News about the ABD photo CDs

[DisneyCruisin']

We received our "box" a couple weeks ago and it contained 1 brown zip computer bag, 1 blue blanket for travel, and 1 blue backpack all with ABD logos. Also the small info booklet and the tip envelopes. All were welcome in this family. The backpack will probably end up on the backpack stack in a closet that is starting to resemble the stacked mattresses found in "The Princess and the Pea" fairytale.

We just received three of the green backpacks for our NYC trip - that was it.

 

[carpenta]

We just received three of the green backpacks for our NYC trip - that was it.

...maybe the person packing our box was just clearing out the leftover items? I guess next trip I am hoping for the pens.......

 

[Bobo912]

We just received three of the green backpacks for our NYC trip - that was it.

Everybody gets only one item per person. Returning guests who booked early got to choose between a backpack (that looked nothing like the picture in the ABD literature), a chocolate brown adult tote, or a fleece throw that converts to a pillow. If you aren't a returning guest or if you didn't book early enough, you didn't have a choice and each person received the backpack. For 2014, there are no choices. It's backpacks for everyone.

 

[DisneyCruisin']

We are returning but weren't given a choice. The green backpacks are hideou in my opinion. We are leaving them home next week.

 

[SingingMom]

I am still disappointed about the news that we won't receive the slide show on a cd.

We loved that addition and the fact we could show our family the highlights of the trip. I really hope ABD reconsiders. That's part of what made their tours magical.

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Bobo912]

We are returning but weren't given a choice. The green backpacks are hideou in my opinion. We are leaving them home next week.

Not positive about that date, but I think you had to book prior to Jan 2013 to receive a choice. We choose the throw/pillow, but it isn't anything I would use for travel and I didn't take it on our ABD. They are still in the plastic wrap, but maybe we can use them this winter around the house.

 

[Mrpill]

Not positive about that date, but I think you had to book prior to Jan 2013 to receive a choice. We choose the throw/pillow, but it isn't anything I would use for travel and I didn't take it on our ABD. They are still in the plastic wrap, but maybe we can use them this winter around the house.

Just got back from Alpine Magic .....Fantastic trip! Pictures are on the web site today! Did not get slider show but got the pics same thing right!? No problem here! Had a gift at first hotel from guides, a Swiss chocolate and an ABD duffel bag. Trip loaded with surprises and little gifts everyday and many pins. Disney has the best guides in the business! 9 families (36 total) and all seemed very happy with awesome trip! Time to plan our next Adventure....thanks Disney!

 

[carpenta]

Just got back from Alpine Magic .....Fantastic trip! Pictures are on the web site today! Did not get slider show but got the pics same thing right!? No problem here! Had a gift at first hotel from guides, a Swiss chocolate and an ABD duffel bag. Trip loaded with surprises and little gifts everyday and many pins. Disney has the best guides in the business! 9 families (36 total) and all seemed very happy with awesome trip! Time to plan our next Adventure....thanks Disney!

Thanks for the check-in. Glad to hear you had a wonderful trip. We did the ABD trip to Montana last year and again Disney went above and beyond.

 

[sayhello]

Just got back from Alpine Magic .....Fantastic trip! Pictures are on the web site today! Did not get slider show but got the pics same thing right!? No problem here! Had a gift at first hotel from guides, a Swiss chocolate and an ABD duffel bag. Trip loaded with surprises and little gifts everyday and many pins. Disney has the best guides in the business! 9 families (36 total) and all seemed very happy with awesome trip! Time to plan our next Adventure....thanks Disney!

Sounds like a great trip! How long did it take for the Guide's pics to show up on the website? Mine was 2 1/2 weeks! It sounds like they've gotten much better!

And I agree! ABD's Guides are absolutely the best!

Sayhello

 

[Mrpill]

Sounds like a great trip! How long did it take for the Guide's pics to show up on the website? Mine was 2 1/2 weeks! It sounds like they've gotten much better!

And I agree! ABD's Guides are absolutely the best!

Sayhello

We flew back Monday and the pics were on the website Saturday morning! These 2 guides were amazing!

 

[sayhello]

We flew back Monday and the pics were on the website Saturday morning! These 2 guides were amazing!

Wow!!

