary but did not have to actually book any of the reservations.

I like to look at each trip individually, considering what's going on in my life with respect to time and budget, for that particular year. I don't want all of our travel to be in groups, but would rather use group travel strategically when the situation calls for it.

I had already decided I would not even entertain the idea of doing Japan on our own, so that really was just a matter of finding the best dates/itinerary. Budget wasn't even quite as big of a factor because I already know this will be an expensive trip.