Anybody checked # of bookings for your 2009 trip lately?

[redzinner]

ABD called today and our Discovery Down Under trip has been cancelled.

Our May 16th Ireland trip was cancelled today too.

Sorry to hear your travel plans were changed. Hopefully you will be able to do another tour Bob912. cappygirl it's great that you were able to have flexible dates! Man the economy is really putting a pinch on these tour dates.

We are scheduled for the Ireland tour on May 23rd. I just called and was told it wasn't full yet but the concierge agent would not tell me the percentage booked. He did state that they would try to get us in another tour or give us a full refund.

 

[Tozzie]

I called last week to make an additional payment and the trip I am going on is 15% booked or 5 people, the CM told me that a lot of people wait until after the Holidays to book especially the US trips but I am not convinced. I am stuck if they cancel it A- I pick my vacation time in the beginning of the year and can't change and B- I am gioing on the Golden Path to yosemite tour and since I have friends in Southern California and I had extra DVC points I have a week at Disneyland staying in the Grand Californian hotel on those points. I also booked my airfare using Miles so it will be a mess to sort out if it gets canceled. Theyaso did this to me last year and I am nervous now. I also had at the early booking Discount and a $500 credit that I received because they cancelled my trip last year. I am just going to keep my fingers crossed.

 

[rkdahl]

Our Nov 30th ABD Australia trip was cancelled with just under 60 days notice. This was after several calls weeks prior to ABD where they felt this trip was a solid go and there should be 'no problem', with the usual no guarentees of course. I suspect a family cancelled for some reason after final payment and that caused them to go below minimums.

While their reasonable air fare refund policy might help in some cases. In ours it did not help at all. We had booked a pre-ABD trip for a week in another location and then a post ABD trip for a week in another location. With the ABD cancellation we could not juggle all our airfares, hotels and other events with less than 60 days notice. We had travel logistics at each end of our ABD trip that just could not be moved. It's very hard in less than 60 days to juggle an entire overseas intenarary.

In the end, we filled the planned ABD 10 days with another activity in Australia but we were terribly disappointed.

Two things that disturbed me the most about this ABD cancellation:

1) other than the original 'bad news cancellation' call, I received no other call, letter or anything from ABD saying we are sorry this happened and we apologize. That really bothered me. I expected some kind of formal follow up letter stating what had happened with an apology.
2) I also wrote them an online feedback suggesting ideas and ways to improve the cancellation process and possibly reduce cancellations. I received no reply to that either.

My wife and I had booked an ABD trip for later in 2009 for Austria. I am seriously debating what to do as we have zero confidence this will actually happen. We are considering cancelling the ABD trip and planning our own vacation knowing full well it WILL occur and we can count on everything happening.

We are going to decide what to do in the next couple of months. With the economy as it is and lots of travel cut backs happening, I am in no way going to plan on that trip happening and build other travel arrangements around an ABD trip when such high cancellations seem to be happening.

There's got to be a better way of scheduling these trips than the current, roll the dice and at 60 days see what happens, roulette wheel.

 

[Bobo912]

I called last week to make an additional payment and the trip I am going on is 15% booked or 5 people, the CM told me that a lot of people wait until after the Holidays to book especially the US trips but I am not convinced.

That's what they told me on Dec 16 - the day I started this thread. Guess it didn't work out that way. I hope you have better luck than we did. Our trip was still 5 months away, but I am glad that they decided to go ahead and cancel now, rather than waiting for the 60 day mark. The CM told me which dates are the most heavily booked and which have the most kids, but I think it will be a little difficult to reschedule this trip because it is one of the longer ones. And, since we were going to the other side of the world, we thought we might as well spend a few extra days, making it even longer. We'll probably switch to one of the other adventures, and maybe try for Australia again next year.

 

[PatriciaH]

Anyone check the South Africa trips lately?

 

[wdwsos]

ABD called today and our Discovery Down Under trip has been cancelled. They gave us plenty of warning since our trip wasn't until June 5. Checked airfare for the rest of the summer and it is goes up $450 per person the second week in June and stays that way through July. So I now have to decide if I want to reschedule the Australia trip and pay the extra airfare on an already very expensive trip or switch to another adventure. The CM did tell me that they would honor the early booking discount for any adventure we would like to take. At this point, I don't know what to do.

I'm so sorry yours was canceled. AbD is trying to do this a little further out so that people are prepared. I think a lot of folks have complained (especially here) that they'd rather know sooner than later.

For those on trips not canceled, keep in mind that by reducing the number of tours offered, your chances are better that yours will be a go.

Bobo912, I have a group of friends (all adults, so far) going on June 5 to Bella Italia and it's a guaranteed departure. Come with us! The date is the same even though the destination is far different!

