Southern California and Disneyland Adventure

[lauritagoddess]

Okay. I'm just wondering if a pre-night would include breakfast since it seems it's included during the actual trip nights.

I’m wondering the same thing. I booked two pre-nights and it didn’t even occur to me before this whether breakfast was included.

 

[Mathmagicland]

Okay. I'm just wondering if a pre-night would include breakfast since it seems it's included during the actual trip nights.

I’m wondering the same thing. I booked two pre-nights and it didn’t even occur to me before this whether breakfast was included.

I’d check with Disney for your specific trip. For most adventures, pre-nights booked through Disney also include breakfast but there have been a couple of reports of that not always being the case.

 

[vakamalua]

No, pre-nights at Loews & post-nights at Grand California do not include breakfast. When at Loews, head down the block to Mel's Diner for a great breakfast.

 

[jimmymc]

Okay. I'm just wondering if a pre-night would include breakfast since it seems it's included during the actual trip nights.

Pre-nights do not for this trip. Sometimes they do on other trips, sometimes they don't.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Thanks, all. Mel's Diner it is!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Is cash the only way to leave tips for the guides?

 

[Steven G]

Is cash the only way to leave tips for the guides?

mostly, no. Most guides will accept some other form of payment, usually Venmo, PayPal, Zelle or similar. You just need to ask them.

 

[Doingitagain]

Is cash the only way to leave tips for the guides?

It is probably the easiest for them. Payments through Venmo, PayPal, etc are likely to trigger a year end 1099 if they get a lot of tips through them.

 

[jimmymc]

Is cash the only way to leave tips for the guides?

I believe all guides accept Paypal. Most will also take Venmo.

 

[sayhello]

I believe all guides accept Paypal. Most will also take Venmo.

Most US-based Guides!

Sayhello

 

[vakamalua]

We've been back for a few weeks from our 1st ABD trip--the adult-only SoCal/Disneyland--so wanted to thank all on this thread for the information we learned here. Also wanted to invite anyone with questions to direct message me.

In a nutshell: We had a number of Magical Moments but also some experiences we felt were disappointing or could have been much better.
Are we glad we did it? Yes
Would we do it again? No
Would we recommend it to friends? With reservations
Would we travel with ABD again? No

(For context: we are not Disney newbies--29 years in DVC, countless WDW, multiple DLR, Paris & Tokyo Disney, 15 DCL; also traveled to 65 countries & 7 continents)

 

[sayhello]

We've been back for a few weeks from our 1st ABD trip--the adult-only SoCal/Disneyland--so wanted to thank all on this thread for the information we learned here. Also wanted to invite anyone with questions to direct message me.

In a nutshell: We had a number of Magical Moments but also some experiences we felt were disappointing or could have been much better.
Are we glad we did it? Yes
Would we do it again? No
Would we recommend it to friends? With reservations
Would we travel with ABD again? No

(For context: we are not Disney newbies--29 years in DVC, countless WDW, multiple DLR, Paris & Tokyo Disney, 15 DCL; also traveled to 65 countries & 7 continents)

Can you please explain why you wouldn't travel with ABD again? People here actually do want to hear the bad with the good.

Sayhello

 

[vakamalua]

Can you please explain why you wouldn't travel with ABD again? People here actually do want to hear the bad with the good.

Won't be doing a Trip Report. We only booked this trip for the Disney exclusive content in this 100th anniversary year. Given our extensive travel experience at a certain level, we knew ABD's other trips would not be of interest to us or good cost for experience value.

As I said, we had some really magical moments on this trip such as the early entry to DL, Walt's apartment & the Visit to the Jim Henson Studio. But, given the issues & disappointments we had on this ABD flagship trip, we would only recommend this trip with reservations. If any potential traveler has any specific Qs about the any of the following, please DM me as I won't be checking back on this thread:

Lack of Pre-Trip Service
Unwieldy Group Size
ABD/Grand Californian Reservation Mistake
Some Disappointing Behind the Scenes/VIP Experiences
Guide Inattention
Uneven paced days with rushed meals

Happy Hollidays & Happy Travels to All!

 

[dt14890]

Won't be doing a Trip Report. We only booked this trip for the Disney exclusive content in this 100th anniversary year. Given our extensive travel experience at a certain level, we knew ABD's other trips would not be of interest to us or good cost for experience value.

As I said, we had some really magical moments on this trip such as the early entry to DL, Walt's apartment & the Visit to the Jim Henson Studio. But, given the issues & disappointments we had on this ABD flagship trip, we would only recommend this trip with reservations. If any potential traveler has any specific Qs about the any of the following, please DM me as I won't be checking back on this thread:

Lack of Pre-Trip Service
Unwieldy Group Size
ABD/Grand Californian Reservation Mistake
Some Disappointing Behind the Scenes/VIP Experiences
Guide Inattention
Uneven paced days with rushed meals

Happy Hollidays & Happy Travels to All!

