What is the value for you in ABD trips?

[Skywatcher1206]

We are currently booking a trip to Japan in June for 3 weeks, going to Tokyo, Osaka, Universal Japan, Kyoto, and Tokyo Disney. The hardest part is Tokyo Disney, mostly because a new land is opening while we are there. Do it on your own. It's not that hard. Your son will have an amazing time.

Thanks! I hope your family has a great time! Any chance of a trip report? I am sure we could do it on our own as well. I am so surprised that the ABD does not include Tokyo Disneyland, which is one of my must dos anyway.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks! I hope your family has a great time! Any chance of a trip report? I am sure we could do it on our own as well. I am so surprised that the ABD does not include Tokyo Disneyland, which is one of my must dos anyway.

The first year ABD offered this trip, they offered a Tokyo Disney Resort add-on, which I did, and it was wonderful. Like all the add-ons, it did not include the Adventure Guides, but it included a lot. They never offered it again, so I'm assuming there are issues for ABD in setting it up. Disney does not own Tokyo Disney Resort. It is entirely owned by The Oriental Land Company, who license the Disney intellectual property. So they don't have the same clout with TDR that they do with the other International Resorts that they own at least a portion of. And booking and purchasing rooms and tickets at TDR more than a few months in advance is, to my knowledge, pretty much not possible for normal folks. I don't know if ABD ran into those kinds of issues or what.

There's only an add-on for Disneyland Paris, which Disney *does* own. The only ABD that actually includes the International Resorts is the China trip, which includes several hours at the start of the trip at Hong Kong Disneyland and at the end of the trip at Shanghai Disneyland, both of which Disney has a large (but not majority) ownership of.

Sayhello

 

[jujubiee4]

We are currently booking a trip to Japan in June for 3 weeks, going to Tokyo, Osaka, Universal Japan, Kyoto, and Tokyo Disney. The hardest part is Tokyo Disney, mostly because a new land is opening while we are there. Do it on your own. It's not that hard. Your son will have an amazing time.

Please write a trip report when you get back...and maybe put in the Disney japan forum? We are tentatively
planning for 2025 from a canceled Covid Trip. Your itinerary is exactly what we want to do. Sounds like
a blast. Hope you have fun. Thx!

 

[soniam]

Thanks! I hope your family has a great time! Any chance of a trip report? I am sure we could do it on our own as well. I am so surprised that the ABD does not include Tokyo Disneyland, which is one of my must dos anyway.

Please write a trip report when you get back...and maybe put in the Disney japan forum? We are tentatively
planning for 2025 from a canceled Covid Trip. Your itinerary is exactly what we want to do. Sounds like
a blast. Hope you have fun. Thx!

It may not be a traditional trip report, but I do plan to post about the planning part and then again about the trip itself. I have a running document that I am trying to keep up to date as I do the planning. I know a lot of people who want to go and have questions. It's hard to remember everything after the fact.

 

[TeeKo]

The Japan trip is 100% overpriced. I'm sure someone will pay it, but even compared to other ABDs I think it's too much.

Hmmmmm. I was totally thinking of booking this ABD for summer 2025 (not available yet)
We done several other ABDs. I’m a lazy planner. Is this really that awful of a deal?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We're doing ABD Japan later. Could we do it cheaper? Probably. But we're happy with the offerings on the trip, we're interested in most of the locations and activities, and we don't view the price as something that's going to stop us on a once in a lifetime trip for us. I'm sure folks more familiar with Japan and Asian travel could do better. But we've done ABD before and are comfortable with their product.

 

[TeeKo]

Accidental duplicate

 

[TeeKo]

We're doing ABD Japan later. Could we do it cheaper? Probably. But we're happy with the offerings on the trip, we're interested in most of the locations and activities, and we don't view the price as something that's going to stop us on a once in a lifetime trip for us. I'm sure folks more familiar with Japan and Asian travel could do better. But we've done ABD before and are comfortable with their product.

When are you going?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

When are you going?

October, with TDR added on.

 

[calypso726]

Hmmmmm. I was totally thinking of booking this ABD for summer 2025 (not available yet)
We done several other ABDs. I’m a lazy planner. Is this really that awful of a deal?

We did it the during their first year offering and thought it was a wonderful trip. I imagine I could have done it for less but would not have planned the things we did do or go to some of the places we visited.