Dotti

 

[nunzia]

Our Backstage Magic is "less than 50% booked" according to the ABD rep who wouldn't give more info than that. We are going with another couple and I know of one other DIS couple going..so..we will see what less than 50% means

 

[kristilew]

I called last week to make an additional payment and the trip I am going on is 15% booked or 5 people, the CM told me that a lot of people wait until after the Holidays to book especially the US trips but I am not convinced. I am stuck if they cancel it A- I pick my vacation time in the beginning of the year and can't change and B- I am gioing on the Golden Path to yosemite tour and since I have friends in Southern California and I had extra DVC points I have a week at Disneyland staying in the Grand Californian hotel on those points. I also booked my airfare using Miles so it will be a mess to sort out if it gets canceled. Theyaso did this to me last year and I am nervous now. I also had at the early booking Discount and a $500 credit that I received because they cancelled my trip last year. I am just going to keep my fingers crossed.

tozzie, we are in a similar situation with Southwest Splendors. However, we are looking at it as a trip we can recreate on our own if the ABD does get cancelled. We'll still go see our friends in Sedona, then we'll just go stay at the hotels Disney would have put us in and see the same sights. With the Yosemite trip, you should be able to do the same. It wouldn't be as magical, but it was what swayed us to commit. As DH said, we're doing it no matter what. But I do hope, for you and for us, that the ABD's happen!

 

[Dahly]

Bobo912 - so sorry to hear your Australia Trip was cancelled. I hope you can rebook the same trip, or find another one that works for you.

Good Luck!

Dahly

 

[Phil1019]

Hi, I called ABD today about my trip to Costa Rica 4/18/09 - I was told that my trip is just about fully booked and is definitely a go!

 

[jacksparrowfan]

Hi, I called ABD today about my trip to Costa Rica 4/18/09 - I was told that my trip is just about fully booked and is definitely a go!

Happy New Year to my fellow Backstage Magic Adventurer! YAY!!!! Now you can really be excited. I hope you send me pictures! Especially of you and your daughter doing the zip line! (Oh my!!!)

I called in to make a payment for Backstage magic (Oct). They said it was 30% full at this time. It sounds positive at this point. In this economy, I still am concerned. But, we will see what happens.

 

[2RGR8]

I checked on our London/Paris trip that departs June 22nd and there are 13 people booked so far. We are still going whether we go through Disney or not. Our days may not be as organized, but how hard can it be hitting all of the places on their itinerary?

 

[Bobo912]

Thanks, everyone, for your commiserations. We were disappointed, but everything has worked out okay. We switched to the Alaska adventure and are equally excited about this trip. Hopefully, we'll get to take the Australia trip sometime in the future - maybe next year!

 

[Phil1019]

Hi, Are you going on the Backstage Magic trip a second time?

 

[sayhello]

Thanks, everyone, for your commiserations. We were disappointed, but everything has worked out okay. We switched to the Alaska adventure and are equally excited about this trip. Hopefully, we'll get to take the Australia trip sometime in the future - maybe next year!

You will *LOVE* Alaska! I was tempted by that itinerary, except that I was just there 2 years ago, so I really wanted to go somewhere new.

Alaska is magnificent, and ABD has you going to some really great places (the Kenai penninsula tour is supposed to be WONDERFUL for spotting wildlife & whales!) That was one of the places I really was sorry I missed.

Glad it all worked out. Australia next year!

Sayhello

 

[jacksparrowfan]

Hi, Are you going on the Backstage Magic trip a second time?

Hi! Yes, this time I am going with a couple of friends.

 

[Tozzie]

The dates of the trips that were posted as canceled are still on the website. I was hoping they had removed them so that I could use that as a gage but they haven't and the NYC and Boston trip is still listed. Last year when they cancelled the itinerary it was immediately removed from the site. Oh well.

 

[wii fit mama]

I checked this morning, there are 15 people booked on our June 16, Southwest Splendors trip(leaves Tues). I hope that's enough people although I wouldn't mind leaving that Saturday(the 20th). We didn't book it originally because it would have cost another $1,500.

 

[kristilew]

Hi, wii fit mama We are on the same trip! I was just logging on to post that I checked yesterday too. She didn't give me exact #'s, just said "almost 50%". She also said "it's still early." I wouldn't mind having a small group, but I hope it's not cancelled.

Who all is in your group?

 

[sayhello]

I checked this morning, there are 15 people booked on our June 16, Southwest Splendors trip(leaves Tues). I hope that's enough people although I wouldn't mind leaving that Saturday(the 20th). We didn't book it originally because it would have cost another $1,500.

My Southwest Splendors tour went with 14 people, so there's reason to hope!

Sayhello