Well, they won’t be checking back so here is my interpretation of their trip. They are used to a lot of traveling but not group travel. They chose backstage magic for the stuff that you can’t do on your own. Guessing they chose a week that was NOT adult only so the group size most likely was near ABD’s max capacity. I did an adult only and had 24. Since that puts the group size in the 35-40 range, the level of personal attention they thought they would receive was not up to their expectations. They did not like most of the behind the scenes activities. Not sure if that is a result of the group size being so large that their impression is negatively impacted. I have no clue what is meant by rushed meals. I felt I was given plenty of time to eat meals and interact with the characters. It is unfortunate they did not enjoy themselves as this is an expensive trip.

 

[WeLoveABD]

Well, they won’t be checking back so here is my interpretation of their trip. They are used to a lot of traveling but not group travel. They chose backstage magic for the stuff that you can’t do on your own. Guessing they chose a week that was NOT adult only so the group size most likely was near ABD’s max capacity. I did an adult only and had 24. Since that puts the group size in the 35-40 range, the level of personal attention they thought they would receive was not up to their expectations. They did not like most of the behind the scenes activities. Not sure if that is a result of the group size being so large that their impression is negatively impacted. I have no clue what is meant by rushed meals. I felt I was given plenty of time to eat meals and interact with the characters. It is unfortunate they did not enjoy themselves as this is an expensive trip.

Good guesses there-- and since they won't bless us with any more comments all I can say is: entitled?

 

[sayhello]

Well, they won’t be checking back so here is my interpretation of their trip. They are used to a lot of traveling but not group travel. They chose backstage magic for the stuff that you can’t do on your own. Guessing they chose a week that was NOT adult only so the group size most likely was near ABD’s max capacity. I did an adult only and had 24. Since that puts the group size in the 35-40 range, the level of personal attention they thought they would receive was not up to their expectations. They did not like most of the behind the scenes activities. Not sure if that is a result of the group size being so large that their impression is negatively impacted. I have no clue what is meant by rushed meals. I felt I was given plenty of time to eat meals and interact with the characters. It is unfortunate they did not enjoy themselves as this is an expensive trip.

I think you've hit the nail on the head.

Good guesses there-- and since they won't bless us with any more comments all I can say is: entitled?

Seriously! I'm always suspicious of someone who comes to complain and disparage something but refuses to share any details or specifics of what went wrong. They don't want any conversation, they just want to complain. Seriously, who cares, if you aren't going to give any context or details?

Sayhello

 

[vakamalua]

Well, they won’t be checking back so here is my interpretation of their trip. They are used to a lot of traveling but not group travel. They chose backstage magic for the stuff that you can’t do on your own. Guessing they chose a week that was NOT adult only so the group size most likely was near ABD’s max capacity. I did an adult only and had 24. Since that puts the group size in the 35-40 range, the level of personal attention they thought they would receive was not up to their expectations. They did not like most of the behind the scenes activities. Not sure if that is a result of the group size being so large that their impression is negatively impacted. I have no clue what is meant by rushed meals. I felt I was given plenty of time to eat meals and interact with the characters. It is unfortunate they did not enjoy themselves as this is an expensive trip.

Good guesses there-- and since they won't bless us with any more comments all I can say is: entitled?

Oh my! Happy to answer DM Qs about our experiences on this trip--BOTH the positives we throughly enjoyed, as well as the issues we dealt with & some disappointing aspects. My post was not intended to be a conversation, a detailed complaint or unsubstantiated disparagement; but simply an invitation to share details in a one-on-one DM in response to any potential traveler's Qs. Baffled why this makes the post "suspicious", nor does anyone need to care.

However, in light of the above & the other comments, I must ask posters to please refrain in this public forum from incorrectly "guessing & interpreting" facts about our specific trip & our what our personal experiences, expectations & impressions were. Also, I will "bless" you with this comment that I am "entitled" to make--please curtail snarky, judgmental name calling; it has no place on the DIS forum that is for the polite, respectful exchange of information.

 

[clansac]

Why not post publicly? I don't understand the secretive nature. We have this trip scheduled in three weeks. I would sure like to hear your concerns but I am not really interested in a private conversation.

 

[lauritagoddess]

Why not post publicly? I don't understand the secretive nature. We have this trip scheduled in three weeks. I would sure like to hear your concerns but I am not really interested in a private conversation.

Yes, please post publicly. I’m also on the upcoming trip in January and would love to know the specifics.

 

[lauritagoddess]

I’m just wondering what further information I should expect before out trip next month. I did receive the package from ABD, and an email around the same time. But will I receive an email with specifics like when to meet on the first night? And since I pre-booked nights at the Loews, will I receive anything from them?