Travel Changes?

[Theta]

Quick question: Is Disney offering full refunds on cancelled trips or just credits for a future trip?

You can move to another date or adventure, "park" your money to apply to a later date/adventure (perhaps advantageous to those who have an "Early Booking Discount" that will be honored for any adventure) or a full refund.

 

[TeeKo]

I live in Ireland ( Cork ) We are Shut down

NO TOURIST Sights open , NO Drinking places open ........ etc.

NO St.Patrick's Day parade . NO sporting events

This could last for several months

I WOULD NOT PAY IN FULL on 27th March Try Rechedual for September or Next Year

Ugh. I will see what the penalty is to change flights

 

[Travelling135]

I can’t imagine any European trips or otherwise will happen for some time. France is in complete lock down. Residents need permission slips to leave their homes to go for a walk. The military has been called in.

Canada has closed its borders to everyone except Americans and that will likely happen soon.

I also feel ABD should be refunding airfare both ways to Australia since they insisted on continuing on with the trip.

We have been very loyal repeat ABD customers, but at this point we don’t even want to use our deposit (from cancelling before PIF for our Scotland trip in June) because we don’t trust them to make the best decisions for our family any longer. We are extremely disappointed with the handling of the most recent trips.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I can’t imagine any European trips or otherwise will happen for some time. France is in complete lock down. Residents need permission slips to leave their homes to go for a walk. The military has been called in.

Canada has closed its borders to everyone except Americans and that will likely happen soon.

I also feel ABD should be refunding airfare both ways to Australia since they insisted on continuing on with the trip.

We have been very loyal repeat ABD customers, but at this point we don’t even want to use our deposit (from cancelling before PIF for our Scotland trip in June) because we don’t trust them to make the best decisions for our family any longer. We are extremely disappointed with the handling of the most recent trips.

I totally agree. The entire Disney response has been reactive rather than proactive, but ABD has been the worst. I still can't believe they didn't cancel that London/Paris trip until the last minute (in addition to the Australia trip). Makes me furious when I think about it.

To compare, that much smaller tour company that I mentioned giving everyone the option to cancel any trip they wanted until the end of the year for a full refund of any monies paid, I asked how long the offer was available and they said it was open. Pretty awesome.

 

[lovetotravel]

I would be very interested to see how their policy evolves if school districts decide to extend school until June. After all, ABD is a family focused tour company and they will need to consider how families will have to move or cancel trips due to these unforeseen changes in school schedules. Sure, ABD is out of money from all these cancellations, but our own pockets will be paying for most of the financial losses not theirs.
After many years of happiness from ABD, I am afraid that they will let me down when I needed them the most. I am starting to feel that everything has been a gimmick and not real with ABD. I am certain that Tauck will be my new company if ABD doesn't help out families soon.

 

[sayhello]

Well, by the time my TA got back to me, ABD had updated the website, and told her the "14 days" policy was from 4 days ago. But I have screenshots of the page, labeled March 17, 2020. I'm thinking someone is reading this thread and quickly fixed the issue that @Grifdog22 noticed. Someone was not being careful updating the site!

Quick question: Is Disney offering full refunds on cancelled trips or just credits for a future trip?

Depends. Are you asking about trips you cancelled or trips ABD cancelled? If you cancel, ABD will offer you a credit. If they cancel, you can get a full refund or move your date or park it as a travel credit.

Sayhello

 

[gert]

We’ve got an ABD SoCal trip booked for June. I’m not at the point of cancelling or rescheduling yet but lurking here to help that potential reality sink it. It’s going to be a huge disappointment to my daughter who is watching her senior year evaporate.

 

[lovetotravel]

Just another example why travel during this time is risky and increases your chances of being trapped in a country. I doubt the SE Asia trips can go on at this time in the near future, since they have also stopped issuing visa's which you need to travel there on the ABD trip.

Health and Travel Alert – U.S. Embassy Hanoi and U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (March 18, 2020)
Location: Vietnam
The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City advise all U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Vietnam that the number of commercial flights departing Vietnam is rapidly decreasing. If you are considering departing Vietnam, the U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens to make travel arrangements as soon as possible.

 

[lovetotravel]

We’ve got an ABD SoCal trip booked for June. I’m not at the point of cancelling or rescheduling yet but lurking here to help that potential reality sink it. It’s going to be a huge disappointment to my daughter who is watching her senior year evaporate.

