what's included?

[Carol]

My husband and I are thinking about a trip next year. I have been on a similar type tour before and I'm wondering what kind of "extras" there would be with ABD. As I look at the daily itineraries, I wonder are any of the tours extra like they were on the trip I took a few years ago. It seemed that the price we paid for our tour was just to get us there. After that, anything we wanted to do was an additional cost. I know that what you do on your free time is your expense, I'm wondering about the daily scheduled events.

 

[krdisneybound]

Once you leave your house and get on the plane, the tour people pick you up and even take you back to the airport and take care of everything. No tipping to anyone. The tours you go on are ALL INCLUDED. When you go to another location, you don't even put your luggage outside your room, they pick it up from inside the room. You don't have to drag it outside. There are very few times you have on your own to walk around and shop. The schedules are very full and inclusive. Each tour has different schedules so you would have to check on that.

 

[sayhello]

My husband and I are thinking about a trip next year. I have been on a similar type tour before and I'm wondering what kind of "extras" there would be with ABD. As I look at the daily itineraries, I wonder are any of the tours extra like they were on the trip I took a few years ago. It seemed that the price we paid for our tour was just to get us there. After that, anything we wanted to do was an additional cost. I know that what you do on your free time is your expense, I'm wondering about the daily scheduled events.

All of the scheduled activities on the itineraries, plus the indicated meals, are all included. As is all your transportation, admissions and tips for all included activities & meals (aside from tipping the Adventure Guides).

If you decide to do an optional activity during a 'time on your own', then you will pay extra for those. Like on our Southwest Splendor tours, during the leisure time in Moab, you could schedule a Hummer tour or horseback riding through the lodge. That was extra. But the jeep tours in Sedona and Monument Valley, the river rafting in Moab, the Nature hike in Red Rocks State Park, the hikes in Arches national park, etc, were all included in the cost of the tour.

Any meals designated "on your own" are not included, either, nor are the tips for those meals.

But all in all, most of the trip is included, which is part of what makes it worth the money.

sayhello

 

[abdmom]

We spent very little money, even on souvenirs, outside of the tour cost.

The only thing that is NOT included in the tour cost is the tips to the ABD guides. The recommended tip is $5-8 per day per person per guide. There are 2 guides per trip. So count on $10-$16 per per day per person. So, for a family of 2 on a 7 night trip, this would cost approximately 7 days x 2 people x 2 guides x $5-8 = $140 - $224.

You are provided with all the indicated meals, which worked out to about 80% of the meals for our Enchanted China trip. You are provided with snacks on the bus as well as bottled water. We spent some bus time pretty much every day, so we could avail ourselves of the snacks and water for later. All meals come with water or soda. Sometimes, alcohol is included. Other meals, it is available, but you must pay for it.

As a previous poster said, once you land at the destination airport, ABD does everything for you, including paying tips to porters/doormen/bus drivers, all transfers, all admissions to sites included on the trip, and about 80 -90% of the meals. There were also occasions where ABD gave us souvenirs! So, the only additional costs would be the tips to the ABD guides, the 10-20% of meals that are on your own, any additional excursions that you decided to do on your own - we didn't do any - and any additional stays that you might do outside of the tour, as well as airfare.

 

[kristilew]

On the Peru trip, the guides even stood outside the restrooms and paid our one sole to get in. When they dropped us off at the airport to go home, they gave us stickers to use for the departure tax, so even that was included. We were given money to shop with for the white elephant exchange. I don't know that they do that on other trips, but it was a nice touch here, and one of our most fun activities. In short, this was an easy trip to budget for.

On the other hand...we spent a fortune on outfitting ourselves for "adventure" - new hiking boots, lightweight luggage, cute hats, new camera....but I suppose one could exercise a little restraint in that department

 

[Carol]

Thank you everyone. This sounds much different than the other tour I took. It turned out to be one added cost after the other. The ABD tours really aren't more when you start to itemize each day. We are talking Disney though, and they always deliver. I shouldn't be surprised.

 

[redzinner]

The only thing that is NOT included in the tour cost is the tips to the ABD guides. The recommended tip is $5-8 per day per person per guide. There are 2 guides per trip. So count on $10-$16 per per day per person. So, for a family of 2 on a 7 night trip, this would cost approximately 7 days x 2 people x 2 guides x $5-8 = $140 - $224.

abdmom, Did you pay the guides in US $ or the currency of the country?

 

[abdmom]

We paid in US dollars, but since I had some local currency left, I added some of that too. One of our guides was American and the other Chinese. However, the American was essentially living in China and Hong Kong for a 3 month stretch and I'm sure could use the yuan as easily as the U.S. dollars. At 3 of the 4 hotels we stayed at, there was an ATM machine that I could use. I took out a small amount each time for purchasing souvenirs etc. The hotels were also able to convert currencies at the front desk. So, although I carried around the guides tips in US cash the entire time, I suppose I could have simply used one of the ATMs close to the end of the trip to withdraw money from my bank account in local currency.

I just checked the small book that we were given shortly before our trip started. It states: Adventure Guides will accept U.S. dollars, local currency and signed travelers' checks. Also, the book conveniently does the Adventure Guide tip calculation for you for both a single traveler and a family of 4. This is just one example of how ABD really does everything for you - I got so spoiled.

 

[redzinner]

Thanks for the details! Mucho appreciated...

I just checked the small book that we were given shortly before our trip started. It states: Adventure Guides will accept U.S. dollars, local currency and signed travelers' checks. Also, the book conveniently does the Adventure Guide tip calculation for you for both a single traveler and a family of 4. This is just one example of how ABD really does everything for you - I got so spoiled.

I should have known Disney would cover all the bases!