 

[TeeKo]

We did it the during their first year offering and thought it was a wonderful trip. I imagine I could have done it for less but would not have planned the things we did do or go to some of the places we visited.

I’ve seen several of you ABD veterans saying the Japan trip is amazing which has definitely influenced me.
Planning on Thailand for a couple weeks and then Japan on the way home. It will be a long trip and would like to plan nothing for Japan. Will go with a travel company, just deciding which one

 

[sayhello]

I’ve seen several of you ABD veterans saying the Japan trip is amazing which has definitely influenced me.
Planning on Thailand for a couple weeks and then Japan on the way home. It will be a long trip and would like to plan nothing for Japan. Will go with a travel company, just deciding which one

I absolutely adored the Japan ABD, and totally thought it was worth the money. We did things and went places that would never have occurred to me, and I loved those places! It really is an amazing trip.

Sayhello

 

[TeeKo]

I absolutely adored the Japan ABD, and totally thought it was worth the money. We did things and went places that would never have occurred to me, and I loved those places! It really is an amazing trip.

Sayhello

Another ABD veteran!

Really leaning towards it. We went on first ABD when DS was 7 and now he’s 17. We have had great experiences with ABD. Traveled on our own, Thompson Family, and private when DS had kinda outgrown the Junior activities and we wanted a more intimate, nimble group.
The Japan itinerary looks great and maybe I am ready for the bus again.
Was the bus travel a lot? I’ll have to look up your and Calypso’s reports!

 

[sayhello]

Another ABD veteran!

Really leaning towards it. We went on first ABD when DS was 7 and now he’s 17. We have had great experiences with ABD. Traveled on our own, Thompson Family, and private when DS had kinda outgrown the Junior activities and we wanted a more intimate, nimble group.
The Japan itinerary looks great and maybe I am ready for the bus again.
Was the bus travel a lot? I’ll have to look up your and Calypso’s reports!

Personally, I didn't think the bus time was too bad, considering the travel from Takayama to Tokyo has been replaced by the Shinkansen train. That was really the only excessive bus time.

Sayhello

 

[Mathmagicland]

The Japan itinerary looks great and maybe I am ready for the bus again.
Was the bus travel a lot?

Seconding @sayhello re the bus time for the Japan trip - not bad at all, and totally worth it for the now just one longer bus day to get up to Takayama and Shirakawa-go, such a unique area of Japan. The Japan trip is a wonderful itinerary! You cover so much of the country and with the various stops along the way, busses are more practical than trains on some of the days.

 

[aggiedog]

FWIW, there is no train between Takayama and Shirakawa-go, so you have to do the bus for that stretch.

Japan is an expensive country. We just got back from a self-guided trip arranged by Inside Japan. Looking at the ABD itinerary, given all the activities, lodging, and full time guides, I don't think the ABD upcharge is that much more than any other country where you could do it cheaper yourself.

On our trip, we had to navigate trains, buses, subways on our own, forward our own luggage, find our hotels and meeting locations for our guides. It was a lot, but for us part of the adventure. DH and I lived in Japan 30 yrs ago, and DD lived in Korea for 2 years until just recently. For most people, though, it would have been overwhelming.

It looks like a great trip.

 

[AquaDame]

The yen is reeeeeeally low right now. Like, 34 year low low. We're actually going back to Hokkaido in July with it as a main reason. If you can book anything yourself using yen things are comparatively cheap. Tours won't show that savings unfortunately but for any pre/post days, meals OYO and souveniers it will be obvious.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Ma...s-to-lowest-in-34-years-despite-BOJ-rate-hike

 

[aggiedog]

https://www.cocomo.tokyo/en/maiko-experience-en/

If you have OYO time in Tokyo, we did this and had an amazing time. It was not cheap, but the ladies were completely professional (and a lot of fun) and we got some great family photos.

 

[TeeKo]

Maybe I didn’t need much convincing but I think I will book the Japan ABD. Anyone know when 2025 dates roll out? Gonna work backwards from that to plan Thailand

 

[calypso726]

Maybe I didn’t need much convincing but I think I will book the Japan ABD. Anyone know when 2025 dates roll out? Gonna work backwards from that to plan Thailand

Good for you Typically in May we should see the new dates.