Cancelled by ABD: It DOES happen :(

[Calfan]

FWIW.....Disney said that the policy for "triple" is that the child MUST be 13 yrs old or less otherwise you MUST book a double and a single room with the single supplement. CRAZY!!!!!!! Do they really want a 14 -15-or16 yr. old in their own room? INSANITY just to make more money. Just spoke to Thomson Adventure (THANKS Calfan) and they say the trip goes with any number.....if it is three only it goes....guaranteed. Oh yea....they DO have triples. Walt must be shaking his head the mess they seem to be making out of his company.

You're welcome I have been very impressed with Thomson so far after making our booking earlier this week.

 

[RSM]

FWIW.....Disney said that the policy for "triple" is that the child MUST be 13 yrs old or less otherwise you MUST book a double and a single room with the single supplement. CRAZY!!!!!!! Do they really want a 14 -15-or16 yr. old in their own room? INSANITY just to make more money. Just spoke to Thomson Adventure (THANKS Calfan) and they say the trip goes with any number.....if it is three only it ....guaranteed. Oh yea....they DO have triples. Walt must be shaking his head the mess they seem to be making out of his company.[/QUOTE

Wow! If this is the policy for triples, we will max out at 5 ABDs for the forseeable future. I can't see paying a single supplement for a 13+ year old. There are too many other optons for family trips with 3 people. I think you will enjoy Thomson. DW is related to Judi (Rick and Judi own Thomson) and they run a great business.

 

[RSM]

Wow! If this is the policy for triples, we will max out at 5 ABDs for the forseeable future. I can't see paying a single supplement for a 13+ year old. There are too many other optons for family trips with 3 people. I think you will enjoy Thomson. DW is related to Judi (Rick and Judi own Thomson) and they run a great business

 

[Calfan]

I think you will enjoy Thomson. DW is related to Judi (Rick and Judi own Thomson) and they run a great business

Great to hear. Thanks!

 

[Rapunzellover]

Tauck Bridges probably has the triples too.

 

[sayhello]

OK, so I was just contacted by one of my ABD contacts who says this totally doesn't make sense. They accommodate triples all the time, at a triples rate, sharing one room. The only time they charge a single supplement is if the person insists the 3rd person have a room of their own. Carpenta, I have to think the person you spoke to either didn't understand what you were asking or just didn't know what they were talking about. I know I've had people doing triples on several of my ABD's (in Greece, it was parents and an adult daughter for her graduation from college. Definitely over 13.)

This is just me, but I'd suggest calling back & asking to talk to a supervisor.

Sayhello

 

[RSM]

Phew!! Thanks Sayhello. Good to know that next year we still have the option of taking an ABD with our 13 y/o without having to pay a single supplement.

 

[sayhello]

OK, so I was just looking at one of the Thomson Family China trips, and it said in big red letters:

*Minimum of six participants required.

So, yes, that's a pretty small number, but that's not "we go with any number, no matter what".

Sayhello

 

[aggiemomx3]

FWIW. My two adult daughters and I have been on 3 ABD European trips and have never had a problem booking a triple. In fact, We just booked one for next year!!

 

[carpenta]

I spoke to a ABD staff and was told of the new arraignment on triples. I questioned it and was told on the Norway trip it is how I described. My T.A. Thought it was crazy so he called TWICE and spoke to two different reps and was told the same thing. I (we) really wanted to go on this trip and it really was a disappointment not to be able to go. Truck Bridges as well as Thomson do provide triples. We have done Bridges twice and no problem. ABD better get it's act together and get the info straight for they just lost 20,000 from us.

 

[kristilew]

OK, so I was just contacted by one of my ABD contacts who says this totally doesn't make sense. They accommodate triples all the time, at a triples rate, sharing one room. The only time they charge a single supplement is if the person insists the 3rd person have a room of their own. Carpenta, I have to think the person you spoke to either didn't understand what you were asking or just didn't know what they were talking about. I know I've had people doing triples on several of my ABD's (in Greece, it was parents and an adult daughter for her graduation from college. Definitely over 13.)

This is just me, but I'd suggest calling back & asking to talk to a supervisor.

Sayhello

I can say, having booked four Adventures as a triple, that there is no "triples rate." The third person pays full price. If the third person is a child, the rate is the child's rate, but there is not a rate for three people in a room. I haven't tried to book Norway, so can't add to that conversation, but the complaint many of us families of three have is that Disney's idea of accommodating triples is to put the third person on a roll away. While other companies may do this as well, they also offer a discounted rate to the third person in a room.

 

[Calfan]

OK, so I was just looking at one of the Thomson Family China trips, and it said in big red letters:

*Minimum of six participants required.

So, yes, that's a pretty small number, but that's not "we go with any number, no matter what".

Sayhello

Sayhello, that is actually for the special Treasures of China Smithsonian itinerary, which only has one date offered. The regular Thomson Wonders of China itinerary does not have the 6-person minimum, which is consistent with what I was told when I booked. I was assured that our Wonders of China trip would go, even if it ended up just being our family of four. But even with the special Smithsonian trip that does have a stated minimum, that is kind of my point. At least you know where you stand when you book, and you will be told when the minimum is achieved and your trip is guaranteed. To my mind, it would be so much better if ABD did something similar, at whatever minimum number makes sense (20, 25, 30, it could even vary for different itineraries). Just having the assurance once that number is hit that the trip will go would make a huge difference. As I think CaliforniaGirl09 mentioned earlier in this thread, that is how it worked for the National Geographic walking trip across England we are doing later this year. We knew there was an 8-person minimum for the trip to go, and we knew there were 4 signed up after we booked. We had to wait a few months, but we were notified when the bookings hit 12 that our trip was for sure a go and we could purchase our air, etc. I really like that system.