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

I got a response to my request to have access to our photos on the cloud today. Unfortunately, it's the same photos that were on the CD. Still no photo of me and my son at the guard house. Still the big gaps throughout the trip and no photos for the last day and half of the trip. I'm sure the guides took more photos, but maybe something went wrong with whatever process they use to get them from the guides to the CDs (or cloud). The website is nice, but I would rather wait for the photo CD than give up the farewell dinner video. Even though it didn't really help, I appreciate that I finally got a response to one of my emails and they made an attempt to help.

You might want to check back... I noticed yesterday that some of the photos from the last day for my trip were missing from the downloads. I forgot to call today, but I checked the site, and an additional 226 photos had showed up. I'm thinking someone else from my trip noticed and said something. It can't hurt to talk to them. They may have just uploaded the CD to the cloud, without understanding there were photos *missing* from the CD.

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

You might want to check back... I noticed yesterday that some of the photos from the last day for my trip were missing from the downloads. I forgot to call today, but I checked the site, and an additional 226 photos had showed up. I'm thinking someone else from my trip noticed and said something. It can't help to talk to them. They may have just uploaded the CD to the cloud, without understanding there were photos *missing* from the CD.

Sayhello

They uploaded the photos in response to my email, since our trip took place before the photo site was launched. I explained to them what was missing from the CD and asked if it was possible to have all the photos taken by our guides uploaded to the cloud. So they knew photos were missing. They asked for feedback on the photo site, so I'll let them know that it didn't help with my problem. Overall, I like the site, except for the absence of the farewell slideshow. How many total photos were on the site for your trip?

 

[sayhello]

They uploaded the photos in response to my email, since our trip took place before the photo site was launched. I explained to them what was missing from the CD and asked if it was possible to have all the photos taken by our guides uploaded to the cloud. So they knew photos were missing. They asked for feedback on the photo site, so I'll let them know that it didn't help with my problem. Overall, I like the site, except for the absence of the farewell slideshow. How many total photos were on the site for your trip?

Total was 2075 pictures. (My trip was a day longer than yours). The site *is* relatively easy to navigate, and they've made the downloading pretty simple (zip files of 200 or less pictures each). I much prefer it to photopass. And I guess it does have the advantage that they can add pictures that were left off, whereas with the CD, you're stuck with whatever they send you. But I still miss the slideshow, also. If they could figure how to upload that (or just send us a CD of the slideshow separately) it would be great.

I hope they find your pictures.

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

Total was 2075 pictures. (My trip was a day longer than yours). The site *is* relatively easy to navigate, and they've made the downloading pretty simple (zip files of 200 or less pictures each). I much prefer it to photopass. And I guess it does have the advantage that they can add pictures that were left off, whereas with the CD, you're stuck with whatever they send you. But I still miss the slideshow, also. If they could figure how to upload that (or just send us a CD of the slideshow separately) it would be great.

I hope they find your pictures.

Sayhello

Thanks, Sayhello. There are only 665 photos from out trip on the site (same as on the CD). I know the guides took photos everywhere we went, but there are some entire days and parts of other days that are totally missing. And the choice of photos that are available are very strange. There are only 2 photos from the welcome dinner, but 34 photos from the airport. Unless the photos were deleted, or some other technical difficulty occurred resulting in the loss of photos, why would anybody put the two nearly identical photos below on the website and not include a single photo from the last day and a half of the tour?

 

[sayhello]

So I heard from someone at ABD, and was given some interesting information about the photo "cloud" site. It seems that the difference in how long it takes to get the photos uploaded to the cloud is almost 100% a function of where the Guides are when they finish the trip. They physically ship the photos to Florida. If the Guide is in Southeast Asia, and is staying there for another trip, then it could take 10 days for the pics just to reach Florida, and *then* they need to be reviewed, processed and uploaded to the cloud. It's not possible for the Guides to upload the photos themselves from the destinations. However, if the Guide returns to Florida (where they live) after the trip, it only takes a couple of days for the pictures to get there. Same for domestic trips. So, honestly, it seems like we should expect it to be at least 2 weeks, and be pleasantly surprised if it takes less time.

