Tell me about Adventures by Disney

[Brancaneve]

Has anyone used their DVC points towards an Adventures by Disney tour? I know the points are high but some banking and borrowing might alleviate the big expense. If so, which tour did you go on and was it a positive experience? I am surprised that I have not heard anyone talk about it on the disboards. I even did a search and it came up empty!

 

[Dodie]

There is an entire board here on the DIS devoted to the Adventures by Disney. You've seen that - right? It's not DVC-specific and there's not a lot of traffic, but it's there.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=30&f=146

 

[Poppins2000]

DH and I used points for the ABD trip to Ireland this past May (it was 666 points for us - it's 856 points for the same trip in 2009!) Our trip was awesome and my trip report can be found under the ABD section of the disboards...

 

[SLK1]

I'm addicted to Adventures By Disney and haven't even taken my first trip yet! I booked the Viva Italia trip in June 2009. I read the discussion boards just about every day and they are a wealth of information. I did not use points though - seemed I would get more value out of them by booking other vacations, not using them all at once on one trip.

 

[Brancaneve]

Congratulations on booking your trip. I am dreaming of a trip too but should wait until my kids are older. DD is 5 and DS is 3. CAn't wait to hear about it!

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Can you use points for some people in your travel party and cash for others (like you can on the Disney cruise)? Also, how do you find how much it costs in cash?

 

[Poppins2000]

You can, you'll have to call MS to find out what the cash price will be. Not sure BUT...if it's anything like the cruise line, you'll get a 10% or so discount off of the actual price.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

So there's no way to find out the actual cost of Adventures by Disney? No website? The only way is to call MS??? The reason I'm asking is I would like to do this, but it's something I can't do for a little while. I'm just curious to know about what it costs per person before I start dreaming. (I do realize the cost goes up each year.)

 

[Poppins2000]

You can go to the ABD website (www.adventuresbydisney.com) and see the prices for the trips for 2009. Select the "rates and dates" feature under the trip you are inquiring on. They have early booking rates and regular rates. It would at least give you a ballpark idea of the cost for one adult. I can tell you that we booked and received the early booking rate for our May trip to Ireland. The points per person went up from 333 in 2008 to 428 for 2009 and the $$ amount increased by almost $700 a person.

 

[SLK1]

I was lucky to also get an Early Booking Discount, but based on some posts I read, others were not so lucky. You have to book at least 90 days out, and even then, there are only so many slots available with that discount attached to them. My advice is to get as much information as you can about the trips, decide which one you want, and book - early!! You have 14 days to cancel, after which you forfeit your $300 per person deposit. I know the prices jump each year - quite a bit from what I've read. But, people are swearing by ABD and saying it was a trip of a lifetime. I can't wait to go!!