This is us as well. We have 2 PIFs this summer and waiting it out. I'm really sad about their policy.

Does anyone know what was Thomson's policy for the virus? What about REI and Austin? One of my biggest hesitation with Thomson allowing the deposit on CC, but paying the rest via check. I wasn't comfortable with this for exactly the situation that there was no protection if they company went under.

 

[Readytotravel]

We have already paid in full for our trip to Germany in mid June. We did buy the travel insurance through ABD. However as I look back over the policy there seems to be a maximum amount it covers. $20,000. Looks like if we have to cancel we won’t even get 75% due to the maximum. Holding out to see if they cancel.

 

[Jess_S]

Just another example why travel during this time is risky and increases your chances of being trapped in a country. I doubt the SE Asia trips can go on at this time in the near future, since they have also stopped issuing visa's which you need to travel there on the ABD trip.

Health and Travel Alert – U.S. Embassy Hanoi and U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (March 18, 2020)
Location: Vietnam
The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City advise all U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Vietnam that the number of commercial flights departing Vietnam is rapidly decreasing. If you are considering departing Vietnam, the U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens to make travel arrangements as soon as possible.

All of southeast Asia seems to be locking itself down currently because of concern that some of the countries in the region lack resources to deal with a major covid outbreak. Singapore has reported a significant number of imported cases from other countries in the region in the past few says, so it may sadly be too late.

I dropped in to post about the marketing email I got from Spirit Airlines today. According to Spirit, it's actually "the best time to fly" currently. For some reason, flights are just so cheap right now. Sigh.

I hope you all continue to stay safe and healthy.

 

[sayhello]

We have already paid in full for our trip to Germany in mid June. We did buy the travel insurance through ABD. However as I look back over the policy there seems to be a maximum amount it covers. $20,000. Looks like if we have to cancel we won’t even get 75% due to the maximum. Holding out to see if they cancel.

Check with ABD. The "Cancel for any Reason" coverage comes from ABD, not the insurance company, so they are not bound by the limitations on the insurance policy. I don't believe the part that describes the Cancel for any Reason coverage mentions a limit at all. Also, the limitation is probably per person, not reservation. But I'd check with the insurance company for that.

I dropped in to post about the marketing email I got from Spirit Airlines today. According to Spirit, it's actually "the best time to fly" currently. For some reason, flights are just so cheap right now. Sigh.

I hope you all continue to stay safe and healthy.

Sayhello

 

[Calfan]

This is us as well. We have 2 PIFs this summer and waiting it out. I'm really sad about their policy.

Does anyone know what was Thomson's policy for the virus? What about REI and Austin? One of my biggest hesitation with Thomson allowing the deposit on CC, but paying the rest via check. I wasn't comfortable with this for exactly the situation that there was no protection if they company went under.

I'm not sure Thomson has a stated policy for existing bookings. We are booked with them for Japan in June, and it seems both we and Thomson are taking a wait and see approach. Our PIF is coming up on March 22. Based on something I thought I saw in earlier posts here, I emailed my TA last night to see if Thomson was moving the PIF to 60 days from 90 days. If not, I do plan to PIF. If the trip is able to go in June, we still want to go. If it gets cancelled, then i would expect a full refund, but I'd actually be ok with a a travel credit since this is still a trip we really want to do and would probably move it to Summer 2022.

Looks like Thomson has put the following in place for new bookings:

Peace of Mind: Thomson’s Trip Protection Promise
Thomson Family Adventures is dedicated to the peace of mind of our guests and staff. It’s our number one priority and informs all of our decisions.

In today’s landscape, we understand travelers may be more careful when making travel plans. That’s why we’re offering unprecedented flexibility on our most popular destinations with our Trip Protection Promise.

Our Trip Protection Promise

Reserve space and commit to your dream vacation by May 1, 2020. You will be free to cancel at least 30 days prior to departure and receive a 100% credit for future travel.

This promise is extended to trips to the following destinations:

Azores, Baja California, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Panama, Peru, Scotland, Tanzania, Thailand

Let’s keep communicating. Let’s stay informed. And let’s keep exploring the world in safety.

