Some Questions from a Rookie

[Moms]

We are considering booking either the Peru or Vietnam trip for December 2014. We are experienced travelers but haven't done any ABD yet. I have a couple of questions for those here who have had experiences with ABD and would be willing to share their experiences and or advice.

First, we are two adults; prone to childish behavior now and then but two adults. We love kids (we are both educators; hence the need for a winter break tour) but don't want to feel peculiar or "out of our element" on a family oriented tour. I am guessing that the winter break tour could potentially be primarily families with school aged children. Are there likely to be at least some other "adults only" family groups along?

Can air be booked through ABD? Despite our travelling experience we are basically lazy with regards to arrangements and would gladly sacrifice a "good deal" on airfare for the ease of letting someone else do the work involved in making these arrangements.

How about trip insurance? Can this be done through ABD as well? Again ... L-A-Z-Y.

Has anyone out there booked through Costco? We are members and would happily deal through them if the service is reliable.

We are still in the "pondering our options" stage in all of this but our primary considerations are keeping things simple, safety (we are mother and adult daughter), and being confident that there will be minimal "hitches" along the way ... although we certainly understand that travel is anything but an "exact science".

Appreciate any advice you may have!

 

[Bobo912]

First, we are two adults; prone to childish behavior now and then but two adults. We love kids (we are both educators; hence the need for a winter break tour) but don't want to feel peculiar or "out of our element" on a family oriented tour. I am guessing that the winter break tour could potentially be primarily families with school aged children. Are there likely to be at least some other "adults only" family groups along?

Maybe yes. Maybe no. I've been on 4 ABDs and there were adult couples on 3 of them and also a solo adult traveler on one of the three. Even if you are the only adults traveling without children, I don't think you will feel out of place.

Can air be booked through ABD? Despite our travelling experience we are basically lazy with regards to arrangements and would gladly sacrifice a "good deal" on airfare for the ease of letting someone else do the work involved in making these arrangements.

Yes. You can do some research and tell them which flights you want to book or you can leave it up to them to make suggestions. If you fly Delta, sometimes the price that Disney gets is a little better than you can get yourself.

How about trip insurance? Can this be done through ABD as well? Again ... L-A-Z-Y.

Yes you can.

Has anyone out there booked through Costco? We are members and would happily deal through them if the service is reliable.

I always book through Costco. When you call the Costco number, you are connected directly to ABD. You never actually speak to anybody at Costco. The only difference is you give them your Costco membership number, so that you can get the rebate. The rebates are substantial.

 

[sayhello]

We are considering booking either the Peru or Vietnam trip for December 2014. We are experienced travelers but haven't done any ABD yet. I have a couple of questions for those here who have had experiences with ABD and would be willing to share their experiences and or advice.

First, we are two adults; prone to childish behavior now and then but two adults. We love kids (we are both educators; hence the need for a winter break tour) but don't want to feel peculiar or "out of our element" on a family oriented tour. I am guessing that the winter break tour could potentially be primarily families with school aged children. Are there likely to be at least some other "adults only" family groups along? The family trip I took (Med cruise add-on) had a great mix of families, couples, and single travelers. I never, ever, felt out of place on the family trip. The only question is if you mind traveling with kids or not. The ABD Guides are amazing at making everyone feel welcome, and making the group a cohesive whole.

Can air be booked through ABD? Despite our travelling experience we are basically lazy with regards to arrangements and would gladly sacrifice a "good deal" on airfare for the ease of letting someone else do the work involved in making these arrangements. Yes, you can book your air through ABD. If you call them, let them know your parameters, they will call you back with a proposed flight itinerary. You can either accept it, or ask for tweaks. They don't have any special prices; they will basically act as your Travel Agent for the flights. You can also tell them exactly what you want them to book, but it sounds like you don't want to do that.

How about trip insurance? Can this be done through ABD as well? Again ... L-A-Z-Y. ABD does offer trip insurance. I know there were some changes recently to they policy they sell and their policy in regards to pre-existing condition waivers. I don't recall the details; I'll look that up & get back to you. But yes, they do sell trip insurance, and it's usually a really good deal.