I think the only improvement I'd like to see at this point (besides adding the slideshow!) is for them to change the message you see before the pictures are uploaded. The code I was given was hand-written, and even though it was pretty clearly written, I wondered if I was reading it correctly because all it said when I entered it on the site was "No images found It can take up to 24 hours for images to be available. Please check the spelling and try again later." So I tried switching an "I" for a "1". And no matter what permutation I put in, the message was exactly the same. I think they should load the codes right away, so that you can know if it's a valid code or not. I could have gone weeks and weeks typing the wrong code, and would never know, because the message never changes (although, realistically, I'd have called ABD *LONG* before then! )

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

Thanks, Sayhello. There are only 665 photos from out trip on the site (same as on the CD). I know the guides took photos everywhere we went, but there are some entire days and parts of other days that are totally missing. And the choice of photos that are available are very strange. There are only 2 photos from the welcome dinner, but 34 photos from the airport. Unless the photos were deleted, or some other technical difficulty occurred resulting in the loss of photos, why would anybody put the two nearly identical photos below on the website and not include a single photo from the last day and a half of the tour?

I totally agree with you. But if something happened (lost or corrupted memory card?) why in the heck not just tell you guys? Stuff happens. I cannot imagine that what you're describing is actually a choice. If it is, that person needs to find a new job!

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

So I talked to someone at ABD, and was given some interesting information about the photo "cloud" site. It seems that the difference in how long it takes to get the photos uploaded to the cloud is almost 100% a function of where the Guides are when they finish the trip. They physically ship the photos to Florida. If the Guide is in Southeast Asia, and is staying there for another trip, then it could take 10 days for the pics just to reach Florida, and *then* they need to be reviewed, processed and uploaded to the cloud. It's not possible for the Guides to upload the photos themselves from the destinations. However, if the Guide returns to Florida (where they live) after the trip, it only takes a couple of days for the pictures to get there. Same for domestic trips. So, honestly, it seems like we should expect it to be at least 2 weeks, and be pleasantly surprised if it takes less time.

I think the only improvement I'd like to see at this point (besides adding the slideshow!) is for them to change the message you see before the pictures are uploaded. The code I was given was hand-written, and even though it was pretty clearly written, I wondered if I was reading it correctly because all it said when I entered it on the site was "No images found It can take up to 24 hours for images to be available. Please check the spelling and try again later." So I tried switching an "I" for a "1". And no matter what permutation I put in, the message was exactly the same. I think they should load the codes right away, so that you can know if it's a valid code or not. I could have gone weeks and weeks typing the wrong code, and would never know, because the message never changes (although, realistically, I'd have called ABD *LONG* before then! )

Sayhello

The way they handled our photos is just strange. Our trip ended on March 31 and our guide flew directly back to Orlando - he was on the plane home with us. So they should have received our photos right away. The email I got last week from ABD said they launched the photo site in April, but instead of posting our photos they mailed a DVD. It was sent very late and we didn't receive it until May 21. So, I wonder why they didn't put them on the cloud in the first place. I'll let them know one more time that there are still photos missing. I'm sure they know that already since they know their itinerary and can see that some days/activities are missing. I know the guides took many more photos than are available on the website. I don't have any hope left of ever seeing them.

 

[YxlsMom]

We got home from the Backstage Magic trip FOUR months ago and we still don't have the CD. I called them several times to ask about it and was told a month ago that they were sent out on May 16th. Obviously, this isn't true--at least not for our group. No one else has received theirs either except for one family who had their travel agent call.

It's frustrating because on that trip there are areas where we were not allowed to take pictures, but the guides were. So there are all those pictures that are (hopefully) out there somewhere, we just don't have them. We are thinking about another AbD trip next year, but with this kind of snafu, it's ruining the memories of our last one (and other than our own pictures that we took, memories are all we have).

 

[sayhello]

We got home from the Backstage Magic trip FOUR months ago and we still don't have the CD. I called them several times to ask about it and was told a month ago that they were sent out on May 16th. Obviously, this isn't true--at least not for our group. No one else has received theirs either except for one family who had their travel agent call.

It's frustrating because on that trip there are areas where we were not allowed to take pictures, but the guides were. So there are all those pictures that are (hopefully) out there somewhere, we just don't have them. We are thinking about another AbD trip next year, but with this kind of snafu, it's ruining the memories of our last one (and other than our own pictures that we took, memories are all we have).

I know you shouldn't have to, but have you considered asking the one family who got theirs to make copies? I certainly would do that for just in case...

Sayhello