Terms and Conditions

This policy is valid for new bookings on scheduled departures that depart before December 31, 2020. This offer ends May 1, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. EST. If you are currently booked, please call us at 800-262-6255. This offer does not apply to Alaska, Belize & Guatemala, China, Colombia, Galapagos cruises, Ireland, Switzerland, Vietnam or custom departures (Argentina, Israel, Australia, Antarctica). Additional exclusions may apply.

 

[Calfan]

This is us as well. We have 2 PIFs this summer and waiting it out. I'm really sad about their policy.

Does anyone know what was Thomson's policy for the virus? What about REI and Austin? One of my biggest hesitation with Thomson allowing the deposit on CC, but paying the rest via check. I wasn't comfortable with this for exactly the situation that there was no protection if they company went under.

I should also have mentioned that we do intend to pay our balance with Thomson via cc. My understanding is that they will take them for balance payments but will impose a fee. I've asked my TA to get a balance number from Thomson that includes the cc fee. I just factor this fee in when pricing out Thomson trips in comparison to other providers (I use 3%). There is no way I'm going to give up all of those cc points!

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Well, by the time my TA got back to me, ABD had updated the website, and told her the "14 days" policy was from 4 days ago. But I have screenshots of the page, labeled March 17, 2020. I'm thinking someone is reading this thread and quickly fixed the issue that @Grifdog22 noticed. Someone was not being careful updating the site!

I can tell you from personal experience that they *definitely* read the boards. And are also able to tell who some of us are IRL.

 

[Rapunzellover]

I can tell you from personal experience that they *definitely* read the boards. And are also able to tell who some of us are IRL.

IRL? That's not creepy at all.
Care to tell us more about your personal experience? Or have you done that already?

 

[TeeKo]

I should also have mentioned that we do intend to pay our balance with Thomson via cc. My understanding is that they will take them for balance payments but will impose a fee. I've asked my TA to get a balance number from Thomson that includes the cc fee. I just factor this fee in when pricing out Thomson trips in comparison to other providers (I use 3%). There is no way I'm going to give up all of those cc points!

Is there any value (beyond points) or protection by paying the balance with CC instead of a check?

 

[sayhello]

I'm not sure Thomson has a stated policy for existing bookings. We are booked with them for Japan in June, and it seems both we and Thomson are taking a wait and see approach. Our PIF is coming up on March 22. Based on something I thought I saw in earlier posts here, I emailed my TA last night to see if Thomson was moving the PIF to 60 days from 90 days. If not, I do plan to PIF. If the trip is able to go in June, we still want to go. If it gets cancelled, then i would expect a full refund, but I'd actually be ok with a a travel credit since this is still a trip we really want to do and would probably move it to Summer 2022.

I'm in contact with one of the Adventure Guides from our Japan ABD, and she says that the media blew up stuff about the corona virus in Japan at the beginning, and things are really quite stable there, with the percentage of infections vs population extremely low, and no lockdowns or anything. So I would guess that your chances for Japan in June are better than most places, depending on your route getting there.

Sayhello

 

[Calfan]

Is there any value (beyond points) or protection by paying the balance with CC instead of a check?

I plan to pay with my Chase Sapphire Reserve that offers some travel insurance benefits. But I'm mostly paying by cc for the points. Thomson included a travel insurance policy with our early booking for Japan, so I don't really need the extra cc insurance. However, it will be nice to know it is there if its potentially needed as a supplement.

I'm in contact with one of the Adventure Guides from our Japan ABD, and she says that the media blew up stuff about the corona virus in Japan at the beginning, and things are really quite stable there, with the percentage of infections vs population extremely low, and no lockdowns or anything. So I would guess that your chances for Japan in June are better than most places, depending on your route getting there.

Sayhello

This is great to hear, both for Japan itself and for the chances of our trip going. It is what has made me cautiously optimistic that our trip still might go. We are flying nonstop from SFO to Tokyo Haneda there and nonstop from Tokyo Narita to LAX on the return. The flights are on JAL. We have positioning flights on both ends from/to Boise. Worst case we can drive to SFO if for some reason we can't fly into the Bay Area for our outbound flight.

 

[lovetotravel]

Is there any value (beyond points) or protection by paying the balance with CC instead of a check?

Here's a link to a post of how paying trip via CC was beneficial when a company went bankrupt:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/other-options.3474662/page-91#post-60996736