Has anyone out there booked through Costco? We are members and would happily deal through them if the service is reliable. There are some folks on this board who have booked through Costco; I'm sure they'll speak up here. My understanding is you call a Costco travel number, but you actually are calling ABD.

We are still in the "pondering our options" stage in all of this but our primary considerations are keeping things simple, safety (we are mother and adult daughter), and being confident that there will be minimal "hitches" along the way ... although we certainly understand that travel is anything but an "exact science". ABD excels at keeping things safe and simple for their travelers. That's one of the things I love about ABD. And they are wonderful about making decisions on the fly to deal with any "hitches" that may come up. Again, having the ABD Guides (who are FABULOUS) to take care of all of those details is one of the reasons I really don't want to travel without them any more!

Appreciate any advice you may have!

I say go for it! ABD has some wonderful itineraries, and are really great at taking care of all of the details. Just be warned. ABD's are HIGHLY addictive!

Sayhello

 

[DisneyKevin]

Before you become attached to the idea of a December trip, please know that many of the trips are full or close to full.

I believe space for the Viet Nam trip is still available, but I believe the 12/19/14 departure for Peru is full.

If you have any questions, I am happy to help.

You can reach me at Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com

 

[kristilew]

We are considering booking either the Peru or Vietnam trip for December 2014. We are experienced travelers but haven't done any ABD yet. I have a couple of questions for those here who have had experiences with ABD and would be willing to share their experiences and or advice. First, we are two adults; prone to childish behavior now and then but two adults. We love kids (we are both educators; hence the need for a winter break tour) but don't want to feel peculiar or "out of our element" on a family oriented tour. I am guessing that the winter break tour could potentially be primarily families with school aged children. Are there likely to be at least some other "adults only" family groups along? )

We have done a Christmas break ABD (Galapagos) and are on another this Christmas (Italy.) On the Galapagos trip, there was an even mix of families with kids and either couples or families with adult/college age kids. There were not really any little kids. I think this is probably because, for families who celebrate Christmas, it's too hard to be away at that time.

Also, be aware that any kids on your trip will likely group together. This will leave all their parents free to hang out with you! We still travel regularly with a couple we met on our 2008 ABD, and they do not have children.

 

[WDWMaggie]

Everything written above is great! I have done 3 ABD's, two adult and one family, but have always been a party of two adults. The family trip also had adult couples (husband and wives, sisters, etc) so not to worry, you will fit in just fine!

ABD can book your airfare…all is good there.

Just as a side note, I have done the SE Asia trip (my Mom and I) and it is AMAZING! The trip of a lifetime!

Please let me know if you need anything!

 

[Moms]

Thanks for all of the information. We booked the December Peru trip with the Costco number this morning. Had decided to try for the Vietnam trip but (my new best friend) Yenise checked and some spots opened up for the Peru trip in December ... it had been full yesterday.

I was able to book the air, the insurance, and even the hotel for an early arrival ... one stop shopping! It was a piece of cake ... but I should have figured it would be, it is Disney after all!

Now do you suppose they will come and pack for me too?

 

[kristilew]

Thanks for all of the information. We booked the December Peru trip with the Costco number this morning. Had decided to try for the Vietnam trip but (my new best friend) Yenise checked and some spots opened up for the Peru trip in December ... it had been full yesterday. I was able to book the air, the insurance, and even the hotel for an early arrival ... one stop shopping! It was a piece of cake ... but I should have figured it would be, it is Disney after all! Now do you suppose they will come and pack for me too?

You will LOVE this adventure! It was our first ABD, and we've been hooked ever since!

 

[abbyjt]

Now do you suppose they will come and pack for me too? [/QUOTE]

If you pay my airfare, I'll come to Chicago to pack for you!!!
You have made a wonderful choice. We have been on 9 ABD's. Numbers 10 and 11 are booked. We've been on 7 with our kids, 1 family trip, just us 2, and one adults only (to Peru). Loved them all.
I'm happy to answer questions