 

[SingingMom]

OK, so I was just contacted by one of my ABD contacts who says this totally doesn't make sense. They accommodate triples all the time, at a triples rate, sharing one room. The only time they charge a single supplement is if the person insists the 3rd person have a room of their own. Carpenta, I have to think the person you spoke to either didn't understand what you were asking or just didn't know what they were talking about. I know I've had people doing triples on several of my ABD's (in Greece, it was parents and an adult daughter for her graduation from college. Definitely over 13.)

This is just me, but I'd suggest calling back & asking to talk to a supervisor.

Sayhello

This is our third ABD (we leave Tuesday for Central Europe) and we are a triple. DH, me, and DD21. We always have one room.

 

[carpenta]

Sayhello, that is actually for the special Treasures of China Smithsonian itinerary, which only has one date offered. The regular Thomson Wonders of China itinerary does not have the 6-person minimum, which is consistent with what I was told when I booked. I was assured that our Wonders of China trip would go, even if it ended up just being our family of four. But even with the special Smithsonian trip that does have a stated minimum, that is kind of my point. At least you know where you stand when you book, and you will be told when the minimum is achieved and your trip is guaranteed. To my mind, it would be so much better if ABD did something similar, at whatever minimum number makes sense (20, 25, 30, it could even vary for different itineraries). Just having the assurance once that number is hit that the trip will go would make a huge difference. As I think CaliforniaGirl09 mentioned earlier in this thread, that is how it worked for the National Geographic walking trip across England we are doing later this year. We knew there was an 8-person minimum for the trip to go, and we knew there were 4 signed up after we booked. We had to wait a few months, but we were notified when the bookings hit 12 that our trip was for sure a go and we could purchase our air, etc. I really like that system.

We just spoke to Thomson about the Costa Rica Family with teenagers trip they offer and Christine told me that this trip will go no matter how many are booked. "If it is only the three of you the trip is a go. You can purchase your airline tickets as soon as you put a down payment on the trip". Don't have to worry about losing $900.00 on change of ticket charge(s). ABD should look around and see what their competitors are offering IMO.

 

[kmc33]

We are thinking about booking the Viva Italy next year and would need a triple. After seeing that some trips did not have rooms for triples available, I called ABD to confirm it is an option. I was told that each hotel would accommodate the third with a rollaway.

Does anyone know if they give you a bigger room to accommodate a rollaway? I know that double rooms in Europe can be small. I looked on the hotel websites and each seemed to have a "deluxe" room, not a suite or junior suite, but just a slightly bigger room than the standard double. I was wondering if for a triple they would at least give you a slightly larger room, after all, you are paying more than the party that has 2 in the room.

Also, does anyone know if Tauck accommodates triples the same way in Italy... with a rollaway in a double room?
Thanks!!!

 

[carpenta]

We did the Tauck Bridges tour in Italy and they gave us a suite type room with two rooms and large bath with a tub and a shower. There was a pull out couch which was larger than a double and smaller than a full. The other bed(s) were a king in one hotel and two full size beds. They stay in the Westin properties which are exquisite. In Florence we had two French balconies that stared at the Duomo a few blocks away. In Venice we stayed about 5 blocks from St.Marks right on the base of the Grand Canal..

 

[CrazyZeus1]

We are thinking about booking the Viva Italy next year and would need a triple. After seeing that some trips did not have rooms for triples available, I called ABD to confirm it is an option. I was told that each hotel would accommodate the third with a rollaway.

Does anyone know if they give you a bigger room to accommodate a rollaway? I know that double rooms in Europe can be small. I looked on the hotel websites and each seemed to have a "deluxe" room, not a suite or junior suite, but just a slightly bigger room than the standard double. I was wondering if for a triple they would at least give you a slightly larger room, after all, you are paying more than the party that has 2 in the room.

Also, does anyone know if Tauck accommodates triples the same way in Italy... with a rollaway in a double room?
Thanks!!!

We did the Viva Italy last summer with a triple and we always ended up with the biggest rooms to accomodate the roll away, or a pull out couch

 

[CrazyZeus1]

Cool. Where else?

We've got Galapagos, Italy/Switzerland, the Danube, and then Vietnam! Homeschool for the win! ha!

 

[kristilew]

We are thinking about booking the Viva Italy next year and would need a triple. After seeing that some trips did not have rooms for triples available, I called ABD to confirm it is an option. I was told that each hotel would accommodate the third with a rollaway.

Does anyone know if they give you a bigger room to accommodate a rollaway? I know that double rooms in Europe can be small. I looked on the hotel websites and each seemed to have a "deluxe" room, not a suite or junior suite, but just a slightly bigger room than the standard double. I was wondering if for a triple they would at least give you a slightly larger room, after all, you are paying more than the party that has 2 in the room.

Also, does anyone know if Tauck accommodates triples the same way in Italy... with a rollaway in a double room?
Thanks!!!

Here are photos of our room at the Grand Melia in Rome and at the hotel in Florence (which is not where most Viva Italia trips stay, because you are usually out in the countryside but we were there at Christmas.) You can see how the rollaway was fitted into the room. The rooms are definitely larger than many I have stayed in on various European trips, as we have stayed in some that once the sofa bed was pulled out we couldn't really walk around. Still, in Rome, you can see that the cot filled the space from the foot of the one bed to the desk on the wall. And in Florence, DD slept with DH's feet on her as the only space for the cot was against the foot of our bed. (You can also see from the first picture that DD is longer than the cot!)





eta: Our rooms in the Baglioni in Venice were amazing - a suite with a sitting room that held the cot, a hallway with the bath off that, and then a very large bedroom. But I don't think the trip stays there anymore.

 

[tufbuf]

We are a family of three and currently doing the Norway ABD. So far our two rooms have been triples.